THE MASTER OF CONTROL
LUKE 23:9-11, 34-37 NKJV
9 Then he questioned Him with many words, but He answered him nothing. 10 And the chief priests and scribes stood and vehemently accused Him. 11 Then Herod, with his men of war, treated Him with contempt and mocked Him, arrayed Him in a gorgeous robe, and sent Him back to Pilate.
34 Then Jesus said, "Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do." And they divided His garments and cast lots. 35 And the people stood looking on. But even the rulers with them sneered, saying, "He saved others; let Him save Himself if He is the Christ, the chosen of God." 36 The soldiers also mocked Him, coming and offering Him sour wine, 37 and saying, "If You are the King of the Jews, save Yourself."
It is not uncommon to find ourselves in situations where we feel compelled to act. Nor is it strange to be in situations where we feel we have to answer back.
Jesus was in situations before He went to the cross where He could have taken control of the situation but did not do anything. He had answers for all that came against Him but would not answer back. His control was amazing.
When Jesus stood before Herod, a powerful ruler in Israel, Jesus would not answer Herod's questions. So He was looking at a powerful ruler and refusing to respond.
And there were Jewish rulers accusing Him, and once again, he refused to respond. Imagine how difficult that would be. Facing all kinds of pressure. Surrounded by soldiers and raging religious people. Being mocked and spit upon and slapped and never saying a word.
But He could have responded. He could have gotten out of that pressure with one short prayer. But He chose not to.
And then, in His moment of greatest pain and agony, He did respond. But He responded with forgiveness for the soldiers who brutally nailed Him to the cross.
But as He hung on the cross, the scorn and abuse did not let up. The leaders who came to watch Him suffer sought to add to His pain. Their scorn and mocking about coming down from the cross could not have been easy to swallow.
Because He could have come down. He could have called for thousands of angels and cleared that entire crucifixion scene.
But Jesus was the Master of self-control. And His control resulted in our salvation.
APPLICATION:
Jesus understands our human weaknesses and does not condemn us. He offers help and mercy for our times of need.
He also presents an example to follow. It is one thing to stand helpless in a situation. It is an entirely different thing to have the ability to respond, to lash out, and choose not to.
To not say that hurtful thing. To not answer the critics back even when they are so wrong. To follow the Master of control.
PRAYER:
Lord help me to follow Your lead and exercise self-control in my life. There are things I could say and do but I will choose not to.