Day 80: Tuesday, June 23

Matthew 27:24-31

When Pilate saw that he could do nothing, but that instead a riot was starting, he took some water, washed his hands before the crowd and said, “I am innocent of this man’s blood. You take care of it yourselves!” In reply all the people said, “Let his blood be on us and on our children!” Then he released Barabbas for them. But after he had Jesus flogged, he handed him over to be crucified. Then the governor’s soldiers took Jesus into the governor’s residence and gathered the whole cohort around him. They stripped him and put a scarlet robe around him, and after braiding a crown of thorns, they put it on his head. They put a staff in his right hand, and kneeling down before him, they mocked him: “Hail, king of the Jews!” They spat on him and took the staff and struck him repeatedly on the head. When they had mocked him, they stripped him of the robe and put his own clothes back on him. Then they led him away to crucify him.

The Scriptures quoted are from the NET Bible® http://netbible.com copyright ©1996, 2019 used with permission from Biblical Studies Press, L.L.C. All rights reserved.

---

COMMENT & QUESTIONS

Pilate tried to act like he was innocent. Was he really innocent in all of this?

Jesus was mocked as if he was a pretend King. The gospel of Matthew starts by the wise men bowing down and worshipping the ‘King of the Jews’ (Matt 2:7-8). Now the soldiers bow down in sarcasm. The Soldiers may have been joking, but they really were speaking to the King.

---

PRAYERS Thanks that our Saviour endured all of this mocking and shame for us