It’s not an easy scene to watch. In fact, it’s a tough movie to watch. Although my guess is the writers, directors, and producers of Black Hawk Down attempted to portray the Battle of Mogadishu close to reality, it is not easy or good to see even a Hollywood portrayal of American soldiers finding themselves in an incredibly hostile situation; being overrun, killed, and one taken as prisoner.
As shown in the movie, the two men in the helicopter after it crashed and the two men that were sent to rescue them initially, were overrun by the Somali crowd. The conclusion of this scene shows Somalis sitting and bouncing on the helicopter’s lifeless blades and the surrounding crowd pulling soldiers’ bodies out of the helicopter.
I imagine the mockery going on when this crowd finally overran these soldiers by force. It’s tough to think about. In our minds, where our military might is the utmost – our soldiers are trained and equipped like no other forces in the world – especially compared to a country like Somalia, this scene should never have happened.
Like watching this movie based on a real situation, the mocking of Jesus recently became more real to me in a similar manner. I knew, and had read, scenes like the one described in Matthew 26:67-68, “Then they spit in his face and struck him. And some slapped him, saying, ‘Prophesy to us, you Christ! Who is it that struck you?’” Remember too the scene in Matthew 27:27-31 where the Roman soldiers gather a whole battalion around Jesus, dress him like mocked royalty, with a scarlet robe and crown of thorns. They spit on him, mocked him, and led him away to be crucified.
What recently hit me about these scenes is their realness and their irony. These became real when I imagined the scenes of Jesus being mocked and abused in terms of something like that happening today, or better yet, imagining being mocked myself, in my setting today. I imagined how I would feel having a crowd around me, overpowering me, yelling obscenities and anything they can think of that would emotionally or mentally tear me down and afflict me.
These Roman soldiers believed that Jesus thought he was some kind of ruler, or some kind of leader, but they did not believe he was anything special, especially not when compared to the might of the Roman army. The irony? This was the God of the universe, the God who spoke all of creation into existence. The God who exercised (and exercises) reign and rule over ALL THINGS and he’s laying before men who were created through him, and he is being crowned with thorns; both a physical persecution and a personal mocking.
Who put Jesus in this situation? You and I, according the planned and purposed will of a sovereign God. He endured such things because of our sin and because the mercy and love of God purposed to make provision to rescue us out of our sin. Praise God, through Jesus Christ.
As shown in the movie, the two men in the helicopter after it crashed and the two men that were sent to rescue them initially, were overrun by the Somali crowd. The conclusion of this scene shows Somalis sitting and bouncing on the helicopter’s lifeless blades and the surrounding crowd pulling soldiers’ bodies out of the helicopter.
I imagine the mockery going on when this crowd finally overran these soldiers by force. It’s tough to think about. In our minds, where our military might is the utmost – our soldiers are trained and equipped like no other forces in the world – especially compared to a country like Somalia, this scene should never have happened.
Like watching this movie based on a real situation, the mocking of Jesus recently became more real to me in a similar manner. I knew, and had read, scenes like the one described in Matthew 26:67-68, “Then they spit in his face and struck him. And some slapped him, saying, ‘Prophesy to us, you Christ! Who is it that struck you?’” Remember too the scene in Matthew 27:27-31 where the Roman soldiers gather a whole battalion around Jesus, dress him like mocked royalty, with a scarlet robe and crown of thorns. They spit on him, mocked him, and led him away to be crucified.
What recently hit me about these scenes is their realness and their irony. These became real when I imagined the scenes of Jesus being mocked and abused in terms of something like that happening today, or better yet, imagining being mocked myself, in my setting today. I imagined how I would feel having a crowd around me, overpowering me, yelling obscenities and anything they can think of that would emotionally or mentally tear me down and afflict me.
These Roman soldiers believed that Jesus thought he was some kind of ruler, or some kind of leader, but they did not believe he was anything special, especially not when compared to the might of the Roman army. The irony? This was the God of the universe, the God who spoke all of creation into existence. The God who exercised (and exercises) reign and rule over ALL THINGS and he’s laying before men who were created through him, and he is being crowned with thorns; both a physical persecution and a personal mocking.
Who put Jesus in this situation? You and I, according the planned and purposed will of a sovereign God. He endured such things because of our sin and because the mercy and love of God purposed to make provision to rescue us out of our sin. Praise God, through Jesus Christ.