This blog is read by English teachers, so I apologize for the incorrect grammar in the title. Unfortunately, “it was me” sounds a little less pretentious than the correct “It was I,” and for this blog, I really don’t need pretentious.

We’re entering Holy Week, and we have a few more days to meditate on those events. Too often we seem to race through from Palm Sunday right to Easter even though the Gospels devote a lot of space to these few days.

They stripped off his clothing and placed a scarlet robe on him to make fun of him. Then they braided a crown of thorns and set it on his head. After placing a reed staff in his right hand, they knelt down before him and irreverently mocked him, saying, “Hail, king of the Jews!” Then they spat in his face and took the reed staff from his hand and hit him repeatedly on his head, driving the crown of thorns deep into his brow. (Matthew 27.28 – 30, Passion Translation)

The first thing that struck me was the unnecessary cruelty. Crucifixion is horrible enough, but these Roman soldiers added this. It’s always tough to see the cruelty of men. Soldiers, probably disgruntled at being stationed in Jerusalem, considered this fun. Jesus submitted himself to all the sin of men. And sin can be very ugly. And Jesus died for that sin, too.

But the second thing that occurred to me was this:

He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not. Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all. (Isaiah 53.3 – 6, KJV)

He was despised, and we esteemed him not…we esteemed him stricken, smitten of God. BUT, he was wounded for OUR transgressions (not his!), he was bruised for OUR iniquities (not his!)…with his stripes WE are healed. WE have gone astray. WE have turned every one to his own way; the LORD has laid on him the iniquity OF US ALL.

That was me in the crowd of soldiers in Matthew 26. I taunted him. I struck him with a reed. I put the crown of thorns on his head. Like Mel Gibson showing an actor how to drive the nail into the cross in The Passion of the Christ movie, it was Mel’s hand that went into the movie. He said in interviews later something like, “The Jews didn’t crucify Jesus; I did.”

Formerly I was a blasphemer, persecutor, and insolent opponent. But I received mercy because I had acted ignorantly in unbelief…The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the foremost. But I received mercy… (1 Timothy 1.13 – 16, ESV)

For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. (Romans 3.23, ESV)