Slap In the Face

SCRIPTURE:
John 19:1-3 CSB - Then Pilate took Jesus and had him flogged. The soldiers also twisted together a crown of thorns, put it on his head, and clothed him in a purple robe. And they kept coming up to him and saying, "Hail, king of the Jews! " and were slapping his face.

OBSERVATION:
John 19 continues the account of Jesus’ trial and crucifixion. Pilate had Jesus flogged, and Mark 15 gives us further detail on the cruelty of the soldiers.

Mark 15:16-20 CSB - The soldiers led him away into the palace (that is, the governor's residence) and called the whole company together. They dressed him in a purple robe, twisted together a crown of thorns, and put it on him. And they began to salute him, "Hail, king of the Jews! " They were hitting him on the head with a stick and spitting on him. Getting down on their knees, they were paying him homage. After they had mocked him, they stripped him of the purple robe and put his clothes on him. They led him out to crucify him.

It would be easy for us to resent the Romans for what they did to Jesus. But if we’re honest, we likely would have done the same if we had been there. Only John and a few others stood near the cross—everyone else had fled.

As Jesus’ suffering began, we see the depth of what it took to pay the debt of our sins—to bring Him to the point where He could say before His last breath:

John 19:30 CSB - When Jesus had received the sour wine, he said, "It is finished." Then bowing his head, he gave up his spirit.

The mockery, beating, and cruelty were terrible—but the rejection by His own people may have cut deeper.

The words of the chief priests and the crowd:

• “Crucify! Crucify!” (v. 6).
• “We have a law… He ought to die.” (v. 7).
• “Take him away! Crucify him!… We have no king but Caesar!” (v. 15).

The slaps, spit, and scourging were nothing compared with hearing His own people reject Him. Yet He endured it all—for joy—because it was the only way. One man must die for the nation, for all.
 
The words of Pilate, though spoken in mockery, were true:

• “Here is the man!” (v. 5).
• “Here is your king!” (v. 14).
• “Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews.” (vv. 19–20).

Written in Aramaic, Latin, and Greek for all the world to read, Pilate’s inscription proclaimed the truth: the innocent One died for the guilty.

Above all the voices, we hear Jesus's final words:

John 19:30 CSB - When Jesus had received the sour wine, he said, "It is finished." Then bowing his head, he gave up his spirit.

The phrase “It is finished” in Greek means “paid in full.” Our debt has been covered. The price for sin has been paid.

So the question is: Is Jesus your King? If not, why not? What more could He do? Your sins have been atoned for. Will you accept the cleansing He purchased at the cross?

APPLICATION:
Today, you may be like the soldiers—mocking, rejecting, or slapping away the Savior.

Or you may be like the crowds and the religious leaders—declaring, “We have no king but Caesar!”—living as though you were the ruler of your own life, yet finding no true peace or rest.

But listen to the words of Jesus: “It is finished!” He does not hold your sin against you—He holds out His hand to you. Will you let Him be your King and your Savior? What more does He need to prove?

John 15:13 CSB - "No one has greater love than this: to lay down his life for his friends.”

PRAYER:
Jesus, thank You for saving me! Be the King of my life, my Savior today and forever. Thank You that Your hand is not against me but stretched out toward me—to rescue me and grant me eternal life. Today, I choose to follow You—my King, my Lord, my Savior, my God.