“Then they spat on his face and slapped him. Others struck him over and over with their fists.”
(Matthew 26:67, TPT)

When I read the Bible, I usually try to put myself into the story, into the very room or environment that the writer is conveying. One day as I was reading, I came to the above scripture.

I’m sure the room was filled with male testosterone. But unfortunately, there was also the presence of evil, the smell of blood and death, cruelty, and much, much more. One way to describe it (and, trust me, it falls short of it) is as if you are in the middle of a barroom brawl with members of the Hell’s Angels Motorcycle Club, and your family was with you, and you realize that there’s no way to get out. The presence of evil was in the room, it was thick with anger, murder, and hatred—and Jesus was trapped there. If that wasn’t enough, He had the mental agony of knowing that it was going to get worse—much worse.

I cannot pull my imagination away from that ruthless, horrible room where our gentle Jesus, the Lamb of God, was being held. The Bible goes on and says:

And they stripped him, and put on him a scarlet robe. And when they had platted a crown of thorns, they put it upon his head, and a reed in his right hand: and they bowed the knee before him, and mocked him, saying, Hail, King of the Jews! And they spit upon him, and took the reed, and smote him on the head. And after that they had mocked him, they took the robe off from him, and put his own raiment on him, and led him away to crucify him.
(Matthew 27:28-31 KJV)

How humiliating, painful, hurtful, and agonizing it must have been for Jesus! How evil, horrible, nauseating, and sickening the whole scene was. Let me ask you a few questions.

1. Do you believe in evil spirits?
2. Do you believe in the demonic?
3. What thoughts come to you about the suffering Jesus that was experiencing?
4. If you were in the room, do you think you would have the courage to say, “Hey, leave my Jesus alone!”

That room was filled with a purely evil and demonic presence—and mankind took part in it.

Chances are, if you were one of Jesus’ disciples, you would have fled with the rest of them. The men who did this to Him were Roman soldiers. A Roman soldier recruit had to be a Roman citizen of at least seventeen years of age. Every recruit had to be fit for fighting—no weaklings or short men could be a Roman soldier. When they enlisted, it was for at least twenty-five years of service. These were the macho men of that era.

But the one who would bear the greater judgement was the man who betrayed Jesus: Judas. That betrayal was the epitome of those who will be sent to hell. So how can I end this devotional on the bright side?

Remember this: Jesus went through all of this for you!

CONFESSION

Thank you, Lord—You did it for me!

PRAYER

Jesus, I want to believe that I would rescue You from that evil, but that would be unreasonable. All men have sinned and come short of the glory of God. But because You died, were buried, and rose from the dead, I can live. Thank you, Lord! In Jesus’ name, Amen.