Judica Thursday 2020 – Devotion in Exile
Judica Thursday 2020 – Devotion in Exile
Our text from the lectionary for this Thursday of the week of Judica,
the 5th week of Lent is from Mark’s Gospel. (Mark 15:16-32)
After putting a crown of thorns upon Jesus’ head, Roman soldiers
saluted, “Hail, King of the Jews!’ They spit upon Him, struck Him with something
akin to a whippy piece of bamboo, and mockingly knelt before Him. Was this
respectful? Not in the least!
Weakened from the loss of blood, the beating and scourging, and the
burden that He bore – the weight of the sins of the world – He carried His
cross out of town. Along the way, Simon of Cyrene was compelled to help carry
His cross. After being nailed to it, the people mocked and made fun of Him, “Aha!
You who would destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days, save Yourself, and
come down from the cross!” Others said, “He saved others; He cannot save
Himself. Let the Christ, the King of Israel, come down now from the cross that
we may see and believe.”
Would they? Would they truly have believed if He had come down from the
cross? Would they have believed if He had come down and miraculously, all His
wounds were healed? If so, what would they have believed in? More to the point,
would it have done any good?
Are we any different than they? It is amazing how many talk about how
the Jews crucified the Christ – or the Romans. It is incredible the number of
people who would like to say that if they were there, they would have done all
in their power to stop it.
So many do not like Jesus dying on the cross. There is the problem that
it is shameful, disgusting, and begs the question, “can dying truly be the way
to save people?”
To this point of Jesus’ crucifixion, we can name the most prominent participants
in the dastardly deeds perpetrated upon the Beloved Son of the Father; Judas
who betrayed Him with a kiss, Caiaphas the High Priest, Pilate the Roman
curate. But can you name them all? Who were the ones who nailed Him to the
cross? Maybe they were not physically present, but it was the sins of Todd and
Pauline, Mary, Jonathan, Julie, Steven, Martha, James, Wilma, Hertha, David,
and every other person who will take on human flesh, which brought Jesus to the
point of death upon a cross.
No man talks the life of the Son of God from Him, He lays down His life
of His own accord. He gives His life as the ransom for many, that they might be
freed from their sins.
Do not look down your nose at those who mocked Jesus that day, not upon
those who beat Him, spat upon Him, or nailed Him to the cross. Instead,
consider the wonderful Gospel text of Isaiah 53.
3 He was despised and forsaken of men,
A man of sorrows and acquainted with grief;
And like one from whom men hide their face
He was despised, and we did not esteem Him.
4 Surely our griefs He Himself bore,
And our sorrows He carried;
Yet we ourselves esteemed Him stricken,
Smitten of God, and afflicted.
5 But He was pierced through for our transgressions,
He was crushed for our iniquities;
The chastening for our well-being fell upon Him,
And by His scourging we are healed.
6 All of us like sheep have gone astray,
Each of us has turned to his own way;
But the Lord has caused the iniquity of us all
To fall on Him.
7 He was oppressed and He was afflicted,
Yet He did not open His mouth;
Like a lamb that is led to slaughter,
And like a sheep that is silent before its shearers,
So He did not open His mouth.
8 By oppression and judgment He was taken away;
And as for His generation, who considered
That He was cut off out of the land of the living
For the transgression of my people, to whom the stroke was due?
9 His grave was assigned with wicked men,
Yet He was with a rich man in His death,
Because He had done no violence,
Nor was there any deceit in His mouth.
10 But the Lord was pleased
To crush Him, putting Him to grief;
If He would render Himself as a guilt offering,
He will see His offspring,
He will prolong His days,
And the good pleasure of the Lord will prosper in His hand.
11 As a result of the anguish of His soul,
He will see it and be satisfied;
By His knowledge the Righteous One,
My Servant, will justify the many,
As He will bear their iniquities.
12 Therefore, I will allot Him a portion with the great,
And He will divide the booty with the strong;
Because He poured out Himself to death,
And was numbered with the transgressors;
Yet He Himself bore the sin of many,
And interceded for the transgressors. (Isaiah 53:3-12)
700 years before the birth of our Savior these words were
written. What took place upon Calvary took place for you by God’s Divine plan
and purpose – for you – for you – for you! You are the redeemed of God in
Christ Jesus our Lord! Thanks be to God! Amen.
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