Spitting in His face

 Spitting in His Face

I offered my back to those who beat me and my cheeks to those who pulled out my beard. I did not hide my face from mockery and spitting.

ISAIAH 50.6

They began to spit in Jesus’ face and beat him with their fists. And some slapped him.

MATTHEW 26.67

God, who said, “Let there be light in the darkness,” has made this light shine in our hearts so we could know the glory of God that is seen in the face of Jesus Christ.

2 CORINTHIANS 4.6

It is the ultimate insult, the ultimate expression of disrespect and disgust, to spit in someone’s face. Now can you imagine the arrogance and the foolishness of someone who would actually spit in the face of God? Doesn’t the very idea make you cringe?

But that is actually what people did. They spit in Jesus’ face. This is the same face that had looked on thousands of people with compassion to heal their diseases and forgive their sins. It is the same face that was striped with tears as he looked over the city of Jerusalem, wishing he could gather the people like a mother hen gathers her chicks to love and protect them. What kind of people could look that kind of love in the face and spit at it?

Our kind of people. All people. The truth is, all of us are natural God-haters. Until the Holy Spirit reveals to us the beauty and value of Christ, our hearts are set against him. Until he makes our hearts new, our natural response is to spit in God’s face. But when he reveals himself to us and changes our hearts, rather than spitting in his face, we bow before him to worship. Instead of spitting, we start submitting. He turns our hatred into love, and he forgives us for all our hateful ways.