Some of the governor's soldiers took Jesus into their
headquarters and called out the entire battalion. They stripped him and
put a scarlet robe on him. They made a crown of long, sharp thorns and put
it on his head, and they placed a stick in his right hand as a scepter.
Then they knelt before him in mockery, yelling, "Hail! King of the
Jews!" And they spit on him and grabbed the stick and beat him on the
head with it. When they were finally tired of mocking him, they took off
the robe and put his own clothes on him again. Then they led him away to be
crucified.The trial was over. Jesus had been convicted. Of what, you still had no idea. He was arrested and tried because of who he was. The same things you saw in him, his power, his presence, his authority, his compassion, were those things which the community leaders could not stand.
Those menwere seeking
after God. You know some of them. They aren't evil. Why couldn't they see? Why
couldn't they hear? The prophet was right, then and now, when he said,
"You will hear my words, but you will not understand. You will
see what I do, but you will not perceive its meaning."
They do what they think is right, looking to the salvation of the people. The Lord is the one who brings salvation, and his work they reject. So, they cause their own downfall, again. Why don't they read to their own writings?
Look! There he is, coming out of the courtyard.
You've seen people beaten before, but not like this. They are taking pleasure in this, they are still mocking him as they bring him out. All the Roman hate against Israel is being inflicted on Jesus. They call him king; they show how they treat the Jewish people. Your own leaders gave the cause for this.
You stand silent, like the others, intimidated by the hate, and the hatred of the crowd. Who are these people? They are not the ones you knew. You recognize faces, but how could those yelling hatred now be the ones who yelled for peace just five days ago?
Jesus has disappointed them. He had his chance to throw off the yoke of Rome, to lead the people through power and persuasion. He didn't do it. You think even the Pharisees would have changed their minds if he just showed them his power or argued against Pilate. He was not the one they wanted, so now they are turning against him. If he's not the one they seek, they will destroy him for raising their hopes.
Now, he who was a threat to their power has been silenced. All his followers are silenced. The work of Rome has once again done its job by making their subjects turn against each other. Jesus asked you all to be full of love and to do what is right. This is what happens to those who speak that message in times of trouble.
You are at the back of the crowd. The smell of sweat and unwashed people is strong, though not strong enough to cover the smell of blood. The sacrifices at the Temple still continue, you hear the bleats of sheep and cooing of doves even where you stand. The people around sound the same, sheep bleating in terror and anguish. Here, now, they turn their fear against the one who brought hope.
T
he
soldiers hit him in the head, knocking his jaw. Blood splashes from his
mouth. You lose sight of him. Jewish priests stand watching,
approving, smiling and even laughing. Not everyone acts with joy. There are many tears in this crowd. Some even from other leaders. It seems more than a few Pharisees disagree with what is going on. Weeping and laughing mix.
Chaos is enjoined.
Jesus stands again with the wooden cross piece on his shoulders. He leans and sways under the weight. You cannot see his face from this distance, though his weariness is obvious. He stumbles into a soldier who pushes him into another soldier. He is tossed around, burdened by the weight, forced through the rough hands of ruthless, unrestrained Romans. Food is thrown at him as he makes his way to the road, rotten food, wilted flowers, dead things.
He's now on the road. The crowd pushes you back. Instead of following at a distance you decide to take a path to part of the way farther along. The last thing you see, before you turn to go, is a woman in a second story window tossing out the disgusting contents of a chamber pot right on top of the stumbling Jesus. It washes away some of the blood, covering him in filth. He stumbles into a wall, falls to the ground, blood and wet dripping off him. You turn and leave before you see him stand up, knowing the path he will take and the force which will be used to make him walk that path.
The Romans who were splashed yell at the woman. The crowd cheers her 'sacrifice'. What is happening here? Confusion is ruling. All you wanted was peace, and the moment you found it, in Jesus, this happens.
You yell to the heavens, "Why God? Why?"
Tears continue to stream down your face. A cool breeze blows through the empty alley way. A single sparrow sings a delightful song, almost mocking the scene around with its apparent joy. Your walk becomes a run. This is not a scene you want to see, only everything in you forces you to watch. Evil has been unleashed yet there is nothing you can do about it. You are helpless before its fury.
"God. Help," you cry, knowing that God can fix this, not understanding why he doesn't. Jesus knew about all this, didn't he? He knew and let it happen. You have to get back to the road, and see for yourself.
"My Jesus, the heavy burden of my sins is on you, and bears you down beneath the cross. I loathe them, I detest them; I call on you to pardon them; may your grace aid me never more to commit them."
