John 19:1-3
Then Pilate took Jesus and flogged him. And the soldiers twisted together a crown of thorns and put it on his head and arrayed him in a purple robe. They came up to him, saying, “Hail, King of the Jews!” and struck him with their hands.
Tag: Christ Suffered - We Suffer
Suffering, in all societies, is a circumstance to be avoided. No one enjoys suffering. In fact, causing yourself to suffer (i.e. cutting) is the definition of mental health issues. Those who take drugs, drink alcohol, practice other destructive behaviors are said to have an "illness" because of the suffering they cause to themselves and others. That is why what we read in the above passages and the following, are out of sorts with our societal normative. Christ suffered!! In the above text we see the beginning of His suffer. It would end on the cross, a cruel, cruel manner to inflict suffering to lead to death on any human being. Yet, Christ stated He would suffer just a few chapters earlier (John 12:27-33). Christ not only suffered for us in His death, He stated we would suffer, for Him, as well (Matthew 24:9). In fact, many of them did suffer (Hebrews 12:6). We tend to want to stay away from any type of suffering. It is in our nature to do so. We tend to want our children to be free of suffering. Yet, Peter, who suffered unbearable for Christ, told us to embrace and rejoice in suffering, when writing both of his epistles (1 Peter and 2 Peter). James, who also would suffer for Christ, told us to rejoice in suffering and trials (James 1). The normative in society for those who have a world view other than God's view, is to avoid all suffering for yourself and those you love. Do what you can to keep suffering out of your way. Yet, Christ's avenue to please the Father and His ultimate glory was through suffering. Christ has called us to such, as well.
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