Love Commodity…

August 28, 2007 | 8:25 PM

Sunday morning at Edgewater Dr. Riley preached from Mark 15, regarding the mockery and crucifixion of Jesus. During our small group breakout sessions after the sermon, we discussed our thoughts on the passage. One of my group members spent a few minutes reflecting on the mockery of Jesus found in verses 16-20.

And the soldiers led him away inside the palace (that is, the governor’s headquarters), and they called together the whole battalion. And they clothed him in a purple cloak, and twisting together a crown of thorns, they put it on him. And they began to salute him, “Hail, King of the Jews!” And they were striking his head with a reed and spitting on him and kneeling down in homage to him. And when they had mocked him, they stripped him of the purple cloak and put his own clothes on him. And they led him out to crucify him. [Mark 15:16-20, ESV]

There is so much in that passage, but one blatant truth struck me that day. (Donald Miller actually discusses this topic in one of his books too, although I forget which one.) Throughout the mockery and beatings, Jesus continued his mission of love. When we get pushed around or mocked, we tend to retaliate by withholding our love from our aggressors. But Jesus, regardless of the pain he suffered, refused to give up on them or us. He followed through on the two most important commandments in the whole of Scripture.

And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.” [Matthew 22:37-40, ESV]

Love God. Love people. It seems so simple. So why aren’t we crucifying our own desires, taking up our cross, and following Jesus in the way of love? Why are we more prone toward pithy and hurtful condemnation, filled with contempt and bitterness, and compelled to hurt those with whom we disagree? Just because that’s how it is doesn’t mean it’s the way it should be. It’s about time we all take some time to evaluate our efforts in following Jesus.

Posted in Christianity, Ethics, Life