Behold the Man: Falling in Love with Jesus Again

“Behold the man,” Pilate cried out as he brought Jesus before the chief priests and leaders of the Jewish people. He found no fault in Jesus, but the pressure of the people weighed on him, testing him.

It was a moment in time when the people could have embraced this man as King. But instead, they bowed to the peer pressure and cried in response, “Crucify him!”

Unwittingly, they killed the One who was their only saving grace, their only real redemption in the midst of political and societal upheaval. It was all part of God’s greater plan, a mission of love — and yet — pity the ones who hastened it, not recognizing the Man who stood beaten and bruised before them.

Blood and water flowed that day, streaming down from the pierced side of the Word-Made-Flesh who hung on the cross, shamed and crucified before them. Was it a sign to His followers of the glorious resurrection to come?

— The blood that covers

— The water that washes

— The Savior who lifts our lives out of the mire of our own dark tombs to experience LIFE to the fullest…

Opportunities to embrace Jesus for who He is as Mighty God, Prince of Peace, Savior and King come to us on a daily basis. Our response boils down to a matter of faith, a matter of our deep-rooted belief system and our outward behavior influenced by it.

You may feel He has let you down, not performed on His promises or your expectations. You may feel confused and defeated at how your life has turned out, the situations and circumstances that are beyond your own human comprehension of cause and effect and why. Life may look grim and dark and hopeless.

It was a dark day, the day Jesus hung on that cross. But something glorious was about to happen, even though the disciples didn’t fully comprehend it. Lift up your eyes and look and believe. Behold the Man.

“… You will be sorrowful, but your sorrow will be turned into joy.” (John 16:20)