Scripture to Read: Luke 22:63–65
Jesus had willingly allowed Himself to be arrested. He was among people who hated Him, and as things unfolded, it only became worse. God had Luke record this in Luke 22:63–65, 63 Now the men who were holding Jesus in custody were mocking Him and beating Him, 64 and they blindfolded Him and were asking Him, saying, “Prophesy, who is the one who hit You?” 65 And they were saying many other things against Him, blaspheming. Our Lord and Savior was being mocked by His own creation. They were literally beating and whipping Him. It would have been a severe beating with clubs or sticks. Later that same morning, the Roman soldiers intensified the beating of Jesus. Through the Roman soldiers, Jesus would face being scourged. They would use a whip designed to dig into the flesh and shred the skin. Even though Jesus is not here physically for people to spit on, beat, mock, and ridicule, that same anger, rage, and spiritual blindness that surrounded Jesus’ trial is still very real today (2 Corinthians 4:3–4). If Jesus were here bodily today, there are those who are so angry with God that they would gladly join a mob to destroy Him. Consider how people curse God today, use the name of Jesus to tell dirty jokes, slander, mock, and ridicule others, and seek to shut down any type of Christian influence in schools, courthouses, or any other public arena. People despise hearing about God’s holiness, and they question the validity of His existence and the reliability of His Word. Lostness has not changed in 2,000 years.
Challenge & Application
When you consider that Jesus willingly gave Himself to be physically and verbally abused by His creation, how does that challenge you to live for Him?
Since lost souls are still here, what must we do to lead others to know and follow our Lord?
Don’t forget to pray using the A.C.T.S. (Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving, Supplication) method!