Jesus was Tortured

Most of us know well the events surrounding the death of Jesus, as recalled every Easter or depicted on film in all its gory glory in the Passion of the Christ. But rarely do we take time to name what happened to Jesus what it is. On the day he was executed, after the sentence was given by Pilate, the soldiers accompanying Jesus beat him with a staff, spit on him, crowned him with thorns, and mocked him (Mark 15:16-20). This treatment was intended for no other purpose than to humiliate and cause pain to someone who was convicted and sentenced to death. Even if the death sentence proceeded from a fair trial (which I noted yesterday it did not), this treatment was not ordered by Pilate as a consequence of the sentence delivered. This was pure gratuitous violence delivered for the sake of causing pain, not meting out justice. What Pilate did command is execution, but here the means of killing Christ should not be ignored. Throughout history and today, many death sentences are carried out by guillotine, electric chair, or lethal injection with the intention of ending the life of the condemned as quickly and painlessly as possible. Jesus was crucified, and the cross was intended to prolong death and increase suffering as much as possible. Roman citizens were usually exempt from crucifixion because it was viewed as too cruel, but those who were not citizens were crucified. Pain, humiliation, and suffering were the objective. We must name this what it is: torture. Jesus was tortured.

Jesus was a victim who was tortured. He was also God in the flesh, Lord, and Savior.

Jesus is Wrongly Convicted

Jesus began his life a victim of the Roman government, and he ended his life this way. Most readers know well that Jesus was executed on the cross, but several things are worth pointing out. First, he was convicted even though Pilate, who had the legal responsibility to try him, explicitly says, “I find no basis for a charge against this man” (Luke 23:4). Pilate sent Jesus to Herod for a second opinion, and Herod also found “no basis for [Pilate’s] charges against him” (23:13). Yet, Jesus was executed nonetheless. From the divine perspective, we know well that this was God’s plan, that by the suffering of the innocent one, those guilty of sin may be forgiven. However, from a human perspective we must also be struck by the fact that Jesus was wrongly convicted, though he committed no crime. In its historical context, this conviction probably depended upon the fact that Jesus was not a Roman citizen. Such citizens had the right to a fair trial before Roman authorities, could not be punished unless guilty, and had the right to appeal, even to Caesar himself (Acts 22:22-29). Jesus, however, did not possess these rights in this imbalanced legal system, and so he was executed though innocent. Here again, Christ is a victim, this time of an unjust legal system.

Jesus was a victim wrongly convicted. He was also God in the flesh, Lord, and Savior.

Jesus was a Refugee

The gospel of Matthew records an account of how Magi from the east came to visit Jesus after his birth. On the way they stopped in Jerusalem and met King Herod, asking about the one born “king of the Jews” (Matthew 2:2). Herod was concerned, and asked the Magi to return and tell him where Jesus lived, but after being warned in a dream, they did not return to Herod. In response, Herod began killing all children under two years of age in Bethlehem (2:16), but Joseph, Mary, and Jesus fled their native country and went to Egypt (2:14). Jesus was in hiding with his family until Herod died (2:19-21). Jesus was a refugee. His life and the lives of his family members were threatened, so his family had to flee to another land, leaving behind their home, possessions, friends, and relatives. It is worth noting that they fled to Egypt. From the time of the Exodus, when the Israelites who were enslaved to the Egyptians were freed and the firstborn of all the families in Egypt were killed by the God of Israel, until the time when the last great king of the southern kingdom of Judah (one half of Israel) was killed by the Egyptian Pharaoh Neco in war (2 Kings 23:39), Egypt had traditionally been the enemy of Israel. Yet, Jesus fled and found refuge until it was safe for him to return to his homeland.

Jesus was a refugee. He was also God in the flesh, Lord, and Savior.

Week 1: Jesus is a Victim

When Peter first addresses the crowd in Jerusalem to preach the gospel he focuses on an aspect of Jesus’ death that is often neglected: Jesus was a victim. “Wicked men put him to death by nailing him to the cross” (Acts 2:23) even though “Jesus of Nazareth was a man accredited by God to [Israel] by miracles, wonders, and signs” (2:22). This is apparently a common theme of early preaching in the book of Acts. Stephen, the first martyr for the Christian faith, proclaims, “Was there ever a prophet your fathers did not persecute? They even killed those who predicted the coming of the Righteous One. And now you have betrayed and murdered him” (7:52). This is a key part of the early preaching message of the apostles: Jesus was a victim, of the Roman government, of the Jewish authorities, of his own disciples who betrayed and abandoned him. This week, I will consider some specific aspects of Jesus as a victim: Jesus was a refugee, falsely convicted, a victim of torture, wrongly executed, and killed as a threat to the political status quo.

Jesus was a victim. He was also God in the flesh, Lord, and Savior.