And the soldiers led Him away inside the palace (that is, the governor's headquarters), and they called together the whole battalion. And they clothed Him in a purple cloak, and twisting together a crown of thorns, they put it on Him. And they began to salute Him, "Hail, King of the Jews!" And they were striking His head with a reed and spitting on Him and kneeling down in homage to Him. And when they had mocked Him, they stripped Him of the purple cloak and put His own clothes on Him. And they led Him out to crucify Him. (Mark 15:16-20)
I find it very disturbing, that sentence—"they stripped Him of the purple cloak and put His own clothes on Him." It sounds very much as if Jesus could no longer dress or undress Himself. The scourging, the hitting, the mocking—by this point, He might have been having trouble staying conscious. Pain and blood loss can do that to a person.
We all have our times of helplessness. And when they come, we hope and pray that people we love will be there for us—that they will get us the care that we need, find us a safe, soft bed, give us a chance to heal while others carry our burdens for us. None of that applied to Jesus.
And why? Because He was carrying our burden. He became helpless for us—because we were already helpless in the power of evil. He took our place, rescuing us from the power of sin, death, and the devil.
And He was glad. Jesus rejoiced to save us. Even today He would do it again in a heartbeat, if it were necessary. He delights in you, and He counts you well worth the price—of pain, death, and even helplessness. You are the one He loves—forever.
THE PRAYER: Lord, thank You for loving me so much. Amen.
Reflection Questions:
* When have you been most helpless?
* How have you cared for helpless people?
* What does it mean to you, that God became helpless?
Lenten Devotions were written by Dr. Kari Vo.
Today's Bible Readings: Deuteronomy 5-7 Luke 3
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