The Scourging and the Crowning with Thorns
1. Although Pilate had acknowledged Jesus' innocence, he condemned Him
to be scourged in order to satisfy the hatred of the Jews. He was
stripped of His garments and exposed to the gaze of the soldiery. As
unseen angels bowed in adoration before His virginal purity, He offered
Himself as an immaculate lamb in expiation of the countless sins of
immodesty and of impurity by which men so often dishonour their
immortal souls. When He had been tied to a pillar, the executioners
approached Him with their whips and in quick succession rained blows
upon His innocent body. Blow followed blow until His blood flowed freely
and His flesh was laid bare to the bone. The prophet Isaias had vividly
described this tragic scene centuries beforehand. “From the sole of the
foot unto the top of the head, there is no soundness therein; wounds
and bruises and swelling sores.” (Is. 1:6) “Despised and the most abject
of men, a man of sorrows and acquainted with infirmity.... Surely he
hath borne our infirmities and carried our sorrows: and we have thought
him as it were a leper, and as one struck by God and afflicted. But he
was wounded for our iniquities: he was bruised for our sins. The
chastisement of our peace was upon him; and by his bruises we are
healed.” (Is. 53:3-5) During these sufferings as during all that had
preceded them, Jesus offered Himself in silence as a victim for our
sins. If only His executioners could have read what was in His heart,
they would have seen how infinitely He loved them and would have flung
themselves in tears at His feet. We who have been taught to understand
the Gospel know well how much He loved us and how much He suffered for
us. Let us adore Jesus, bruised for our sins, and let us kiss His
wounds. Let us tell Him that we shall never offend Him again and that we
desire to love Him with all the ardour of which our hearts are capable.
2. No order had been given that Jesus was to be crowned with thorns. It
was surely the devil who suggested this idea to the soldiers. They had
heard that Jesus had claimed to be a king, so for their own brutal
entertainment they clothed Him in a purple rag and placed a rod in His
hand as if it were a sceptre. Then they found a bundle of reeds with
sharp thorns, of which they made a crown and placed it on His head,
driving it into His flesh. One can imagine the pain and humiliation
which Jesus suffered. Perhaps He desired by this new kind of torment to
make reparation in a special manner for all the sins of thought —sins of
hate and anger, of jealousy and impurity.
Let us adore Our
Lord as He is mocked and outraged in this fashion. Let us proclaim Him
as King of our hearts and Master of our entire lives. Let us assure Him
that after all His sufferings on our behalf we cannot allow ourselves to
go astray, for He has given us the fullness of His grace so that we may
be transformed and made His for all time and for eternity.
3.
When we are offended or insulted, let us remember the infinite patience
of Jesus when He was scourged and crowned with thorns. If Jesus, Who was
so innocent, suffered so much for us, should we not follow His example
and endure with patience the hardships of life? We should be ready to
forgive and pardon, to subdue our rebellious inclinations, to moderate
our speech and remain silent when we are offended, to love our enemies
and to do good to those who do evil to us. Let us recall the way in
which Jesus was scourged and crowned with thorns and we shall receive
from Him the supernatural strength to follow His example.
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