John 18:22-40. Matt. 26:67, 68. John 19:1-16
ALL night long, Jesus stood in the great room. He heard all Peter said, and that must have made Him sad. The wicked people were like lions and tigers, but Jesus was like a lamb. They looked at Him as if they hated Him. Once when He spoke, a servant slapped His face, but Jesus bore this meekly.
The judge was not up yet, because it was night. So the wicked people were forced to wait till the morning. That night the servants came round Jesus and beat Him and pushed Him and laughed at Him. They even spat in His face.
When the morning came, the wicked people said, ‘Now we will bring Him to the judge.’
So they went out of their fine house and took Jesus with them.
The judge sat upon a high seat in the street. His name was Pontius Pilate. The judge did not know Jesus. The judge said, ‘What has He done?’
The wicked people said, ‘He calls himself a king.’
Then Pilate said to Jesus, ‘Art Thou a king?’
Jesus said, ‘Yes, I am.’ But Pilate was sure that Jesus had done nothing wrong, so he did not want to punish Him.
Then the wicked men made a great noise and said, ‘You must crucify Him!’
‘No,’ said Pilate, ‘I will beat Him, and that will be enough.’ So Pilate gave Jesus to some soldiers. They took Him into a house and beat Him with knotted ropes (this way of beating is called scourging) and the blood ran all down His back. Then the cruel soldiers laughed at Him because He said He was a king. They took off His own clothes, and put some fine clothes on Him, such as kings wear, purple and red.
Then they said, ‘We must put a crown on His head.’ So they took prickly thorns, sharp like pins, and twisted them together to make a crown. They put it on His head.
They said, ‘He must have a scepter’ (for kings hold in their hands a rod called a scepter). So they put a reed in His hand for a scepter. Then they took it from Him and beat Him on the head. And they knelt down to Him laughing; they said, ‘O king! O king!’
Pilate saw the soldiers tormenting Jesus, and he brought Him into the street, where the wicked people were. He showed Jesus to them and said, ‘Behold, look at your King!’
Pilate hoped they would be sorry for Him, because blood was on His forehead from the thorns, His back had been scourged, and He was dressed in fine clothes to mock Him. But the wicked people were cruel like tigers.
‘No,’ they said, ‘crucify Him, crucify Him!’ All the people cried out, ‘Crucify Him!’ though Jesus had always been so kind to them.
‘Will you crucify your king?’ asked Pilate.
‘He is not our king!’ the people said.
There was a very great noise in the street, from the people all speaking at once. Then Pilate thought he would please the wicked people, so he said, ‘Take Him and crucify Him.’ Then the people were glad. But first the soldiers took the fine clothes off Jesus and put His own clothes on Him again.
How wicked it was of Pilate to let Him be crucified! Pilate thought Jesus was good, yet he let Him be killed to please the people.
What! is there none to take His part
Who silent, trembling bleeding, stands?
Not one to cheer His broken heart,
Or snatch Him from those cruel hands?
A thousand voices lifted high
Now fill with horrid shouts the air:
‘Away with Him and crucify!’
Nor does one friend for Him appear.
Behold how men His love reward!
His tender flesh the scourge has torn,
His gentle hands are bound with cord,
His head is crowned with prickly thorn.
And when I hear one, smiling, tell
Of sinful things that men have done,
I will not smile, but sorrow feel,
Because sin bruised God’s only Son.
Questions
Did Jesus stand a long time before the wicked people?
How did one of the servants behave to Him?
When did the wicked men take Him to the judge?
What did the servants put over His face?
Where was the judge sitting?
What was the judge’s name?
Did the judge wish to hurt Jesus?
What did the wicked people say that Jesus had called Himself?
Was Jesus a king?
What is scourging?
Why did the soldiers laugh at Him?
What clothes did they put on Him?
What did they put on His head?
What did they put in His hand?
What is a scepter?
Why did Pilate tell the wicked people to look at Jesus?
Did the people make a great noise?
What did Pilate at last say should be done to Jesus?
Why did Pilate allow Jesus to be crucified?
How Jesus was treated before He died
A verse from the Bible for you to learn:
I hid not My face from shame and spitting. Isa. 50:6.