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Author: Stephen Weller
746 words, 4 minutes read time

Jesus Is Flogged

Scripture: Matthew 27:27-30; Mark 15:12-13, 16-19; Luke 23:21-22; John 18:40, 19:1

In the previous lesson we watched Pilate begin to lose control over protecting the innocent and yielding to the demands of the crowds. In this lesson we see that play out and witness Pilate give the order to have Jesus crucified.

^{Jn 18:40} They cried out again, “Not this man, but Barabbas!” M^{k 15:12} And Pilate again said to them, “Then what shall I do with the man you call the King of the Jews?” ^{Mk 15:13} And they cried out again, “Crucify him.” ^{Lk 23:21} but they kept shouting, “Crucify, crucify him!” ^{Lk 23:22} A third time he said to them, “Why? What evil has he done? I have found in him no guilt deserving death. I will therefore punish and release him.”

The people are taking control from Pilate and cry out again with probably more intensity for Barabbas to be released. Pilate then asks the people what he should do with Jesus and they cry out over and over again to “Crucify him.” On Sunday when he rode into Jerusalem, a large crowd went out to meet him, crying out, “Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord, even the King of Israel!” (John 12:12 – 13). This is a major mood shift on the part of the crowd. To their cry of “Crucify him”, Pilate says for the third time, “Why? What evil has he done? I have found in him no guilt deserving death. I will therefore punish and release him.”

^{Mt 27:27} Then the soldiers of the governor took Jesus ^{Mk 15:16} inside the palace (that is, the governor’s headquarters), and they called together the whole battalion. ^{Mt 27:28} They stripped him ^{Jn 19:1} and flogged him. ^{Mk 15:17} Then they clothed him in a purple cloak, and twisting together a crown of thorns, they put it on him. ^{Mt 27:29} They put a reed in his right hand and kneeling before him, they mocked him, ^{Mk 15:19} and [paid] homage to him, ^{Mk 15:18} and they began to salute him, “Hail, King of the Jews!” Mt 27:30 Then they spit on him and took the reed and struck him on the head.

The narrative doesn’t tell what the crowd does during the interval of time between the last statement of Pilate to the crowd and his next, but we are told what happens to Jesus. He was taken to the governor’s headquarters by some soldiers of the governor where they were joined by the rest of the battalion, estimated to be 120 to 200 soldiers. These soldiers were there for entertainment as Jesus was brought before them and stripped of his clothes he was flogged as the soldiers most probably jeered him and encouraged the punishment. Their vile evil souls were enjoying this performance against the Righteous One. When the flogging was done they covered his broken bleeding body with a purple cloak and forced onto his head a crown of twisted thorns, and putting a reed in his right hand and kneeling before him, they mocked him, and paid homage to him, and to salute him, “Hail, King of the Jews!” The abuse continues until it runs its course and it is over for now.

History reveals that what the soldiers did to Jesus they have done to others before they crucified them. It was their time of playing cruel games with the prisoners for their enjoyment. The shame and suffering the prisoners experience is beyond our understanding. In the case of Jesus, little did they know that he was the real King and would one day judge them for their actions. Imagine their shame and fear at their time of judgment.

Conclusion

The people are moving toward mob status and cry out for Jesus to be crucified. Pilate releases Jesus to some soldiers to flog him and then bring him back before the people. This time of flogging was seen as a time of entertainment for a sizable group of soldiers and a time of extreme shame and suffering for the prisoner. Jesus will be brought back dressed in a purple or scarlet robe with a crown of thorns on his head and a reed in his right hand. They mock him as king but before them stands the true King of the universe that he spoke into existence.