HOST: Ron House
SPONSOR: Start2Finish
Then the soldiers of the governor took Jesus into the governor’s headquarters, and they gathered the whole battalion before him. And they stripped him and put a scarlet robe on him, and twisting together 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 spit on 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.
It is difficult to think about the humiliation and abuse Jesus endured on that day. Even before He was nailed to the cross, Jesus suffered immensely at the hands of the Roman soldiers. They were not acting out of hatred as were the Jewish leaders, for they did not know Jesus and had no feelings toward Him at all. The Romans had little regard for the Jews and viewed them as second-class citizens. To mock this Jewish man and by extension the entire Jewish nation, would have been an easy and natural thing for them to do. These soldiers were trained in the art of torture, and the humiliation that preceded crucifixion was as much for their amusement as it was for the victim’s suffering. But to see Jesus—the King of kings and Lord of lords, a Man full of compassion and grace—standing before them, a crown of thorns pressed into His head, blood trickling down His face as they mockingly bow down before Him as if in worship, is a painful image to consider. And if that were not difficult enough, we are reminded that it was for us that He endured such abuse. Oh, what a Savior!
Why do you think the Roman soldiers mocked Jesus as they did?
Don’t forget to pray and have a great day!
