Scripture
Our verse for today comes from John 19:32, “Then the soldiers came and broke the legs of the first and of the other who was crucified with Him.”
Background
If you are familiar with the movie, Mommie Dearest , then you know something about the irrational behavior and home life of the Hollywood star Joan Crawford. The movie tells the story of Joan’s explosive temper and the abusive treatment of her two adopted kids, especially her daughter Christina. In perhaps the most famous scene from the movie, Joan goes into Christina’s closet to return a dress and discovers that one of her dresses is hung on a wire hanger. Joan becomes outraged, screaming at her daughter, throwing her dresses onto the floor, and beating her with the wire hanger. Unfortunately for Christina, that was not the first or last time that her mom treated her so hatefully by excessively punishing her for something so insignificant. I think many of us have a memory where we feel like the consequences were far worse than what our actions deserved. Mine involves me catching a ride home with a neighbor without telling my dad after our 6 th grade choir performance at school. But how much worse can it get when you’re already dying on a cross, and others don’t think you’re dying fast enough, so they want your legs broken to speed up the process? And isn’t it sad that those doing the requesting were able to use their religious laws to justify their demands?
Application
It didn’t take the people very long to go from the wonder of witnessing water turn to wine to taking the life of a righteous Man who came from God. And they pounded on their Torahs every step of the way. It’s not easy to keep the proper perspective of everything for every minute of every day. Emotions, passions, and sincere desires can cloud our thinking. A wound of our heart can evoke a response way out of line, and suddenly wire hangers are the unpardonable sin, or death on a cross is not enough. So prepare yourself for when your head is going to tell you to react, and ask God for the grace of His Spirit to give you a Christlike response.
Charge
As we seek Him today, don’t let your tongue or your pride lead the way. Allow the Spirit to operate its nature of self-control in you.
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Rich Holt / Originally Published on : BCWorldview.org
Also published on : Medium.com.
