Pilate handed our Lord over to be scourged with a powerful Roman whip made from ox sinews and sharp bones. Each lash inflicted terrible wounds, tearing flesh from bone. Jesus was likely bound and beaten severely. My heart, weep for his broken body. Believers, can you look at him without tears, seeing him as the embodiment of agonizing love?

He is as pure as the lily in innocence, yet stained red with his own blood. Knowing he has healed us through his suffering, doesn't our love for him burn even brighter? "See how patient Jesus stands, insulted in his lowest state. Sinners bind the Almighty's hands, and spit in their Creator's face. With thorns piercing his temples, blood flows freely. His back is whipped and scarred, yet his heart feels even deeper wounds." We'd weep in solitude, but our day demands us. Let's seek to carry the image of his suffering in our hearts today, returning tonight to reflect and remember the cost of our sin.