A Lenten Devotion for Thursday, March 20
- ontrakk
- Mar 20
- 1 min read
Matthew 27:28-29
They stripped him and put a scarlet robe on him, and then twisted together a crown of thorns and set it on his head. They put a staff in his right hand. Then they knelt in front of him and mocked him. “Hail, king of the Jews!” they said.
The author of our devotions puts a lot of symbolic meaning into the crown of thorns. Maybe I am just “in a mood” already this morning, but I do not see the thorns as anything other than a mean, hurtful, shameless continuation of man’s inhumanity to man. How can we stoop this low?
Lord God, free me from any desire to make fun of or mock another human being. Give me the strength to move against the crowd. May I have the courage to resist thoughtless actions that harm others. Help me to always see the right and Godly way. Amen
Becky, transforming
Pic by Kathy
Matthew 27:28-29
This mocking of Christ is a continuation of the utter humiliation and cruelty he suffered. The depth of this inhumane treatment is mind blowing to me. The problems we see today come to mind, the number of young people who take their lives over bullying, mockery, and ridicule , especially through social media. Unfortunately, the cruelty inflicted on innocent people is alive and well. The other thing that comes to my mind is that perhaps this is a lesson… Jesus took on our sins and he loved the unlovable. Those who treated him so horribly were not excluded. This forgiveness is at a level that is inconceivable to me.
Dear God, please help me to always have a…
Matthew 27:29-29
We have a crown of thorns at Hillside UMC that someone bought several years ago. We hang it on the Cross during Holy Week. You have to be careful handling it. It would draw blood if you aren't. I can understand why so many great artists show Jesus on the cross with the crown on his head and blood running down his face. How horrible! I have never matched thorns with sin as this author does. To me, it is just another very visual abuse that no one can miss.
Prayer: Gracious God, the world need to change! We need to love and care for everyone just as JESUS DID. Help us Lord. AMEN
Thursday, March 20th, 27:28-29 ( 14th day of Lent )
Included this scripture in the above posting for Wednesday
See above
Matthew 27:28-29
Lucado sees the thorns of the mocking crown forced down on Jesus’ head as symbolic of the sin he bore, rendered that much more painful because He was completely sinless. I have never made that connection before, but it is a powerful symbol that serves to make this horrible scene even worse. If I could think of wearing my own sin as a crown of thorns perhaps it would serve as a constant reminder to not have occasion to put it on by avoiding sin. It is a thought experiment worth trying.
Prayer - Jesus, I cannot begin to relate to the pain You suffered on my behalf. With every reading of the Passion story there are feelings…