Dear friends,

“Salvation is by works”
Seized, Secured, Spit at, Stricken, Slapped, Sneered at, Stripped and Sacrificed. What a Savior!

Free Jesus was Seized as a criminal for you.
Sovereign Jesus was Secured by the wrist for you.
Gentle Jesus was Spit on the face for you.
Humble Jesus was Struck on the head for you.
Meek Jesus was Slapped on the face for you.
Tender-hearted Jesus was Sneered at for you.
Righteous Jesus was Stripped naked for your sake.
Innocent Jesus, as a lamb was Sacrificed for you.

Liberator Jesus was seized and manhandled as a vulgar prisoner and led without protocol and in a show of force that words are too poor to describe the ignominy of the event against the almighty.

The divine hands that made man from the dust of the ground into his own image, were handcuffed by his creatures. He came to his own and his own received him not. Jesus was foolishly bound as if to keep him from doing his work of deliverance.

The very face of God was spat at as a despicable enemy with a sudden display of fury and open intimidation approved by the custodians of the law.

The sacred head crowned with thorns was stricken with a rod to avoid self-inflicted wounds on the hands of the opportunistic abusive servants of the Sanhedrin. The venerable face of a prince that should not have been touched even by the petal of the most delicate flower was the target of an open-hand slap just below the crown of thorns.

The tender heart of Jesus was injured by the vicious meanness of common people who added insult to injury like salt burns in an open wound so they cruelly mocked the already afflicted Jesus.

The blameless Jesus was stripped of his garments and exposed naked by an ungrateful, wicked world as to cause him embarrassment, blushing and shame.

The innocent Jesus, the Son of Man and the Son of God was arrested as a common criminal and waits on death row as if he were the most lawless vicious felon worthy only of death.

On a dark, cold, lonely night, abandoned by his friends Jesus waits for the worst that was yet to come early the next morning.

Peter takes the risk of being recognized as a follower of Jesus, but the cold cut so deep that night that it pushed Peter to seek the fire of the courtyard to rub his hands for warmth along with the others. But Jesus, still bound, could not rub his hands to warm up.

The Jews started early the mock trial followed by a professional torture at the hands of the Roman soldiers and the unfair horrible Crucifixion.

Jesus paid a high price to purchase Eternal Life for us. This is the way Jesus testified to us of the love of God. Merry Christmas “Open your gift of Eternal life in Jesus”.

Most of us have received gifts this Christmas. What about a little reciprocity towards God? God is the Giver of the greatest Gift of Eternal Life in the person of His Son the Lord Jesus.

What about testifying about Jesus? You do not need to be afraid anymore of the horrible eight S.S.S.S.S.S.S.S’s, for you have one big ‘S’, the Savior of the world who has paid it all. Nobody is Seizing, Securing, Spitting, Striking, Slapping, Scorning, Stripping and Sacrificing anyone on the cross anymore.

A Sovereign God has called you to freedom. In his humility and meekness he has loved you with a holy, innocent, tenderhearted and sacrificial love. His perfect work of obedience has secured your salvation.

By works you are saved and this not of yourselves but by the perfect works of Jesus accepted by God and graciously imputed to us and appropriated by faith alone.

Confidently open your Gift of eternal life from God in Jesus and wrap yourself with the same gift paper of love and present yourself as a gift to God so he can help Himself from you for his glory and your own blessing.

God has given his only Son, Jesus has given his life and the Holy Spirit has given it all.

What have I done? What have you done? What have we done? What has anybody done? We must stand up for Jesus for he stood up for us. If we are not standing for Jesus, we are only seeking our comfort zone. We are just getting warm at the enemy fire. We are no different from Peter. If we do not witness about Jesus we are ashamed of him. Therefore go, give, and pray that our preaching and proclamation would be with power that persuades men into perseverant obedience.

From one who has received God’s Gift. From one who is a gift to God.
From a minnow who has become a bait. From your brother and friend.
From a servant and friend of Jesus our Lord.

"In the name of the one who was stuck with a spear in his side for me".

Gerry Gutierrez

Matthew 26:67-68
Then they spit in his face and struck him with their fists. Others slapped him 68 and said, “Prophesy to us, Messiah. Who hit you?”

The Soldiers Mock Jesus
Matthew 27:27-31
27 Then the governor’s soldiers took Jesus into the Praetorium and gathered the whole company of soldiers around him. 28 They stripped him and put a scarlet robe on him, 29 and then twisted together a crown of thorns and set it on his head. They put a staff in his right hand. Then they knelt in front of him and mocked him. “Hail, king of the Jews!” they said. 30 They spit on him, and took the staff and struck him on the head again and again. 31 After they had mocked him, they took off the robe and put his own clothes on him. Then they led him away to crucify him.