The Seriousness of IT All

Lately, I've had a few conversations with interesting persons. What makes them interesting is that they claim Christianity, yet their lifestyles reflect a world of sin. When questioned about their lifestyle choices, they shrug off the sin choices as if they're no big deal.

Let's check out Mark 15. Really, you can look at any of the Gospels for the crucifixion story, but I'm focusing on Mark. The question asked is simple: "How seriously does my sin offend God?" For the answer, any one of us could visit Romans 6:23 and point to the fact that the cost of sin is death, and thereby surmise the seriousness of it. Instead of doing that, let's look at what Jesus endured to clear the sin debt of the world:

- He was bound (verse 1)
The Greek word for "bound" refers to being in chains; but whether He was bound with chains or ropes, we know that Jesus was made to be a prisoner.

- He was slandered (verse 3 & 4; and Mark 14:60)
The testimonies against Jesus before Pilate were strikingly similar to those against Him before the Sanhedrin in chapter 14--they were false. These verses are great for anyone seeking to understand what it means to "bear false witness." They were outright slandering Jesus' name and making Him out to be something He wasn't.

- He was beaten and spat upon (verses 15 & 19; and Mark 14:65)
Matthew records that members of the Sanhedrin spat in Jesus' face and struck Him with their fists (26:67). The King James Version uses language like "buffeted" and "smote" in this verse. The Greek word for "buffeted" is kolaphizō, and it means "to strike with the fist, give one a blow with the fist; to maltreat, treat with violence and contumely." The Greek word for "smote" is rhapizō, and it means "to smite in the face with the palm of the hand, to box the ear." Mark records that the soldiers beat Jesus over the head with a staff and spat on Him (verses mentioned above).

- He was mocked and insulted (verses, 18, 20, 29, 31, & 32)
To add insult to injury, Jesus was ridiculed throughout the entire process. Whether He was made fun of by the soldiers, passers by, the chief priests, the teachers of the law, or the thief being crucified next to Him, the psychological effect must have been great!

Then, as if all of that wasn't enough, after enduring it all, Jesus was crucified. While being crucified, Jesus only cried aloud twice. The first time was when He cried out to God, saying, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" (verse 34). The second time was when He breathed His last, saying, "It is finished" (John 19:30). Can you imagine the emotional anguish that Jesus must have been experiencing? Jesus had never feared death or the attacks of man. It was the thought of being out of fellowship with the Father that had greatly troubled Jesus while in the garden of Gethsemane (Mark 14:33-34). Compared to that, everything else paled in comparison...

(Sidenote: Because we have grown accustomed to being out of touch with God, the things that terrify us are bounced checks, not getting the promotion, or a boyfriend or girlfriend breaking up with us. I find it interesting that the one thing that troubled Jesus is the one thing that we can so easily ignore, and barely notice when it's gone...)

THIS is how serious God is about the sin in my life (our lives)! He's not sitting back, content with my (our) compromises! God is deeply moved by my (our) choices to sin. So much so that He endured physical, psychological, and emotional pain just to do away with sin! I (We) must look at sin seriously--God certainly does! I (We) can't take it lightly. I (We) must constantly reflect on the seriousness of sin in my (our) life (lives)!