Jesus as King
Jesus came to establish the reign of God, but he was not a king in the way people popularly expected:
• As part of their coronation, kings were anointed with precious oil. Just before Jesus was greeted in Jerusalem with the palm branches, he was anointed by Mary, Martha’s sister, at a banquet. When Judas objected that it was a waste of expensive oil, Jesus said that it was an anointing in preparation for his imminent burial.
• Instead of entering Jerusalem among much regalia and trumpet blowing, Jesus entered riding a lowly ass.
• The only crown Jesus would have on his head would be a crown of thorns.
• Instead of being seated on a throne, Jesus was nailed to a cross.
• Instead of a royal robe, Jesus would be cloaked in mockeries.
• Instead of a crowd shouting “Long live the king!” Jesus would hear the crowd shout, “Crucify him! Crucify him!”
Then the soldiers of the governor took Jesus inside the praetorium and gather the whole cohort around him. They stripped off his clothes and threw a scarlet military cloak about him. Weaving a crown out of thorns, they place it on his head and a reed in his right hand. And kneeling before him, they mocked him, saying, “Hail, King of the Jews” They spat upon him and took the reed and kept striking him on the head.
And when they had mocked him, they stripped him of the cloak, dressed him in his own clothes, and led him off to crucify him. . Mt. 27:27-31
Between Pilate’s death sentence and the soldiers’ mockery, something else happened that only gets passing reference in all four Gospels. The scouring. The evangelist all mention the scourging, but not a one of them describes it. Too awful for words.
A scourging was much different from a whipping, which was a disciplinary punishment. Scourging was a barbaric first step in executing a criminal. It was done with a metal barbed whip, designed to rip the victim’s flesh and bones, and inflict wounds from which they would never recover.
It was after the scourging that the whole cohort (i.e.600 soldiers) gathered round Jesus and made fun of him. No need to tie him up. There wasn’t a thing he could do. He was helpless. And they taunted him, spat on him, hit him.
Our meditation on the Passion of Jesus isn’t meant to be repulsive. Just realistic.
He loved us that much. He loves me that much. He’d do anything for me.
Spend some quiet time with the Lord.