Journey Through Lent – Day 19
Mark 14:65
They all condemned him as worthy of death. Then some began to spit at him; they blindfolded him, struck him with their fists, and said, “Prophesy!” And the guards took him and beat him.
John 3:19-20
This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that his deeds will be exposed.
As humans, we tend to dehumanize our enemies. They become like animals to us. We think of ourselves as more intelligent, civilized, complex and highly developed, thus separating ourselves from the enemies.
Here, our enemies are Jesus’ enemies. They beat and spit on him. In our minds they become savages – barely human in their animal like behavior. Surely I am not capable of such heinous actions.
But take a close look at that angry mob. It’s made up of people like you and me. For we are not on the side of Jesus as we may think, but on the enemy side. We are the ones we think of as savages. When the light shines on our darkness, we are exposed and vulnerable, and we are prone to attack – even to the one who is there to save us from ourselves.