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Parent.
When you first read this word, you think of your mom or dad. We automatically recognize it as a noun, the people we love and call our mother and father. But we don’t realize the magnitude of this word until we are no longer looking at it as a noun, but instead as a verb. When you are the one parenting, it takes on a whole new meaning.
Much like the word “love”. While it’s a noun, it is so much more than that as a verb. It changes from just something you feel to something you do. Love is deeper than just an emotion.
“Then released he Barabbas unto them: and when he had scourged Jesus, he delivered him to be crucified.” (Matthew 27:26)
One word stands out in this passage that, at face value, may not seem like that big of a deal, but in reality, it is so much deeper. You may not want to read more. But to truly know the meaning of love, it’s important to know what it did for you.
Scourged.
Excruciating pain, torment, suffering, inhumane treatment, ripping of the flesh, exposing bones, blood
pouring out, unhindered rage being lashed out onto the already open wounds, severely beaten, forsaken.
All packed into one little word.
Scourged.
No longer is it just a noun, a tool used as a whip for criminals. As a verb, you realize the intensity, the maliciousness of the attack on Jesus and the pain He suffered. And not just once. The Jewish law allowed for 40 whips. The point of the tool was to beat them almost to the point of death, but to allow them to live and suffer.
Scourged.
Let that word resonate with you for a moment. This is just one thing that happened to Jesus. And He knew what this word meant, and He still chose to go through it. Why? Why would anyone choose that?
Because it was the only way to free you from your sin.
See, sin is another one of those words. Just three little letters. As a noun, it doesn’t seem like that big of a deal, but when you look at the verb, the actions of sin, oh how big it is.
Because sin is anything we do that goes against the standard God has set. It is an immoral act against our Holy God. Sin equals wrong. Lies, cheating, gossiping against a friend, stealing, betrayal, affairs, slaughtering babies through abortion, taking the life of another human being, sex before marriage, drunkenness, same sex relationships, pornography… all of these things and more, packaged up into those three little letters, s-i-n.
These sins come with consequences and Jesus chose to pay our debt for us. But there was only one way He could do that.
With His life.
“What can wash away my sin, nothing but the blood of Jesus…”
“He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were
our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not. Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.” (Isaiah 53:3-5)
Scourged.
Jesus did this for us. He took our punishment upon Himself so that we could be freed from our sin.
Confess your sins to Jesus. Turn away from them and to Christ! Ask God for forgiveness and to save you from the wrath that is to come. Ask Jesus to be your LORD and SAVIOR. Choose to follow Him. He loved you so much that He gave His life for you.
Will you love Him in return?
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