Torture And Crucifixion Series

I. Introduction

A. I borrowed parts of this message from Brian Menear of Path of Light Ministries from his series called Pathway To The Passion, perhaps a whole lot of this message

B. Let us begin by reading Matthew 27:26-31

1. This is as much of a description of the execution of Christ as we might find in Scripture

Matthew 27:26-31 (NKJV)

Then he released Barabbas to them; and when he had scourged Jesus, he delivered Him to be crucified. {27} Then the soldiers of the governor took Jesus into the Praetorium and gathered the whole garrison around Him. {28} And they stripped Him and put a scarlet robe on Him. {29} When they had twisted a crown of thorns, they put it on His head, and a reed in His right hand. And they bowed the knee before Him and mocked Him, saying, "Hail, King of the Jews!" {30} Then they spat on Him, and took the reed and struck Him on the head. {31} And when they had mocked Him, they took the robe off Him, put His own clothes on Him, and led Him away to be crucified.

C. I borrowed this message from Brian Menear of Path of Light Ministries from his series called Pathway To The Passion.

1. Brian called this message, “Scourging & Crucifixion”

D. His introduction would parallel my own introduction:

1. So far in this series we have looked at Jesus at the Last Supper, in the Garden at Gethsemane, Peters denial, and how his arrest and trials were illegal.

2. Though the Gospels give us a good picture of the events of the last day of Christ, they do not give great details as to the amount of suffering he endured shortly before and during the Crucifixion.

3. We are going to begin a walk down the same path Jesus walked.

a. It was not a pleasant path but must be understood to better understand what God has done for us.

(1) Lets begin by turning to Deuteronomy 25:1 - 3

II. Body

A. We begin by focusing on Jesus’ scourging

Deuteronomy 25:1-3 (NKJV)

"If there is a dispute between men, and they come to court, that the judges may judge them, and they justify the righteous and condemn the wicked, {2} "then it shall be, if the wicked man deserves to be beaten, that the judge will cause him to lie down and be beaten in his presence, according to his guilt, with a certain number of blows. {3} "Forty blows he may give him and no more, lest he should exceed this and beat him with many blows above these, and your brother be humiliated in your sight.

1. Jews were afraid of breaking the law so typically they would give only 39 lashes and be very careful to count.

a. The lash was a regular lash.

b. I mentioned Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Rock Opera, “Jesus Christ, Superstar”

(1) In that Opera, you can the count the lashes in the whipping of Jesus, 39 lashes

2. This indicates a good grasp of Jewish law

a. But, Jesus was not sentenced to a lashing by a Jewish court

(1) Nor was Jesus whipped by a Jewish executioner

b. Jesus was sentenced to the flogging by the Roman governor

(1) Jesus was flogged by a Roman executioner

3. Roman scourging was very different.

a. There was no set amount of lashes to be given.

(1) The prisoner was flogged until the executioner could no long raise his arm

b. It was not uncommon for people to die during this punishment.

c. Some say that the victims were stripped naked, bent over a stump with hands and ankles shackled to the stump.

(1) Some commentators say that Jesus was hung like a side of beef to be whipped

(2) Many old master painting show Jesus tied or chained to a pillar exposing His back

(3) If someone became unconscious during it, they were revived and the punishment continued.

(a) The Romans usually called their flogging “halfway death”

(b) The instrument used was called a flagellum

(c) What we might say is a cat-o-nine-tails

(d) It was about 18’ long with leather thongs at the end of it. In these thongs were pieces of glass, bone, and sharp metal.

(e) The purpose of the cat-o-nine-tails was to reduce the body to strips of raw flesh and massive bleeding wounds

(f) The purpose of the scourging was to inflict as much pain as possible

(g) Most Hollywood movies do not give an accurate depiction of this

i) The closest was probably Mel Gibson’s “The Passion”, but even as graphic as it was probably does not compare to the real thing

4. Aside the flogging, they heaped many other indignities upon our Lord

a. The soldiers put the scarlet robe on Jesus