What price heaven? humiliation → Alice V. Walters

Dear Reader, the road to the cross is not for the faint of heart. Reflecting on the suffering and sacrifice of Jesus is hard, but how can we come into a closer relationship with Him if we don’t dig a little deeper? Let us go on this difficult, but necessary, journey together.

Do you remember the first day of middle school PE, Dear Reader? The first day all the students were to “dress out”…and shower at the end of class?

I was absolutely mortified! Wasn’t that some kind of infringement on our rights? How could we be expected to strip and shower en masse? How absolutely humiliating!

Or, remember the days when teachers could call out or post student grades for all the world to know? As a pretty good student, I never minded, but I felt bad for the struggling kid that sat in front of me. (Oh wait, looks like that practice hasn’t gone away completely.)

I’m sure most of us have been embarassed or humiliated at some point in our lives. Hopefully, you have not suffered deliberate humiliation, Dear Reader. You know the kind, the kind inflicted by bullies just for the sake of hurting.

In the ancient Mediterrean world, the Roman Empire rocked! It rocked and it ruled with an iron fist. Interestingly enough, Jesus lived during the period called “Pax Romana“, or Roman Peace (27 BCE – 14 CE). Unfortunately, Roman Peace only extended to Roman citizens, not the ones they governed.

Dear Reader, I know we live on this side of Resurrection Day. Nevertheless, as I read this passage from Matthew’s gospel, I kept asking the same question, “How could they not see?” As they spat upon our Savior, how could they not see the love in His eyes? As the crown of thorns was jabbed upon His head, how could they not see His father’s spirit in His face?

28 They stripped him and put a scarlet robe on him, 29 and made a crown from long thorns and put it on his head, and placed a stick in his right hand as a scepter and knelt before him in mockery. “Hail, King of the Jews,” they yelled. 30 And they spat on him and grabbed the stick and beat him on the head with it.
Matthew 27: 28-30 TLB

Have you been embarassed, Dear Reader, bullied, humiliated, abuse? The Son of God chose to step down from heaven, lay aside His glory and authority in order to accept the humiliation of sin, once and for all. That included the soldiers who had no clue…and us.

He was beaten, he was tortured,
but he didn’t say a word.
Like a lamb taken to be slaughtered and like a sheep being sheared, he took it all in silence.
Isaiah 53:7 MSG

Maybe Jesus didn’t say anything to His bullies and abusers because there was nothing left to say. Maybe it was because a love so great that it will force one to die for His enemies doesn’t need anyhing else.