Then Pilate therefore took Jesus, and scourged him.
Pilate in his judgment hall before the march to Calvary had Jesus, whom he had three times declared to be without fault, scourged before condemning him. He ordered it as a cruel and unjust expedient to satisfy the priests and hostile crowd, to stir their pity, and to avoid sentencing him to crucifixion. Under his authority a Roman soldier lacerated Jesus until his back was wounded with long, deep, bleeding stripes, while around the scourging he was mocked as king in a purple robe, crowned with thorns pressed into his temples, struck on the head with a reed until blood ran down his face, spit upon and struck with blows. Wounded and bleeding and crowned with thorns he was displayed beside Barabbas in hope the sight would move the people, and even then his uncomplaining patience and dignity stood in sharp contrast to the hardened robber, yet the priests and crowd were not moved to pity but still demanded his crucifixion. The scourging was part of the suffering at the hands of wicked men necessary to carry out the plan of salvation, in which the Just suffered for the unjust and bore the sins of the whole world to ransom humanity, and though the abuse was meant to provoke him to complain or use his divine power to escape, he bore it as a voluntary sacrifice.
Context and Scourging
The scourging took place in Pilate's judgment hall before Jesus was led out to Calvary for crucifixion. There He stood bound as a prisoner with soldiers around Him, while outside the hall the Sanhedrin with Jewish officials and a crowd pressed Pilate during the Passover feast to confirm and carry out their sentence. The scourging itself came before His condemnation.
Pilate had Him scourged even though he had found no fault in Him, declaring Him innocent three times. The scourging was followed by the soldiers' mockery and blows. Afterward Pilate presented Him wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe as One in whom he found no fault, before He was handed over to suffer a cruel death.
Pilate ordered the scourging as an expedient to satisfy the priests and the hostile crowd, hoping the punishment would stir their pity and let him release Jesus and avoid condemning Him to crucifixion. It was a cruel and unjust act, done against the evidence and against his own conviction of Jesus' innocence, causing Him great bodily pain. By yielding to the priests and rulers he sacrificed innocence to religious hatred.
The scourging was inflicted under Pilate's authority by a Roman soldier. It left His back wounded with long, cruel, deep, bleeding stripes, His body lacerated, exhausted, and humiliated. After a second scourging, with the crown of thorns upon Him and the cross laid on Him, He bore Himself as one making a voluntary sacrifice yet fell fainting, too weak to continue standing.
Around the scourging He was further degraded after betrayal and arrest. He was dressed in a purple robe and mocked as king, spit upon, and struck with blows. A crown of thorns was put upon His head and pressed into His temples, and He was struck on the head with a reed so that the thorns pierced Him and blood ran down His face, brow, and beard, giving Him all the suffering possible before His hands and feet were nailed to the cross.
Wounded and bleeding and crowned with thorns, He was displayed beside Barabbas in hope the sight would stir pity. Even in suffering His uncomplaining patience, gentleness, nobility, and dignity stood in sharp contrast to the hardened robber beside Him. The priests and people were not moved to pity but still demanded His crucifixion and accused Him of claiming to be the Son of God.
Purpose in Salvation
The scourging was part of the suffering at the hands of wicked men necessary to carry out the plan of salvation and ransom humanity. He was dressed in a purple robe and mocked as king, crowned with thorns, and struck on the head with a reed so that the thorns pierced His temples and blood ran down His face and beard. His suffering and death were the sacrifice of the Just for the unjust, for He bore the sins of the whole world so that His precious blood could redeem people to God.
The abuse and mockery, including the crown of thorns, were meant to provoke Him to complain or to use His divine power to escape, and His doing so would have frustrated the plan of salvation. Yet He bore Himself as one making a voluntary sacrifice. After a second scourging, with the crown of thorns and the cross laid upon Him, the burden left Him too weak to continue standing, and He fell fainting beneath the cross.
The verse shows the Son of God, though Creator and Redeemer, suffering cruel scourging as part of the affliction and sorrow He endured before His death. His body was lacerated, and the violence against Him was driven by Satan through his human agents, yet through that affliction Satan's own rule was ultimately brought down. Because He was lacerated with stripes, spit upon, degraded, and crowned with thorns, He has close understanding of those who suffer for truth and virtue, and He is beside them when they are tortured, imprisoned, or bound.
Responses and Lessons
The scourging came as Jesus approached the cross and descended into the depths of humiliation, treated as the worst of criminals while in the hands of wicked men. His own nation clamored for His blood, and the murderous Barabbas was chosen in place of their beloved Teacher, who was crowned with thorns, clad in the purple robe, bowed before in mockery and struck with the reed placed in His hand, then lifted up on the cross to die as a malefactor. The disciples had thought He was to take His place on David's throne and had centered their hopes of eternal life in Him, so to see Him so treated shook them deeply. This was the taking away of the Bridegroom, bringing days of trial and temptation when their faith would be tried and their hope and courage would fail, giving them cause to mourn and fast.
They had been prepared for this trial by having seen how fickle the crowd was. The same multitude that had hailed Him as king turned against Him in His condemnation and humiliation before crucifixion and cried for His death, and people had turned from Him before. They therefore need not let the changing opinions of others destroy their faith.
Pilate ordered the scourging even though he had found no fault in Jesus, using it as an attempt to satisfy the hostile crowd and avoid condemning Him to crucifixion. It was a cruel and unjust expedient, done against the evidence and against his own conviction of Jesus' innocence, causing great bodily pain to an innocent man. By yielding to the priests and rulers and to the crowd instead of defending Jesus, he sacrificed innocence to religious hatred. His unjust act brought guilt of conscience and lasting remorse and lasting infamy, and his conduct became an example repeated by judges.
