Christian Reflection and Prayer

Scripture:

Read John 19:23-24

"And they divided His garments among them,
casting lots for them." (Mark 15:24)

Reflection:

In every crucifixion Rome wanted to send a
powerful warning to the nations it had conquered.
If you commit the crimes this man committed,
you will suffer the same fate. So the Romans
made crucifixion as public and shameful as
possible. They hanged the criminals along the
main roads leading into a city and they removed
their clothing before crucifying them.

If Jesus would have drank the wine mixed with
myrrh it wouldn't hurt so much, but one last time
His clothes are ripped from His tattered back as
He is stripped to be crucified. When He is hanging
from the cross the four guards assigned to watch
over Him will divide His clothes between them.
They will divide them into four piles- one for each
of them. Then they will take hold of His long tunic.
Since it is seamless, woven in one piece, they will
not be willing to tear it. Instead they will cast lots to
see who will win it. Jesus watches as they gamble
for the clothes off His back.

Shame is a word the Romans wanted associated
with crucifixion. They wanted that shame to be a
powerful deterrent to keep the peace among their
conquered nations. Jesus saw it differently. There
was no shame in fulfilling God's will or saving the
world. In Hebrews we read, "Look to Jesus, the
founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy
that was set before Him endured the cross,
despising the shame, and is seated at the right
hand of the throne of God." (Hebrews 12:2)

THE PRAYER:

Lord Jesus, You refused to let shame drive You
from Your mission, but humbled Yourself to save
us. Give me strength to bear whatever shame I
may face for trusting in You.
Amen.

(Lutheran Hour Ministries Lenten Devotional)

Scripture:

Read Mark 15:23

"And they offered Him wine mixed with myrrh,
but He did not take it." (Mark 15:23)

Reflection:

The Roman execution procession finally reaches
Golgotha- the Place of the Skull. In preparation
for the crucifixion the soldiers offer the prisoners
wine mixed with myrrh. A Medieval Jewish
scholar named Maimonides explains,

"When one is led out to execution, he is given a
goblet of wine containing a grain of frankincense,
in order to benumb his senses, for it is written,
'Give strong drink unto him that is ready to perish,
and wine unto the bitter in soul."
(Talmud, Sanhedrin 43a)

"The beverage was a mixture of myrrh and wine,
given 'so that the delinquent might lose clear
consciousness through the ensuing intoxication.'"
(Talmud, Sanhedrin 13)

The myrrh contains two compounds which
reduce a person's sensitivity to pain. Of course
the soldiers aren't doing this because they feel
sorry for the criminals- they never offered the
myrrh before scourging a criminal. They do this
to make their job easier- it's difficult to crucify
unwilling victims- especially if you have to nail
them to their crosses.

According to Matthew, Jesus first tastes the wine
then refuses to drink it because of the myrrh. Why?
He is taking our place in hell, suffering the torment
which for us would be eternal, unending. If He is to
satisfy God's justice He must receive God's full wrath
with no anesthetic, no pain killers.

It shows Jesus' remarkable love and strength that
He voluntarily stretches out His hands and receives
the nails without struggling or protesting. Jesus lays
down His life of His own accord, and no one takes it
from Him. (John 10:18)

THE PRAYER:

Lord Jesus, You took the full brunt of God's wrath at
my sins without accepting anything to blunt the pain.
Thank You for suffering all I deserve so I never will.
Amen.

(Lutheran Hour Ministries Lenten Devotional)

Scripture:

Read Mark 15:20-22

"[The soldiers] led Him out to crucify Him.
And they compelled a passerby, Simon
of Cyrene, who was coming in from the
country... to carry His cross." (Mark 15:20-21)

Reflection:

Finished with their mockery, the soldiers rip
the blood-soaked cloak off of Jesus' shoulders--
and another wave of excruciating pain crashes
through His body. Roughly dressing Him in His
own clothes they line Him up with two other
condemned criminals.

Next they bring three roughly hewn crossbeams
and cruelly drop them across the condemned
prisoners' shoulders. A complete cross is far too
heavy to carry, so they will drag these
crossbeams to the execution site where they
will be attached to the uprights already in place.
The gates of the palace are opened and the six
hundred soldiers of Pilate's Jerusalem cohort
push their way through the Passover crowds,
making a road for the grisly procession.

It is not a great distance from Pilate's palace
to the place of crucifixion, but Jesus' legs
tremble and ache with each step as He
struggles to carry His crossbeam down the
narrow road leading outside the city. After His
sleepless night, His beating at the hands of
His Jewish enemies and His brutal flogging He
repeatedly stumbles and falls. Realizing Jesus
is simply too weak to carry His cross the
soldiers compel a passerby named Simon to
carry it for Him. Looking at the faces along the
way and speaking comforting words to those
who weep, Jesus slowly makes His way to the
Place of the Skull- Golgotha.

THE PRAYER:

Lord Jesus, You stumbled and fell under the
staggering weight of our sins. But You kept
getting up and refused to stop until You
completed Your course. Give me courage and
strength whenever I grow weary and exhausted,
until my course if over and I can rest with You
Amen.

(Lutheran Hour Ministries Lenten Devotional)