“When Pilate saw that he could not prevail at all, but rather that a tumult was rising, he took water and washed is hands before the multitude, saying, ‘I am innocent of the blood of this just Person. You see to it.’ And all the people answered and said, ‘His blood be on us and on our children.’” Matthew 27:24-25.
“So Pilate, wanting to gratify the crowd, released Barabbas to them [Matthew 27:15-22]; and he delivered Jesus, after he had scourged Him, to be crucified. Then the soldiers led Him away into the hall called Praetorium, and they called together the whole garrison. And they clothed Him with purple; and they twisted a crown of thorns, put it on His head, and began to salute Him, ‘Hail, King of the Jews!’ Then they struck Him on the head with a reed and spat on Him; and bowing the knee, they worshiped Him. And when they had mocked Him, they took the purple off Him, put His own clothes on Him, and led Him out to crucify Him.” Mark 15:15-20.
A garrison is not a specific number but rather it means a number of soldiers needed in a fortified place, so it can vary. I imagine there would be quite a few in the Praetorium.
Scourge, the Mosaic Law dictated that a man could not be whipped more than forty lashes to keep from humiliating him before others.
The Roman scourge on the other hand was far different, having several leather strands with metal and bones attached to them with the intention of flaying the skin apart and causing extreme pain and blood loss.
There were no limits to the strokes; it was done until the prisoner was near death and completely humiliated, after which they were crucified.
“I gave My back to those who struck Me, and My cheeks to those who plucked out the beard; I did not hide My face from shame and spitting.” Isaiah 50:6.
“But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement for our peace was upon Him, and by His stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned, every one, to his own way; and the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all.” Isaiah 53:5-6.
According to the gospel of John, Pilate received one more warning.
“Pilate then went out again, and said to them, ‘Behold, I am bringing Him out to you, that you may know that I find no fault in Him.’ Then Jesus came out, wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe. And Pilate said to them, ‘Behold the Man!’ Therefore, when the chief priests and officers saw Him, they cried out, saying, ‘Crucify Him, crucify Him!’ Pilate said to them, ‘You take Him and crucify Him, for I find no fault in Him.’ The Jews answered him, ‘We have a law, and according to our law He ought to die, because He made Himself the Son of God.’ Therefore, when Pilate heard that saying, he was the more afraid, and went again into the Praetorium, and said to Jesus, ‘Where are You from?’ But Jesus gave him no answer. Then Pilate said to Him, ‘Are You not speaking to me? Do You not know that I have power to crucify You, and power to release You?’ Jesus answered, ‘You could have no power at all against Me unless it had been given you from above. Therefore the one who delivered Me to you has the greater sin.’ From then on Pilate sought to release Him, but the Jews cried out, saying, ‘If you let this Man go, you are not Caesar’s friend. Whoever makes himself a king speaks against Caesar.’ When Pilate therefore heard that saying, he brought Jesus out and sat down in the judgment seat in a place that is called the Pavement, but in Hebrew, Gabbatha. Now it was the Preparation Day of the Passover, and about the sixth hour. And he said to the Jews, ‘Behold your King!’ but they cried out, ‘Away with Him, away with Him! Crucify Him!’ Pilate said to them, ‘Shall I crucify your King?’ The chief priests answered, ‘We have no king but Caesar!’” John 19:4-15.
“Behold your King!” Beard ripped out, spat upon, scourged and bleeding profusely to the point of near death as judged by the man who flogged Him. Arrayed in a purple robe, crown of thorns on His head and a reed in His hand; a pitiful King indeed.
“Just as many were astonished at you, so His visage [appearance] was marred more than any man, and His form more than the sons of men…” Isaiah 52:14.
And yet, the worst was still to come at the cross. But if He was so beat up and bleeding, why was He still alive?
“…marred more than any man, and His form more than the sons of men…” you or I might not have survived this kind of mutilation, why did He?
“For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 6:23.
“Behold, all souls are Mine; the soul of the father as well as the soul of the son is Mine; the soul who sins shall die.” Ezekiel 18:4.
Jesus did not die because He was not under the curse of sin, nor had He ever sinned. His survival under these conditions and more importantly, His resurrection from the dead is proof that Jesus never sinned, outwardly or in His heart.
