MATTHEW 27:27-31 –  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.”

THEME OF THE DAY: BEHOLD THE MAN.   What is our initial response, either verbally or in our hearts, when any type of suffering comes into our lives?  Whether it be physical, emotional, spiritual, or a sudden circumstance that comes upon us causing pain, how do we respond?  The answer to those questions is quite black and white.  Most of the issues in the Christian life are black and white.  Jesus’ commands are quite specific, direct, and simple.

There is also a simplicity in the words of Pontius Pilate which serve as the answer to our questions about our response to suffering – So Jesus came out, wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe. Pilate said to them, “Behold the man!” (John 19:5). We want to follow the governor’s advice – Behold the Man.”

Our initial default response to suffering is often to complain, even pray for the Lord to take it away.  And complaining is a big deal with our Lord.  It is a “big” sin we must constantly be on guard against for we are commanded to “Do all things without murmuring or complaining” (Philippians 2:14). What does that mean about the “bigness” of complaining?  It is disobedience to God. It is rebellion to His will unfolding in our lives.  But there is hope to overcome and defeat this sin. In fact, we overcome the temptation to complain in our sufferings by concentrating on suffering, but not our own.  It is the suffering of the Lord Jesus revealed in today’s scripture.

Take some extended time and imagine being upfront and personal observing all that Jesus endured BEFORE His cross – 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. Then follow Him to the cross.  Ask God to fix our gaze on the suffering of His Son not our own.  Learning to do this will be transformational.  We will grasp the unworthiness to utter one word of complaining in suffering as we watch what Jesus suffered for us.

PRAYER: “Father, forgive me for the time I complain over my sufferings.”

QUOTE: “When tempted to complain about your suffering, remember Jesus and His.”

In the affection of Christ Jesus,

Pastor Jim