Dignity

For those of you who read on a daily basis, I want to begin today's devotion by apologizing for my absence on Friday and for being late with my submission today. 'Tis the season to be busy.

This past Sunday, we read from Mark 15:15-20. In these verses, Jesus is tortured and humiliated by the Roman soldiers. His torture begins with a flogging and continues with repeated blows to the head. And as far as humiliation is concerned, Jesus is spat upon and mocked for being a "king" who the Romans regard as no king at all.

I hinted during my sermon that I don't like reading this passage. I am much more comfortable reading about the resurrection and skipping to the end of the story where Jesus is victorious. But as I've thought about this passage, I can't help but wonder what Jesus is doing and thinking as they torture and mock Him. Mark does not tell us about the look on Jesus' face, the agony that He must have experienced, or the shrieks that must have come from His mouth with the strike of every whip.

So what did Jesus think? What words or noise were uttered from His mouth? Far be it from me to give answer to that question. However, I can tell you what Jesus was not thinking or saying. Jesus was not thinking about vengeance nor was He uttering threats. Whether it was in silence or words, the posture of Jesus' pain was one of dignity...not a dignity of pride...but a dignity of purpose born from love and grace. They could strip Him of His clothes, deny Him of any human respect, and make a mockery of Him, but they could not change His heart...a heart filled a love and grace we can only begin to understand.

From a Christian point of view, being "dignified" has nothing to do with what we wear, what we drive, or where we live. To live with dignity means that we exhibit the same love and grace as our Savior...even when our Lord and our faith are mocked or disregarded.