“So to pacify the crowd, Pilate released Barabbas to them. He ordered Jesus flogged with a lead-tipped whip, then turned him over to the Roman soldiers to be crucified.” (Mark 15:15 NLT).
Why was it necessary for Jesus not only to suffer an agonizing death, but to have severe cruelty and indignity inflicted upon Him?
In addition to being flogged with a lead-tipped whip by Pilate’s order, Jesus was also:
- Taunted, struck on the head, spit upon, and mocked by a large number of Roman soldiers (vs. 16-20)
- Verbally abused and mocked by people passing by the place where He was executed (vs. 29-30)
- Mocked by the Jewish religious leaders (vs. 31-32)
- Ridiculed by the criminals who were executed alongside Him (vs. 32)
While it seems that the immensity of the indignities that Jesus suffered was perverse, it was somehow necessary because of the extent of human depravity.
So, the perversity of human sinfulness necessitated a perverse salvation!
And, the magnitude of His suffering declared the enormity of His salvation!
While I can’t exactly explain why Jesus had to suffer so much, I do know that it had to be proportionate to the immensity of my sinfulness.
And, I know that the divine dignity with which He endured this inane indignity was, and is, transformative to those who are confronted by it: “When the Roman officer who stood facing him saw how he had died, he exclaimed, This man truly was the Son of God!” (vs. 39).
To have endured such perversity, Jesus must truly be the Son of God redeeming us!
So, let the way that Jesus died, define the way that you live for Him!
“And it was only right that he should make Jesus, through his suffering, a perfect leader, fit to bring them into their salvation.” (Hebrews 2:10, NLT).