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马太福音27:24-27：24彼拉多见说也无济于事，反要生乱，就拿水在众人面前洗手，说：“流这义人的血，罪不在我，你们承当吧！”25众人都回答说：“他的血归到我们和我们的子孙身上。”26于是彼拉多释放巴拉巴给他们，把耶稣鞭打了，交给人钉十字架。27巡抚的兵就把耶稣带进衙门，叫全营的兵都聚集在他那里。
你知道什么是鞭刑吗？这是罗马统治下对罪犯的一种可怕刑罚。被处以鞭刑的人由于失血过多而导致死亡是很常见的。想象一个结实的把手，上面固定了六、七个很薄的皮带，每个都有七到八英尺长。皮带的顶端是金属块。有的呈钩状，有的呈球状。钩子会撕裂肌肉，球会造成痛苦的外伤。受害者的后背会皮开肉绽。士兵们通常要抽打39下，但如果让他们自行决定，他们抽打得可能会更多。我无法想象这种抽打带来的伤痛。除此以外，那些士兵还无数次用他们的杖杆甚至赤手空拳抽打他的头。耶稣只在十字架上待了六个小时，我们不应为此感到惊讶。因为鞭打，他一定非常虚弱。当电影《耶稣受难记》播映这一场景的时候，我只能看几秒钟。场景太残酷了，令人无法忍受。
当圣灵记录下这些文字的时候，他邀请我们观看耶稣受难的过程。不是看电影那么简单，而是要我们用想象和心思意念来观看。他邀请我们思索，为了带走我们的罪，耶稣不得不忍受了什么。他要我们观看，这样我们从此不会再轻看罪恶。他要我们观看，这样我们可以肯定我们所有的罪都已得赦免。上帝儿子的苦难怎能不赎回我们所有的罪呢？请不要只在预苦期观看。将你的眼目每天都定睛在耶稣身上，他是我们信心的创始成终者。
祷告：主耶稣，你在彼拉多的面前和你敌人的面前，甚至是在天父上帝的面前，为我们受了多少苦啊。上帝因为我的罪而定了你的罪。当我因为试探轻看我的罪的时候，请提醒我你付出的代价，以及我永远不必再付出那样的代价！阿们。
Matthew 27:24-27: 24 When Pilate saw that he was getting nowhere, but that instead an uproar was starting, he took water and washed his hands in front of the crowd. “I am innocent of this man’s blood,” he said. “It is your responsibility!” 25 All the people answered, “His blood is on us and on our children!” 26 Then he released Barabbas to them. But he had Jesus flogged, and handed him over to be crucified.
Do you know what a flogging is? It was a terrible punishment for criminals under the Roman rule. It was not uncommon for people to die of their flogging from a loss of blood. Picture a stout handle what was fixed with six or seven thin leather straps that were 7 or 8 feet long. The end of the straps had pieces of metal. Some were like small hooks and others were like small balls. The hooks tore the flesh while the balls caused painful bruising. The victim’s back would have looked like raw exposed flesh. The soldiers usually struck thirty-nine times, but at their discretion, they could have gone on for more. I cannot imagine the pain of such a beating. Add that to the countless times the soldiers beat him about his head with their rods and sticks and bare knuckles. It should not surprise us that Jesus only lasted six hours on the cross. He would have been weak from his beatings. When this scene was played on the movie, “The Passion of the Christ,” I could not watch for more than a few seconds. It was too brutal to endure.
The Holy Spirit invites us to watch Passion of the Christ when he records these words. Not the movie, but in our imagination, in our mind’s eye. He invites us to consider what Jesus had to endure to take away our sins. He wants us to watch so that we do not take sin lightly. He wants us to watch so that we can be assured that all of our sins are forgiven, for how could the suffering of the Son of God not atone for all of our sins? Don’t save your watching just for the season of Lent. Keep your eye on Jesus, the Author and Perfecter of your faith every day.
Prayer: Lord Jesus, oh, how you suffered for us before Pilate and before your enemies, and before God in heaven as he judged you guilty for my sins! When I am tempted to dismiss my sins lightly, remind me of the price you paid! And remind me that I will never have to pay that price forever! Amen.