JESUS: KING OF THE JEWS
DECEMBER 9, 1999
MATTHEW 27:32-38

      He had been suffering for hours. We cannot truly understand the pain and torture He had endured. The thoughts going through His head must have been sheer agony. It must have seemed like a very long time ago that He had been turned over to the Roman soldiers. He could probably still feel the humiliation when He had been tied to a post to be flogged. He would have still been able to remember the first few times the whips had slapped across His back ripping into His skin. As the flogging continued, tearing into His back, ripping His muscles, He must have blacked out from the pain. After the flogging had ended, the soldiers were then taking turns beating Him with their fists. Just pummeling Him with all their might, yet we hear no complaints from Him. He took everything they could give Him, and kept taking more than I’m sure any of us could take. 

      Next they had started in on the mockery. They stripped Him of his bloody shredded garments. Now His back would have already started healing it’s wounds, so the act of stripping off His garment would have caused tremendous pain as it reopened the wounds. The soldiers then forced the crown of thorns onto His head, digging the thorns deep into His scalp. They then draped the heavy coarse robe across His back; it must have felt like a stiff brush as it pulled against the flesh. All the while, they were beating Him more and more with their fists and a stick they were using as His scepter. Finally they grew tired of this and led Him away to be crucified.

      Now as Jesus hung there on the cross, He heard a noise beside Him. He slowly turned His head to see a ladder leaning on His cross. Slowly someone began to climb up the ladder. Suddenly an object blocked the sun from His eyes. He could now se what the soldier was up to. In the soldier’s hand was a signboard announcing the charge against Him. As was the custom, it was to be hung above His head. The signboard read, This is Jesus, The King of the Jews. A slight smile might have passed across His lips. In their last attempt to mock Him, they still hadn’t understood. Jesus was not King of the Jews, He is King of all.

      What Jesus suffered and endured for us that day is truly awesome. He did it for all of us so that we do not have to suffer the penalty of sin. We need to thank Him daily for that selfless act of grace.
 

Matthew 27:32-38 “32 As they were going out, they met a man from Cyrene, named Simon, and they forced him to carry the cross. 33 They came to a place called Golgotha (which means The Place of the Skull). 34 There they offered Jesus wine to drink, mixed with gall; but after tasting it, he refused to drink it. 35 When they had crucified him, they divided up his clothes by casting lots. 36 And sitting down, they kept watch over him there. 37 Above his head they placed the written charge against him: THIS IS JESUS, THE KING OF THE JEWS. 38 Two robbers were crucified with him, one on his right and one on his left.”

Click here to go to the Mililani Baptist Church Web Page