Jesus Carrying the Cross With a Crown of ThornsBible World
15:17Mark 15:17
And they clothed him with purple, and platted a crown of thorns, and put it about his head,
In Pilate's judgment hall the soldiers clothed the scourged and exhausted Jesus in purple in cruel mockery of His claim to be king, plaited a crown from a thorny vine and put it about His head, then drove it in with the reed so that the thorns pierced His temples and brow and blood ran down His face, while they saluted Him as King of the Jews, bowed in derision, spit upon Him and struck Him. Herod and his soldiers are also held to be the ones who put the old tattered king's robe on Him and plaited the crown for His sacred brow. Bleeding and exhausted yet patient and dignified, He stood in sharp contrast to Barabbas the hardened criminal, and Pilate displayed Him thus beside Barabbas to move the people to pity and persuade them He had suffered enough. Satan led the abuse to provoke Him to complain or use divine power to escape, which would have stained His human life and broken the plan of salvation, but though He could have summoned the heavenly host He submitted with perfect calmness, meekness and Godlike fortitude without a murmur. His humiliation was endured for humanity on account of human sin including pride, vanity and love of display in order to save people from those sins, so that any self-denial for Him seems small by comparison.
Judgment Hall Mockery
The scene is Pilate's judgment hall, the Praetorium, where Jesus stands bound as a prisoner before the Roman governor under guard of soldiers while the hall fast fills with spectators. The judges of the Sanhedrim, priests, rulers, elders and the mob remain just outside the entrance, refusing to enter the Roman hall lest ceremonial defilement keep them from the feast of the Passover, blind to the murderous hatred defiling their own hearts and blind to Christ as the real Passover Lamb whose rejection leaves the great feast without significance for them. Pilate has been called in haste from his bedchamber at an early hour to examine the man the authorities urgently want tried and punished, yet though prepared to deal with severity he finds no guilt, fear, boldness or defiance but goodness and nobility, calm and dignified bearing, and a countenance bearing heaven's signature. Faint with weariness and covered with wounds from scourging before the multitude, Jesus is led by soldiers inside where the whole band is called together, and the scene belongs to His delivery to the people for crucifixion amid blasphemy and insult.
The soldiers clothed Him in purple as cruel mockery of His claim to be king. Those who held that it was Herod's work teach that Herod and his soldiers put the old purple robe on Him and plaited the crown of thorns for His sacred brow, and that the robe was an old, tattered garment once worn by a king. The crown was plaited from a thorny vine and put about His head, then driven in when He was struck on the brow with the reed placed in His hand, so the thorns pierced His temples and brow and blood ran down His face and beard. His persecutors saluted Him in mockery as Hail, King of the Jews, bowed before Him in derision and mock-worshiped on bended knee, spit upon Him and struck Him.
Scourged, bleeding and exhausted, He yet remained patient and dignified, and His noble character stood in sharp contrast to Barabbas, whose appearance marked him as a hardened criminal. His bloodied, exhausted appearance was displayed beside Barabbas in Pilate's attempt to move the people to pity and persuade them that Jesus had suffered enough. From that mockery He was hurried to Calvary, with the heavy cross laid on His bruised and bleeding shoulders while two thieves were also being taken to die with Him.
Submission, Salvation and Response
Satan himself directed the cruelty of the purple robe and the plaited thorns to goad Christ into retaliation or into working a miracle to free Himself. The hope was that mockery and violence would force a complaint or a display of divine power to escape, and such a failure in His human life would have left Him an imperfect offering, broken the plan of salvation, and made redemption itself fail. While He wore the thorns and suffered, the angels laid aside their own glittering crowns because their Commander was suffering in shame. He could have summoned the heavenly host to His aid or scattered the mob by His divine majesty, yet He submitted without a murmur in perfect calmness, meekness, patience, and Godlike fortitude. To be degraded below humanity and still endure proved His kinship to God and exalted Him above humanity, so that His abasement became the pledge of His exaltation and the drops of blood from His wounded temples became the pledge of His anointing with the oil of gladness as great High Priest.
The humiliation of being dressed in purple and crowned with thorns, with the thorns driven into His brow until blood ran down His face, was endured for humanity and was necessary to carry out the plan of salvation. That shame was borne on account of human sin, including pride and vanity and love of display, in order to save men and women from those very sins. What He gave up and suffered in that mock coronation shows the cost of redemption, beside which any self-denial made for Him seems small.
The disciples had centered their hopes of eternal life on Him, yet still thought He would take His place on David's throne, and they were made to see their beloved Teacher humiliated on the way to the cross. They saw Him scourged as the worst of criminals, set aside for the murderous Barabbas, left in the hands of wicked men while His own nation clamored for His blood, and lifted on the cross to die as a malefactor. The insults of the crowd and that sight of Him tried their faith and gave them cause to mourn and fast, until their hope and courage failed.