Pilate in his judgment hall before the march to Calvary had Jesus, whom he had three times declared to be without fault, scourged before condemning him. He ordered it as a cruel and unjust expedient to satisfy the priests and hostile crowd, to stir their pity, and to avoid sentencing him to crucifixion. Under his authority a Roman soldier lacerated Jesus until his back was wounded with long, deep, bleeding stripes, while around the scourging he was mocked as king in a purple robe, crowned with thorns pressed into his temples, struck on the head with a reed until blood ran down his face, spit upon and struck with blows. Wounded and bleeding and crowned with thorns he was displayed beside Barabbas in hope the sight would move the people, and even then his uncomplaining patience and dignity stood in sharp contrast to the hardened robber, yet the priests and crowd were not moved to pity but still demanded his crucifixion. The scourging was part of the suffering at the hands of wicked men necessary to carry out the plan of salvation, in which the Just suffered for the unjust and bore the sins of the whole world to ransom humanity, and though the abuse was meant to provoke him to complain or use his divine power to escape, he bore it as a voluntary sacrifice.
Context and Scourging
The scourging took place in Pilate's judgment hall before Jesus was led out to Calvary for crucifixion. There He stood bound as a prisoner with soldiers around Him, while outside the hall the Sanhedrin with Jewish officials and a crowd pressed Pilate during the Passover feast to confirm and carry out their sentence. The scourging itself came before His condemnation.
Pilate had Him scourged even though he had found no fault in Him, declaring Him innocent three times. The scourging was followed by the soldiers' mockery and blows. Afterward Pilate presented Him wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe as One in whom he found no fault, before He was handed over to suffer a cruel death.
Pilate ordered the scourging as an expedient to satisfy the priests and the hostile crowd, hoping the punishment would stir their pity and let him release Jesus and avoid condemning Him to crucifixion. It was a cruel and unjust act, done against the evidence and against his own conviction of Jesus' innocence, causing Him great bodily pain. By yielding to the priests and rulers he sacrificed innocence to religious hatred.
The scourging was inflicted under Pilate's authority by a Roman soldier. It left His back wounded with long, cruel, deep, bleeding stripes, His body lacerated, exhausted, and humiliated. After a second scourging, with the crown of thorns upon Him and the cross laid on Him, He bore Himself as one making a voluntary sacrifice yet fell fainting, too weak to continue standing.
Around the scourging He was further degraded after betrayal and arrest. He was dressed in a purple robe and mocked as king, spit upon, and struck with blows. A crown of thorns was put upon His head and pressed into His temples, and He was struck on the head with a reed so that the thorns pierced Him and blood ran down His face, brow, and beard, giving Him all the suffering possible before His hands and feet were nailed to the cross.
Wounded and bleeding and crowned with thorns, He was displayed beside Barabbas in hope the sight would stir pity. Even in suffering His uncomplaining patience, gentleness, nobility, and dignity stood in sharp contrast to the hardened robber beside Him. The priests and people were not moved to pity but still demanded His crucifixion and accused Him of claiming to be the Son of God.
Purpose in Salvation
The scourging was part of the suffering at the hands of wicked men necessary to carry out the plan of salvation and ransom humanity. He was dressed in a purple robe and mocked as king, crowned with thorns, and struck on the head with a reed so that the thorns pierced His temples and blood ran down His face and beard. His suffering and death were the sacrifice of the Just for the unjust, for He bore the sins of the whole world so that His precious blood could redeem people to God.
The abuse and mockery, including the crown of thorns, were meant to provoke Him to complain or to use His divine power to escape, and His doing so would have frustrated the plan of salvation. Yet He bore Himself as one making a voluntary sacrifice. After a second scourging, with the crown of thorns and the cross laid upon Him, the burden left Him too weak to continue standing, and He fell fainting beneath the cross.
The verse shows the Son of God, though Creator and Redeemer, suffering cruel scourging as part of the affliction and sorrow He endured before His death. His body was lacerated, and the violence against Him was driven by Satan through his human agents, yet through that affliction Satan's own rule was ultimately brought down. Because He was lacerated with stripes, spit upon, degraded, and crowned with thorns, He has close understanding of those who suffer for truth and virtue, and He is beside them when they are tortured, imprisoned, or bound.
Responses and Lessons
The scourging came as Jesus approached the cross and descended into the depths of humiliation, treated as the worst of criminals while in the hands of wicked men. His own nation clamored for His blood, and the murderous Barabbas was chosen in place of their beloved Teacher, who was crowned with thorns, clad in the purple robe, bowed before in mockery and struck with the reed placed in His hand, then lifted up on the cross to die as a malefactor. The disciples had thought He was to take His place on David's throne and had centered their hopes of eternal life in Him, so to see Him so treated shook them deeply. This was the taking away of the Bridegroom, bringing days of trial and temptation when their faith would be tried and their hope and courage would fail, giving them cause to mourn and fast.
They had been prepared for this trial by having seen how fickle the crowd was. The same multitude that had hailed Him as king turned against Him in His condemnation and humiliation before crucifixion and cried for His death, and people had turned from Him before. They therefore need not let the changing opinions of others destroy their faith.
Pilate ordered the scourging even though he had found no fault in Jesus, using it as an attempt to satisfy the hostile crowd and avoid condemning Him to crucifixion. It was a cruel and unjust expedient, done against the evidence and against his own conviction of Jesus' innocence, causing great bodily pain to an innocent man. By yielding to the priests and rulers and to the crowd instead of defending Jesus, he sacrificed innocence to religious hatred. His unjust act brought guilt of conscience and lasting remorse and lasting infamy, and his conduct became an example repeated by judges.