Key Passage
Pilate's soldiers brought Jesus into the governor's palace (called the Praetorium). They called all the other soldiers together. The soldiers put a purple robe on Jesus. Then they used thorny weeds to make a crown. They put the crown of thorns on Jesus' head. Then they called to Jesus. They said, "Hello, king of the Jews!" The soldiers hit Jesus on the head many times with a stick. They also spit on him. Then {they teased Jesus by} bowing on their knees and worshiping him.
— Mark 15:16-19 ERV (Read Full Text)
Key Thought
The purpose of crucifixion wasn't just to kill a criminal. It was also to serve as a deterrent to crime by utterly humiliating the person who was to be crucified. So once Pilate signals that Jesus will be crucified, the humiliation begins in earnest. Not only will Jesus be killed on a cross, he will be humiliated every step of the way. He had warned his closest followers that this would happen. He knows what is coming. He faces it because it is God's will and the basis of our salvation. How can we not be willing to face embarrassment, ridicule, and even persecution for him?
Prayer
O Father, help me to never be ashamed of Jesus. After what he endured for me, I want to faithfully stand by him and to courageously stand up for him. Fill me with the Holy Spirit and with genuine courage to honor you and your Son, no matter the cost. In Jesus' name I ask this. Amen.
Related Scriptures
So Jesus also suffered outside the city. Jesus died to make his people holy with his own blood (death). So we should go to Jesus outside the camp. We should accept the same shame that Jesus had.
— Hebrews 13:12-13
Then Jesus called the people to him. His followers were also there. Then Jesus said, "If any person wants to follow me, he must say 'No' to the things he wants. That person must accept the cross (suffering) that is given to him, and he must follow me. The person that wants to save his life will lose it. And every person that gives his life for me and for the Good News will save his life forever. It is worth nothing for a person to have the whole world, if he loses his soul {in hell}. A person could never pay enough to buy back his soul.
— Mark 8:34-37
Jesus and the people with him were going to Jerusalem. Jesus was leading the people. Jesus' followers were amazed. But those people that followed behind them were afraid. Jesus gathered the twelve apostles again and talked with them alone. Jesus told them what would happen in Jerusalem. Jesus said, "We are going to Jerusalem. The Son of Man will be given to the leading priests and teachers of the law. The priests and the teachers of the law will say that the Son of Man must die. They will give the Son of Man to the non-Jewish people. Those people will laugh at him and spit on him. They will beat him with whips and kill him. But on the third day after his death, he will rise to life again."
— Mark 10:32-34
Devotional provided by Heartlight®
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