“Which of you convicts Me of sin? And if I tell the truth, why do you not believe Me?” John 8:46.
Jesus lived out in the open, always around people and in their homes; surely His enemies would find someone to testify to a sin He had committed.
This is a bit of a conundrum, if He could not be accused of a sin, why would they accuse Him of not telling the truth?
Jesus could not die because He was innocent of sin before God and man. Still, He reveals this about Himself to us.
“I am the good shepherd; and I know My sheep, and am known by My own. As the Father knows Me, even so I know the Father; and I lay down My life for the sheep [Israelites]. And other sheep I have which are not of this fold [Gentiles]; them also I must bring, and they will hear My voice; and there will be one flock and one shepherd. Therefore My Father loves Me, because I lay down My life that I may take it again. No one takes it from Me, but I lay it down of Myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This command I have received from My Father.” John 10:14-18.
These words are true of His crucifixion and of His resurrection. Again Christian, you are still in the shoes of Jesus, even after they take them off. The Lord was nailed to the cross at 9 am.
“And when they had come to the place called Calvary, there they crucified Him, and the criminals, one on the right hand and the other on the left. Then Jesus said, ‘Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do.’ And they divided His garments and cast lots. And the people stood looking on.” Luke 23:33-35a.
Stripped of His shoes, stripped of His clothes, nailed to a cross of rough hewn wood (these were not built for comfort) which gouged into the lacerated back.
Naked, bleeding, suffering made a humiliating spectacle because that is what it was intended by Rome to be.
The rulers mocked Him, the soldiers mocked, passers-by mocked, even the criminals railed on Him until one saw the light and was saved right there on a cross, dying as a criminal as was this man’s rightful punishment.
But this was the preliminary round my friend and is as far as you or I would have gone as our life slowly drained away.
What followed for Jesus is something the Christian will never experience, and the unsaved will take an eternity in the lake of fire to realize.
“Now it was about the sixth hour [12 noon], and there was darkness over all the earth until the ninth hour [3 pm]. Then the sun was darkened, and the veil of the temple was torn in two. And when Jesus had cried out with a loud voice, He said, ‘Father, into Your hands I commit My spirit.’ Having said this, He breathed His last.” Luke 23:44-46.
It was during these three hours in the dark that God dealt with the matter of sin, Jesus taking the punishment for the sin of mankind.
“For He [God] made Him [Jesus] who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.” 2 Corinthians 5:21.
“Therefore be imitators of God as dear children. And walk in love, as Christ also has loved us and given Himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling aroma.” Ephesians 5:1-2.
The sacrifices described in Leviticus chapter one were sacrifices for sin and were a type of the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross. Except for the blood, the entire sacrifice was burned up, leaving only ash.
“Therefore, when He came into the world, He said: ‘Sacrifice and offering You did not desire, but a body You have prepared for Me. In burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin You had no pleasure. Then I said, “Behold, I have come – in the volume of the book it is written of Me – to do Your will, O God.”’ Previously saying, ‘Sacrifice and offering, burnt offerings, and offerings for sin You did not desire, nor had pleasure in them’ (which are offered according to the law), then He said, ‘Behold, I have come to do Your will, O God.’ He takes away the first [burnt offerings] that He may establish the second [salvation in Christ’s sacrifice]. By that will [God’s will] we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.” Hebrews 10:5-10.
The body of a Man was taken down from the cross, but it was the unseen soul that had suffered the overflow of the fiery wrath of God against the sins committed by all mankind.
“And every priest stands ministering daily and offering repeatedly the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. But this Man, after He had offered one sacrifice for sins forever, sat down at the right hand of God, from that time waiting till His enemies are made His footstool. For by one offering He has perfected forever those who are being sanctified.” Hebrews 10:11-14.
Not only were all of our sins in the future when Jesus died on the cross, but all of them were completely expunged by the shed blood of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Do not ever let anyone cheapen the shed blood of Jesus Christ by telling you that you can lose your salvation or that you have to do good works to keep it.
“He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?” Romans 8:32.
Freely Given, Part 2, Savior Rejected taken from godisrevealed.com posted on 1-5-16, updated on 1-23-24 ck.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version, copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission, all rights reserved.