For Us

I do not have to tell my readers that life does not always go as planned. There are disappointments and times where we must adjust to changes and challenges. Today I thought I would take my laptop and Bible on my back deck to write this column. I enjoy hearing the gentle breezes and the birds singing. As I was about to begin, I heard a loud buzzing sound. Thankfully it wasn’t yellow jackets. Both my wife and I have been stung this summer with those small, powerful insects. Instead, it was a louder buzz. A crew working on my neighbor’s lawn brought at least 4 powerful weed eaters to go to town. Hopefully they don’t disturb any yellow jackets nests. Although the breezes were happening and I’m sure there were birds singing somewhere, I could not hear them. I pressed on despite the noise. My distracted deck time certainly pales in comparison to what Jesus faced. God’s Son knew he was coming to this earth to die. Whether or not he realized what all would take place leading up to his crucifixion cannot be known. But as we approach John 19 it is certainly disturbing to think of what our Lord went through.

“Then Pilate took Jesus and had him flogged” (19:1). It may be easy to overlook this simple, short verse as part of the larger story. Yet, it is important to pause to realize that a flogging was worse than being whipped. Jesus was dealt a cruel form of punishment leading up to his crucifixion. He was receiving a brutal beating. Pastor David Jeremiah describes it as “vicious and dehumanizing”. Sometimes people didn’t survive the flogging. He had no recourse but to take the bloody blows. Pilate had no way of knowing that what he ordered to be done to Jesus was part of God’s ultimate plan for salvation. Jesus, who was perfect, was flogged for us.

No human being likes to be made fun of. We desire respect and fair treatment. Yet we find those who surrounded Jesus here mocking him and hailing him as a king though they did not know him. While Jesus is king of kings and Lord of Lords, until this point he had never worn a crown. Now the crown on his head would have caused even more pain and bleeding. His abuse here was verbal and physical. What these men didn’t know was that truly the Kingdom of God was at hand. Jesus was terribly mistreated and slapped in the face as part of the journey to the cross for us (2-3).

We can only imagine what Jesus would have looked like in his weakened physical state at this point. Pilate brought him out to the crowd of Jews who were gathered. Pilate had used his authority to torture Jesus but to also say that he found no basis for a charge against him (4). The bloodied Jesus appeared to them with the purple robe and crown of thorns. In stating “Here is the man”, the ruler was again not viewing Jesus as the Son of God but as a mere man who perhaps had learned his lesson for being a troublemaker from Pilate’s perspective (5). He may have also been hoping that seeing Jesus in this condition would have had appeased the crowd. The chief priests and officials saw him but, they shouted “Crucify! Crucify!” (6). Pilate reiterated that he found no basis for a charge against Jesus. That this person in high authority stated this should have been enough and the case should have been dismissed. But again, the Jewish leaders pointed to blasphemy and the fact that Jesus claimed to be the Son of God, which of course he was and is.

This angry response of the Jewish leaders made Pilate even more afraid. (8). Though he was hoping to be done with Jesus, he had some questions for him. He asked where Jesus came from, but Jesus remained silent. This was perplexing to the ruler who reiterated with Jesus that his life was in his hands. He was in a position of incredible power from a human perspective. Standing before Pilate was the Eternal Word, the Almighty Creator, the Son of God, yet Pilate thought he was the powerful one. There is no such thing as a perfect government in this fallen world, but all who hold authority ultimately receive their power from God and must one day answer to him (David Jeremiah). At that point Jesus reminded him where his power came from. “You would have no power over me if it were not given to you from above. Therefore, the one who handed me over to you is guilty of a greater sin” (11). These are the last recorded words of Jesus in this gospel until he was on the cross.

Pilate was in a tough spot politically. He had to answer to Rome. He also had an angry mob on his hands. Although he tried to set Jesus free the Jewish leaders continued their shouting and even mentioned Caesar to pressure and persuade Pilate. This would have been a desperate move for any Jew to call Caesar king. At high noon, Pilate again presented Jesus and called him “your king” (14). The crowd wanted Jesus taken away and crucified (15). In a final effort to get off the hook, Pilate asked, “Shall I crucify your king?” Their answer should have been obvious to him. These blind leaders did not understand that Jesus was their Messiah and king. The chief priests again named Caesar as their only king.

“Finally Pilate handed him over to them to be crucified” (16). Meanwhile, there was Jesus. He was moved back and forth as he was in pain physically and no doubt emotionally. He had to have been exhausted and perhaps was hungry. Although he was in so much pain, maybe he didn’t feel the hunger. Jesus was listening. Maybe he was praying to the father throughout this ordeal. He knew the hearts of Pilate, the leaders, and the ordinary people. This was the last step before the cross. Jesus went through it all... for us.