And said, Hail, King of the Jews! and they smote him with their hands.
The soldiers mocked Jesus as King of the Jews, greeting Him with royal honor while striking Him with their hands. They dressed Him in the symbols of kingship to humiliate Him, placing a crown of thorns on His head, wrapping Him in a tattered purple robe, and putting a reed in His hand as a scepter in place of His true crown and robe of majesty and glory. They repeatedly snatched the reed from Him to beat Him on the head, driving the thorns into His brow and temples until blood ran down His face and beard. He endured the insults and blows with composure, meekness, patience, and dignity, without complaint or retaliation. The mockery and violence were meant to provoke Him to free Himself by divine power, which Satan hoped would cause the plan of salvation to fail. His faithful endurance under this test kept Him a perfect voluntary offering, as the Just One bearing the sins of the world to redeem sinners to God by His blood.
The Mock Coronation
The soldiers mocked Jesus as King of the Jews, hailing Him with a royal greeting and smiting Him with their hands. The mockery was contempt offered under the appearance of honoring Him as King, part of the suffering His disciples would witness before His death. It was a cruel mock coronation, with insults and blows heaped upon Him while He wore the crown of thorns and bore the marks of scourging.
The symbols of kingship were turned into instruments of humiliation. He wore a crown of thorns and a tattered purple robe, an old cast-off robe put upon Him in derision, and held a reed as a scepter while soldiers and crowd bowed to Him in mock homage. In this He exchanged His royal crown for a crown of thorns and His robe of majesty and glory for the cast-off garment. He was clad in the purple robe with the crown plaited for His brow as He approached the cross, mocked by persecutors bowing before Him.
The reed placed in His hand as a scepter was repeatedly taken from Him and used to strike His head. The blows drove the thorns into His temples and brow, piercing them so that blood ran down His face and beard. The soldiers first bowed and saluted Him as king of the Jews, then struck His head with the reed. They dressed Him in a purple robe, mocked His kingship, crowned Him with thorns, and struck Him with the reed until blood flowed.
The mocking took place amid scourging and further degradation. He was scourged, spat upon, degraded, wounded and exhausted, drinking the cup of suffering after betrayal and seizure when His captors laid hold of His person. His captors put the crown of thorns upon His head and pressed it into His temples to cause Him every possible suffering before driving nails through His hands and feet. After the second scourging, with the cross laid upon Him, He fainted beneath its burden, and the sight stirred pity in the women of Jerusalem.
After scourging He was displayed before the crowd wearing the crown of thorns, though Pilate declared he found no fault in Him. Pilate hoped the wounded, exhausted sight would move the people to pity. Instead the priests' hatred prevented compassion, the crowd's fury demanded His death, and His own nation clamored for His blood. He was treated as the worst of criminals, scourged as such, and Barabbas was chosen in His place.
Endurance, Sacrifice, and Example
He met the royal greeting of mockery and the blows of hands with composure, meekness, patience, dignity, gentleness and longsuffering, without complaint or retaliation, and even in pain His suffering did not erase His kingly dignity. The abuse was meant to provoke Him to retaliate or to use His divine power to free Himself, and Satan hoped that mockery and violence would provoke such a response and thereby cause the plan of salvation to fail. His faithfulness under this test was necessary to carry out the plan of salvation as a voluntary sacrifice, for any failure in His human life would have made Him an imperfect offering.
As the Just One for the unjust He bore the burden of the world's sins and gave His life and what He gave up for humanity, so that His blood could redeem sinners to God. His experience makes Him close to those who suffer for truth and virtue, for when His saints are persecuted Christ suffers in their person, and their persecutors are dealing with Christ. His suffering is an example that puts the self-denial required of His followers in perspective and a reason not to regard that self-denial as too great.
The scene was witnessed by His disciples, in whom their hopes of eternal life were centered and who thought He would take David's throne, and seeing their beloved Teacher abused and condemned marked the taking away of the Bridegroom when the children of the bride-chamber had cause to mourn and fast. Their faith, hope and courage were tried and failing as they saw Him lifted up on the cross dying as a malefactor, while His own nation clamored for His blood and Barabbas was chosen in His place. Yet having seen how fickle worldly favor is, they were thereby prepared to face insult and violence themselves.
