Lest We Forget

John 19:1-3 (NLT) Then Pilate had Jesus flogged with a lead-tipped whip. The soldiers wove a crown of thorns and put it on his head, and they put a purple robe on him. “Hail! King of the Jews!” they mocked, as they slapped him across the face.

I was immediately struck by this passage this morning – Christmas Eve 2010. “Pilate had Jesus flogged with a lead-tipped whip.” Some have referred to this whip as a cat of nine tails. Out of curiosity – I looked this up on the internet to get more information of what it was. Basically… It was a whip that Jesus encountered before the he got crucified. It was called cat of nine tails because there were 9 strands and on the end of those nine strands were bits a pieces of metal or bone. These were placed there so it would dig into the skin and ripping it. Jesus got whipped 39 times. 39 x 9... do the math. It was designed to dig into the skin and rip it as it was pulled. I can imagine that it was a very painful experience. This hardly seems like the message that one would be writing about on Christmas Eve but I think it’s important to because it is the reason why He came in the first place – to suffer and die for our sins. We must remember what He did for us lest we forget the intense suffering He endured for each and every one of us. It’s a wonderful thing to think about Jesus as a baby but the reality is that He spent His life with one purpose in mind – to eventually die upon the cross as an atonement for our sins. As you celebrate His birth today – stop and ponder what His birth ultimately meant for you. Lift your heart in thanks and give Him praise today because He loved you enough to ultimately die for you.