Lord,
for a long, long time
I have thought
that one of the most hurtful things
in the world
is for people to laugh at you.

Often,
when I think about your Passion,
I wonder which hurt you more –
the physical pain
of your torture and execution
or being made look like a fool
in front of thousands of people?
Crowds jeered
when they saw you standing,
bruised, bloodied,
trembling with pain
and dressed up
as a farce of a king,
wearing a fine cloak,
thorns for a crown
and a twig as a staff.
You were portrayed publically
as a fool ,
an object of ridicule,
the butt of Pilate’s cruel joke.

Lord,
which hurt you more –
your aching body
or your broken heart?
And how were you ever able
to forgive Pilate
for making a holy show of you?

“Claire,
you ask some difficult questions!
You’re asking me which hurt more,
the physical pain
or the public humiliation?
I already knew
just how cruel people could be
and how weak
even the best-intentioned friend could be.
So the answer to your question is –
neither.
I would have endured all of that pain
a thousand times over
for love of my Father
and for love of mankind.

“What caused me the deepest pain
was the feeling, on the cross,
of having been forsaken by my Father.
That feeling of being abandoned
was worse
than the excruciating physical pain
and the mental anguish
combined.

“But you also ask me
about Pontius.
Believe it or not,
Pontius was actually my strongest ally.
He tried to save me from death
by turning me into a laughing stock.
So don’t be too hard on Pontius;
he was only being cruel
to be kind.”

© Claire Murray, 22nd April 2014