Tag Archives: crown of thorns

ROBED AND CROWNED AS KING

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ROBED AND CROWNED AS KING

“Then Pilate took Jesus and had Him flogged. The soldiers twisted together a crown of thorns and put it on His head. They clothed Him in a purple robe and went up to Him again and again, saying, ‘Hail, king of the Jews!’ And they slapped Him in the face.

“Once more Pilate came out and said to the Jews gathered there, ‘Look, I am bringing Him out to you to let you know that I find no basis for a charge against Him.’ When Jesus came out wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe, Pilate said to them, ‘Here is the man!'” John 19:1-5.

What! Is this the man you said was not guilty of any crime, Pilate? Are you sure it’s the same man? He looks as though He’s been through a mincing machine. Is this the way you treat an innocent man?

“…His appearance was so disfigured beyond that of any human being, and His form beyond human likeness…” Isaiah 52:14b.

What did Pilate hope to gain by having an innocent man flogged – beaten with a whip made of leather thongs interlaced with lead and bits of bone which ripped the flesh out of the prisoner’s body until his bones were exposed? Flogging was so brutal that many prisoners died under the whip. Did he think that the sight of Jesus beaten beyond recognition would change His accusers’ minds? Perhaps they would back off when they saw what their hatred had done.

It seems that there was no control over the soldiers’ abusive bullying. Why were they permitted to brutalise a prisoner before he was sentenced? Who was in control of them and why was he indifferent to their behaviour? Was this normal practice or was Jesus singled out because He did not retaliate?

“When they hurled their insults at Him, He did not retaliate; when He suffered, He made no threats. Instead, He entrusted Himself to Him who judges justly.” 1 Peter 2:23 NIV.

Even after the brutal flogging, Jesus stood before the crowd, dressed in purple, crowned with thorns and drenched in His own blood, regal and silent. He did not weep in agony or plead for His life. Through the blood and sweat that ran down His face and into His eyes, He looked His accusers in the eye, calm and unflinching.

“As soon as the chief priests and officials saw Him, they shouted, ‘Crucify! Crucify!'” John 19:6a.

There’s something about a person who refuses to cringe under cruelty that enrages his tormentors. Instead of remorse for what they had done, the religious leaders began to yell, inciting the crowd, ‘Kill Him! Kill Him!’ They were not satisfied with blood. They wanted death, and the crueller the better. Stoning was their method of execution but it was relatively quick. Crucifixion was the Roman method and it suited the Jewish hierarchy well. They could watch Him die a slow, agonising death, perhaps lasting many hours or even days, with great satisfaction because they believed He deserved it.

However, there’s another side to the story. These religious rulers had delegated authority which they used against the one who gave it to them. The day would come when they would give an account of the stewardship of that authority. They would stand before the one who stood before them on that Passover day, but He would no longer be wearing a borrowed robe and a thorny crown.

“I saw heaven standing open and there before me was a white horse, whose rider is called Faithful and True. With justice He judges and makes war. His eyes are like blazing fire, and on His head are many crowns. He has a name written on Him that no one knows but He Himself. He is dressed in a robe dipped in blood, and His name is the Word of God.” Revelation 19:11-13 NIV.

Jesus had to die. He had to bear the worst that human beings could throw at Him without reacting. It was the only way to conquer sin, death and hell and to reverse all the effects of Adam’s sin both in humans and in the entire created universe. Pilate brought Him out to the people like a masterpiece on show. “Here is the man!” he declared. What are you going to do with Him?

Acknowledgement

Scripture taken from THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

THE GOSPEL OF MARK – THEY GOT WHAT THEY WANTED

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THEY GOT WHAT THEY WANTED

16 The soldiers led Jesus away into the palace (that is, the Praetorium) and called together the whole company of soldiers. 17 They put a purple robe on him, then twisted together a crown of thorns and set it on him. 18 And they began to call out to him, “Hail, king of the Jews!” 19 Again and again they struck him on the head with a staff and spit on him. Falling on their knees, they paid homage to him. 20 And when they had mocked him, they took off the purple robe and put his own clothes on him. Then they led him out to crucify him. Mark 15:16-20

The Roman soldiers, though supposedly neutral, got caught up in this spectacle. Why did they treat Jesus with such contempt? Was it because of their loyalty to Rome? Were they mocking His claim to be a king? Yes, by their words and behaviour! They had Him in their power, king though He claimed to be, and they wanted to make sure that He knew it and felt it.

