◄ What Does John 19:1 Mean? ►

As soon as His illegal religious trial before the Jewish Sanhedrin was concluded, Christ was handed over to the Roman governor for an illegal civil trial... throughout which Pilate compromised the rule of law and his personal and professional integrity. Jesus had erroneously been found guilty of blasphemy by the Jews, despite being the eternal Son of God, and proving His authenticity through the many prophetic signs, miracles, and wonders that were carried out in the power of the Holy Spirit, during His three-year ministry.

To placate the bolshie attitude of the impious, blinded Jews, Pilate carried out a farcical judicial hearing against the Lord Jesus. He recognised that the charges against this Jewish prisoner were being fabricated due to jealousy and envy... and he even used a number of legal tactics to try to free Jesus from the false charges.

It was during a private interrogation that Pilate asked his world-famous question of Jesus, "what is truth?" As a result of his prolonged investigations into Christ's 'crimes', and an urgent warning from his wife to have nothing to do with this innocent man, Pilate's verdict was that he found no fault in Him... and engineered a clever plan to set Him free...

Each Passover anniversary, as a sop to the enslaved Jewish population, the Roman overlords of the enslaved population set one convicted prisoner free. This was to demonstrate Rome's great and magnificent benevolence!! And so, in order to resolve the irritating problem that had been dropped in his lap, Pilate magnanimously offered to release Jesus and drop the criminal charges against Him - knowing full well that He was being falsely accused and was innocent of all the criminal accusations against Him.

However the satanically inspired accusers of Christ were baying for His death and as a further unethical compromise, Pilate agreed to give a criminal, called Barabbas, his freedom in place of Jesus. "I find no fault in this Man," was Pilates final verdict of Christ to His accusers - but despite being found innocent of any crime, Pilate condemned the Lord Jesus to scourging, ridicule, mockery, and death... and we read in this verse, "Pilate then took Jesus and scourged Him."

Roman scourging was a particularly cruel act, especially in consideration that Pilate knew of Christ's innocence... and we discover in the Gospel of Luke, that Pilate's motive for flogging Christ was a final attempt to placate the Jewish tension that surrounded this Man from Galilee. It seems that his conversation with Christ and his wife's insistent warning, had caused Pilate's conscience to be deeply troubled... but it did not prevent him from compromising his conscience and sentencing this innocent Man to be scourged and put to death on a cruel cross. Pilate's cowardly fear of man was greater than his reverential fear of God.

As we contemplate the terrible events of Christ's unjust sentence, scourging, and crucifixion, let us also recognise the incredible love that Christ has for us - for Christ loved the Church so much that He willingly gave Himself for her.

May our deep love for Christ and reverential trust in our heavenly Father give us the freedom and courage to speak the truth in love, and to stand firm on the glorious gospel of God.

Heavenly Father, as I contemplate those who were implicated in the terrible and unjust treatment of the Lord Jesus Christ, may I not be one who carelessly points an accusing finger at those who condemned Him, knowing that I am also to blame - for while I was a still a sinner, Christ died for my sins so that by His grace through faith, I might be saved from eternal condemnation. He is indeed worthy of all praise and glory. Thank You in Jesus' name, AMEN.