It’s Saturday Family! May your day be saturated with the reality of His presence with ya! In looking at the next section of Mark’s story today, I’m trying to keep a heart of joy, excitement and enthusiasm, but given the story of Jesus’ abuse, I’m struggling. However, in the midst of the darkness of the event transpiring, our Dad gives me light to see the bright side in it all. I share these thoughts with you: After Pilate had Jesus flogged which must have been excrutiating for Jesus, Pilate handed Jesus over to his soldiers to be crucified. Here we have a group of soldiers who had an awful job of putting Jesus to the agonizing death on a cross. How would you like to have that job? Yikes!!! I can imagine it makes pretty much any job look pretty good in comparison. In the right mindset though, the job these soldiers had could have been viewed as carrying out the will of the Father in that it was necessary for Jesus to fulfill Scripture to die on the cross to save all mankind from sin. In that light, it could have been viewed as an honor to be the ones chosen to help Jesus carry out His Father’s work had they truly known who Jesus was. It is said often that laughter is therapy in a life that is difficult. I suppose these soldiers must have needed humor to lighten the pain of what they did for a living, but sadly, their humor was targeted at the expense of a real human being. They at least clothed Him in purple that was truly fitting for a royal King. The soldiers had that part right and their address of Him as the King of Jews was fitting as He was in fact a King and falling to their knees in homage to Him was something I’m sure they will see as the proper position before Jesus when the review button on their lives is played. But the beating of Him, spitting on Him and smacking the crown of thorns into His head and laughing at Him with mockery was far beyond the call to duty. When they had finished with their so called fun, they put His clothes back on Him and led Him to be crucified. The job of crucifying Jesus was a dirty job and someone had to do it. I pity those soldiers for their job, but there has to be more Godly humor than making someone the focal point of mockery and laughter. Dad’s Word says when we point a finger at someone else, there is a finger pointing back at us. I can’t imagine going down in history having treated Jesus as these soldiers did, yet people even today make a mockery of Him and His ways. While these soldiers had a tough, painful job and they sought to find some joy in it, Jesus had an even tougher, painful job as He felt the pain of their sinful humor. He, too, sought to find joy in His circumstance as He fixed His eyes on His Daddy and His great eternal plan to rescue them all from their sin. Their abuse could have actually inspired Him to persevere, knowing what He was going through was bringing their rescue as well as the rescue of many. These soldiers mocked Jesus for His view of Himself as the King of the Jews.  They did not see His Godliness. In so doing, they had fingers pointing back at them as their mindset placed themselves as Kings of authority over Jesus, lacking Godliness in how they treated the one who could rescue them from the wrath their sin deserved. Despite their erroneous attitude and as a result of them doing their job, Jesus paid the price on the cross for the sins of all mankind and now there is a day coming when all of Dad’s kids will laugh with Godly laughter - and they will live without death or mourning or crying or pain. Until then, I’m just happy to be doing life with ya’s!  It just makes me giggle!
Mk 15:16-20; Ro 12:2; Lk 6:21; Rev 21:4