Jesus Is Scourged and Crowned With Thorns

John 19:1-3

 

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.

 

Further Reading:

Matthew 27:27-31; Mark 15:16-20; Luke 22:63-65; Genesis 22:13; Isaiah 50:4-11

 

(Lyrics)

He spoke his preparation

He spoke of this time

Said they will hand him over

To be mocked to be flogged to be crucified

 

So they led him down to the post he knew

To be tied and bound to be stripped and bruised

With a scarlet robe wrapped around his frame

They spit insults inside a deserving name

 

Then the whip falls down on his back

You come again with your nine black straps

Whip fall down you can have your day

For these stripes will heal these stripes will save

 

You can strike this man

You can make him bleed

But some day you’ll answer

On your knees

 

Wind those thorns make your cursed crown

While you bind those horns trap a good reason

There’s a sacrifice on the table set

But Abe’s son was spared and the Lord’s he forgets

 

You can strike this man

You can make him bleed

But some day you’ll answer

On your knees

 

Whip fall down would you make your mark

You have set the stage you are just the start

You have paved the way you are just the start

You have paved the way you are just the start

 

 

This is a gory scene. One that our Western sensibilities cannot easily stomach. The most gruesome and heinous of crimes committed against an innocent man.

 

As easy as it is to speed through these verses and “check off” my devotional for the day, I felt the Lord inviting me to slow down and be still in the midst of these verses. Let’s spend a few minutes reliving the ‘hell on earth’ Jesus lived through for our sake:

 

(Take a minute or two on each line that follows, using all your senses to imagine Jesus’ reality that day.)

 

“What does it look like to see Jesus stripped naked and tied to that post like a dog?”

 

“How would it feel to have a whip dig into your back, legs and buttocks over, and over, and over?”

 

“Imagine the scene. What are you hearing? All the people gathered to witness this public mocking: young boys and girls learning this wicked way of life. Men leading the charge in    kicking the King of Kings down to his knees. Women chanting insults and scorn.”

 

“The taste of blood, sweat, sand in Jesus’ mouth. The taste of death, but not soon enough…the next hours filled with the worst suffering imaginable.”

 

It is hard to imagine it, really. This would be among the worst of nightmares for any of us…yet Jesus wasn’t sleeping, and it wasn’t a dream. All of this, endured for you. All of this to free you from the power of sin and death, and set you right before a righteous God.

 

Yet, there’s still more suffering to come…

 

Prayer:

Meditate on Christ’s love which endured excruciating pain for you.

Thank God for providing the spotless lamb who took your sin upon himself.

Thank Jesus for taking the death and punishment you deserve.

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You can purchase Poor Bishop Hooper's, "Golgotha" at iTunes or Google Play

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