Mark 15:17
And they clothed him in a purple cloak, and twisting together a crown of thorns, they put it on him.
English Standard Version (ESV)
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The soldiers deliberately chose a "purple cloak," a color of royalty, to mock Jesus' claim to be King. This act, along with the crown of thorns, was designed not just to inflict pain, but to ridicule His authority by presenting Him as a debased parody of a king.
The soldiers, after Jesus was condemned by Pilate, begin a cruel mockery of Him. They dress Him in a robe that mimics royal attire, likely a discarded military cloak dyed purple or scarlet, and fashion a crown from thorns. This scene escalates the humiliation and pain Jesus endures before His crucifixion.
They dressed Him in purple, a color of royalty. But this wasn't a coronation; it was a cruel joke. What does this tell us about the world's view of Jesus?
The soldiers mock Jesus' claim to be King of the Jews by dressing Him in symbols of kingship. They chose a 'purple' cloak, a color associated with royalty and power. Matthew even specifies it was 'scarlet,' and John says 'purple,' suggesting it was a vibrant, possibly reddish-purple hue, perhaps a cast-off soldier's cloak or a rich dye. This wasn't just any garment; it was a deliberate burlesque of royal attire.
The World's King vs. God's King
This act highlights a profound disconnect:
The soldiers intended to humiliate, but in God's plan, this mockery pointed to Jesus as the true, albeit suffering, King.
A crown isn't usually made of thorns, is it? This detail is more than just brutal; it's a loaded symbol. What deeper meaning lies hidden in this painful 'crown'?
The soldiers fashioned a 'crown of thorns' and placed it on Jesus' head. While the exact plant is debated (some scholars suggest a type of acanthus that might have had thorns, while others point to a specific shrub common near Jerusalem), the intent is clear: to inflict pain and ridicule.
A King's Suffering, Not His Glory
This crown signifies several crucial aspects of Jesus' kingship:
Understand the original words
porphyran · Greek Noun
A deep reddish-purple dye derived from shellfish, historically associated with royalty, authority, and imperial status. Placing it on Jesus was an act of mockery, pretending he was an earthly king.
stephanos akanthinos · Greek Noun phrase
A physical object fashioned to mimic a royal diadem. In Scripture, it represents the irony of the passion: the true King being crowned with the symbols of the curse (thorns) before being crowned with glory.
This passage describes the soldiers dressing Jesus in a scarlet robe and placing a crown of thorns on his head, mirroring the scene in Mark and highlighting the mocking imitation of royalty.
John 19:2-3John also recounts the soldiers clothing Jesus in purple and putting a crown of thorns on him, emphasizing the soldiers' intent to mock Jesus' claim to be king.
Isaiah 53:3This prophecy foretells the suffering servant being despised and rejected by mankind, which directly parallels the humiliation and mockery Jesus endured from the soldiers.
Psalm 22:6-7This psalm describes the suffering individual being a 'worm' and a 'scorn of men,' surrounded by those who mock and shake their heads, a powerful image that reflects the soldiers' cruel treatment of Jesus.
wesleyMark 15:17: "And they clothed him with purple, and platted a crown of thorns, and put it about his head,"
15:17 Purple - As royal robes were usually purple and scarlet, St. Mark and John term this a purple robe, St. Matthew a scarlet one. The Tyrian purple is said not to have been very different from scarlet.
clarkeMark 15:17: "And they clothed him with purple, and platted a crown of thorns, and put it about his head,"
And platted a crown of thorns - In the note on Matthew 27:29 (note), I have ventured to express a doubt whether our Lord was crowned with thorns, in our sense of the word; this crown being designed as an instrument of torture. I am still of the same opinion, having considered the subject more closely since writing that note. As there I have referred to Bishop Pearce, a man whose merit as a…
The soldiers deliberately chose a "purple cloak," a color of royalty, to mock Jesus' claim to be King. This act, along with the crown of thorns, was designed not just to inflict pain, but to ridicule His authority by presenting Him as a debased parody of a king.
The soldiers, after Jesus was condemned by Pilate, begin a cruel mockery of Him. They dress Him in a robe that mimics royal attire, likely a discarded military cloak dyed purple or scarlet, and fashion a crown from thorns. This scene escalates the humiliation and pain Jesus endures before His crucifixion.
The soldiers, after Jesus was condemned by Pilate, begin a cruel mockery of Him. They dress Him in a robe that mimics royal attire, likely a discarded military cloak dyed purple or scarlet, and fashion a crown from thorns. This scene escalates the humiliation and pain Jesus endures before His crucifixion.
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This crown was a perversion of royalty, but it became a symbol of Christ's ultimate victory over the very pain and brokenness it represented.
"And they clothed him in a purple cloak, and twisting together a crown of thorns, they put it on him." — The soldiers deliberately chose a "purple cloak," a color of royalty, to mock Jesus' claim to be King. This act, along with the crown of thorns, was designed not just to inflict pain, but to ridicule…
