John 19 NLT
Jesus Sentenced to Death
1 Then Pilate had Jesus flogged with a lead-tipped whip. 2 The soldiers wove a crown of thorns and put it on His head, and they put a purple robe on Him. 3 “Hail! King of the Jews!” they mocked, as they slapped Him across the face. 4 Pilate went outside again and said to the people, “I am going to bring Him out to you now, but understand clearly that I find Him not guilty.” 5 Then Jesus came out wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe. And Pilate said, “Look, here is the Man!” 6 When they saw Him, the leading priests and Temple guards began shouting, “Crucify Him! Crucify Him!” “Take Him yourselves and crucify Him,” Pilate said. “I find Him not guilty.” 7 The Jewish leaders replied, “By our law He ought to die because He called Himself the Son of God.” 8 When Pilate heard this, he was more frightened than ever. 9 He took Jesus back into the headquarters again and asked Him, “Where are You from?” But Jesus gave no answer. 10 “Why don’t You talk to me?” Pilate demanded. “Don’t You realize that I have the power to release You or crucify You?” 11 Then Jesus said, “You would have no power over Me at all unless it were given to you from above. So the one who handed Me over to you has the greater sin.” 12 Then Pilate tried to release Him, but the Jewish leaders shouted, “If you release this Man, you are no ‘friend of Caesar.’ Anyone who declares himself a king is a rebel against Caesar.” 13 When they said this, Pilate brought Jesus out to them again. Then Pilate sat down on the judgment seat on the platform that is called the Stone Pavement (in Hebrew, Gabbatha). 14 It was now about noon on the day of preparation for the Passover. And Pilate said to the people, “Look, here is your King!” 15 “Away with Him,” they yelled. “Away with Him! Crucify Him!” “What? Crucify your King?” Pilate asked. “We have no king but Caesar,” the leading priests shouted back. 16 Then Pilate turned Jesus over to them to be crucified.
If you've seen the movie "The Passion" you understand what the flogging with the lead-tipped whip was like. This text says the crown of thorns was "put" on His head but as depicted in the movie, driven into His scull is probably more accurate. The text also said He was slapped. Punched is probably more like it.
He was mocked by the Roman soldiers. He was mocked by the crowd. Pilot is still trying to stop this travesty of justice, he tells the crowd again and again He finds Jesus not guilty of a crime. But the crowd, the Jewish leaders, the "Men Of God" are out for blood. They even state "We have no king but Caesar". Now, they don't even acknowledge God as their King.
It is so sad what hatred can do to the heart and the soul when we feed it and let it take over. I've known people in my life who allowed hatred to take over their life and harden their heart. You probably do too. They become untouchable, unreachable, unapproachable. All we can do is pray for them.
If you are harboring resentment toward someone today, ask God to take your anger away and replace it with compassion. Whenever the person or situation that upset you comes to mind, turn it over to God and pray for then instead of feeding your anger. You'll find you are able to forgive and move on instead of staying stuck in resentment.
Blessings, Cecilia
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