February 13

Matthew 27:32-66

The reading of Jesus being beaten and crucified reminded me of when I was younger, maybe seven or eight years old, and I watched a movie with my Mom called "The Robe".  I remember asking her "why are they were beating that man, who is he?, what did he do?"  There was no clear answer. I was horrified and left the room. 

In yesterday's reading, Pilate asked the same question when the crowd yelled "crucify Him!"  "Why? What crime has he committed?" (27:23)  The truth to the matter is that there was no crime Jesus committed.  The crimes committed were ours.  They were, and still are, our sins.  It wasn't just physical or emotional pain that made Jesus cry out "Eli, Eli, lema sabachtani", it was the weight of humanity's sin so horrific that God The Father had to look away.  Reading the account of the crucifixion, knowing it should have been me up on that cross leaves me a bit numb. But there's more.  What happened on the cross answers the question "Who is He?", and next, points to the invitation we received through Jesus' death which allows us to enter into a righteous relationship with God. The veil in the temple is torn from the top down. It's so important to try and grasp and simply receive the incomprehensible because that's where our faith rests.  The Romans viewed crucifixion as a death suitable for the worst offenders, In our state of sin, we are the worst offenders. The Law said anyone who hung on a tree was cursed. Jesus death was the only way for God to fix what was started way back in the Garden of Eden. By grace, we have been saved.

As I go back to remembering that day when I was with my Mom, the answer to the my questions and to Pilate's, and to anyone else who might ask us, is found in John 10:11  - Jesus is the good shepherd who laid down his life for his sheep.  I pray God puts one person in our path today that needs to hear this truth.

Randi