Title: Soldiers mocking Jesus
Description 16 The soldiers led Jesus into the courtyard called Braidorion, gathered the whole army, 17 put a purple robe on Jesus and woven a crown of thorns, 18 and said, "Peace, King of the Jews." 19 They struck him on the head with a reed and spit 20 And when they had finished mocking them, they took off their purple robe, put him back on him, and led him out to be crucified.
1. Words that begin
The biggest harassment incident in history can be said to be a mockery of the Lord Jesus, who came to save them. This mockery occurred after Pilate, the Roman governor who ruled Judea at the time, tried to judge Jesus and, knowing that he was innocent, but to satisfy the crowd, he was whipped and handed over to be crucified. The act of opposing the Lord Jesus by the religious savvy crowd, the politically savvy crowd, and the foolish masses, was actually prophesied in Isaiah 53:5. “He was pierced for our transgressions, and he was bruised for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed.” Those who know the Word but do not have a spiritual understanding cannot know the reality that the Word indicates.
2. Jesus was taken to Bridorion
At Pilate's command, the soldiers, either the Antonia garrison who was in charge of security from Caesarea to Jerusalem, or the soldiers that Pilate had brought from Caesarea, led Jesus into the courtyard called Bridorion and gathered the whole army. Gathering together all the 600 or so soldiers who serve in the headquarters and headquarters of this Roman provincial governor, they think that Jesus to be crucified is a mere taunt and ask them to mock him.
It is a scene where the spiritual blindness of the Roman soldiers is exposed following the spiritual blindness of the Jewish clergy who do not understand Jesus' Messianicity, Jesus' disciples, God's chosen people, and the politician Pilate. Jesus, the Son of God, who came to save mankind from the path of sin, death, and destruction, was so thoroughly rejected and rejected by all classes of humans.
Even today, Jesus is rejected and rejected not only by millions of people, but also by those who believe in him. There are still billions of people who do not believe in Jesus as Lord. Also, most of the main believers reject or ignore Jesus on all occasions except during worship services. Church members who want to be a little better believe in Jesus as Lord and follow his instructions and commands even on special occasions outside of service hours. However, they also say with their lips that Jesus is the ruler of our life and death, but in reality, they do not acknowledge Jesus as the Lord in their daily life. Almost all church members reject or ignore the Lord Jesus who wants to intervene as Sovereign Lord in their lives. Referring to these members of the church, Titus 1:16 says, “We confess God, but in deeds we deny Him! He is an abomination, a disobedient, and a forsaken of every good work.”
In 1925, in Sunan, South Pyongan Province, a boy named Kim was discovered by Missionary Heo Simo while making an apology. Do you know what the missionary did to the 12-year-old boy at that time? The words “thief” were engraved with hydrochloric acid on both cheeks of the boy.
The cruel act of Missionary Hershimo is clearly an evil act of completely ignoring his Lord Jesus and forsaking the Lord's grace. It can be called blasphemy and mockery against the Lord of love.
Everyone, I urge you to thoroughly acknowledge, believe and follow Jesus as Lord of worship, Lord of special occasions, and even Lord of all life. I want everyone who hears and sees your attitude, your mindset, your strong will, your patience and perseverance, your pattern of conduct, your lifestyle, to know that Jesus is your Lord and that you are His servants.
At the end of 1 Corinthians 12:3, it is said, “No one can say that Jesus is Lord except by the Holy Spirit.” Please believe that only when you receive the Holy Spirit, you will believe and confess Jesus as Lord, and you will live a life of confessing Jesus as Lord when you follow the indwelling Holy Spirit.
3. Soldiers mocking Jesus
Religions without the Holy Spirit, politicians without the Holy Spirit, soldiers without the Holy Spirit, the people without the Holy Spirit, even church members without the Holy Spirit cannot believe in Jesus as Lord. The soldiers, who were spiritually blind, did not recognize Jesus as Lord, but rather began to make fun of them. And that, in imitation of the well-known tale of tragic harassment at the time.
In those days, it was customary to put on the purple cloak worn by the king before executing the prisoner of the festivals - the festivals of the nomads, the festivals of the god Kronos, and the festivals of the gods Satrs. In particular, when King Agrippa arrived in Egypt, Minjeung gave a fool named Carabara a bouquet of flowers instead of a crown to ridicule him, put on a blanket instead of the king's cloak, gave him a reed instead of a scepter, and paid his respects as a servant. I used to call it 'week'. Also, at the end of the 1st century AD, the Persians mocked at a nomadic festival by placing a convicted prisoner on a throne and for a brief period of absurd rule. It is said that a similar custom existed among the Romans.
If so, it can be said that the soldiers made the greatest possible mockery against the sinless Lord Jesus. After they removed the clothes that had been tangled in the flesh of Jesus that had been scourged, they put on a purple robe representing the king, and, in imitation of a crown, weaved branches of thorns and forcibly placed them on their heads, and they mocked and rejoiced as they watched the blood flowing. I did. Their harassment did not end there. They mimicked the usual example of a servant to the king, saying, “Peace be with you, King of the Jews.” Instead of the scepter, they took the reed that was in Jesus’ hand and struck him on the head, spit on him, and knelt down. After bowing down, he and all the soldiers were ecstatic. This is where their taunting of Jesus reached its climax.
In reality, however, they themselves are being harassed. Because what he did to ridicule Jesus was indeed true of him. Jesus is not only the King of the Jews, but also the King of all mankind. The Lord Jesus is the Prince of eternal love who will bear the cross to save sinners, the Prince of Peace who removes the anxiety and fear of death. Therefore, it is impossible for the Lord and King of Jesus to be known to the eyes of those who behave violently or enjoy themselves, to those who are darkened by their lust for authority or power, or to those who are blinded by their lust for success or self-interest.
4. Jesus taken away to be executed
The soldiers, who enjoyed making fun of Jesus, took off his purple robe, put Jesus' robe that had been scourged and torn, and dragged him out of the city of Jerusalem to be crucified. In general, those sentenced to crucifixion were whipped as they carried their crosses naked and taken to the place of execution.
All of this was the human treatment of the Son of God who came to save them. However, Jesus, knowing that all these things were the will of God the Father, endured in silence. This was the way of Jesus' obedience to God the Father, and it was also the fulfillment of the prophesied words. If you are a believer who knows this fact, there will be no reason not to obey any word of God. How are you?
5. Conclusion
There are still too many people on this planet who do not believe in Jesus as their Lord. There are many people who do not know Jesus at all. There are many people who mock and persecute those who believe in Jesus as the Lord. Still, these people have the opportunity to know the Lord Jesus by missionary work. However, it cannot but be a serious problem for church members who profess Jesus as their Lord at every worship service and ignore the Lord Jesus or forsake his grace in real life. Whether we live or die, we earnestly pray that we all live the life that belongs to the Lord.
(Poongseong Methodist Church. Book: Completed New Testament Commentary Series/ Interpretation of difficult scriptures/ Prayer of Prosperity/ Salvation before the birth of Jesus/ Sermonbook 17. 426-3051)