2015-08-30 Faith Talk The King On The Cross
Pilate made his choice and released Barabbas. Pilate condemned Jesus to death on the cross and turned Him
over to the Roman soldiers to carry out His execution. Roman soldiers were cruel.
Read Matthew 27:27-31 (NKJV) 27 Then the soldiers of the governor took Jesus into the Praetorium and
gathered the whole garrison around Him. 28 And they stripped Him and put a scarlet robe on Him.
29
When they had twisted a crown of thorns, they put it on His head, and a reed in His right hand. And
they bowed the knee before Him and mocked Him, saying, "Hail, King of the Jews!" 30 Then they spat on
Him, and took the reed and struck Him on the head. 31 And when they had mocked Him, they took the
robe off Him, put His own clothes on Him, and led Him away to be crucified.
Notice: The Roman soldiers were cruel. They physically and emotionally abused Jesus before they took Him
to carry out His death sentence. These soldiers knew some of His story; they knew His story had something to
do with being the King.
Consider: Imagine how Jesus must have felt as He endured the ridicule of the soldiers. Could He have still
loved them? Was Jesus, in His heart, asking God to forgive them? Did Jesus have pity on their souls as He
looked into their future and realized their fates?
Imagine the feelings of the guards who some time later realized what they had done, and to whom they had
done it. Imagine their horror, sorrow, and then their relief as they encountered God’s grace, mercy, and
forgiveness.
Do our sins and shortcomings hurt Jesus any less than what the Roman soldiers did to Him that day?
Discuss: The Roman soldiers called Jesus King, they put a crown on Him, they put a robe on Him, and they
bowed a knee. Their attitude was mockery, and their motive was to demoralize Jesus. The Roman soldiers did
all they did with the specific purpose to cause Jesus physical and mental pain and suffering.
When we call Jesus our Lord, but do not obey and serve Him, do we cause Jesus a similar pain? Even though
our motives do not come from a cruel intent, are our actions and our disobediences just as painful to Him?
How much more painful is the hurt caused when those you love, who say they love you, neglect, forget or
disregard your feelings?
Read Matthew 27:32-35 (NKJV) 32 Now as they came out, they found a man of Cyrene, Simon by name.
Him they compelled to bear His cross. 33 And when they had come to a place called Golgotha, that is to
say, Place of a Skull, 34 they gave Him sour[5] wine mingled with gall to drink. But when He had tasted it,
He would not drink. 35 Then they crucified Him, and divided His garments, casting lots,[6] that it might be
fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet: "They divided My garments among them, And for My clothing
they cast lots."[7]
Notice: Given the cruelty the Roman soldiers already exhibited, The Roman soldiers’ having someone else
carry Jesus’ cross for Him must have been due to Jesus’ being absolutely unable to do so. The sour wine and
gall, a bit of a sedative, might appear as another very slight act of kindness from otherwise ruthless men.
Consider: Picture all the cruelty of Jesus’ execution in your mind’s eye. Feel His physical pain as He endured
the beating, the thorns in His scalp, the lashes of the scourge, and the nails of the cross.
2015-08-30 Faith Talk The King On The Cross
Imagine the pain of being ridiculed, mocked, rejected and neglected by someone you love. Imagine suffering
in sight of so many people and being ignored or worse, made a spectacle of.
Discuss: Jesus endured physical pain, emotional pain, and relational pain all at the same time. Jesus endured
all that pain willingly for a purpose. Jesus died on the cross and allowed His blood to be shed to provide the
payment for our sins. Jesus took our punishment for us.
Read Matthew 27:36-37 (NKJV) 36 Sitting down, they kept watch over Him there. 37 And they put up over
His head the accusation written against Him: THIS IS JESUS THE KING OF THE JEWS.
Notice: The soldiers got comfortable and kept watch. They put a sign on the cross over Jesus’ head for all to
see.
Consider: Who was the sign for? What was the intended message? What does it mean to us today? Perhaps
the sign was meant as a warning for anyone wanting to rebel against the Roman government: “This is what
you have in store for wanting to be the King of the Jews.”
We need to not miss this point: As we consider the sign, it would be wise to understand, the punishment
Jesus endured is the same punishment that is in store for all those who want to be the King of their own lives.
Discuss: Jesus paid the price for our sins. He gave His life freely, willingly. He offers us eternal life for believing
in Him, and calling Him Lord. We have a choice to make. We believe in Jesus and make Jesus King, or we insist
on ruling as King in our own lives. Believing requires action; the action includes submission to Jesus as Lord.
Challenge: Spend some quiet time prayerfully considering what it means for Jesus to be King. Accept
Him as King of your life. Respond appropriately to the King Who died for you. Obey.
Love,
Tom