Jesus suffered at the hands of expert executors, professionals with vast experience, knowledge, and skill in the \u201cart\u201d of torture. Watching a person being led away to crucifixion was a common occurrence in Jerusalem in the 30\u2019s AD. But Jesus was anything but a common criminal. Yet he took on that horrendous curse.<\/p>\n
Yesterday we looked at the verbal abuse that Jesus experienced at the hands of his persecutors. Matthew 27 also uses very descriptive words to give us a glimpse of the physical abuse he suffered:\u00a0 \u201cThey\u2026. spit at him\u2026slapped him\u2026jeered at him\u2026bound him\u2026condemned him\u2026betrayed him\u2026flogged him\u2026stripped him\u2026struck him\u2026abused him\u2026\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n Being stripped, completely naked in public is nothing less than sexual abuse. On Good Friday Jesus experienced every brand of abuse that exists to mankind. For you and for me.<\/p>\n Jesus,<\/em><\/p>\n For the sacrifice of your body, we give you thanks.<\/em> Amen<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Jesus suffered at the hands of expert executors, professionals with vast experience, knowledge, and skill in the \u201cart\u201d of torture. Watching a person being led away to crucifixion was a common occurrence in Jerusalem in the 30\u2019s AD. But Jesus was anything but a common criminal. Yet he took on that horrendous curse. Yesterday we…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":478,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[293,86,294,149,96],"class_list":["post-1126","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-abuse","tag-forgiveness","tag-good-friday","tag-prayer-of-thanks","tag-sexual-abuse"],"yoast_head":"\n
\nFor the pain you endured, we give you thanks.<\/em>
\nFor the shame you suffered, naked and exposed, taunted and ridiculed, we give you thanks.<\/em>
\nFor the forgiveness you uttered in the midst of that pain, we stand in awe. And give you thanks.<\/em>
\nWe present our bodies alongside yours as a living sacrifice in honor of you today. We receive the gift that you offer, bearing in your body our suffering, scars, and abuse. We give you thanks. And we, like you, are not victims, and with you we say, “Father, forgive them. They don’t know what they are doing.”
\n<\/em><\/p>\n