Scripture: Mark 15:16-20
The soldiers led Jesus away into the courtyard of the palace known as the governor’s headquarters, and they called together the whole company of soldiers. They dressed him up in a purple robe and twisted together a crown of thorns and put it on him. They saluted him, “Hey! King of the Jews!” Again and again, they struck his head with a stick. They spit on him and knelt before him to honor him. When they finished mocking him, they stripped him of the purple robe and put his own clothes back on him. Then they led him out to crucify him.
Thought for the Day: We human beings can be so cruel to one another. We can justified it because we were ordered to do it or because the person deserved it or for no reason whatsoever. The beatings, humiliation and suffering Jesus experienced before the crucifixion do not appear to have been sanctioned by those with authority. People – lower on the chain of command – had the opportunity to inflict suffering on someone who could not (and would not) fight back. They mocked someone who had no ability to defend himself or escape their denigration. We human beings can be so cruel to one another, and followers of Jesus are not immune from this behavior. Tonight as we observe and contemplate the last hours of Jesus’ life, let us be mindful of those moments when we have failed to show compassion, and to stand up and speak against unjust suffering. Even when it may cost us something to speak or act, let us be those who continue to follow the one whose faithfulness cost him everything.
Prayer: O Lord, have mercy! O Lord, have mercy upon us. O Lord, may your mercy lead us toward a life of mercy. Amen.
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