Then they spit in his face and struck him. And some slapped him,
English Standard Version (ESV)
What's easy to miss is the layered indignity of the blows Jesus received. He was first "buffeted" with clenched fists, and then struck by others with open palms, a distinction that highlighted the varied and brutal ways his captors sought to humiliate him, fulfilling ancient prophecies of suffering.
Then they spit in his face and struck him. And some slapped him,
English Standard Version (ESV)
After Jesus affirmed his identity as the Son of God before the high priest and council, they condemned him and handed him over to their guards. In the time between the council's meetings, these guards subjected Jesus to brutal mockery, spitting in his face, striking him with their fists, and slapping him. This humiliation, while intended to dishonor him, fulfilled ancient prophecies about the suffering servant.
Imagine the most horrific insults imaginable, then multiply them. This is what happened to Jesus.
The words 'spit in his face,' 'buffeted,' and 'slapped him' aren't just descriptions of violence; they're acts of profound humiliation.
The Depth of the Insult
These weren't just physical punishments; they were designed to crush Jesus' spirit and mock his claims to be the Messiah, the Son of God. The guards and servants, seizing the moment, unleashed their cruelest impulses.
Why would the Son of God endure such degradation? The answer lies in love and redemption.
Jesus didn't endure these terrible insults passively; he did so with purpose. His suffering wasn't a defeat, but a crucial part of God's plan for our salvation.
The Purpose Behind the Pain
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These acts of violence and contempt were not the end of Jesus' story, but the path to the cross, through which he secured our forgiveness and a new life.
The brutal indignities Jesus suffered at the hands of the guards, including spitting and striking, were not random acts of violence but a deliberate, extreme expression of contempt, fulfilling ancient prophecies about the suffering servant.
c. 30 AD— this verse
Jesus' Trial and Condemnation
Following his arrest, Jesus was taken to the high priest Caiaphas for interrogation. After a preliminary hearing and then a formal night and morning session of the Sanhedrin, he was condemned.
c. 30 AD
Mockery and Abuse by Guards
In the interval between Jesus' condemnation and his delivery to the Roman authorities, he was subjected to brutal mockery, spitting, and physical abuse by the temple guards and servants.
c. 30 AD
Handover to Pontius Pilate
After the Sanhedrin's condemnation, Jesus was handed over to the Roman prefect, Pontius Pilate, to be tried and, if found guilty by Roman standards, executed.
c. 30 AD
Crucifixion
Pontius Pilate ultimately yielded to the crowd's demand, and Jesus was scourged and then crucified outside Jerusalem.
This passage directly foreshadows the suffering Messiah, speaking of giving His back to the scourges and His cheeks to the smiters, and importantly, 'I hid not my face from shame and spitting,' which directly parallels the humiliation Jesus endured.
Luke 22:63-65This passage describes the same event but emphasizes the mocking and abuse Jesus suffered from the guards, who 'taunted him, striking him' and asking him to prophesy who had struck him, highlighting the depth of His humiliation before His trial.
Numbers 12:14This Old Testament account shows that spitting in someone's face was a severe sign of disgrace and dishonor within Israelite culture, underscoring the profound contempt shown to Jesus.
Job 30:10In this lament, Job describes his own suffering and degradation, stating, 'They have spit in my face and do not refrain from insulting me,' illustrating the deep shame and indignity associated with such an act in biblical times.
bensonMatthew 26:67: "Then did they spit in his face, and buffeted him; and others smote him with the palms of their hands,"
Matthew 26:67-68 . Then did they spit in his face, &c. — Spitting in the face was the greatest contempt and disgrace which could possibly be shown. See Numbers 12:14 . Buffeting, or striking a person with the fist on the temples, was esteemed one of the most disgraceful punishments by the Greeks, from whom the Romans might have adopted it. Smiting with the open palm of their ha…
henryMatthew 26:57-68: "And they that had laid hold on Jesus led him away to Caiaphas the high priest, where the scribes and the elders were assembled."
26:57-68 Jesus was hurried into Jerusalem. It looks ill, and bodes worse, when those who are willing to be Christ's disciples, are not willing to be known to be so. Here began Peter's denying him: for to follow Christ afar off, is to begin to go back from him. It is more our concern to prepare for the end, whatever it may be, than curiously to ask w…
What's easy to miss is the layered indignity of the blows Jesus received. He was first "buffeted" with clenched fists, and then struck by others with open palms, a distinction that highlighted the varied and brutal ways his captors sought to humiliate him, fulfilling ancient prophecies of suffering.
After Jesus affirmed his identity as the Son of God before the high priest and council, they condemned him and handed him over to their guards. In the time between the council's meetings, these guards subjected Jesus to brutal mockery, spitting in his face, striking him with their fists, and slapping him. This humiliation, while intended to dishonor him, fulfilled ancient prophecies about the suffering servant.
After Jesus affirmed his identity as the Son of God before the high priest and council, they condemned him and handed him over to their guards. In the time between the council's meetings, these guards subjected Jesus to brutal mockery, spitting in his face, striking him with their fists, and slapping him. This humiliation, while intended to dishonor him, fulfilled ancient prophecies about the suffering servant.
"Then they spit in his face and struck him. And some slapped him," — What's easy to miss is the layered indignity of the blows Jesus received. He was first "buffeted" with clenched fists, and then struck by others with open palms, a distinction that highlighted the va…
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Last reviewed October 2026