Viewing this scene from a broader perspective, both Jew and Gentile, representing the whole world, were drawn into the guilt of condemning and crucifying an innocent man but, more than that, the very Son of God. How terrifying the thought that they will stand before the very same Jesus whom they mocked, abused, insulted and spat on, the one whose authority and kingship they refused to take seriously, and hear His verdict on their guilt; not because He has not already pardoned them – He did that on the cross – but because they did not recognise who He was or receive His forgiveness for what they had done.

The saddest thing about Jesus’ sacrifice is that, for the vast majority of people who have ever lived and will ever live, it will have been in vain either because they did not know or because they refused to accept the forgiveness of sin His sacrifice purchased for them. Ever those who insulted, abused or crucified Him were included in His prayer, “Father, forgive them. They do not know what they are doing.”

When it was all over, when they went home with their memories of the day flashing through their minds over and over again, how did they deal with the events of the day when their excuses no longer held water? How many of them chose to harden their hearts, and how many broke down in grief and repentance and received the forgiveness He uttered? How many were terrified and how many elated when He rose from the dead and the news spread around the city?

Who Killed Jesus?

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WHO KILLED JESUS?

The soldiers led Jesus away into the palace (that is, the Praetorium), and called together the whole company of soldiers. They put a purple robe on Him, then twisted together a crown of thorns and set it on Him. And they began to call out to Him, ‘Hail, king of the Jews!’

Again and again they struck Him on the head with a staff and spit on Him. Falling on their knees, they paid homage to Him. And when they had mocked Him, they took off the purple robe and put His own clothes on Him. Then they led Him out to crucify Him. (Mark 15: 16-20)

Imagine the scene! Jesus was a stranger to the Roman soldiers. O, they may have heard about Him, even encountered Him in Jerusalem, but what did they know about Him as a person? What had they heard about Him? Anything suspicious, or sinister and evil that prompted their vicious attack on Him? No, only good, except perhaps from the religious hierarchy who were so prejudiced against Him that there was no end of their criticism and lies about Him.

So why did they behave in this atrocious manner towards Jesus when they had no axe to grind with Him? Were they simply giving vent to the basest in their human nature? Were they trained to hate by their role as Roman soldiers? Had they picked up the offence of their Jewish subjects and used the opportunity to sympathise with their Jewish allies in the Sanhedrin? Were they using the opportunity to discharge their hatred of the Jews on this innocent Jew who did not fight back?

As we go through the story of the crucifixion, it does not take us long to realise that every section of society was against Him. Those who masterminded the plot, carried out the mockery of a trial and stirred up the crowd to condemn Him; the mob who arrested Him and treated Him like a common criminal; the Roman soldiers who mocked and abused Him; the crowd who yelled for His death; Pilate who sentenced Him on to death on behalf of Rome in spite of His innocence; those who carried out the sentence with callous contempt – they were all representative of the human race for whom He paid the ultimate price.

Before we protest our innocence, we must remember that we are all part of the reason why He was there. None of those who were physically involved in His murder can carry the blame alone. They stand for every member of the human race who was condemned to death for treason against the God of heaven.

Jesus’ response stands in sharp contrast to the behaviour of those who had anything to do with Him during the final hours of His life. Why did He not resist? Why did He not defend Himself? Why did He not protest His innocence and fight to preserve His life? Why did His disciples and those He had ministered to for three years not stand up for Him and challenge the authorities for the illegality of their actions? Why did He not prove His power by calling for heavenly backup as He could have done? Why the foolishness of the cross?

There was only one way to defeat the devil and expose the treacherous deceit he had perpetrated on the human race. His modus operandi for perpetuating evil was through hatred, retaliation and revenge. You hurt me, and I will hurt you back. You hit me once and I will hit you ten times. By swallowing the devil’s lie in the Garden of Eden, mankind through Adam, has destroyed the unity God intended between us and Him. True to his fallen nature, he has kept sin going and escalated it from one generation to the next.

