Connecting the Dots: Embracing the Passion of Christ Through Prophetic Fulfillment and Suffering (episode 11)

Welcome to Proverbs 31 Wannabe where Alexis Heaslip, a stay at home mother of two and follower of Jesus, shares her personal walk with Christ. Her goal is to help women explore the Bible and walk with Jesus by being a Proverbs 31 Wannabe woman of faith. 

We are so excited to announce that we have JUST RELEASED our first ever Bible study! Our Suffering Servant: A Six Week Study in Isaiah 53 is now available for purchase on Amazon. 

Purchase Here: https://www.amazon.com/Our-Suffering-Servant-Study-Isaiah-ebook/dp/B0CNMBN55K/ref=sr_1_1?crid=282O5THJSWJO3&keywords=Alexis+Heaslip&qid=1700593086&sprefix=alexis+heaslip%2Caps%2C80&sr=8-1

For He grew up before Him like a tender shoot, like a root out of the dry ground. He had no form or majesty that we should look at Him, nor beauty that we should desire Him.

Many women know that our Lord, Jesus, suffered and died for our sins, but have never stopped to ponder this suffering we hear in Isaiah 53. This powerful passage in Scripture can be a guide to meditate on the power of the cross.

In this 6-session study by Alexis Heaslip, gain insight and passion for our Suffering Servant in Isaiah 53. Discover the connections between Leviticus sacrifice laws and our Lord and rest in His love for us. Dive into Scripture and see it in a new light so that you can see the LOVE our servant has for us.

Click the Amazon link to learn more and purchase!


Today we are going to be continuing our SIXTEEN week study into Messianic prophecies found in the Old Testament and how we can connect them to the New Testament. Not only will this series help you look at the Word through new lenses, but it will also help you discover how you can disciple your children to know and understand the Gospel.

Missed the first episode? Click the link to check it out! 
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/proverbs-31-wannabe/id1656041568?i=1000633393461

The Passion of the Christ Sourging Scene (GRAPHIC):

https://youtu.be/jTzW8gm1yhY?si=3p_H9vJnagMBvp30


My Testimony: 
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/proverbs-31-wannabe/id1656041568?i=1000592460736
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Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:05

Hi there and welcome to Proverbs 31 wannabe, where we discuss biblical womanhood and teaching truths in everyday crazy life. I'm Alexis he's slipping. As a wife and mom of two, I am striving and praying to be a Proverbs 31 woman of faith. Surprise, guys, I am doing two episodes this week. Shabbat Shalom I am so excited to be joining you, guys. I feel like sometimes it's just fun to try out two episodes a week, and this is one of the weeks where I just feel like why not?

Speaker 1: 0:40

So just the other day we were discussing the Semestianic prophecy, where Jesus was betrayed by a close friend and the depth of that betrayal and how his heart must have been broken. And today we are going to talk about a different type of brokenness that our Messiah went through, and this is physical brokenness, physical suffering. This is a lot of heavy stuff we're going to be talking about today, so let's get ready. It's going to be intense, it's going to be uncomfortable, but absolutely necessary in order for all of us to understand why Messiah matters. So let's dive on in. Okay. So, picking up from last week, we know Jesus was forsaken by his disciples. They ran away and he was arrested and he was brought before the Sanhedrin and Pilate, and this is where things keep on momentarily getting worse for our Lord. And one of the things that our Messiah Jesus had to physically go through was being struck on the cheek. And this is actually prophesied in the book of Micah. Now, depending on your translation, it could be one of two verses. It could be either Micah 4, 14 or Micah 5, 1, it just depends on your translation. I'm using the Tree of Life translation, so mine is Micah, chapter 4, verse 14, but your translation could be Micah 5, 1, and the verse is the same, it's just the numbering that's different. And this verse tells us Now gather your, empty yourself in troops, oh, daughter of troops. He had laid siege against us with a staff. They have struck the judge of Israel on the cheek Again.

Speaker 1: 2:58

In the Old Testament we hear about this striking on the cheek, which is an absolute insult. Even today, to be struck on the face. We see this two more places. In Isaiah, chapter 50, we read in verse 6, I'm almost there. We read this I gave my back to those who strike and my cheeks to those pulling out my beard. I did not hide my face from humiliation and spinning. And then again we read in the book of Lamentations if you'll turn with me there and we will be looking at Lamentations chapter 3, verse 30, which tells us this let him offer his cheek to the one who strikes him. Let him have his fill of disgrace. And you know, like I've said before, striking, being striked on the cheek, being hit on the cheek is one of the most insulting things that you could do to another human being. Even today, that's not something to be taken lightly. That is an ultimate insult.

