Lenten Devotional (Day Thirty Six)

Pastor Latt

Via Dolorosa – Tenth Station – Here Jesus is stripped of his garments

GOD’S WORD: “They took his clothes, dividing them into four shares. One for each of them, with the undergarment remaining.” (John 19:23)

“If your right eye causes you to sin, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for you whole body to be thrown into the hell.” (Matthew 5:29)
FACT: Part of the indignity is to be crucified naked. Jesus is completely stripped of any pride. The wounds on his back are torn open again. He experiences the ultimate vulnerability of the defenseless. No shield or security protects him. As they stare at him, his eyes turn to heaven.

INSPIRATION: "It Shall Not Hurt" (Mark 16:18). Rehna Sultana (name is not real) was a Moslem student. One day, she read a Christian tract in her dormitory, and accepted Jesus as her personal savior and became a Christian. Her father was an Islamic ruler, so she expected to lose her inheritance because of her conversion.

She was completely unprepared for what really happened: when she told her family that she had become a Christian and changed her name to Faith (not real name), her father exploded in rage. Her father and brothers stripped her naked and bound her to a chair fixed to a metal plate with which they wanted to electrocute her. Faith asked them to at least lay a Bible in her lap. Her father responded "If you want to die together with your false religion, so be it."
One of her brothers added "That will show that your religion is powerless." Although they had bound her, she was able to touch a corner of the Bible. She felt a strange peace, as though someone were standing beside her. Her father and brothers pushed the plug into the socket - and nothing happened. They tried four times with various cables, but it was as though the electricity refused to flow.

Finally, her father, angry and frustrated, hit her and screamed "You are no longer my daughter." Then he threw his daughter out into the street, naked. She ran through the streets, humiliated and in pain. Shaking and tearful, she ran to a friend. People looked at her, curious rather than shocked.

Her friend let her in, clothed her and gave her shelter. The next day, her friend asked neighbors what they had thought when they had seen Faith running naked through the streets.
"What are you talking about?" they asked. "The girl had a wonderful white dress on. We asked ourselves why someone so beautifully clothed had to run through the streets."
God had hidden her nakedness from their eyes, clothing her in a beautiful white dress. Today, Faith is a full-time evangelist. (A true story told by Rev. Paul Ciniraj).

MEDITATION: I pause to watch the stripping. I contemplate all that is taken from him. And, how he faces his death with such nakedness. I reflect upon how much of himself he has revealed to me. Holding nothing back. As I look at him in his humility, I know that this is for me, and I share my feelings of gratitude.

PRAYER: Mighty and tender God. You call us to conversion of heart. Free us from being stiff-necked people. Help us to hear your word and be changed by your word. Through your Son Jesus Christ. Amen.