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NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: Joh_19:1-7
1Pilate then took Jesus and scourged Him. 2And the soldiers twisted together a crown of thorns and put it on His head, and put a purple robe on Him; 3and they began to come up to Him and say, "Hail, King of the Jews!" and to give Him slaps in the face. 4Pilate came out again and said to them, "Behold, I am bringing Him out to you so that you may know that I find no guilt in Him." 5Jesus then came out, wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe. Pilate said to them, "Behold, the Man!" 6So when the chief priests and the officers saw Him, they cried out saying, "Crucify, crucify!" Pilate said to them, "Take Him yourselves and crucify Him, for I find no guilt in Him." 7The Jews answered him, "We have a law, and by that law He ought to die because He made Himself out to be the Son of God."
Joh_19:1 "Pilate took Jesus and scourged Him" The time sequence and number of floggings is uncertain. All prisoners who were condemned to crucifixion were flogged. It was such a brutal experience that many people died from it. However, in context, Pilate seems to have flogged Jesus to gain sympathy for the purpose of having Him released (cf. Luk_23:16; Luk_23:22; Joh_19:12). This may be a prophetic fulfillment of Isa_53:5.
Roman flogging was a terribly painful, brutal punishment reserved for non-Romans. A whip of leather thongs with pieces of bone or metal tied to the ends was used to beat a person bent over with their hands tied to a low stake. The number of blows was not dictated. It was regularly done before crucifixion (cf. Livy XXXIII:36).
The Gospels use different words to describe the beatings at the hands of the Romans.
1. Mat_27:26; Mar_15:15 - phragelloô, to whip or scourge
2. Luk_23:16; Luk_23:22 - paideuô, originally of child discipline (cf. Heb_12:6-7; Heb_12:10), but here, as in 2Co_6:9, of a beating
3. Joh_19:1 - mastigoô, originally the name of the whip, Mat_10:17; Mat_20:19; Mat_23:34; Act_22:24-25; Heb_11:36
They may all be synonymous or they may denote two beatings
a. a lesser beating by Pilate
b. a scourging before crucifixion
Joh_19:2 "the soldiers twisted together a crown of thorns and put it on His head" This was a mode of torture whereby the thorns were pressed into Jesus' brow. However, it is quite possible that it represented a radiant crown made of palm leaves, which was another way of mocking Jesus as a king (cf. Mat_27:27-31; Mar_15:15-20).
The Greek term "crown" (stephanos) was used of an athletic victory garland or a laurel wreath worn by the Emperor.
▣ "put a purple robe on Him" Purple (porphyros) was a sign of royalty, the dye was very expensive, as it was made from a mollusk shell. Scarlet was the color of Roman officers' robes (Mar_15:17; Mar_15:20). Scarlet dye was made from the scale of an insect found on oak trees. This robe was an allusion to a royal purple kingly robe, but in reality it was probably a faded scarlet Roman officer's cloak (cf. Mat_27:28).
Joh_19:3
NASB "and they began to come up to Him and say"
NKJV "then they said"
NRSV "They kept coming up to him, saying"
TEV "and came to him and said"
NJB "They kept coming up to him and saying"
These are imperfect tenses. Apparently the soldiers did this one after another. This mocking was more contempt for the Jews in general than Jesus in particular. Possibly Pilate wanted this to cause sympathy for Jesus, but it did not work.
Again in John's writings prophetic statements are often put into the mouths of opponents. These soldiers said more than they realized.
▣ "and to give Him slaps in the face" This word originally meant "beat with rods," but it came to be used for simply "slapping with the open hand." This may have been a mocking gesture of a royal salute more than a brutal facial beating.
Joh_19:4
NASB "I find no guilt in Him"
NKJV "I find no fault in Him"
NRSV "I find no case against him"
TEV "I cannot find any reason to condemn him"
NJB "I find no case against him"
One of John's purposes was to show that Christianity was not a threat to the Roman government or its officials. John records that Pilate tried to release Jesus several times (cf. Joh_18:38; Joh_19:6; Luk_23:4; Luk_23:14; Luk_23:22).
Joh_19:5
NASB, NKJV "Behold, the Man!"
TEV, NET"look! Here is the man!"
NRSV, NJB,
REB"Here is the man!"
There have been several ways to understand this phrase.
1. Jesus dressed as mock king
2. Jesus beaten to invoke sympathy
3. an allusion to Zec_6:12 (Messianic referent "the Branch")
4. a later affirmation of Jesus' humanity (i.e., counter to the Gnosticism of John's day)
5. related to the Aramaic "son of man," bar nashâ (another veiled Messianic referent)
Joh_19:6 "they cried out, 'Crucify! Crucify!'" The reason the Jewish leaders wanted Jesus crucified was so that the curse of Deu_21:23 would become effective. This is one reason why Paul probably had such great doubts about Jesus of Nazareth being God's Messiah. However, we learn from Gal_3:13 that Jesus bore our curse on the cross (cf. Col_2:14).
▣ "I find no guilt in Him" Pilate says this three times (cf. Joh_18:38; Joh_19:4).
Joh_19:7 "He ought to die because He made Himself out to be the Son of God" Jesus did claim to be one with God, His very Son. The Jews, who heard His statements and understood their intent, had no doubts He was claiming to be divine (cf. Joh_5:18; Joh_8:53-59; Joh_10:33). The real Jewish charge against Jesus was blasphemy (cf Mat_9:3; Mat_26:65; Mar_2:7; Mar_14:64; Luk_5:21; Joh_10:33; Joh_10:36). The charge of blasphemy was punishable by stoning (cf. Lev_24:16). If Jesus is not incarnated, pre-existent Deity, He should be stoned!