The Gospel of John 19:1 When God Says...I Say, AMEN!

When God Says …

“Then Pilate therefore took Jesus, and scourged him.” (John 19:1 KJV).

In this scene, as the Lord Jesus was being scourged, He stood up stoic round after round of flogging. One can imagine the pain, knowing that this kind of torture equipment they used was designed to rip off flesh from the human body as it is being whiplashed. The Lord’s posture to resist laying down, made the Roman soldiers angrier and may have changed their whips to those with hooks that inflict more pain and deeper wound. According to historical studies of Roman floggings, these hooks go right into the victim’s flesh, and rip pieces of flesh from the body. These whips are called the “flagrum” or “flagellum” made of three or more leather straps with hooks, and connected to a handle. And the Lord was probably not scourged 39 times according to the Jewish law of 40 stripes minus one. (Deuteronomy 25:3; 2 Corinthians 11:24). The Roman soldiers, who carried out the scourging hated Jews, were war machines without conscience, and would not have cared to observe their Jewish law.

We do not know how many times the Lord Jesus was flogged, but it was enough to expose the bones on His back. In Psalm 129:3, it says, “The plowers plowed on my back; they made their furrows long.” In Psalm 22:17, it says, “I can count all My bones. They look and stare at Me.” The Lord Jesus took every one of those painful lashes because He had to pay the full price for our healing and well being. By those stripes, cancer drowned. By those stripes, a child’s leukemia perished. By those stripes, we are healed and made whole, by faith in Christ Jesus our Lord!

For us all who truly believe and rest in His finished work on the cross, by grace and are born again by the Spirit and Truth of His Word, not by religion as many are sadly held captive by, the scourging was for our peace and healing as prophesied by Prophet Isaiah: “But he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed” (Isaiah 53:5 ESV).

And I say, AMEN!

Daily reflections by:
F. A. Frias
PFC Ministries

When God says... I say, AMEN! is a provocative reflection of the Lord's holy Word. It intends to challenge every seeker of truth to dig deep into the core of the Word of Life to point every being to Christ Jesus - the author and finisher of our faith, and to draw revelations for change, for nourishment and for strength of every soul.

Partners For Christ Ministries, INC
P. O. Box 773716
Ocala, FL 34477

Touching lives in Cambodia, The Philippines, The Middle East, The USA, and... other countries.