In Pilate's judgment hall the soldiers clothed the scourged and exhausted Jesus in purple in cruel mockery of His claim to be king, plaited a crown from a thorny vine and put it about His head, then drove it in with the reed so that the thorns pierced His temples and brow and blood ran down His face, while they saluted Him as King of the Jews, bowed in derision, spit upon Him and struck Him. Herod and his soldiers are also held to be the ones who put the old tattered king's robe on Him and plaited the crown for His sacred brow. Bleeding and exhausted yet patient and dignified, He stood in sharp contrast to Barabbas the hardened criminal, and Pilate displayed Him thus beside Barabbas to move the people to pity and persuade them He had suffered enough. Satan led the abuse to provoke Him to complain or use divine power to escape, which would have stained His human life and broken the plan of salvation, but though He could have summoned the heavenly host He submitted with perfect calmness, meekness and Godlike fortitude without a murmur. His humiliation was endured for humanity on account of human sin including pride, vanity and love of display in order to save people from those sins, so that any self-denial for Him seems small by comparison.
Judgment Hall Mockery
The scene is Pilate's judgment hall, the Praetorium, where Jesus stands bound as a prisoner before the Roman governor under guard of soldiers while the hall fast fills with spectators. The judges of the Sanhedrim, priests, rulers, elders and the mob remain just outside the entrance, refusing to enter the Roman hall lest ceremonial defilement keep them from the feast of the Passover, blind to the murderous hatred defiling their own hearts and blind to Christ as the real Passover Lamb whose rejection leaves the great feast without significance for them. Pilate has been called in haste from his bedchamber at an early hour to examine the man the authorities urgently want tried and punished, yet though prepared to deal with severity he finds no guilt, fear, boldness or defiance but goodness and nobility, calm and dignified bearing, and a countenance bearing heaven's signature. Faint with weariness and covered with wounds from scourging before the multitude, Jesus is led by soldiers inside where the whole band is called together, and the scene belongs to His delivery to the people for crucifixion amid blasphemy and insult.
The soldiers clothed Him in purple as cruel mockery of His claim to be king. Those who held that it was Herod's work teach that Herod and his soldiers put the old purple robe on Him and plaited the crown of thorns for His sacred brow, and that the robe was an old, tattered garment once worn by a king. The crown was plaited from a thorny vine and put about His head, then driven in when He was struck on the brow with the reed placed in His hand, so the thorns pierced His temples and brow and blood ran down His face and beard. His persecutors saluted Him in mockery as Hail, King of the Jews, bowed before Him in derision and mock-worshiped on bended knee, spit upon Him and struck Him.
Scourged, bleeding and exhausted, He yet remained patient and dignified, and His noble character stood in sharp contrast to Barabbas, whose appearance marked him as a hardened criminal. His bloodied, exhausted appearance was displayed beside Barabbas in Pilate's attempt to move the people to pity and persuade them that Jesus had suffered enough. From that mockery He was hurried to Calvary, with the heavy cross laid on His bruised and bleeding shoulders while two thieves were also being taken to die with Him.
Submission, Salvation and Response
Satan himself directed the cruelty of the purple robe and the plaited thorns to goad Christ into retaliation or into working a miracle to free Himself. The hope was that mockery and violence would force a complaint or a display of divine power to escape, and such a failure in His human life would have left Him an imperfect offering, broken the plan of salvation, and made redemption itself fail. While He wore the thorns and suffered, the angels laid aside their own glittering crowns because their Commander was suffering in shame. He could have summoned the heavenly host to His aid or scattered the mob by His divine majesty, yet He submitted without a murmur in perfect calmness, meekness, patience, and Godlike fortitude. To be degraded below humanity and still endure proved His kinship to God and exalted Him above humanity, so that His abasement became the pledge of His exaltation and the drops of blood from His wounded temples became the pledge of His anointing with the oil of gladness as great High Priest.
The humiliation of being dressed in purple and crowned with thorns, with the thorns driven into His brow until blood ran down His face, was endured for humanity and was necessary to carry out the plan of salvation. That shame was borne on account of human sin, including pride and vanity and love of display, in order to save men and women from those very sins. What He gave up and suffered in that mock coronation shows the cost of redemption, beside which any self-denial made for Him seems small.
The disciples had centered their hopes of eternal life on Him, yet still thought He would take His place on David's throne, and they were made to see their beloved Teacher humiliated on the way to the cross. They saw Him scourged as the worst of criminals, set aside for the murderous Barabbas, left in the hands of wicked men while His own nation clamored for His blood, and lifted on the cross to die as a malefactor. The insults of the crowd and that sight of Him tried their faith and gave them cause to mourn and fast, until their hope and courage failed.