Thursday, April 17, 2025

Listen to the Word

“What do you think?” “He is worthy of death,” they answered. Then they spit in his face and struck him with their fists. Others slapped him and said, “Prophesy to us, Messiah. Who hit you?” (Matthew 26:66-68)

A bogus conviction. Inhumane abuse. Physical and verbal assault. The way they treat Jesus is appalling. It is even more disgusting when we realize that the “they” to whom the verses refer are the priests who serve on the Sanhedrin. The ones entrusted with spiritual oversight of God’s people are the ones leaving their spit and their knuckle prints on the face of the Son of God.

Those priests were certainly familiar with Isaiah 53, which describes a servant of God who would suffer so that others could be healed. I wonder if verse 8 was echoing in their heads as they treated Jesus so shamefully: “By oppression and judgment he was taken away.” And I wonder if they realized they were the oppressors. But God’s purposes would not be thwarted by the shameful sin of the religious leaders; the verse goes on to say, “for the transgression of my people he was punished.” He paid our price with his pain.

Live the Word

Read some verses from Isaiah 53 and let them inform your view of the suffering of Jesus.