The Flogging and Humiliation of Jesus​

Scripture records that before Jesus was led to the cross to be crucified, the Roman soldiers brutally scourged him with whips embedded with bits of bones which tore at his bare body and left ribbons of flesh hanging, dripping with blood. Then to humiliate him, they cloaked him in royal purple pressed a crown of thorns onto his scalp and hailed him, “King of the Jews”. They sought to demolish him in body, soul and spirit. Why did Jesus have to endure such undeserving, inhuman torture?​

All of us suffer for different reasons. Just look at all the brokenness and sufferings in this world. Sometimes, it is at the hands of others simply because the world is not a fair place. Sometimes it’s the result of our own wrongdoing or mismanagement. We live in a fallen world. ​

But in Jesus’ case, it was to fulfill God’s Word: “But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed.” (Isaiah 53:5) ​

Jesus could have chosen a painless, triumphant route to save the world. After all, it is only human to want to avoid pain at all costs. But Jesus did not. His suffering was not without anguish, fear and dread. He struggled in the Garden of Gethsemane to obey the Father’s will. The immense price of obedience cannot be minimised just because He is God, as He is also fully human. Jesus’ willingness to suffer for our sake gives meaning to His pain; it also helps me to see how suffering is His gift to us. Here lies the difference between Jesus’ approach and the world’s approach. Jesus embraced every experience of pain and suffering because God, the All Perfect One, saw value in His suffering – the sacrifice of His sinless Son to save all of humanity from its sins. ​

Last year was an unusually “heavy” year for me. I felt like my life suddenly spun out of control. It started with a neck and shoulder pain that developed in intensity and gradually interrupted my routines and sleep cycle completely. It went on for six months. During that time, I underwent multiple sessions of acupuncture treatments that yielded no relief. I finally saw an orthopedic specialist who ordered an ultrasound scan of my cervical spine. They found some degeneration in my cervical spine due to age. This investigation led to an incidental finding of some abnormal growth in my thyroid gland. I had to undergo further investigations and procedures. In between all these episodes I also had a few isolated experiences of crippling chest and back pains that felt like I was having a heart attack. At our December church camp, I also caught Covid. So, the year was not free of “suffering”. If God was not there for me, my focus would all be on my pain. But when I surrendered each episode to Him, and at times cried out to Him, “I can’t take it anymore!”, I sensed His abiding peace. Thank You Lord for the gift of prayer and communion with You.​

“Dear Lord Jesus, during this Lenten period, thank you for being my Savior… for bearing the weight of our sins on your body, the heavy price for our redemption. You understand our human frailties. Your pain-full journey to the cross is hope-inspiring and life-giving. Thank you for making your limitless grace accessible to us. Help us to rely on You for strength when life gets humanly unmanageable and senseless. In Your Precious Name, I pray. Amen”​

By sister Har Lee John​