BEHOLD THE MAN!

BEHOLD THE MAN!

John 19:1-5

19 Then Pilate therefore took Jesus, and scourged him.

2 And the soldiers platted a crown of thorns, and put it on his head, and they put on him a purple robe,

3 And said, Hail, King of the Jews! and they smote him with their hands.

4 Pilate therefore went forth again, and saith unto them, Behold, I bring him forth to you, that ye may know that I find no fault in him.

5 Then came Jesus forth, wearing the crown of thorns, and the purple robe. And Pilate saith unto them, Behold the man!

          What do you see when you see it? As strange as that question might be, it begs to be answered. Pilate could hardly understand why the Jewish leaders were so insistent on killing Jesus. He said: “Why? What evil hath he done?” Truth be told, Pilate didn’t understand much about the Jews or their land. It was a dry and inhospitable place full of strange people.

          Behold the Man! Pilate must have thought: “See what I have done. I am more powerful than your king. I have proven him to be weak and ineffective. I have made him and you to be a joke. I have given him a crown of pain and a robe of mockery. I have bound his hands that he can’t act. I have humbled him. I have done what I was sent here to do; to quell riots and to keep peace by an iron hand.”

          Behold the Man! See what you have done. Why torture him further? Hasn’t he suffered enough? He is at the point of death. Send him on his way. He will not trouble you anymore. Why demand his life? Have you no sympathy or natural pity?

          Behold the Man! Does he not reveal something evil in all of us? Is he not a mirror reflecting our violence and our hatred? Is this why he must be killed? He must be taken away because we can’t run away. He condemns us just by standing here.

          Behold the Man! Ye who look for a savior look to Jesus. He suffers all this for you. He was slapped in the face before Annas the priest, spat upon and beaten before Caiaphas, scourged before Pilate and mocked by the soldiers. Finally, He was crucified by us all.

When I Survey The Wondrous Cross

Were the whole realm of nature mine,
That were a present far too small:
Love so amazing, so divine,
Demands my soul, my life, my all.

Dear Jesus! It is hard to look upon your suffering. My heart melts inside me when I think that each blow has come from my sinful hand. Thank you, Lord, for the cleansing blood. AMEN