The Beating and Humiliation of Messiah

We are continuing our meditation on what led up to the crucifixion of Christ, His humiliation at the hands of evil men. Mel Gibson’s movie, “The Passion of the Christ,”did not exaggerate the horror of scourging. When the scourging was over, the Roman cohort of 480 to 600 soldiers garrisoned there had their opportunity to "make sport” of Him. Matthew tells us, “The governor’s soldiers took Jesus into the Praetorium and gathered the whole company of soldiers around him” (Matthew 27:27). 

For the second time, we read about Jesus being struck again and again in the face. The first time was in the courtyard outside Caiaphas' house (Matthew 26:67); the second time was in the Praetorium with the whole company of soldiers. They spat in His face and hit Him repeatedly on the head with a staff (Matthew 27:30), taking turns, also, to beat Him with their fists (John 19:3). Jesus was considerably weakened by the blood loss from the scourging and beating. He was further humiliated by a crown of thorns being jabbed into his head, causing further blood loss.

Here, we see a picture of men behaving at their worst to the Creator of the Universe. The whole company of soldiers was laughing and jeering at the humiliation of the One Who is the true King. They clothed Him in a scarlet or purple cloak, the color of a king, and put a reed into His right hand instead of a scepter. They then kneeled before Him, saying, “Hail, King of the Jews,” mimicking the “Hail, Caesar!" that was spoken to declare allegiance to the Roman emperor, while at the same time spitting upon Him. With all the open wounds in His back, they then pulled the purple robe away, causing further blood loss, before putting His clothes back on Him (Matthew 27:27-31). 

What motivated the Roman soldiers to act in such a cruel way toward Jesus? Why would they put on a mock coronation? The answer is that we live in a fallen world, a world dominated by fallen spiritual beings that use the world of men to further their agenda against the Creator of all things, the Lord of Glory. What we are reading about is the Prince of Peace overcoming evil and winning back the hearts of men through the substitution of Himself to pay the price of death. His death was and is for all those who will believe on Him and take His death for theirs.

Typically, the Roman soldiers would then tie the cross beam, the Patibulum, usually weighing at least one hundred pounds, to the victim’s shoulders. At the front of the procession to the place of crucifixion, one carried a sign written in Aramaic, Latin, and Greek, “This is Jesus, the King of the Jews” (John 19:20). This sign would indicate His "crime." The chief priests objected to this statement, demanding that it be changed to read, “He said He was the king of the Jews,” but by this time, Pilate was so disgusted with them, he answered, “What I have written I have written” (John 19:22). A guard of four soldiers led by a centurion would lead Christ out to the public place where He was to be crucified. They would part the garments of Jesus among themselves as a "benefit of the job."

May your eyes be opened to this conquering hero, who wins us to Himself through His sacrificial death. The apostle Peter put it this way: “For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God. He was put to death in the body but made alive in the Spirit” (1 Peter 3:18).Keith