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PRAYER FOR THE WEEK
Jesus, help me stand up against bullying and refuse to be part of it! Amen.

The people who hated Jesus made sure He was arrested and brought to their rulers, Pilate and Herod. Both found Jesus "not guilty," but the people begged until Pilate let them take Him away to be killed. As Jesus walked up the hill to be crucified, His followers cried; even a thief crucified with Jesus said He was innocent. But a few hours later, Jesus cried, "Father, I put my spirit into your hands," and died. Then people said, "This man did nothing wrong."

Bullying is all over the news. Schools worry not just about kids getting bullied in class, but online and through texting. One mean comment can turn into Facebook bullying that gets out of hand and really hurts someone.

This week's Gospel (Luke 23:1-49) is about bullying that gets out of hand - and the victim is Jesus.

Bullying starts small. One person in your class makes a remark about another or posts something on Facebook, and then half the school is clicking "like" or adding their own nasty comments. People act like it's no big deal when, really, the whole world can see those bullying words - and be tempted to join in.

That's what happened to Jesus. A lot of things He taught about God made people uncomfortable, because they didn't want to think about their sins or change their lives. So, when a few people made sure He was arrested and charged with breaking the law, others joined in, adding their nasty comments and pushing for Jesus to be crucified. Like Facebook bullying, more and more people got involved, until Pilate and Herod agreed that Jesus should die.

You've heard stories about bullying. You know this can happen today, even to kids you know. People can be hurt with fists, but also hurt with words so badly, they take their own lives.

Two thousand years ago, a man was put on a cross, and it wasn't until after He died that people said, "He didn't do anything wrong. We killed the Son of God." Don't let it happen again today. When you see bullying, stop it.[[In-content Ad]]

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