"And No Respect!"

 "And said, Hail, King of the Jews! and they smote him with their hands." (John 19:3 KJV)

  ""Pray no more for these people, Jeremiah. Do not weep or pray for them, and don't beg me to help them, for I will not listen to you. Don't you see what they are doing throughout the towns of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem? No wonder I am so angry! Watch how the children gather wood and the fathers build sacrificial fires. See how the women knead dough and make cakes to offer to the Queen of Heaven. And they pour out liquid offerings to their other idol gods! Am I the one they are hurting? asks the LORD. "Most of all, they hurt themselves, to their own shame."" (Jeremiah 7:16-19 NLT)

  It really doesn't take much knowledge of the Bible to understand that the fear of the LORD is the real beginning of wisdom! Would you jump off a cliff, knowing that you can't survive the fall? That would be stupid, unless you were trying to end your life. But there is no difference in that, then there is in giving no respect to the One that holds you in His hand! 

 That really doesn't relate to this, because these soldiers really did not know who Jesus really was; if they did know who He really was, this little escapade may not have taken place! Then again, as weird as it might sound, this too was meant to happen! There had to be a direct act of disrespect and hatred towards Jesus, for almost everyone, except His followers. And even they, really didn't want to stand up for Him! 

 This too is part and parcel to the power of the cross of Christ! There is so much hate in mankind, mostly based upon things that really don't even exist; they are filled with hate based upon their own lack of interest in knowing the truth. The problem is, they know the truth, they just do not wish to believe it! 

 Paul makes this point in Romans, saying, "But God shows his anger from heaven against all sinful, wicked people who suppress the truth by their wickedness. They know the truth about God because he has made it obvious to them. For ever since the world was created, people have seen the earth and sky. Through everything God made, they can clearly see his invisible qualities - his eternal power and divine nature. So they have no excuse for not knowing God." (Romans 1:18-20 NLT)

 Much as He says in Jeremiah 7:19, ""Am I the one that are hurting? asks the LORD. "Most of all, they hurt themselves, to their own shame." If any one of these soldiers were standing guard at the cross, or kneeling down below the cross, throwing dice for His robe, having seen the sky go dark and the earth quake, they would have not felt so proud of the way they disrespected Him!   

 I can somewhat relate! As it was, I believed in God for most of my life growing up; yet I only really called out to Him when I felt I needed His help. I do recall one time when I didn't necessarily need Him to help me, but I was feeling sad for my mom, as I was thirteen, and had run away from home for several months. I called home just to let her know I was still alive and felt sad for her after the call.

 I was living on top of a hill in a public park, sitting up there gazing at the stars, and began to have a conversation with God. Maybe I really was talking to Him, or maybe it was just my imagination, but either way, I left that place feeling as though He had soothed my soul. 

 When I was in jail, before I had received Christ Jesus in my heart almost a decade later, I had a very similar experience, as I sat outside a church that was in the compound. I was maybe 50 yards away, sitting in the adjacent field, watching the silhouettes of the prisoners inside, raising their hand and praising the Lord. I started to pray for them, as if they were being deceived by religion; but found myself crying. I thought I was crying for them; but as it turned out, I was crying for myself! 

 I have said this before, and I will say it again: If anyone says that God does not here or listen to sinners, I will call them a liar! How else can you ask God to forgive you for your sins, if you can't ask Him yourself...

"Yes, they knew God, but they wouldn't worship him as God or even give him thanks. And they began to think up foolish ideas of what God was like. As a result, their minds became dark and confused. Claiming to be wise, they instead became utter fools. And instead of worshipping the glorious, ever-living God, they worshipped idols made to look like mere people and birds and animals and reptiles." (Romans 1:21-23 NLT)