“Little Do We Know What We Do Sometimes.”
(A look at the actions of the soldiers that mocked Jesus before his crucifixion)
“They Dressed Jesus”
(In mockery)
The Soldiers Mock Jesus
“Then the governor’s soldiers took Jesus into the Praetorium and gathered the whole company of soldiers around him. 28 They stripped him and put a scarlet robe on him, 29 and then twisted together a crown of thorns and set it on his head. They put a staff in his right hand. Then they knelt in front of him and mocked him. “Hail, king of the Jews!” they said. 30 They spit on him, and took the staff and struck him on the head again and again. 31 After they had mocked him, they took off the robe and put his own clothes on him. Then they led him away to crucify him.”
- Matthew 27:27-31
IRONY DEFINED
Irony is when we say the opposite of what we actually mean (whether we know it or not).
Sarcasm is a very common form of irony.
For example, if you do something really stupid, and someone sarcastically says to you;
“What a genius”
they are actually saying to you just the opposite, namely that you are an idiot,
(or at least what you just said or did was idiotic).
When the surface meaning and the underlying meaning are not the same, that is irony and sarcasm.
The IRONY of the sarcastic treatment of Jesus by the soldiers
(thinking they were mocking Jesus as King)
was that they were actually proclaimed the truth of the “opposite” of their actions.
Jesus actually is a King.
“He is dressed in a ROBE dipped in blood and his name is the Word of God… On his robe and
on his thigh he has this name written:
King of Kings and Lord of Lords.”
-Revelation 19:13,16
THE IRONY OF THEIR “IRONIC ACTIONS”
If an “Irony” is the opposite of what is
being said or portrayed,
then an “Ironic Irony” of what is being said or portrayed is actually what “IS” being said or portrayed.
Wow!
That sounds like a tongue-twister or mind-buster.
The truth is that no one can outsmart Jesus.
In this case, the soldiers proclaimed Jesus as King (even though they didn’t mean it or even know that they were doing it).
They tried to tear him down, but actually lifted him up.
They tried to bring attention to his “lie” about being a king, while actually bringing attention to the “truth” that Jesus wasn’t lying.
They actually brought attention to the fact that he was a King to many people who would later hear about the soldiers’ sarcastic mockery by dressing him up like a king.
They actually accomplished the very opposite of what they intended even though they tried to make Jesus look bad.
The Devil can never outsmart or outthink Jesus.
What he means for evil, God will use for good.
“Little Do We Know What We Do Sometimes.”
We want to make sure that there are no places in our lives where we might unknowingly be making Jesus look bad.
Is there something that we may be doing that is making Christianity look bad?
WE ARE BLESSED WITH FORGIVENESS
What a comfort to know that any hypocritical things that we may have said or done in the past
(whether knowingly or unknowingly)
have been completely forgiven.
“Blessed are those whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered.”
-Romans 4:7
GOD WILL USE ANY SARCASM USED AGAINST YOU FOR YOUR OWN GOOD
The irony of any evil directed towards you, is that God promises to use for your own good.
Remember the irony of the actions of Joseph’s brothers who meant to do evil, but God used it for Joseph’s good.
“You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done…”
-Genesis 50:20
He will do the same for you.
Have confidence that God is with you and will work through all that happens to you.
THE SOLDIERS WILL ONE DAY GET WHAT THEY DESERVE FOR MOCKING JESUS
The tragedy of the irony of the soldiers’ actions is that one day in their future, they would meet Jesus face-to-face, bow their knees and proclaim that he “IS” Lord according to Philippians 2:9-11
“God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every [Even these soldiers] knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue acknowledge that
Jesus Christ IS Lord,
to the glory of God the Father.”
HOW TO LIVE A GODLY LIFE
Ask God to show you where there might be “negative” irony present in your life.
Being more self-aware will greatly limit our frustration in life due to hypocrisy, inconsistency, and irony.
Remember that “Irony” is when we say the “opposite” of what we actually mean
(whether we know it or not).
Let the only “opposite” thing that we say and do in life be the opposite of what our “sinful nature” wants to say and do.
Always be hypocritical to your sinful nature.
Always live opposite of how your sinful nature wants to live.
Live simple, honest and humble, always remembering that you are a child of a King because “Little do we know what we do sometimes.”
Prayer:
Lord, help me to be more aware of all that you may be doing in and through my life.
And help me to be who you have called me to be.
I want to be a good representative of you, the King of Kings.
Thank you for all that you do for me.
In Jesus’ name.
Amen!
Pastor Dave Word of Life Church 17525 W. Bell Rd. Surprise, AZ 85374
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