John 19:2 Commentary and Bible Study

This is now not in public. Mark’s Gospel tells us that it is back in the barracks of Fort Antonia presumably, in the parade ground. They jammed it on his head so that he looked despicable, bleeding, a picture of abject defeat and humiliation. ‘And they put on him a purple robe’, probably a soldier’s discarded gown. ‘And said, Hail, King of the Jews!’ Marching up to him and mocking him. ‘And they smote him with their hands. Pilate probably didn’t know anything about this at the time but he clearly heard about it and he made use of what they did. They put on his head a crown of thorns. It was painful ridicule. It was designed to make him look ridiculous and yet be painful at the same time. Interestingly there is no mention of that crown of thorns ever being removed from the head of Christ. The purple robe was taken off. His garments were stripped when it came to the crucifixion but the crown of thorns apparently remained. And how amazingly appropriate that would have been. Christ seen to be crucified under ridicule. A crown put on him by Gentiles, by the Romans, making it so obvious he was executed by Jews and by Romans. He suffered and died for Jews and Gentiles, and we see him there as the king of suffering. No one ever suffered as he suffered to set us free and to make us his own people.