John 19:1

John 19:1 says, Then Pilate therefore took Jesus, and scourged Him. Pilate had found no fault with Jesus, but he still scourged Him. Whether he himself did it or had it done is not certain, but the fact remains that Jesus was unfairly scourged.  Pilate may have done it to placate the Jews.  Some think he may have thought that would satisfy the Jewish leaders.  Whatever his reasons, the scripture was being fulfilled before his eyes.  People today may treat Christians badly because they think it will impress the world.  I think of church burnings, or even shootings in churches.  Neither the church building nor those gathered inside were guilty of hurting the person burning the building or shooting the people.  When the hatred of Christians in the world becomes too strong, people lash out, whether in the name of another religion or just a hatred of Christianity.  Verse two adds, And the soldiers platted a crown of thorns, and put it on His head, and they put on Him a purple robe.  They were attempting to make a mockery of Jesus being the King of the Jews.  As Romans, they likely had no understanding of what this really meant, but since Jesus had been scourged, they may have just wanted to be a part of the action. There are people today who really know nothing about Jesus, but if they are in a group that opposes Christianity, they will take an active role just to impress others.  I have watched parts of some movies where Jesus is portrayed as thinking of given up when the abuse starts.  We must acknowledge that this thought never entered His head.  He submitted to the Father's plan for salvation.  Had Jesus decided He wasn't going to the cross at any point, He had the power of the universe at His disposal to stop it.  We can begin to believe what Hollywood portrays about Jesus more than what the Bible tells us.  The emphasis here should not be on what Pilate and the soldiers did, but on the fact that Jesus willingly endured this abuse for us. That is not to say that we discount the abuse, but that we don't start almost glorifying it.  What Pilate and the soldiers did was horrible, but we need to glorify the sacrifice of Christ for us.  The cross was the ultimate cruelty, and Jesus went there willingly for us, never faltering in His resolve.  Verse three continues, And said, " Hail, King of the Jews. " And they smote Him with their hands.  The humiliation and suffering of Jesus was very real, but we must always focus on the cross.