What Did Jesus Suffer? (Reflection on Mark 15)
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This Blog Post accompanies my video reading of Mark 15 published on the Circular Grace YouTube channel.
Reflection on Christ's Suffering
This chapter is heartbreaking from beginning to end as we read what happens after Jesus is betrayed into the hands of those intent on torturing and killing Him. I watched a video recently on the new evidence put forward to support the authenticity of the Turin Shroud. I'm sure you'll be familiar with the ancient artifact believed to be the burial cloth Jesus was wrapped in. (Mark 15:46 (kjv))
46 And he bought fine linen, and took him down, and wrapped him in the linen, and laid him in a sepulchre which was hewn out of a rock, and rolled a stone unto the door of the sepulchre.
Watching the video was traumatic because although I've read the verses and knew that Jesus suffered, I hadn't appreciated or understood the full extent of the depraved cruelty that was inflicted upon His innocent and pure body. The word scourge rolls off the tongue quickly and is not a particularly familiar phrase. I wanted to think about what we should understand about the nature of Christ's suffering. Mark gives us just one word, 'scourged'. (Mark 15:15 (KJV))
15 And so Pilate, willing to content the people, released Barabbas unto them, and delivered Jesus, when he had scourged him, to be crucified.
Scourging was a torturous and severe form of Roman corporal punishment. The excruciating pain that He most definitely endured before being presented with His cross to carry was horrific. The agony He suffered before He was brutally nailed to a cross to experience a humiliating and drawn out death should really bring each of us to repentance. He picked up that cross for every one of us! He suffered unimaginable, excruciating agony so that each of us could be saved. I'm humbled and I'm guilty and if anything ever brought home to me personally the reality of my utter unworthiness of His Almighty sacrifice, it was this gruesome video. Whether or not this shroud is the actual linen cloth that Jesus was wrapped in or not, isn't the point. This video provides graphic details regarding the injuries Jesus would have suffered before His death on the cross due to scourging.
Shroud Studies: Dr John Campbell
If you have some time to spare and are unfamiliar with what scourging is, this video provides detailed context regarding the type of torture Jesus endured.
I'll now take you through the commentaries. This first one will add further context regarding the trial and crucifixion.
Enduring Word Commentary
This verse by verse commentary begins with context around the timing of the trial. We read in the previous chapter that Jesus was taken at night and questioned through the night by the Chief priests and scribes. This chapter begins with the official trial, whereby the Jews must present a case for Roman judgement.
i. This trial was held immediately, in the morning for good reason. “The detail that Jesus was delivered to Pilate’s forum early in the morning is a significant index of the historical accuracy of the tradition. It was necessary for the Sanhedrin to bring its business to Pilate as soon after dawn as possible because the working day of a Roman official began at the earliest hour of daylight. Legal trials in the Roman forum were customarily held shortly after sunrise.” (Lane)
We now see why Jesus was taken at night. Not only so that the multitude that followed Him were not aware but so that He could be dealt with before the beginning of the Sabbath.
The Jews would have felt confident that Pilate would comply with their wishes because he had a cruel and ruthless reputation. The text tells us however that Pilate mistrusted the Jewish leaders. I imagine he could have wondered what they were concocting and whether it may be to his detriment.
i. There was something working against this expectation. History tells us that Pilate simply didn’t like the Jews, and that he believed they were a stubborn and rebellious people. Since he was constantly suspicious of the Jews, when they brought him a prisoner for execution he immediately suspected there was a hidden agenda at work.
Roman trials were public and Pilate was bound to follow the rule of law. He didn't trust the Jewish leaders and they didn't provide convincing evidence against Jesus.
i. In addition, Pilate was no friend of the Jews. He could see through their manipulation, and he knew that the chief priests had handed Him over because of envy. This made Pilate want to find a way to free Jesus even more.
Jesus offered no defence and this baffled Pilate who would have been accustomed to seeing men grovel and hearing them plead for their lives. As we read the text, we are aware that Pilate doesn't want to condemn Jesus. Maybe he doesn't want to be a puppet whos strings are being pulled by the Sanhedrin. Maybe he truly sees the innocence and purity of Jesus. We don't know, however it's clear he tried to win Jesus His freedom.
i. Pilate figured, “If this man claimed to be king, and was even the slightest bit hostile to Rome, then the crowd will love him. These Jewish leaders don’t want Jesus to go free, but the crowd will sympathize with Him.”
The crowd are not sympathetic to Jesus however. They are not the multitude who love and follow Jesus. Instead they are an unruly mob assembled by the Jewish leaders. They plead for an unworthy sinner and murderer who will live because Jesus dies.
The commentary moves on to provide context on the most likely state of Jesus' health after scourging had been inflicted upon Him. His health was most probably in a sever, even critical state.
The goal of the scourging was to weaken the victim to a state just short of collapse and death. “As the Roman soldiers repeatedly struck the victim’s back with full force, the iron balls would cause deep contusions, and the leather thongs and sheep bones would cut into the skin and subcutaneous tissues. Then, as the flogging continued, the lacerations would tear into the underlying skeletal muscles and produce quivering ribbons of bleeding flesh. Pain and blood loss generally set the stage for circulatory shock. The extent of blood loss may well have determined how long the victim would survive the cross.” (Edwards)
It is in this tortured state that Jesus Our Saviour is lead away to suffer humiliation and further torture at the hands of Roman Soldiers. Remember that pain and torture was a gruesome form of sport in the Roman Empire with people paying to witness horrific scenes of mutilation in the gladiator arena. These perverse soldiers seem to have taken the opportunity to amuse themselves.
i. We should expect that the Roman soldiers were tense during the Passover season, because it was a time of messianic expectation among the Jews and riots were likely. Mocking and beating a bruised, bleeding, exhausted man provided a few moments of stress-relieving entertainment.
