Degradation of the King
[Pilate], having scourged Jesus, delivered him to be crucified. Then the soldiers of the governor took Jesus into the praetorium, and they gathered the whole battalion before him. And they stripped him and put a scarlet robe upon him, and plaiting a crown of thorns they put it on his head, and put a reed in his right hand. And kneeling before him they mocked him, saying, "Hail, King of the Jews!" And they spat upon him, and took the reed and struck him on the head. And when they had mocked him, they stripped him of the robe, and put his own clothes on him, and led him away to crucify him. Matt. 27:26-31, RSV.
Scourging doesn't mean much to me. That's because I have never experienced one myself, or even seen one. Such cruelty is outlawed today.
But a Roman flogging was a brutal ordeal. The whip had long leather straps with sharpened pieces of metal and bone studded here and there. Such an instrument could tear a person's flesh down to the bone. Some victims never survived, while it drove others insane. But in Jesus' case it was merely a preliminary.
While I have never been scourged, I have been spit upon. I remember at age 18 standing in line one morning when a big gooey wad of saliva and mucus hit my head. I looked up to see a juvenile delinquent of about my age grinning down at me from an open platform several stories above me. There was no way I could get at him, but if I could have it would have been a violent scene. Few things in my life have been more disgusting and degrading.
Yet my experience isn't even the tip of an iceberg compared to what Jesus underwent at the hands of a coarse, rough, ignorant band of soldiers as they mocked and abused Him while awaiting the completion of preparations for the crucifixion.
Interestingly enough, the soldiers were the least to be blamed of those instrumental in the death of Jesus. They recently had accompanied Pilate to Jerusalem. As a result, they had no idea of who Jesus was. Unlike the Jews and Pilate, they acted in ignorance. To them He was merely a deluded Galilean. Having no hatred toward Him, they were merely doing what rough and ignorant people do in a sick world that earmarks some for mocking. But they did it. And Jesus suffered the disgrace and degradation of it all.
But He not only did it; He underwent it for me. Astounding! A member of the Godhead came and suffered unbearable shame for me!
What am I willing to do for Him?
[Pilate], having scourged Jesus, delivered him to be crucified. Then the soldiers of the governor took Jesus into the praetorium, and they gathered the whole battalion before him. And they stripped him and put a scarlet robe upon him, and plaiting a crown of thorns they put it on his head, and put a reed in his right hand. And kneeling before him they mocked him, saying, "Hail, King of the Jews!" And they spat upon him, and took the reed and struck him on the head. And when they had mocked him, they stripped him of the robe, and put his own clothes on him, and led him away to crucify him. Matt. 27:26-31, RSV.
Scourging doesn't mean much to me. That's because I have never experienced one myself, or even seen one. Such cruelty is outlawed today.
But a Roman flogging was a brutal ordeal. The whip had long leather straps with sharpened pieces of metal and bone studded here and there. Such an instrument could tear a person's flesh down to the bone. Some victims never survived, while it drove others insane. But in Jesus' case it was merely a preliminary.
While I have never been scourged, I have been spit upon. I remember at age 18 standing in line one morning when a big gooey wad of saliva and mucus hit my head. I looked up to see a juvenile delinquent of about my age grinning down at me from an open platform several stories above me. There was no way I could get at him, but if I could have it would have been a violent scene. Few things in my life have been more disgusting and degrading.
Yet my experience isn't even the tip of an iceberg compared to what Jesus underwent at the hands of a coarse, rough, ignorant band of soldiers as they mocked and abused Him while awaiting the completion of preparations for the crucifixion.
Interestingly enough, the soldiers were the least to be blamed of those instrumental in the death of Jesus. They recently had accompanied Pilate to Jerusalem. As a result, they had no idea of who Jesus was. Unlike the Jews and Pilate, they acted in ignorance. To them He was merely a deluded Galilean. Having no hatred toward Him, they were merely doing what rough and ignorant people do in a sick world that earmarks some for mocking. But they did it. And Jesus suffered the disgrace and degradation of it all.
But He not only did it; He underwent it for me. Astounding! A member of the Godhead came and suffered unbearable shame for me!
What am I willing to do for Him?
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