The Shadow of Humiliation and Contempt
“He saved others,” they said, “but he
can’t save himself! He’s the king of Israel! Let him come down now from the
cross, and we will believe in him.42
He trusts in God. Let God rescue him
now if he wants him, for he said, ‘I am the Son of God.’”43
Crucifixion, seen from
the Cross by James
Tissot, c. 1890
As Jesus hung on the cross many came by to mock and taunt
him. This was a taste of Jesus cup of suffering he had to endure on the cross.
He had prophesied that he would die, and now as he hung on the cross he faced
gibes and curses of the passers by.
The Sanhedrin condemned Jesus for blasphemy because he claimed to
be the son of God. Those who mocked him, also mocked him for his faith in God.
They laughed and sneered, who will rescue him now? God!!
Is this not what many like to question about God? It is
God’s character in the midst of disasters and heinous crimes. How do you
believe in a God when the innocent suffer? As C. S. Lewis says this is atheism
most potent weapon against the Christian faith.
Dr. Paul Brand was a pioneer in the field of medicine in leprosy. He dedicated his entire life for the greater good of leprosy patients. He was passionate about making the world a
better place for them. He strove to find ways to heal them physically and
spiritually. The leprosy patient because he could not sense pain ended up with alarming
consequences in their life. He saw pain as a sensory warning for the body and
soul. He asked the question, “Can one live in a world without pain?”
Can children be born into this world without pain? Does the mother remember all the labor pains after the child is born? Can the world be redeemed without pain? In the light of this beloved healer’s questions we can see why
Jesus had to endure the cross to gain the gift of eternal life for all who
believe in him.
There were some who looked up at Jesus and saw him as some
one who tried to challenge the religious authorities and found his just reward
on the cross. While there were others silently weeping as they saw Jesus
humiliated and hanging on the cross. How do you see Jesus?
7 comments:
When you stand for truth there are times you will have to suffer. That is the way of the world.
"Let the first act of every morning be to make the following resolve for the day:
- I shall not fear anyone on Earth.
- I shall fear only God.
- I shall not bear ill will toward anyone.
- I shall not submit to injustice from anyone.
- I shall conquer untruth by truth. And in resisting untruth, I shall put up with all
suffering."
— Mahatma Gandhi
"Only people who are capable of loving strongly can also suffer great sorrow, but this same necessity of loving serves to counteract their grief and heals them."
— Leo Tolstoy
"Character cannot be developed in ease and quiet. Only through experience of trial and suffering can the soul be strengthened, vision cleared, ambition inspired, and success achieved."
— Helen Keller
"If you don't get what you want, you suffer; if you get what you don't want, you suffer; even when you get exactly what you want, you still suffer because you can't hold on to it forever. Your mind is your predicament. It wants to be free of change. Free of pain, free of the obligations of life and death. But change is law and no amount of pretending will alter that reality."
— Socrates
"As my sufferings mounted I soon realized that there were two ways in which I could respond to my situation -- either to react with bitterness or seek to transform the suffering into a creative force. I decided to follow the latter course."
— Martin Luther King Jr.
"In some ways suffering ceases to be suffering at the moment it finds a meaning, such as the meaning of a sacrifice."
— Viktor E. Frankl
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