On picking

“And the robbers who were crucified with him also reviled him”
– Matthew 27:44

It’s understandable that the soldiers would mock. They were hardened and did this for a living.

The same too for the religious leaders, but, of course, for different reasons.

However, what would draw the others—who, at the same time are themselves being crucified–to use the last bits of their energy to lob in a few insults?

Speaking hypothetically, if my last minutes were being tortured out of me,

I’m not sure I’d care about someone else.

Yet, we see a picture here of Jesus being reviled by everyone, save just a few. Even as he’s hanging on the cross.

Simply put, that was Jesus’ ministry in a nutshell. To love him is to change all. Your course, your priorities, even the people you choose to love.

And to hate him is absolute. Even in their misery, they reach out to make his worse.

Today, there’s a big swath of people that pick Jesus to sit on their mantle, along with all their other stuff.

It’s a happy medium. A have your cake and eat it too, kind of solution.

But it’s just not true.

When we interact with Jesus, everything is different.