Day 10

Challenge: Mocked

Growing up we all played dress up. It might be as a superhero or princess, maybe a firefighter or favorite athlete. We dress up because we want to be like them. It is out of respect that we wear what we wear. Jesus is dressed up like a King. The professional Roman executors saw an opportunity to have some fun. They dress Jesus up and mock him saying “Hail, King of the Jews.” They didn’t respect Jesus; the opposite was true. Their desire was to humiliate Him during His final hours on earth, so they thought.

Matthew 27:24–31
So when Pilate saw that he was gaining nothing, but rather that a riot was beginning, he took water and washed his hands before the crowd, saying, “I am innocent of this man's blood; see to it yourselves.” And all the people answered, “His blood be on us and on our children!” Then he released for them Barabbas, and having scourged Jesus, delivered him to be crucified.

Then the soldiers of the governor took Jesus into the governor's headquarters, and they gathered the whole battalion before him. And they stripped him and put a scarlet robe on him, and twisting together a crown of thorns, they put it on his head and put a reed in his right hand. And kneeling before him, they mocked him, saying, “Hail, King of the Jews!” And they spit on him and took the reed and struck him on the head. And when they had mocked him, they stripped him of the robe and put his own clothes on him and led him away to crucify him.

REFLECTION:
Imagine you are in the crowd before Pilate. Describe what you think might be going on in the story at this point in the crowd.

Have you ever been mocked or humiliated in front of a crowd? What kind of emotions do you think are rushing through Christ’s mind?

Why do you think God would allow His son to go through so much?


PRAYER
Spend time in prayer humbly thanking Jesus for the challenge He went through so that we didn’t have to.