Voice Impersonations

Matthew 27: ²⁷ Then the governor’s soldiers took Jesus into the Praetorium and gathered the whole company of soldiers around him. ²⁸ They stripped him and put a scarlet robe on him, ²⁹ and then twisted together a crown of thorns and set it on his head. They put a staff in his right hand. Then they knelt in front of him and mocked him. “Hail, king of the Jews!” they said. ³⁰ They spit on him, and took the staff and struck him on the head again and again. ³¹ After they had mocked him, they took off the robe and put his own clothes on him. Then they led him away to crucify him.

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“You sound just like him! Do it again.” said the students, egging me on. I pretended to be our teacher and impersonated his distinct voice again in a jesting kind of way. All around me laughed except one, namely the teacher.

• There have been times I have mocked people.
• There have been people I have ridiculed.
• There have been situations where I wanted to make fun of someone at their expense.

I had gone too far and the teacher showed me his authority by sending me out of his room.  The soldiers, however, went much further against JESUS. They wanted to make a public example of anyone who would call themselves “King.”

They thought they had the upper hand as they brutalized the ONE who chose to die for their sins and mine. As they mocked HIM they may have walked away with a sense of satisfaction, BUT GOD says something different.

• JESUS showed me that HE does not want HIS creation mocked.
• JESUS faced humiliation just like I have faced before.
• JESUS gave me an example of taking the shame even though HE had the authority to stop it.

Mocking the KING of kings and LORD of lords was not a good idea and did not bode well for the soldiers later. JESUS wants me to understand HIS shame and apply it to my actions towards others. HE says to me “Figure out another way to make them laugh instead of mocking them.” I am glad JESUS’s humiliation led to my salvation.

• Are you mocking someone?
• Do you feel “that” person is stupid?
• Will you take mockery out of your heart and ask GOD to replace it with love?