Speaker 1: 4:25

And we're going to see in the New Testament that Jesus went through this, unfortunately, more than once during this trial time of his, before he was even crucified. So in Matthew 26, verse 67, and the context of this is at the moment, in this part of scripture, jesus is in front of the Sanhedrin, he's in front of the priests and they are finding any reason to condemn Jesus to death and we'll actually go back a little bit to before, verse 67, and they are trying to make Jesus out as a blasphemer, although nothing that Jesus said was blasphemy. They just didn't want Jesus to carry on because they were blind to the truth. And the king, not the king. The priests asked Jesus point blank are you the Messiah? And Jesus responds as you have said. Besides that, I tell you, soon after you will see the Son of man sitting at the right hand of the power and coming of the clouds of heaven. Then the priests tore his clothes and said blasphemy. Why do we need any more witnesses? Look, you've heard the blasphemy. What's your verdict? Guilty, he deserves death. They answered.

Speaker 1: 6:08

Now let's really focus in on verse 67. Then they spat in his face and pounded him with their fists. Others slapped him and demanded prophesy to us. You, messiah. Which one hit you? So not only were they hitting him, they were verbally bashing and insulting him. And it's not just the Jews, the Jewish people, the Jewish priests that do this to Jesus.

Speaker 1: 6:48

We read further on in Matthew and Matthew 27, that the governor's soldiers took Jesus and gathered the whole cohort around him, starting in Matthew 27, verse 27. They stripped him and put a scarlet robe around him and, after braiding a crown of thorns, they placed it on his head and put a staff in his right hand and, falling to their knees, they mocked him saying Hail, king of the Jews. They spat on him and they took the staff and beat him over and over on the head. So our Lord suffered much physical suffering early on in this passion scene, early on in his passion, he has suffered a lot the physical blow on the cheek, as well as the implication that people looked so down on him that they were willing to hit him in his face, which is so insulting, and you already read this, we already read this. But not only was he struck, they spat on him, they spat on him in his face and we read that in Isaiah 50, verse 6, that you would be spat on.

Speaker 1: 8:14

And this detail is important because it's degrading. It is degrading to spit on another human being. I don't know if you remember as a child, children like to spit on things, and one of the first things that a parent teaches a child is you never, ever, spit at or on another human being, because that's disgraceful. And yet the Roman soldiers and the Jewish leaders spat on our Messiah because they were blinded about his true identity and they were filled with anger, they were filled with rage and they were filled with lies in their mind about who Jesus was. So Jesus was struck on the cheek and he was spat on, and those are some physical things. But he was also verbally mocked and verbally abused.

Speaker 1: 9:30

If you'll turn with me to the book of Psalms. Psalm 22 describes this moment of a suffering servant and we read let's read verse either verse 8 or 9, or 7 and 8, depending on your translation. So in my version it's verse 8. Actually, I can even go back to verse 7. Am I a worm and not a man? Am I a scorn of men despised by people? All who see me mock me. They curl their lips, shaking their heads, shaking their heads, rely on Adonai, let him deliver him, let him rescue him, since he delights in him. And that is exactly what happened to our Messiah Jesus in this dark and scary moment.

Speaker 1: 10:46

Turn with me to the book of Matthew, where we will see this played out in the Gospel, matthew 26, verse starting at 65. Then the priest tore his clothes and said blasphemy. Why do we need more witnesses? Look at the blasphemy. What's your verdict? Guilty, he deserves death. And they spat on his face and pounded him with their fists and slapped him and mocked him, saying prophesy to us, messiah, which one hit you Again? It's that same verse of Jesus just being absolutely and utterly braided. And this happens again in Matthew 27, starting at verse 11. Now this is Jesus standing before the governor, punctious Pilate, and the governor questioned him saying are you the king of the Jews? You say so, yeshua said, and while he was accused by the ruling co-hanim and elders, he did not answer. Then Pilate said to him don't you hear how many things they testify against you? Yeshua did not answer not even one word, and the governor was greatly amazed.

Speaker 1: 12:21

Now, during the feast, the governor was accustomed to release to the crowd one prisoner, anyone they wanted. At the time they had a notorious prisoner called Yeshua Barabas. So when they were gathered together, pilate said to them which one of you, which one, do you want me to release for you? Yeshua Barabas or Yeshua, called Messiah, for he knew that they had handed him over out of envy. While Pilate was sitting on the judgment seat, his wife sent him a message saying don't have anything to do with this righteous man, for today I've suffered many things in a dream because of him.

