Do Not Take Lightly

Do Not Take Lightly
Words of Faith 2-12-2024
Dr. Jeffrey D. Hoy © 2024
Jeff.Hoy@faithfellowshipweb.com
Faith Fellowship Church - Melbourne, FL
www.faithfellowshipweb.com
<>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <><

Mark 10
[32] They were on their way up to Jerusalem, with Jesus leading the way, and the disciples were astonished, while those who followed were afraid. Again, he took the Twelve aside and told them what was going to happen to him. [33] "We are going up to Jerusalem," he said, "and the Son of Man will be betrayed to the chief priests and teachers of the law. They will condemn him to death and will hand him over to the Gentiles, [34] who will mock him and spit on him, flog him and kill him. Three days later, he will rise."

Jesus predicted His passion-- His suffering-- several times. It is never easy to hear. The disciples often seemed either to ignore it or avoid it. It is difficult to face squarely the price of sin. It is difficult to realize that love will pay dearly the price of what is wrong in order to make things right. It is distressing to hear that Love incarnate would be so terribly treated. But it is something we must face.
The details of the passion of Jesus are infuriating. He who was without guile would be betrayed, turned over by one He had loved. He would be condemned to death and handed over to the Gentiles, a terrible thought to Jewish people oppressed by a Gentile Roman occupation. But that was only the start. They would mock him and spit on him, something as degrading in that day as it is today. They would flog Him, a merciless and excruciating torture, and then kill Him. They would do everything possible to crush the dignity and the human breath of life from His body. It is an image familiar to us, yet it is hard to ponder.
I recently watched the Gospel of Matthew video presentation. This is a film depiction is known for its absolute accuracy to the text and for its portrayal of the "laughing Jesus." Jesus is full of joy, humor, and human passion. But the final scenes are almost unbearable as the soldiers tear out the beard of our Savior and batter His handsome face to a point nearly beyond recognition.
In that portrayal, when Jesus finally appears before Pilate for disposition, it is difficult to tell if this is the same actor because he is so swollen and bruised. The flogging in this motion picture was not as graphic as most scholars describe. The film "The Passion of the Christ" captures the grim reality of this Roman form of torture. What is dramatized is impossible to watch without a knot in your throat and tears welling in your eyes. We wince and even gasp as the Gospel we have heard all our lives collides with the reality of the high cost of sin and redemption.
No. It could not have been an easy thing for the disciples to think about what Jesus described. But it is good for us to contemplate this destiny of Jesus, inasmuch as we can. "We are going up to Jerusalem," he said, "and the Son of Man will be betrayed to the chief priests and teachers of the law. They will condemn him to death and will hand him over to the Gentiles, who will mock him and spit on him, flog him and kill him. Three days later, he will rise."

Lord, let me not take lightly Your mission, which was to save me no matter the cost. Let me not take lightly the historical fact of Your suffering. Let me not take lightly the power of Your sacrifice nor of Your resurrection. In Jesus' Name, Amen.

<>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< ><> <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <><
© Jeffrey D. Hoy 2024
Dr. Jeffrey D. Hoy - Faith Fellowship Church (EFCA)
2820 Business Center Blvd.
Melbourne, Florida 32940 (321)-259-7200
Jeff.Hoy@faithfellowshipweb.com
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
SUBSCRIPTIONS - To receive the Words of Faith devotion five days a week, send an e-mail message addressed to join-words-of-faith@hub.xc.org. To stop receiving Words of Faith, send an e-mail message addressed to unsubscribe-words-of-faith@hub.xc.org. The daily devotion and archive are posted at https://www.faithfellowshipweb.com/blog
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
The Words of Faith devotion is published five days a week by E-mail, excluding Federal holidays. Please feel free to forward this devotion to a friend who might be blessed by this devotion. Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture is quoted from the New International Version (R) of The Holy Bible. Copyright (c) 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House. All rights reserved. Words of Faith (c) 1997, 2024 Jeffrey D. Hoy. All rights reserved. Permission is granted to forward this copyrighted material or use portions of it with appropriate notation of the source for non-profit purposes.