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All have deserted Him, except Peter
and John. Poor Peter who longs to be
loyal to his Leader, but not at the
price of his own execution. So, to save
himself, three times, he denied Christ.
This was the Peter who promised
Christ that he would die for Him but
never deny Him: Peter, the Rock; Peter,
the Foundation Stone of the Church!
Jesus entered the courtyard and their
eyes meet! No one ever looks honestly
into the Face of Christ and remains the
same. The tears began to fall. Peter
learned his lesson. Love that is built
on sorrow is invincibly strong. Christ
is made to spend the night in prison.
He is hurt, very much hurt by those
whom He loved the most and to
whom He had given the most. This is
but part of the Passion.
Crucifixion is the death of a slave, a
death of shame. Pilate sent Jesus to
Herod to take over and relieve him of
this burden. It was Pilate’s way out:
Pilate the compromiser, the worldling.
Christ entered the court of Herod where
He was mocked and besought to “do
some of His tricks.” What a fool they
thought He was, declaring Himself
King when it was clear He was nothing
more than a laughing-stock for the
whole city, the entire nation. Do we
still choose Him as our Leader and
accept Him as a Friend? Are we ready
to undergo humiliations such as were
borne by Christ?
The scene of the scourging was terrifying
to watch. Drunken soldiers, with
the muscles and strength of beasts,
step up and swing whips with lead
pieces at their ends, lacerating His
ankles, thighs, stomach, arms, neck,
face, cheeks, eyes and head. There is
not a piece of flesh that isn’t seared
with pain as our sins tear God’s flesh!
The barbarians wore themselves out
to the point of exhaustion. At last,
God falls in a pool of His own Sacred
Blood!
We ask, “How could they do this?”
But, Christ asks, “How could YOU
do it?” The mercenaries were mere
instruments. It is SIN that has done
this to Christ. Then, they crown Him
with thorns, mocking and jeering while
forcing the thorns deep within His
skull. They blindfold Christ, strike
Him, spit upon Him and mock Him
with wild laughter! It is a wonder that
Pilate can recognize Christ. Pilate
wants Jesus to be free. He knows He is
an innocent man. The crowd wildly
demands t hat Pilate “Crucify Him!”
Man condemns God to death!