Jesus was Crushed for our Sins

John 19:1–3 (NKJV)

¹ So then Pilate took Jesus and scourged Him. ² And the soldiers twisted a crown of thorns and put it on His head, and they put on Him a purple robe. ³ Then they said, “Hail, King of the Jews!” And they struck Him with their hands.

Message

I. Jesus was whipped (1)

See v1.

¹ So then Pilate took Jesus and scourged Him.

Pilate knew Jesus was innocent. But he was afraid of the crowd. They could start a riot if he did not handle them carefully. It could cost his position or even his life. So, he tried to please them by scourging Jesus.

When he prioritized the earthly position or life, he worried about them and was shaken by fear. He couldn’t stand for the truth. To please the crowd and to protect his position and life,, he even scourged the innocent man Jesus.

Verse 1 in NLT (New Living Translation) reads,

“Then Pilate had Jesus flogged with a lead-tipped whip.”

This is a very painful punishment. This event was foretold by the Prophet Isaiah in Isaiah 53:5 NLT, “…He was whipped so we could be healed.”

II. Jesus was pierced (2^a)

See v2^a.

^2a And the soldiers twisted a crown of thorns and put it on His head,

The soldiers twisted and put a crown of thorns on His head. His head was bleeding because the thorns pierced the skin of his head. He was pierced by nails and a spear as well. These events were foretold by the Prophet Isaiah in Isaiah 53:5 NLT, “…he was pierced for our rebellion…”

III. Jesus was mocked (2^b-3^a)

See v2^b-3^a.

2^b and they put on Him a purple robe. 3^a Then they said, “Hail, King of the Jews!”

They put on Him a purple robe (2^b). Purple was a color associated with royalty, power, and wealth in the ancient world. By dressing Jesus in a purple robe, the soldiers were sarcastically mocking His claim (or the claim others made about Him) to kingship.

They mocked Jesus by saying “Hail, King of the Jews!” (3^a) as well as putting the crown of thorns on His head (2^a) and putting on a purple robe (2^b).

These events were foretold in Isaiah 53.

“He was despised and rejected— … ”(Isaiah 53:3 NLT)

“He was oppressed and treated harshly,…” (Isaiah 53:7 NLT)

IV. Jesus was struck (3^b)

See v3^b.

3^b And they struck Him with their hands.

Jesus was unjustly struck in John 18:22 as well. These events were foretold by the Prophet Isaiah in Isaiah 53:5 NLT, “…He was beaten so we could be whole. …”

In this process, Jesus was crushed for our sins (Isaiah 53:5 NLT).