Sixth Station: Jesus is scourged and crowned with Thorns

 

Then Pilate took Jesus and had him scourged.  And the soldiers wove a crown out of thorns and placed it on his head, and clothed him in a purple cloak, and they cam to him and said, “hail, King of the Jews!”  And they struck him repeatedly.  John 19:1-3

I don’t particularly enjoy suffering.  I suspect I am not alone in this.  What I am generally inclined to do in the face of difficulties is to pursue comfort.  To pursue getting out of whatever is causing my pain.  I think this is a pretty natural response for those of us who are human.  Even Jesus sought to avoid suffering.  In his humanness he pleaded with the Father to take away his suffering, but if that wasn’t possible, he was ready to do whatever the Father asked of him.  Jesus embraced the suffering that came his way.  We are to embrace suffering in our lives as well.  Literally, we are to follow in Jesus’ footsteps.  When we do, we more fully enter into the experience of our Savior.  It is in Jesus, and him only, where we find true comfort in the midst of our suffering.  

Will you embrace suffering in your life, just as Jesus did? 

 Lord as we face suffering in our life, may we be drawn into the agony you endured on our behalf.  May we fully embrace suffering in our life as an opportunity to deepen our relationship with you.

Dave for Wellspring  © 2008