Mocked At Your Cross

And those who passed by derided him, wagging their heads and saying, “Aha! You who would destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days, save yourself, and come down from the cross!” So also the chief priests with the scribes mocked him to one another, saying, “He saved others; he cannot save himself. Let the Christ, the King of Israel, come down now from the cross that we may see and believe. Mark 15:29-32 

In reading Jesus' story, what has hit me this morning especially hard is that when He was mocked on the cross and people were being sarcastic in His pain, He didn't respond. They asked why - if he was a literal miracle worker - He didn't save himself, which of course alluded to the fact that He was NOT who He said He was. That He wasn't capable of miracles. 

He didn't defend Himself.  HE KNEW the truth, HE KNEW what was coming, HE KNEW why, HE KNEW they would soon know. 

The end was more important 

than the present moment.  

The bigger picture was more important 

than making a defense for every comment 

with the little human energy He had left. 

 He didn't have to defend the truth 

because the truth stood when He couldn't. 

In a matter of days, many people would know and the shock of what was coming was the fuel that would push them to spread the word.  

In that moment, 

His quiet was louder than 

any earthly shout.

HE DIDN'T HAVE TIME to address the naysayers, He had a bigger work to do.  His energy was completely used up on the present moment. HIS PURPOSE. 

No lie or sarcastic comment will EVER touch purpose. 

It's so different from how we treat the truth today.  As if we have to defend it to make it true.  If you live your life in truth and people try to discount that verbally, you don't HAVE to defend it. You don't HAVE to waste the energy you have trying to make them see it.  You speak your truth.  You live your truth.  Then you walk on.  HOW FREEING IS THAT? 

As I was reading about Jesus, The Today Show was on in the background and I could hear them talking about presidential candidates and then they showed video of the candidates bickering. (I wrote this in 2016, btw). I thought...man...how different would this be if they each just spoke their truths, the end?  

They waste SO much energy 

defending what they believe 

that I actually don't even 

know what they believe. 

What is their truth?  

Does anyone even know?

Do they? 

And we act all appalled at how they are behaving, but we are no different.  We both defend our truth until it's lost and demand that others defend theirs so that we can judge its worthiness.  

BUT WE CAN ALL CHANGE.  Look at Jesus. LOOK AT HIM. Quit wasting so much energy defending yourself and just live whatever time you have left.  

If Jesus' teachings have taught me anything, 

it's that if we are defending something, 

may it be our fellow man. 

If our fists and voices are raised, 

may it be against injustice.