The soldiers mocked Jesus as King of the Jews, greeting Him with royal honor while striking Him with their hands. They dressed Him in the symbols of kingship to humiliate Him, placing a crown of thorns on His head, wrapping Him in a tattered purple robe, and putting a reed in His hand as a scepter in place of His true crown and robe of majesty and glory. They repeatedly snatched the reed from Him to beat Him on the head, driving the thorns into His brow and temples until blood ran down His face and beard. He endured the insults and blows with composure, meekness, patience, and dignity, without complaint or retaliation. The mockery and violence were meant to provoke Him to free Himself by divine power, which Satan hoped would cause the plan of salvation to fail. His faithful endurance under this test kept Him a perfect voluntary offering, as the Just One bearing the sins of the world to redeem sinners to God by His blood.
The Mock Coronation
The soldiers mocked Jesus as King of the Jews, hailing Him with a royal greeting and smiting Him with their hands. The mockery was contempt offered under the appearance of honoring Him as King, part of the suffering His disciples would witness before His death. It was a cruel mock coronation, with insults and blows heaped upon Him while He wore the crown of thorns and bore the marks of scourging.
The symbols of kingship were turned into instruments of humiliation. He wore a crown of thorns and a tattered purple robe, an old cast-off robe put upon Him in derision, and held a reed as a scepter while soldiers and crowd bowed to Him in mock homage. In this He exchanged His royal crown for a crown of thorns and His robe of majesty and glory for the cast-off garment. He was clad in the purple robe with the crown plaited for His brow as He approached the cross, mocked by persecutors bowing before Him.
The reed placed in His hand as a scepter was repeatedly taken from Him and used to strike His head. The blows drove the thorns into His temples and brow, piercing them so that blood ran down His face and beard. The soldiers first bowed and saluted Him as king of the Jews, then struck His head with the reed. They dressed Him in a purple robe, mocked His kingship, crowned Him with thorns, and struck Him with the reed until blood flowed.
The mocking took place amid scourging and further degradation. He was scourged, spat upon, degraded, wounded and exhausted, drinking the cup of suffering after betrayal and seizure when His captors laid hold of His person. His captors put the crown of thorns upon His head and pressed it into His temples to cause Him every possible suffering before driving nails through His hands and feet. After the second scourging, with the cross laid upon Him, He fainted beneath its burden, and the sight stirred pity in the women of Jerusalem.
After scourging He was displayed before the crowd wearing the crown of thorns, though Pilate declared he found no fault in Him. Pilate hoped the wounded, exhausted sight would move the people to pity. Instead the priests' hatred prevented compassion, the crowd's fury demanded His death, and His own nation clamored for His blood. He was treated as the worst of criminals, scourged as such, and Barabbas was chosen in His place.
Endurance, Sacrifice, and Example
He met the royal greeting of mockery and the blows of hands with composure, meekness, patience, dignity, gentleness and longsuffering, without complaint or retaliation, and even in pain His suffering did not erase His kingly dignity. The abuse was meant to provoke Him to retaliate or to use His divine power to free Himself, and Satan hoped that mockery and violence would provoke such a response and thereby cause the plan of salvation to fail. His faithfulness under this test was necessary to carry out the plan of salvation as a voluntary sacrifice, for any failure in His human life would have made Him an imperfect offering.
As the Just One for the unjust He bore the burden of the world's sins and gave His life and what He gave up for humanity, so that His blood could redeem sinners to God. His experience makes Him close to those who suffer for truth and virtue, for when His saints are persecuted Christ suffers in their person, and their persecutors are dealing with Christ. His suffering is an example that puts the self-denial required of His followers in perspective and a reason not to regard that self-denial as too great.
The scene was witnessed by His disciples, in whom their hopes of eternal life were centered and who thought He would take David's throne, and seeing their beloved Teacher abused and condemned marked the taking away of the Bridegroom when the children of the bride-chamber had cause to mourn and fast. Their faith, hope and courage were tried and failing as they saw Him lifted up on the cross dying as a malefactor, while His own nation clamored for His blood and Barabbas was chosen in His place. Yet having seen how fickle worldly favor is, they were thereby prepared to face insult and violence themselves.