The Punishment that brought us peace.

As Easter draws near, I've been reflecting on the incredible sacrifice Jesus made for us on the cross. This season always invites a moment to pause, remember, and take in the overwhelming love and grace shown through His suffering and resurrection. 

One of my goals this year is to read through the entire New Testament more slowly and intentionally. Recently, I read the final chapters of the book of Matthew, and they deeply moved me—especially Matthew 27:26–31. When I got to these verses, I just couldn’t move on. I kept going back to them, and they brought tears to my eyes. 

What happened over 2,000 years ago during those final moments leading up to Jesus' death was truly heartbreaking. I know it was all part of God’s greater plan, but that doesn’t make it any less painful to read. Even His closest disciples—those He called friends—began to distance themselves. Peter, who had walked closely with Him, went so far as to deny knowing Jesus, using strong language to make his point.  On that day, Jesus stood alone rejected and abandoned by the very people who had followed Him.

On that day, before His crucifixion, our Lord was bound and brutally whipped by Roman soldiers. Matthew 27:26 tells us, “Then he released Barabbas to them; and when he had scourged Jesus, he delivered Him to be crucified.”

That phrase—“he had scourged Jesus”—is so easy to read quickly, but it carries an immense weight. The word “scourge” is one of the most horrifying terms used in ancient times. It brings to mind violent, graphic scenes of cruelty. And if we’re to truly understand the depth of what Jesus endured for you and me, we need to pause and unpack what that word means. 

So, what does it mean to be scourged?

The Hebrew word for scourging is aqrab, which means scorpion. Just think about that for a moment—imagine what it feels like to be stung by a scorpion. That alone gives you a glimpse into the pain tied to the word. 

In biblical commentary, scourging wasn’t just a whipping—it was a brutal and calculated form of torture. A large leather whip, often embedded with bits of sharp metal or bone, would be brought down forcefully across Jesus’ back. Each strike tore through skin, opening deep wounds and releasing streams of blood.  If you’ve ever watched “The Passion of the Christ”, especially the scourging scene, you know how intense and gut-wrenching it is. Knowing Jesus endured that level of suffering—for you and me—makes it even more powerful and heartbreaking. 

This wasn’t just a punishment—it was a shameful, degrading, and excruciating ordeal. The Romans, known for being experts in cruelty, inflicted it with precision and cruelty, often taking a twisted satisfaction in the process. Unlike Jewish law, which limited lashings to forty, the Romans had no such restraint. They went far beyond that. And all of this happened before Jesus was even nailed to the cross.  It was an unbelievably harsh punishment—especially for someone who had already been condemned to die.

In Matthew 27:27, after the brutal flogging, Pilate handed Jesus over to the Roman soldiers to be crucified—a form of execution that was common in the Roman Empire but incredibly cruel.  What’s especially heartbreaking is that Jesus faced all of this alone. His closest friends had distanced themselves, and although Pilate had declared Him innocent, that didn’t stop the soldiers from abusing Him. In fact, they seemed more influenced by the crowd’s fury than by their own governor’s words. The angry mob had stirred something in them—not necessarily hatred, but a dark desire to mock and entertain themselves at His expense. 

As the preparations for the crucifixion were being made, Jesus wasn’t given a moment of peace or dignity. Typically, someone condemned to die would be allowed time to mentally or spiritually prepare. But Jesus was offered no such mercy. Even the short time He had before being led to the cross was filled with relentless suffering and humiliation.

 He was then handed over to be crucified—a form of execution used exclusively by the Romans, known for its brutal precision. It wasn’t just a way to kill someone; it was designed to completely humiliate and break a person, physically and mentally. A cross was erected, and the victim’s hands and feet were nailed to it, leaving the body suspended in agony until death finally came—usually from sheer pain, blood loss, and exhaustion. 

On the cross, He wasn’t just crucified—He was made into a public spectacle. As Matthew 27:28 tells us, they stripped Him of His clothes. They draped a scarlet robe over Him, mocking the idea of Him being a king. Then, as Matthew 27:29 describes, they twisted together a crown of thorns and pressed it into His head. They gave Him a reed to hold as a mock sceptre, knelt before Him in false worship, saying, “Hail, King of the Jews,” and spit on Him. 

Every action was meant to humiliate and ridicule—layer upon layer of mockery and pain. And yet, He endured it all.

I share all of this so we can truly understand what Jesus went through—for you, for me, and for all of us. What He did wasn’t just a historical event—it was a cosmic shift that changed the course of humanity forever. Jesus Christ’s sacrifice wasn’t a moment in time; it was a divine upheaval that broke the power of sin and death. 

He died on that cross so we wouldn’t have to carry the weight of our own sin. 

He was mocked so we could share in His glory. 

He was treated like a criminal so we could be seen as righteous. 

He died alone so that we could live in a relationship with God. 

When you understand the depth of that sacrifice and what he endured for us, the only response is overwhelming gratitude. 

So—what are you waiting for?

Stay blessed.