Read: Matthew 26:57-68

Just before Jesus was crucified, he stood in front of the Jewish leaders. These people should have known all about Christ and the work he had come to do to save us from our sins, because they should have studied the Old Testament well. But instead they were Christ’s enemies. They were trying to accuse Christ of doing something wrong so that they could kill him, crucify him on a cross. When they decided that he deserved to be killed because they said he had blasphemed, they all spat on Jesus and beat him. They struck him with the palms of their hands.

These actions of Jesus’ enemies show what was actually living in their hearts. They hated Jesus Christ. They didn’t believe that he was the Christ. They didn’t believe that God had sent him, and that he was God himself. They didn’t believe that he had power over all things. They didn’t believe that he had authority and that they should have been listening to him and obeying him. Instead of obeying, they spat on him and hit him.

Their actions also show what actually lives in our hearts. Our hearts are also filled with sin. If it wasn’t for the working of the Holy Spirit in our lives, we would hate Jesus in just the same way. Actually when you choose to sin on purpose, it is like you are spitting into Jesus’ face. When you decide not to obey your parents as God told you to, then it is like you are beating Jesus.

And Jesus took all of this abuse without saying anything. He didn’t deserve to be beaten, because he never did anything wrong. It is actually we who deserve to be punished. We deserve to be punished by God in a much harder way. We deserve hell. And yet the wonderful news is that we don’t have to be punished, we don’t have to go to hell, because Christ was punished in our place. He went to the cross with all of our sins, so that we will never have to be punished.

Reflection with your child:

Why do we not need to be punished anymore?