What was the solution? Wickedness could only be brought to an end by one who had no sin of His own, and who absorbed everything the human race could throw at Him without retaliation, and with love and forgiveness.

When they hurled their insults at Him, He did not retaliate; when He suffered, He made no threats. Instead, He entrusted Himself to Him who judges justly. ‘He Himself bore our sins’ in His body on the cross, so that we might die to sin and live for righteousness; ‘by His wounds you have been healed.’ (1 Peter 2: 23-24)

Who killed Jesus? We all did because:

We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to our own way; and the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all. (Isa. 53: 6)

We cannot distance ourselves from those who treated Him with cruelty and contempt and crucified Him. We were there, siding with them because it was our sin that brought Him to that moment. And it was our sin that His death paid for so that we can go free.

Scripture taken from THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

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Robed And Crowned As King

Bible Study, ,

ROBED AND CROWNED AS KING 

“Then Pilate took Jesus and had Him flogged. The soldiers twisted together a crown of thorns and put it on His head. They clothed Him in a purple robe and went up to Him again and again, saying, ‘Hail, king of the Jews!’ And they slapped Him in the face.

“Once more Pilate came out and said to the Jews gathered there, ‘Look, I am bringing Him out to you to let you know that I find no basis for a charge against Him.’ When Jesus came out wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe, Pilate said to them, ‘Here is the man!'” John 19:1-5 NIV.

What! Is this the man you said was not guilty of any crime, Pilate? Are you sure it’s the same man? He looks as though He’s been through a mincing machine. Is this the way you treat an innocent man?

“…His appearance was so disfigured beyond that of any human being, and His form beyond human likeness…” Isaiah 52:14b NIV.

What did Pilate hope to gain by having an innocent man flogged — beaten with a whip made of leather thongs interlaced with lead and bits of bone which ripped the flesh out of the prisoner’s body until his bones were exposed? Flogging was so brutal that many prisoners died under the whip. Did he think that the sight of Jesus beaten beyond recognition would change His accusers’ minds? Perhaps they would back off when they saw what their hatred had done.

It seems that there was no control over the soldiers’ abusive bullying. Why were they permitted to brutalise a prisoner before he was sentenced? Who was in control of them and why was he indifferent to their behaviour? Was this normal practice or was Jesus singled out because He did not retaliate?

“When they hurled their insults at Him, He did not retaliate; when He suffered, He made no threats. Instead, He entrusted Himself to Him who judges justly.” 1 Peter 2:23 NIV.

Even after the brutal flogging, Jesus stood before the crowd, dressed in purple, crowned with thorns and drenched in His own blood, regal and silent. He did not weep in agony or plead for His life. Through the blood and sweat that ran down His face and into His eyes, He looked His accusers in the eye, calm and unflinching.

“As soon as the chief priests and officials saw Him, they shouted, ‘Crucify! Crucify!'” John 19:6a NIV.

There’s something about a person who refuses to cringe under cruelty that enrages his tormentors. Instead of remorse for what they had done, the religious leaders began to yell, inciting the crowd, ‘Kill Him! Kill Him!’ They were not satisfied with blood. They wanted death, and the crueler the better. Stoning was their method of execution but it was relatively quick. Crucifixion was the Roman method and it suited them just find. They could watch Him die a slow, agonising death, perhaps lasting many hours or even days, with great satisfaction because they believed He deserved it.

But there’s another side to the story. These religious rulers had delegated authority which they used against the one who gave it to them. The day would come when they would give an account of the stewardship of that authority. They would stand before the one who stood before them on that Passover day, but He would no longer be wearing a borrowed robe and a thorny crown.

“I saw heaven standing open and there before me was a white horse, whose rider is called Faithful and True. With justice He judges and makes war. His eyes are like blazing fire, and on His head are many crowns. He has a name written on Him that no one knows but He Himself. He is dressed in a robe dipped in blood, and His name is the Word of God.” Revelation 19:11-13 NIV.

Jesus had to die. He had to bear the worst that human beings could throw at Him without reacting. It was the only way to conquer sin, death and hell and to reverse all the effects of Adam’s sin both in humans and in the entire created universe. Pilate brought Him out to the people like a masterpiece on show. “Here is the man!” he declared. What are you going to do with Him?