Speaker 1: 13:09

Now the ruling priests and elders persuaded the crowds that they should ask for Barabas and destroy Yeshua Messiah. But the governor responded which of the two do you want to release for you? And they said Barabas. Pilate said to them what will I do with Yeshua, called Messiah, execute him. They all say what, why, what evil has he done? Pilate said, but they kept shouting and shouting Let him be executed. And then jumped down to verse 31,. When the soldiers gathered him and stripped him and put that crown of thorns on him, they mocked him, falling on their knees before him saying Hail, king of the Jews. They spat on him and they beat him. And when they finished mocking him, they stripped the robe off him and put his own clothes back on and led him off to be crucified.

Speaker 1: 14:18

Now, what's really interesting and we're going to take a little sidestep here is this character of Barabas. I don't know if you've ever heard of this before, this idea, but Barabas, although it seems like this minor little moment in the greater story of the passion, is our salvation being on full display. Barabas was a vile man. He was notorious. Some historians say he was an insurrectionist trying to set revolts. Some people say he was a murderer, but he was obviously a guilty, sin-filled person. And yet His blood was not shed on this day. Instead, a spotless victim took Barabbas' place. Jesus took Barabbas' place.

Speaker 1: 15:44

The man who deserved punishment was set free. And just like Barabbas, we too are full of sin. We too have done things that dishonor the Lord. We too, like Barabbas, have had sinful and prideful hearts, but God steps into the picture and takes on the punishment so that we don't have to, because he loves us. And I feel like this part of the gospel, this part of the passion, is so beautiful and compelling, because Barabbas is what we all are messy people, people who want to rebel because of our fallen nature. But God in His love redeems us even when we don't deserve it. And if that doesn't make you in a weep, I don't know what will. And I hope that this perspective on Barabbas changes the way you read the gospel and makes you realize, if you've not accepted Jesus as your Lord and your Savior, that he is calling out to you and he has already paid the price for your sin and shame and your guilt. He was the ultimate guilt offering on the cross and we, like Barabbas, were set free. So if you've not known Jesus, I pray that you know Him and you open your heart to Him.

Speaker 1: 18:16

End the side tangent. But I just. Whenever I read this passage, it really gets to me every single time. Unfortunately, this was not the last time Jesus was mocked. Jesus had carried His cross all the way through the city and outside the city gate, and he had been nailed to the cross, a humiliating death. And while on this cross, jesus again was being mocked. While he's dying, jesus is being mocked. Now. Let's start at Matthew 27, verse 39.

Speaker 1: 19:04

Those passing by were jeering at Him, shaking their heads, saying you who are going to destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days, save yourself. If you are Ben Elohim, come down from the stake. Likewise, the ruling co-hanim, along with the Torah scholars and the elders, were also mocking Him. He saved others, they were saying, but he can't save Himself. He is the King of Israel. Let Him come down now from the stake and we'll believe in Him. He trusts in God. Let God rescue Him now if he wants Him, for he said I am Ben Elohim. Even the outlaws who were executed with Him were ridiculing Him In the same way.

Speaker 1: 20:03

So Jesus, while actively suffering and dying and being offered up as a sin offering and guilt offering for us, for the world, for salvation, he was still being mocked, and Jesus suffered this mocking up until His very last breath. But he also suffered something so horrifying, and I feel like it's also something, though, that we, as the modern reader, overlook and have a lack of understanding of how tremendous this next thing that he went through was. And before Jesus was crucified, before he took up the cross, our Lord was scourged. Like I said, I feel like a lot of us don't have a firm grasp as to what that fully means. So we're going to talk about two passages in the Old Testament, talk about the New Testament and then give a full detail as to what a scourging means.

Speaker 1: 21:15

So if you'll turn with me to the book of Isaiah and first we're going to be looking at Isaiah 56 again, because I just feel like it so eloquently states just the depth of pain Jesus went through I gave my back to those who strike and my cheeks to those pulling out my beard. I did not hide my face from humiliation and spinning. I want to emphasize that. I gave my back to those who strike because this is what the scourging was. And how did he give His back? What does that mean? What was the depth of it?

Speaker 1: 21:57

Well, isaiah 53, verse 5, gives us some indication. He was pierced because of our transgressions, crushed because of our iniquities. The chastisement for our shalom was upon Him, and by His stripes we are healed. By His stripes we are healed. Okay, so now we're getting some more information. By his stripes, we are healed. What are his stripes?

