Jesus. Beaten, mocked and abused.
15 Wanting to satisfy the crowd, Pilate released Barabbas to them. He had Jesus flogged, and handed him over to be crucified. 16 The soldiers led Jesus away into the palace (that is, the Praetorium) and called together the whole company of soldiers. 17 They put a purple robe on him, then twisted together a crown of thorns and set it on him. 18 And they began to call out to him, “Hail, king of the Jews!” 19 Again and again they struck him on the head with a staff and spit on him. Falling on their knees, they paid homage to him. 20 And when they had mocked him, they took off the purple robe and put his own clothes on him. Then they led him out to crucify him.
Horsham: 19th December 2025
I’m not sure we should feel sorry for Pilate. He made it abundantly clear that he found no reason to punish Jesus – certainly not to put him to death. He symbolically washed his hands – a public spectacle intended to show that he was not responsible. That all sounds good, but then, ‘wanting to satisfy the crowd,‘ he had Jesus flogged, and handed him over to be crucified. Roman flogging, or scourging, was a barbaric punishment on its own, intended to humiliate and seriously injure the prisoner.
Pilate was normally based in Caesarea. He was almost certainly in Jerusalem primarily because of the heightened risk of unrest during the Passover. When in Jerusalem he based himself at the Praetorium, which is believed to be the former palace of Herod the Great. Having flogged Jesus, it was into this palace that Pilate brought a large number of soldiers from the garrison. A literal translation of the text says that ‘the whole cohort’ was summonsed, which would have been over 450 soldiers. At first sight, this looks like a huge number to come and guard Jesus – but as ever, we need to look at the context.
Outside the Praetorium there is a mob, baying for the blood of Jesus. Pilate has just been forced to release a revolutionary leader name Barabbas, who might potentially whip up patriotic fervour into that volatile crowd. The Romans are about to execute the one who was recently welcomed into Jerusalem as ‘King of the Jews’.
Seen against the background of a city filled to capacity with hundreds of thousands of visitors for the Passover and it starts to look not just likely, but probable, that Pilate was anxious to have all his resources immediately to hand. He has every reason to ensure that his forces are on high alert. Suddenly, 450 armed men doesn’t sound so unlikely.
Jesus has been scourged. He is bleeding and helpless. He can barely stand or walk without support. He is now in the Praetorium with a large number of soldiers. Perhaps it is not surprising that in that environment he becomes the target of abuse and amusement for his guards. The purple robe. The crown of thorns. The rod or staff in his hand. These are done as a joke. Entertainment. These soldier are not Judaean. The Jews regard them as an enemy and the feeling is mutual. In mockery they call Jesus ‘King of the Jews’, paying him false homage as they spit in his face and beat him with staves. He is just a prisoner waiting to be executed. He is nothing to them. It’s probable that the courtyard where this takes place will be echoing with laughter.
Then, when the time comes to take him to Golgotha, they are called to order. Their moment of fun is over. The blood stained robe is removed. He had been stripped naked for his flogging. Only now do ‘they put his clothes back on him’ (v20) – in his weakened state he is probably incapable of dressing himself.
I don’t think that we should feel sorry for Pilate. Washing his hands did not absolve him of the responsibility for his part in all this. And yet I wonder whether Pilate might not have been amongst the crowd of people in the mind of the one who said ‘Forgive them, LORD. They know not what they do.’
End Piece
We often read portions of this story without reading the whole story, and so we miss the speed of events at the end of Christ’s life. In Mark’s Gospel, the events of Holy Week – turning over tables, arguments with Jewish Leaders, trips to Bethany, preparations for the Passover – build a sense of gathering pace.
We miss the fact that the crucifixion took place just a few hours after the arrest in Gethsemane. Artistic representations of the scenes before the High Priest, before Pilate, before Herod, on the road to the cross, rarely portray the horror of the beatings. which preceded these events. They somehow seem to gloss over the true brokenness of Jesus, the man.
It is a hard fact that such treatment was not unique to Christ. Others who found themselves on the wrong side of Roman justice suffered similar torture and abuse. Nonetheless, we need to understand the brokenness of Jesus as he was prepared on that morning for his execution. Jesus was wholly man. It was events to come which make the difference. It is the events to come which set him apart and leave no doubt that this man was truly the Son of God.
The symbolic washing of his hands is a dramatic and lasting image of Pilate. It is an attempt to absolve himself of responsibility for what follows. Nonetheless, the final decision to scourge Jesus was his. The decision to crucify Jesus was his. It was Pilate who wanted to please the crowd (v15).It was Pilate who authorised the release of Barabbas. It was Pilate who had Jesus flogged, and it was Pilate who handed him over to be crucified.