We'll leave this commentary here and take a look at a couple more.
https://enduringword.com/bible-commentary/mark-15/
Blue Letter Commentary
Henry's commentary is full of theological context and requires a careful read to get the most from it. I like to include a link for anyone who may like to delve deep. There are numerous links to Old Testament verses to help harmonise the Old and New Covenant.
Here's an example that helps us to understand the significance and importance of Jesus giving His innocent blood.
1. A bloody death, and without blood no remission, Heb. 9:22. The blood is the life (Gen. 9:4); it is the vehicle of the animal spirits, which connect the soul and body, so that the exhausting of the blood is the exhausting of the life. Christ was to lay down his life for us, and therefore shed his blood. Blood made atonement for the soul (Lev. 17:11), and therefore in every sacrifice of propitiation special order was given for the pouring out of the blood, and the sprinkling of that before the Lord. Now, that Christ might answer all these types, he shed his blood.
I'll finish with how Henry described the darkness that descended and what it foretold for those who betrayed Jesus.
There was a thick darkness over the whole land (some think over the whole earth), for three hours, from noon till three of the clock. Now the scripture was fulfilled (Amos 8:9), I will cause the sun to go down at noon, and I will darken the earth in the clear day; and Jer. 15:9, Her sun is gone down while it is yet day. The Jews have often demanded of Christ a sign from heaven; and now they had one, but such a one as signified the blinding of their eyes. It was a sign of the darkness that was come, and coming, upon the Jewish church and nation.
To delve I to this commentary:
https://www.blueletterbible.org/Comm/mhc/Mar/Mar_015.cfm
My Final Thoughts
Whilst we focus on the suffering and the darkness of those hours, I'm reminded of the star that shone over Bethlehem to usher in the birth of Our Saviour. It illuminated a great Light that is to walk amongst us. Jesus endured and defeated death and was from the very begining of creation the Light of the World. His light will shine for eternally and I pray it will be the eternal light in your life!
Let me hear your thoughts by adding a comment below. 👇
Thank you, Denise for your kind comments.
I too pray that others will join our discussions - the more the merrier, as they say. More people joining us would provide other perspectives, opinions and perhaps even another worldview. Differing opinions may be more challenging but being stretctched is how we grow and learn. if others don’t come a long to join in on our discussions, I am more than happy for us to continue with our dialogues. I am so grateful for you too. I think it is more me learning from you than you learning from me. I appreciate all the hard work and effort you put into your video readings. Your blogs and commentaries tell me you ar a strong critical thinker . I especially appreciate your diligence in answering my questions and providing the useful resource links to equip me and enable me to better understand the Bible. I thank God I met you.
Thank you for your comment on crosses and why you wear one.
I should wear any cross I choose and not concern myself about what anyone thinks. “What other people think about me, is none of my business.” (This was on a fb meme).
P.S. You probably did learn at one point the meaning of “excruciating” however it has goten lost somewhere in that brilliant mind of yours.🥰
Whenever I read about the torment and suffering of Jesus and how he endured such excruciating pain, I always think about His poor mother. Mary would have experienced immeasurable heartache for what her Son was going through. She had her own excruciating torture to bear. Hers would have been a mental and emotional torture but nonetheless it was still a torture for her.
The commentary mentioned Simon of Cyrene physically bearing Christ’s cross. Salvation is free but there is a cost to following Jesus. If we are to be faithful disciples of Jesus Christ we will have to pick up our cross and follow Him.
In your blog, Denise, you used the adjective “excruciating” a couple of times. It is an appropriate word to use for two reasons: 1) it accurately describes the extremely painful, agonizing, and deeply distressing punishment Christ would have experience; 2) The word originated from the the 16 century Latin word “excruciare” prefix “ex” (out of) “cruciare ( crux or cross - literally crucify). It was God’s love that put Christ on the cross to die for our sins. Our Lord suffered immense agony. I have several pieces of beautiful crosses I wear as a witness to my faith. What I am wearing is a symbol of torture and death , but it is also a reminder of Christs sacrifice for me. I have a couple of crucifix cross necklaces too. I don’t wear them as often in public as I would like because I am afraid my Evangelical Christian friends would think it odd and sadly some may ridicule me for not wearing a plain cross. Regardless, the cross is so much more than just a piece of sparkly jewelry.
After the darkness of this chapter I am looking forward to sharing the glorious resurrection in the final chapter of Mark. I love the final verse John Mark shares with us.
"20 And they went forth, and preached every where, the Lord working with them, and confirming the word with signs following. Amen." (Mark 16:20 (KJV)
After darkness there is light and the light of Jesus will never be extinguished. When we, as believers face death it will be only a moment of darkness and then light thereafter for evermore because of what Jesus suffered. Isn't that a wonderful thought. Praise the living God for His Mercy and Grace are Almighty!