"Behold the Man!"

This morning my reflection appears headed in a different direction then of late.  I am going to reflect on a few verses from John's Gospel that are from Jesus' Passion.  Here are the verses - John 19:1-6 NASB:

[1] "Pilate then took Jesus and scourged Him. [2] And the soldiers twisted together a crown of thorns and put it on His head, and put a purple robe on Him; [3] and they began to come up to Him and say, "Hail, King of the Jews!" and to give Him slaps in the face. [4] Pilate came out again and said to them, "Behold, I am bringing Him out to you so that you may know that I find no guilt in Him." [5] Jesus then came out, wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe. Pilate said to them, "Behold, the Man!" [6] So when the chief priests and the officers saw Him, they cried out saying, "Crucify, crucify!" Pilate said to them, "Take Him yourselves and crucify Him, for I find no guilt in Him."

My first thought when reading this, was that they should have been worshipping Jesus rather than beating and insulting Him!  I saw in my minds-eye the cries to crucify Him replaced with cries to glorify Him!

When Pilate said to them "Behold the Man!" he was completely correct, for Jesus, the Son of God, had come and emptied Himself, and became fully man! (Phili 2:5-8) He did this because it was the way to restore man's relationship to the Father, becoming as it were the second Adam (1 Cor 15:45-49)!  It was the greatest sacrifice ever, by the only perfect and sinless man to ever live (1 Peter 1: 18-20).  Jesus laid down His entire human life, His reputation, His body , His strength, His followers, His family, everything for love of us (John 10:17-18)!  He did this all willingly, that we might be fully restored to the Father, a way made back to relationship with Our Creator.  He showed us what true love is, a willingness to lay down your life for another (John 15:13).  He received the blows and beatings,  and turned them into blessings for us, for by His wounds we are healed (Isa 53:5).   I am reminded of how Isaiah prophesied about all of this 600+ years earlier - Isaiah 53:1-11 NIV:

[1] Who has believed our message and to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?
[2] He grew up before him like a tender shoot, and like a root out of dry ground.
He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him, nothing in his appearance that we should desire him.
[3] He was despised and rejected by mankind, a man of suffering, and familiar with pain.
Like one from whom people hide their faces he was despised, and we held him in low esteem.
[4] Surely he took up our pain and bore our suffering,
yet we considered him punished by God, stricken by him, and afflicted.
[5] But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities;
the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed.
[6] We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to our own way;
and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all.
[7] He was oppressed and afflicted, yet he did not open his mouth;
he was led like a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before its shearers is silent, so he did not open his mouth.
[8] By oppression and judgment he was taken away. Yet who of his generation protested?
For he was cut off from the land of the living; for the transgression of my people he was punished.
[9] He was assigned a grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death,
though he had done no violence, nor was any deceit in his mouth.
[10] Yet it was the Lord's will to crush him and cause him to suffer,
and though the Lord makes his life an offering for sin,
he will see his offspring and prolong his days, and the will of the Lord will prosper in his hand.
[11] After he has suffered, he will see the light of life and be satisfied;
by his knowledge my righteous servant will justify many, and he will bear their iniquities."

All I can say is that we can never worship Jesus enough, or praise His name enough!  We can never make up for the treatment He received that day in Jerusalem, but we can set our hearts to worship Him as our Savior and Lord.  We can glorify His name, and lift Him up!  We can exalt Him above every other name in our lives!  We can thank Him for His love and sacrifice, knowing that He did it all for us!

Jesus!
Jesus!
Jesus!
Glorify!
Glorify!