When they had mocked him, they stripped him of the purple cloak… Mark 15:20
The charge against Jesus was that He claimed to be king. The soldiers picked up on this, and they put a purple robe on Him (15:17). This was not a bright purple robe. It was an old, worn-out cloak rubbed in the dirt. Mark said it was purple. Matthew said it was scarlet. Either way, it was faded, and its true color could hardly be recognized.
And a king must have a crown, so someone went and got some thorny branches, twisted them together, and placed this makeshift crown on Jesus’ head. A king should have a scepter, so someone put a stick in His hand (Matt. 27:29). “They were striking his head with a reed and spitting on him” (Mark 15:19).
Jesus won’t participate in their charade. They put a stick in His hand, but He wouldn’t hold the stick, so it kept falling to the ground. Someone picked it up, “If you won’t hold your scepter, here’s what we’ll do to you…” And they hit Him over the head with it repeatedly.
The Son of God sat in a tattered robe, crowned with thorns, while men fell on their knees, bowing down in laughter. Jesus endured all this for us. Today we would rightly say, “Jesus was abused.” The flogging lacerated His body. The mocking lacerated His heart. A gang humiliated Him, stripping Him of all dignity: “You call yourself a king? You’re nothing!”
Maybe you’ve endured terrible abuse. Perhaps you’ve been told, “You’re nothing!” Maybe you think God doesn’t know what this is like. The Son of God has been there, and He would say to you, “I will walk through this with you. I am your comfort, your direction, and your strength.”
How can you draw comfort or strength today from Jesus’ experience of abuse?