Speaker 1: 22:33

Matthew 27, we read this in verse 26. Then he released to them Barabbas and after he had Yeshua scourged, he handed him over to be crucified. Then in the book of Mark, chapter 15, verse 15, we read this wanting to satisfy the crowd, pilate released Barabbas for them and after he had Jesus scourged, he handed him over to be crucified. Again in the book of John, because it's important to realize that this is not something that is mentioned once. This is mentioned in multiple gospel counts John, chapter 19,. Chapter 19, verse 1,. Then Pilate took Yeshua and had him scourged.

Speaker 1: 23:30

Now I feel like we understand what it means to be beaten, because you know, we've read about it. But scourging is something different. Scourging is next level, to be scourged at the pillar. It's more severe than a flogging. It's more than just being beaten. It is one of the most severe and horrifying punishments that someone could go through, and it is so bad that the Romans would use scourging as a form of execution because it was so painful and so violent and so vile. So it's not just your average stick where you get beaten on the back with, or a whip, and that's it. No, it's so much more than that.

Speaker 1: 24:24

First of all, the person who's being scourged is tied, is stripped naked and tied with their hands, or chained to this pole so they can't go anywhere, they can't move and their back is towards the person who is going to be doing the scourging. And the tools that the Romans would use to scourge people, it wasn't just a leather belt or a leather whip or a stick. No, no, no, it was a whip. But at the end of the whip, attached to it, was metal and leather. And these pieces, when the person would hit the person's body and they would be hit from the neck to the legs, it would dig into the person's flesh and rip out chunks of flesh and would just shred the person's body, and that alone could kill a person, because your body would loose a lot of blood, you would go into shock, you would throw up, you could pass out during this and, depending on how many times the person was scourged, hit over and over and over again, that there alone could kill you. And if you think, you kind of have an idea, but don't.

Speaker 1: 26:03

The movie the Passion of the Christ has this scene depicted and it's absolutely horrifying because it shows every detail. But I feel like it's so necessary for us to fully understand what Jesus actually went through because, like I said, I feel like us as people who live in 2024 and for a lot of us who live in westernized countries, we do not see violence like people did living back in this time. Yes, we do see violence on TV shows and in movies and that kind of desensitizes us a little, but it's not something that the average person sees in real life. And I remember the first time watching the Passion and it came to this scene and it was shocking. It was far more brutal than anything I could have ever imagined and it put into reality those small little words in the Bible that says and Pilate had him scourged. It puts it into a whole another perspective. And that's just the start and the tip of the iceberg. Before Jesus even had to carry his cross through the streets of Jerusalem, through the Via de la Rosa to the gate, and then had to be nailed to that cross, it just it really changes your, your perspective. I'm gonna try to find if there is a YouTube video that has this scene if there is one out there, because it is so violent. I don't know if there is one, but if there is a link, it in the show notes, because it really really changes your perspective on the brutality of Jesus's death and it makes you realize that you know we say it's a really like Christian.

Speaker 1: 28:33

I Feel like Christian ease. Oh, yes, jesus suffered. He is our savior, but Do you know the extent of how he suffered? Do you even comprehend what that means? And I don't think a lot of people do. And If it wasn't for all the suffering, we would have no redemption. And that's what this whole series has been about. Is all these prophecies about Messiah that Some are great and brilliant, like how he's gonna be a king and a high priest forever. But None of that would be possible without all of this suffering.

Speaker 1: 29:23

And I think it's important that we, as adult believers, teach the Amount to the monumental suffering and and be able to explain this in a way that our children and our, the children in our community understand, so that they can have a genuine faith and a genuine Love for God. Because when you understand the total Suffering that Jesus went through, how could you not Want to worship him? How could you not want to worship him, and Although this topic is very uncomfortable, it is so necessary that we not shy away From the pain and suffering when teaching our children and teaching non-christians about who Jesus is. And that's where I'm wanting to stop today. We have so much more to talk about next week, but this is where we're going to pause. God, thank you so much for this opportunity for me to come and speak to others and tell them and teach them about how our Messiah suffered Immensely for us, what I pray that throughout this Lenten season, that we were able to reflect on and Remember all of the things that you went through for us so that we can be saved, and that we can offer Eternal praises of thanksgiving and be joyful on Easter because we remember your suffering, amen. Thank you so much for listening to Proverbs 31, 1 and B.

Speaker 1: 31:27

We hope to enjoy the show. If you do like what you hear, please give us a rate and review us. Give us a comment on Apple podcast or anywhere you listen to podcasts and Find us on all social media platforms. We would love for our community to just grow. We would love to hear from you Messages with any questions you might have if you're wanting to do an more in-depth study on Jesus's suffering. We have a six-week study in Isaiah 53 and it's just marvelous, and links To that are in the show notes. Until next time, this is Alexis, he slip, and I hope you guys have a great Rest of your day, god bless.