Read: Isaiah 50:5-8; Isaiah 52:14 “Then Pilate took Jesus and scourged Him. And the soldiers twisted a crown of thorns and put it on His head, and they put on Him a purple robe. Then they said, ‘Hail, king of the Jews!’ And they struck Him with their hands.” John 19:1-3 (NKJV) If Jesus was innocent, He should have been set free. If Jesus was guilty, He should have just been crucified; but to scourge Jesus was unlawful, and Pilate ordered this to please the Jews. It seems that the soldiers took this opportunity to then have fun with Jesus before He was crucified as He had caused them so much trouble during His ministry. ‘A scourge is a whip or lash, especially a multi-thong type made of leather, used to inflict severe corporal punishment.’ [Wikipedia] A scourging of the prisoner’s back usually means that much of the flesh is removed by the thrashing of the whip and sometimes metal ends with barbs are added to the lashings.

This just makes my stomach turn to think of anyone being treated in this sub-human way. In the two verses from Isaiah above, it was prophesied that the coming Messiah would be subject to absolute horror and not a word would he speak. His face and appearance would also be so disfigured that He would no longer look human. Jesus knew of this prophecy and yet He obeyed His Heavenly Father so that the prophesies would come to pass. If I were Jesus, I would have had a good case to argue with God that this wasn’t fair, nor was I prepared to have this done to me.

Fortunately for our salvation I am not Jesus. In Isaiah 53:7 it was prophesised: “He was oppressed and afflicted, yet he did not open his mouth; he was led like a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before its shearers is silent, so he did not open his mouth.” This was foretold 700 years before Jesus’ birth. God had a plan for our salvation from the very beginning and it was through sending His willing Son to the cross to bear all the pain that our sins hold on us, that we can now come into God’s presence and spend eternity with Him. God’s love for humankind is greater than we could ever imagine!

Prayer: Our loving Saviour, thank you for being prepared to suffer and die for me and all the wrong I do every day. I am sorry for my sins and thank you for your forgiveness. Amen

Read: Luke 22:49-51 “And one of them struck the servant of the high priest, cutting off his right ear… And [Jesus] touched the man’s ear and healed him.” Luke 22:50, 51b (NIV) Each of the four Gospels record this event happening at the time when Jesus was arrested. But it is only in the Gospel of Luke that it says that Jesus healed the high priest’s servant. This is the last recorded miracle of Jesus as a man… the next is the resurrection of the Son of God. Only in the Gospel of John, is the disciple named as Simon Peter who committed the crime, and Malchus as the name of the high priest servant.

Sometimes I am asked why are there four Gospels telling the same thing? It is only through looking at all four Gospels that we can get a more complete picture of who this Jesus is who performs all these miracles. When an accident happens, police ask as many eyewitnesses as possible to get a greater understanding of what happened. Each person views things through different eyes and opinions. Matthew, Mark, Luke and John looked at Jesus differently. Matthew was writing as a Jew for the Jewish people trying to convince them that Jesus is also their Messiah. Mark was a reporter, evangelist and a friend of Peter and wrote for the Gentiles (Romans). Luke was a doctor, a physician and many of his stories are about healings. He wrote for the Greeks. John is known as the disciple at the foot of the cross who then cared for Jesus’ mother. He wrote for the Christian community sharing what he saw and experienced.

Through these four Gospels we learn about Jesus’ love and compassion for His people. Even as He was arrested, He cared for Malchus by healing his ear. As you learn about Jesus, reading the Gospels gives a fuller understanding of the true man/true God nature of Jesus. None of the Gospels contradict, rather, together they describe Jesus’ birth, His sinless life, His death and resurrection, forgiveness given and that He is God’s only Son, the Saviour of the World and our Messiah and King. Reading the Bible produces a greater understanding of our miraculous Jesus!

Prayer: Lord Jesus, guide me as I read about your life and understand about the miraculous God you are. Help me to also share what I learn with others. All people need to know you! Amen

Read: Luke 22:7-23 “And [Jesus] said to them, ‘I have eagerly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer. For I tell you, I will not eat again until it finds fulfillment in the kingdom of God.’” Luke 22:15-16 (NIV) Jesus spoke prophetically and in riddles to His disciples. No wonder these poor fishermen had troubles understanding what Jesus was talking about or trying to teach them. They understood Passover – it had been celebrated since the Israelites were taken from captivity in Egypt by Moses in 1440 B.C. It was here that God told the people to eat a lamb, unleavened bread and put blood on the door of their houses to escape the angel of death (Exodus 12:1-14). Since that time, the Orthodox Jewish community still celebrate God’s deliverance, so it was not unusual to the disciples to celebrate this festival time.

However, Jesus changed the storyline. He changed the meaning. No longer are the disciples or us to celebrate the deliverance from Egypt, rather we as Christians (followers of Christ) are now to celebrate our deliverance from death through the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross. Jesus came to change our way of thinking and set us free from the old laws and introduce us to freedom and salvation. Every time we partake of Holy Communion, we celebrate God’s love and grace for us through the gift He gave of His Son. As Lutherans we partake of Jesus’ death in His body and blood given as bread and wine. Jesus comes to us with love and forgiveness every time we celebrate communion. Traditions and ‘this is the way we always do it’ mind-sets are hard to change.

The Jewish people of Jesus’ time could not understand this new way Jesus was instituting, which is why they put Him to death. The Jewish Passover was commemorating an act of the past. The Lord’s Supper (Holy Communion) is a celebration of the living Jesus in the hearts and lives of all believers until He returns. It is a power that lives in us that is made possible through Jesus’ actions on the cross. It is a promise of God’s presence always! Celebrate God’s gift of love and grace in Holy Communion!

Prayer: Lord Jesus, thank you for giving me the gift and promise of your presence every time I take Holy Communion. You gave up so much so that I can live in your forgiveness. Amen