Reader’s Guide: “The Word for Today” Sunday, April 6, 2014 Read John 19:1-7 The fourth scene happens once again inside Pilate’s headquarters. Pilate orders Jesus to be flogged. So much for justice. Pilate could care less. And the soldiers make a mockery both of Jesus and of the Jews. They dress Jesus up in a king’s garment and make mocking gestures of homage to him. Some king! The fifth scene takes place as Pilate goes back outside, bringing the humiliated and beaten Jesus with him. This is what happens to anyone who thinks he can be king. Pilate wants them all to see the brutality of his force. He knows Jesus is not really the king of the Jews but that does not prevent him from treating him with brutality. For a second time Pilate tells the Jews that he can find no case against Jesus. One can only imagine the dread that now enters these Jewish leaders. Is Pilate going to turn Jesus loose? I think we need to think of Pilate once again at his evil and sinister worst. He is not worrying about justice but enjoying humiliating both Jesus and his Jewish accusers. In desperation the Jewish religious leaders cry out for Jesus to be crucified. Of course we are aware that John has let us see that in their cry that Jesus be “lifted up” they may just have ironically been saying far more then they meant to say. And at this point they say something very important about Jesus that has not been a part of the scene to this point. They tell Pilate that their real motive is that Jesus has claimed to be the Son of God.