“Behold,…the Man”, shouted Pilot………..

Jesus stood there quietly shaking, meek and resigned before the crowd. Beaten beyond visible recognition, his face was bruised and swollen, his eyes half shut beneath the thorns stuck deeply into his head in a crown of mockery.  He bowed his head in faint weakness, blood seeping from head to foot now from fragmented and torn flesh that had exploded under the tearing force of whips and metal shrapnel, the carpenter from Nazareth, Jesus…….awaited his sentence. “What good could come from Nazareth”, someone had said. 

The hate was so thick and loud, “Crucify Him!” they screamed and cursed.

Such a long way from a Bethlehem manger, a long way from His friends, a long way from His mother,…..such a long way from everything, now.  In His mind, they were all still fresh…the faces, the campfires at night and long talks. The meals, the joy.  He loved them. He would miss them.

Alone, sad and breaking…. on the last leg of His time here. Waiting for a horrible death. And maybe silently thinking, drifting in and out, “Father, I didn’t know it would be this hard, I am afraid, I can’t see very good now, and it hurts…. my heart hurts so much Lord…and I don’t think I can feel my fingers now, the pain Lord,…. I am afraid, ……….they hate me so.  Be with me….I love them but I can only make it thru this with you Father”

Jesus Christ, the Son of God, was being killed and few could realize what was happening. Their lives would be changed forever. And for 2000 years, many more would find the same and see the eyes and face of kindness and love---bloodied and dying, nailed to a cross.  Never again would there be such a sad spectacle given the reason and purpose. Never again, would there be such a gift given to those on earth……..a gift of redemption and salvation that many would refuse and mock………..and yet others would cherish, even release their lives to keep.

And they would know. He died for them…all of them. May God forgive us, we know not what we do or how ignorant we are of the truth. We only love you Lord because you loved us first.

Bless us Lord, and be with us.  Jesus Christ- Son of God, have mercy on us.......We pray in your Matchless name.

He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not. (Isaiah 53, Written some 800 years before Jesus Christ came to earth and died on the cross)

4     ¶ Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted.
5     But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.
6     All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.
7     He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth.
8     He was taken from prison and from judgment: and who shall declare his generation? for he was cut off out of the land of the living: for the transgression of my people was he stricken.
9     And he made his grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death; because he had done no violence, neither was any deceit in his mouth.
10     ¶ Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise him; he hath put him to grief: when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the LORD shall prosper in his hand.
11     He shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied: by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many; for he shall bear their iniquities.
12     Therefore will I divide him a portion with the great, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong; because he hath poured out his soul unto death: and he was numbered with the transgressors; and he bare the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.