![]() ![]() ![]() Of course this was part of God’s plan as “it was the will of the Lord to crush him he has put him to grief when his soul makes an offering for guilt” (Isaiah 53:10). Despite Pilate proclaiming Jesus’ innocence, he gave into the pressure that the Jews were exerting on him and they “ took Jesus and flogged him” (John 19:1). In the Gospel of Luke, Jesus said “And after flogging him, they will kill him” (Luke 18:33a) which of course they did. And after three days he will rise” (Mark 10:34). Jesus prophesied that the Son of Man (Himself) “ they will mock him and spit on him, and flog him and kill him. No one in human history has endured more suffering than Jesus Christ did. Flogging was not new to the New Testament for in the Old Testament “ Others suffered mocking and flogging, and even chains and imprisonment” (Heb 11:36). Jesus had warned the disciples elsewhere to “ Beware of men, for they will deliver you over to courts and flog you in their synagogues” (Matt 10:17) and this is exactly what happened. Again, the apostles being flogged fulfilled Jesus’ prophesy that many of them He would send out would be flogged (Matt 23:24). How did the apostles react? They left “ rejoicing because they had been counted worthy of suffering disgrace for the Name” (Acts 5:41). Then they ordered them not to speak in the name of Jesus, and let them go” (Acts 5:40). “Yet you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching and are determined to make us guilty of this man’s blood” (Acts 5:28) but “ Peter and the other apostles replied: “We must obey God rather than human beings.” (Acts 5:29)! After they spoke about whether they should kill them or not “ They called the apostles in and had them flogged. When the apostles were preaching the gospel, they were brought before the Sanhedrin and chastised “ We gave you strict orders not to teach in this name,” he said. And “ when they had stretched him out for the whips, Paul said to the centurion who was standing by, “Is it lawful for you to flog a man who is a Roman citizen and uncondemned” (Acts 22:25)? This fulfilled Jesus’ prophecy where He said “ I send you prophets and wise men and scribes, some of whom you will kill and crucify, and some you will flog in your synagogues and persecute from town to town” (Matt 23:24). I find it interesting that they flogged Paul to find out what they were shouting against him so he was flogged illegally, even before he was convicted of any wrongdoing. ![]() Perhaps no one endured more flogging in the early church than the Apostle Paul where one time “ the tribune ordered him to be brought into the barracks, saying that he should be examined by flogging, to find out why they were shouting against him like this” (Acts 22:24). Flogging was a very common occurrence during the first century in Judea and more so with the early Christians and particularly with the apostles. ![]()
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