Sharp pain throbbed from the several places on Jesus’s back, shoulder and chest, where blood poured out of the deep chunks of his skin that had been stabbed and ripped off him from the sharp fragments of metal and bones attached to the leather whip increased his feeling of misery and rejection as he was flogged.
Blood mixed with sweat trickled down his forehead into his eyes and made them sting as the crown made of thorns was pressed hard onto his head. Then came another man’s fist into his already bruised jawbone and a few minutes later another one into his high cheek bone and yet another one into his eye. Even though the pain from those blows almost made him unconscious, he could still hear muffled voices of people yelling “Crucify him!” Hearing those words magnified the torture Jesus was experiencing.
He stood still waiting for another slap or jab but Pilate stormed into the room and by the tone of his voice, Jesus sensed that he was sternly afraid. “Where do you come from?” Pilate asked. Jesus didn’t answer him. Then Pilate burst out, “Do you refuse to speak to me? Don’t you realize I have power either to free you or to crucify you?”
I think I’ll ask Jesus in heaven what was going through his mind after Pilate asked him that question. Did it cross his human mind to answer Pilate’s question with, “How much power do you think you have?” or “Freedom? That’s why I’m doing this – to set you and everyone who believes in me free!”
But what he did say out loud was, “You would have no power over me at all, unless it was given to you from above.” (vs 11)
That Truth is what I’m holding on to today. God, who is above, around and within us through His Holy Spirit, is omnipotent, which means all-powerful. He is all-powerful to take away our fears, anxiety, viruses, bitterness, anger and hatred. He is all powerful to protect us from the enemy and from sin. He is all-powerful to carry the weight of all of our sins on his bloody, flogged back as he carries a huge, wooden cross and then hangs on it to keep us from death!
Romans 8:35 says, “Who could ever separate us from the endless love of God’s Anointed One? Absolutely no one! For nothing in the universe has the power to diminish his love toward us. Troubles, pressures, and problems are unable to come between us and heaven’s love. What about persecutions, deprivations, dangers, and death threats? No, for they are all impotent to hinder omnipotent love…” HIS all-powerful and passionate love for you! The Apostle Paul
Amen!
There is SO much content and truth to really ponder these next few days during Holy week and I encourage you to take some time to do that. While you do that, what is one thing about Jesus that moved you the most? Why?