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!”As soon as the chief priests and their officials saw him, they shouted, “Crucify! Crucify!” But Pilate answered, “You take him and crucify him. As for me, I find no basis for a charge against him.” (John 19:2-5 NIV)
There is a power struggle between the Jewish authorities, who demand Jesus' death and Pilate, the Roman governor who uses the occasion to humiliate both them and Jesus. The focus of debate is the claim that Jesus is a King.
This scripture begins with Pilate having Jesus brutally whipped by the solders. The whips were embedded with pieces of bone or metal to increase the pain and bodily harm. The Roman legionaries are desensitized to violence. They are know for their cruelty and are feared by the Jews. They carry out Pilate's orders, but take their brutality further. They weave a crown of thorny branches and jam it onto Jesus' head. The thorns were most likely two-inch long and came from the acacia bush. Even if Jesus had a full head of hair, that would not protect Him from the thorns penetrating His scalp. Then the soldiers put a purple robe on Jesus to add to this mocking coronation. The robe was a costly garment and signifies that their cruel fun was quite serious. Now they disrespect Jesus further by pretending to honor Him as the King of the Jews as they strike Him. They are mocking both Jesus and the Jews at the same time.
What is it about human nature that tempts people to "join the crowd" in wrongdoing? How do you resist that temptation? Exodus 23:2 - You shall not fall in with the many to do evil. . .
John 19: 1-6 brings tears to my eyes. Here is a man who has done nothing wrong, by Pilate's own admission. Yet He orders Jesus to be horribly abused, and presents Him as an object of ridicule.
How will you help people behold the man Jesus this week as he lives in you?
(Maybe by doing acts of sacrificial love, and by the words you say)
Oscar Wilde is credited with defining a cynic as "a man who knows his price of everything and the value of nothing". Pilate demonstrated this trade-off. He coldly weighed the price to himself of allowing an innocent man to go free when his Jewish subjects wanted the prisoner crucified. Pilate set aside the bigger picture of the value of Jesus, the value of right judgments, etc.
Will we do the same thing, or will our behavior testify that we value our relationship with Christ more than the earthly price of following Him (Acts 5: 27-29, 40-42).
Pilate and Jesus were real men. The soldiers were sadistic brutes. The blood on the pavement was really that of Jesus. The crown of thorns caused real pain. This all really happened. Even the forty lashes.
Did Jesus have to become flesh? Did He have to become light? No He didn't have to. He could have given up. So why didn't He? Because He is LOVE! He did it just for you and for me!
Remember God loves you and so do I.
