David Bahn – Reflections

John 19:1-3

 ¹Then Pilate took Jesus and flogged him. ² And the soldiers twisted together a crown of thorns and put it on his head and arrayed him in a purple robe. ³They came up to him, saying, “Hail, King of the Jews!” and struck him with their hands.

Jeff Danzinger is a political cartoonist whose cartoons I often find challenging; I don’t often agree with his politics. But I subscribe to him and read him almost daily. Today’s cartoon was a real challenge for me; it bordered on sacrilege. It was certainly mockery. Titled, “GOP Prayer Circle” it shows various GOP presidential candidates praying that their opponents be eliminated, in some manner or other, from contention in the primaries (You can see the cartoon here).

I don’t know whether Danzinger is a Christian or not, but his politics are pretty clear. And one might well conclude that he has little use for evangelical Christianity or prayer – at least those offered by the GOP candidates as he presumes to reveal. Fair enough. God loves all people. Politics need not get in the way of our relationship with him, or with one another. Sadly, however, people of all political stripes claim the moral high ground, sometimes using God to support their cause. God would rather we advance his kingdom than use him to shore up our cause.

When the soldiers crown Jesus with thorns and robe him in purple their agenda was obviously mockery. And that is a grave sin. “Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap” (Galatians 6:7). There will come a time when the King of the Jews will return – not to suffer or endure the mocking of sinful man, but to judge the living and the dead, and to take his own into the kingdom of eternal life and light.

We may not mock God – I pray we don’t! But we might be swayed by those who do. As Jesus stands before these soldiers his disciples are scattered and no doubt filled with fear. When we see enemies of the Gospel advance against God’s kingdom we might be discouraged and disheartened. It is good then to recall not only that God cannot be mocked, but that our King Jesus has endured shameful treatment for us and come through it victoriously. He now reigns at the right hand of God on high and we represent him in the world around us – no matter what mockery or sacrilege we may endure.