The Anticipation of Punishment

Props: a belt

             Many times when you are going to be punished, you’re warned ahead of time: “When we get home…”, “Go to your room and wait for me…”, “Just wait ’til your father gets home…”, “Go to the principal’s office…”   You may not know exactly what’s coming, but you know it can’t be good.  Many times you feel like crying because you know that something bad is coming.

            Jesus grew up His whole life reading about the punishment that He was going to have to face (Psalms 22, Isaiah 55).  He knew that He was going to be beaten, bruised and nailed to a cross.  He knew that He was going to die.  So on this night He cried out to His Father, knowing that He was about to suffer.

            When we are punished, it is because we’ve done something wrong.  Jesus was punished for us.  He took what we should have had.  We did wrong, and he suffered for it.  Because of Him, we don’t have to be punished.  Jesus’ obedience was hard at first, but He obeyed the Father knowing that He would be blessed and that we would be blessed with eternal life through His death.  It was the hardest thing He ever did, but it brought the greatest blessing. 

            There will be times when God calls you to do something hard.  And you may look ahead and think, “This is going to be tough.  I don’t know if I can do this.”  But if God calls you to it, He will give you the strength.  And He will bless you for obeying.