三月三十一日

因他受的鞭傷，我們得醫治。（賽53:5）

比拉多把我們的主交給羅馬的官兵鞭打。羅馬的鞭是最可怕的一種刑具。這種鞭是用很多牛筋作的，一端有柄，下端穿著許多尖銳的骨刺，所以這鞭打在人身上的時候，骨刺就使人皮開肉綻、血肉橫飛，真是慘痛萬分。無疑他們是把救主綁在刑柱上鞭笞的。他以前被鞭撻過，而羅馬兵丁這一次的鞭笞卻是最厲害的。我的心哪！要在這裡為他可憐的被鞭笞的身體痛苦吧！

信耶穌的人哪！當他站在你身邊用苦痛的鏡面反映出他的愛來，你仰頭看他的時候眼眶中能不滿了熱淚嗎？他的無辜曾像百合花一樣地美麗，他的血又像玫瑰那樣地鮮紅。當我們感到他的鞭傷使我們得了醫治時，我們的心不是立即就被愛和悲熔化了嗎？若我們愛我們的主耶穌，那麼我們一定會感到心胸之中湧流著這種愛情。

耶穌默然站立，忍受羞辱嬉戲！

全能者的手被罪人捆綁，造物主的面受罪人唾棄。

頭顱滿戴荊棘，額角鮮血滴滴！

鞭笞無情地打在他背上，一陣陣地泛在他的心裡。

我們要進到內室痛哭一場，但我們有我們一天當作的事。我們要先求我們所愛的主，今天把他流血的慘狀深深印在我們心中，當夜晚歸家時再來到他面前，並為我們的罪憂傷，因為這罪曾加重他所付的代價。

March 31

"With His stripes we are healed." --Isaiah 53:5

Pilate delivered our Lord to the lictors to be scourged. The Roman scourge was a most dreadful instrument of torture. It was made of the sinews of oxen, and sharp bones were inter-twisted every here and there among the sinews; so that every time the lash came down these pieces of bone inflicted fearful laceration, and tore off the flesh from the bone. The Saviour was, no doubt, bound to the column, and thus beaten. He had been beaten before; but this of the Roman lictors was probably the most severe of His flagellations. My soul, stand here and weep over His poor stricken body.

Believer in Jesus, can you gaze upon Him without tears, as He stands before you the mirror of agonizing love? He is at once fair as the lily for innocence, and red as the rose with the crimson of His own blood. As we feel the sure and blessed healing which His stripes have wrought in us, does not our heart melt at once with love and grief? If ever we have loved our Lord Jesus, surely we must feel that affection glowing now within our bosoms.

"See how the patient Jesus stands,

Insulted in His lowest case!

Sinners have bound the Almighty's hands,

And spit in their Creator's face.

With thorns His temples gor'd and gash'd

Send streams of blood from every part;

His back's with knotted scourges lash'd.

But sharper scourges tear His heart."

We would fain go to our chambers and weep; but since our business calls us away, we will first pray our Beloved to print the image of His bleeding self upon the tablets of our hearts all the day, and at nightfall we will return to commune with Him, and sorrow that our sin should have cost Him so dear.