Jesus Taunted by the Roman Guards

"Jesus Taunted by the Roman Guards"

Matthew 27:29-31: 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! They they spat on Him, and took the reed and struck Him on the head. 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.

They did not know it, but the action of those soldiers in verse 29 was most significant as they pressed the thorny crown upon Christ's brow. When God cursed the earth for man's sin, He caused thorns and thistles to be brought forth (Genesis 3:18). The thorn is truly the fruit of the curse, and Jesus was about to be made a curse for those who so basely treated Him as well as all mankind. He did this in order that all who would trust in Him might be redeemed from the curse of the law. In Israel, I have felt the two inch thorns that can literally rip open the skin.

Certainly it was in God's plan that the soldiers would mock Jesus for saying that He is the King of the Jews. That statement must have struck them as being so insane. First, it was an insult to the Romans who were the only ones who could set up kings and governors. Second, the Jews were a despised people. In the Middle East today, the Kurds are a despised people by many others today. To have one say "I am King of the Kurds" would mean that he reflected the folly of that group of people. Third, the Roman soldiers knew that the Jewish leaders had found Christ guilty of blasphemy and asked Pilate to eliminate their problem.

So to add insult to injury, the soldiers bowed the knee to Jesus, placed a reed for a scepter in His hand and jeered "Hail, King of the Jews!" To them it was all a huge hoke tht this meek, defenceless Prisoner should ever have imagined Himself a King.To the eye of faith He was never more royal than when He endured such contradiction of sinners against Himself with such holy patience and resignation to the will of the Father.

Just as the Jews had done at the house of Caiaphas, the soldiers spat in His face. When they wearied of their coarse and vulgar treatment of Him, they took the robe off Him and put His own garments upon Him, and then led Him away to be crucified.