The soldiers led him away within the court, which is the Praetorium; and they called together the whole cohort. They clothed him with purple, and weaving a crown of thorns, they put it on him. They began to salute him, “Hail, King of the Jews!” They struck his head with a reed, and spat on him, and bowing their knees, did homage to him. When they had mocked him, they took the purple off of him, and put his own garments on him. They led him out to crucify him. (15:16-20)
I was king, I came to become the king of king. As the Messiah, I was to become king. Yet, the way I was to become king was through suffering and sacrifice. So many in your world want authority, yet so few are ready for sacrifice. I did not come on earth for me, but for the many that the Father wanted to touch and transform. In the same way, we invite you to learn the path of humility, to deny yourself and take up your cross. When you show the way of love, the powers of darkness resent it and will try to crush you. Yet, learn with me that the more they will try to crush you the more the love of the Father will shine brightly. This is something that the powers of darkness will never really grasp, because they have refused to learn the wisdom of the cross and the power of love.
As they put the purple cloak on me, as they crowned me with thorns, as they spat on me and insulted me, they tried to remove all dignity from me, to make of me an object of scorn, no more a human. Yet, the Father in me gave me the strength to know that it was a step to go through, a moment of pain for His glory.
In your world, many suffer, and suffering seems to remove all meaning to who you are or what your purpose on earth is. Yet, this is not true. As you learn to live in me and I in you, as I remained in the Father and the Father remained in me, suffering loses its power of despair, and humiliation loses its sting. Mockery is designed to make you focus on the mockers instead of us. Don’t let it win. Don’t seat on the bench with the mockers, but stand with me in all situations. Sometimes, we will lead you in joyful feasts, to rejoice and to bless many, as it was the case for me at Cana. Sometimes we will lead you to heal and release people from darkness. Sometimes, we will lead you through dark valleys where you see the shadow of death looming around you. In all this, don’t forget that it is by learning to stay with us, to listen to us, to love with us, that you will find the strength and the meaning for all that happens. When your day seems void of meaning, when humiliations try to tear you apart from us, remember that I died for your sins. I came to the cross so that you could remain united to us even in the midst of suffering. I gave you an example, and if I succeeded you will succeed also.
When they mocked me, putting on me this purple cloak and this crown of pain, I refused to focus on them, I kept my heart focused on the Father. I knew that this would end, that it was a moment. I spoke to the Father in my heart, I listened to his words and received his peace in the midst of the pain. He did not leave me, His love did not depart from me, he gave me the food I needed to go through this dark moment. I did not stumble, I did not rebel against this, I just went through like a lamb goes to the slaughter.
The ability to keep our peace in the midst of trials is extremely important. Learn this intimacy with us when you are doing well, and learn that this intimacy will not disappear when you need us the most, but that instead I will be at your side, especially when you are humiliated for my name. To show love when you are humiliated, to keep peace when the whirlwind of pain tries to uproot you from me, requires that you learn to walk by faith and not by sight. It is only through the strength that you will receive from us that you will be able to stand, don’t forget that. You are not delivered from sin and pain by your own strength but by our grace flowing in you, through your faith and faithfulness. Learn to recognize my presence in you, learn to welcome always more fully the Holy Spirit in you, so that whatever the pain, whatever the challenge, the Holy Spirit will guide you and give you the words to say. With the Father, he helped me keep the direction. In my case the Father asked me not to speak and to simply go through this day of darkness and blood, this day of pain and humiliations.
In all my life, I did not do anything that my disciples would not be able to do after me, even on this day. I did not rely on a strength that would be beyond what the disciples could access.
The key for you is to learn to develop your intimacy with us, to let our love flow and rule in you, so that nothing will be able to separate you from our love, no power or domination will be able to tear you apart from us. If I could go through humiliation and receive the crown of life, you will also be able to receive this crown of eternal life. Like Steven, when he was stoned to death, you will be able to keep your heart in me and your eyes will see our love up to your last breath.
I have gained the victory against darkness, and by remaining in me and I in you, you will also experience my victory in your life, nothing will be able to separate you from God. That was true for me with the Father in this darkest day of my life, that will be true for you in the darkest days of your life. Learn to welcome our love fully, ask the Holy Spirit to teach you, and you will discover that our love is able to carry you even through pain and humiliation, to the glory of the Father.
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