Matthew 27:26
Then he released for them Barabbas, and having scourged Jesus, delivered him to be crucified.
English Standard Version (ESV)
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What’s often missed is that Jesus wasn't just whipped; he received a brutal Roman scourging, a punishment so severe it often cut the flesh and was typically reserved for slaves or those condemned to the most extreme suffering. This detail underscores that Jesus was treated as the absolute lowest of the low, a dehumanizing prelude to his crucifixion, fulfilling prophecies about his suffering.
Pilate, under immense pressure from the Jewish crowd and their leaders, chooses to appease them rather than uphold his own judgment that Jesus was innocent. After giving in to their demand to release the murderer Barabbas, Pilate then orders Jesus to be brutally scourged, a Roman punishment of severe whipping designed to inflict maximum pain and humiliation, before handing him over to be crucified.
You might think of scourging as a brutal beating. But Roman scourging was a deliberate, horrific precursor to crucifixion, designed to break the body and spirit. Jesus endured this unimaginable pain before his final agony.
The text tells us Pilate, after ordering Barabbas released, 'having scourged Jesus, delivered him to be crucified.' This wasn't just a minor punishment; Roman scourging was a vicious act.
A Tool of Terror
The whips used were not simple cords. They were often made of leather thongs weighted with sharp objects like bone or metal. The purpose was to tear the flesh, leaving the victim's back a bloody ruin.
Exceeding Jewish Law
Jewish law had limits on beatings (Deuteronomy 25:3), but Roman practice was ruthless. There was no such limit; the executioner could continue until the condemned person was near death, or even died from the beating itself. This was meant to inflict maximum suffering and humiliation.
Fulfilled Prophecy
This brutal act was also foretold. Isaiah 50:6 says, 'I gave my back to those who strike, and my cheeks to those who pull out my beard; I hid not my face from shame and spitting.' And later, Peter would write, 'by his wounds you are healed' (1 Peter 2:8), pointing to this very suffering.
Pilate knew Jesus was innocent. Twice he declared it! Yet, he caved to the crowd's demand. What drove this Roman governor to betray his own judgment?
Matthew 27:26 is the climax of Pilate's internal struggle. He had Barabbas, a known criminal guilty of sedition and murder, released, while handing Jesus, whom he found blameless, over to execution.
The Pressure Cooker
Pilate was a Roman governor in a volatile region. The Jewish leaders played on his greatest fear: accusation before Emperor Tiberius. John's Gospel reveals their tactic: 'If you release this man, you are no friend of Caesar' (John 19:12). Making himself king, even falsely accused, was treason in Rome's eyes.
Understand the original words
apolyō · Greek Verb
A legal act of setting a prisoner free; in this context, it signifies the substitutionary release of a guilty man in the place of the innocent Christ.
phragelloō · Greek Verb
A severe punishment involving whipping with a lash containing bits of bone, metal, or lead, intended to weaken the victim before execution.
paradidōmi · Greek Verb
To hand over or surrender to the power or authority of another; often used in the context of Jesus being given over to His enemies to fulfill the divine plan of salvation.
staurōō · Greek Verb
A form of capital punishment involving being fixed to a cross, used by the Romans for slaves and political rebels, characterized by extreme physical agony and public humiliation.
The Roman practice of scourging, a brutal precursor to crucifixion, inflicted extreme suffering and humiliation on Jesus, highlighting the immense cruelty he endured and fulfilling prophetic descriptions of his suffering.
c. AD 28-33
Jesus' Public Ministry
During this period, Jesus taught, healed, and performed miracles throughout Galilee and Judea, gathering a large following.
c. AD 30-33
Jesus' Final Week in Jerusalem
Jesus entered Jerusalem triumphantly, taught in the Temple, and shared the Last Supper with his disciples, leading to his arrest.
c. AD 30-33
Jesus' Trial Before Jewish Authorities
Jesus was arrested, interrogated by the Sanhedrin, and falsely accused of blasphemy.
c. AD 30-33— this verse
Jesus' Trial Before Pontius Pilate
Jesus was brought before the Roman governor Pontius Pilate, who found no fault in him but faced pressure from the Jewish leaders and the crowd.
c. AD 30-33
This passage directly foreshadows the suffering Jesus endured during his scourging, where it says, 'I gave my back to the smiters, and my cheeks to them that plucked off the hair: I hid not my face from shame and spitting.' It speaks to the prophetic fulfillment in Jesus' experience.
Psalm 129:3This psalm resonates with the brutal reality of the scourging, stating, 'The plowers plowed upon my back: they made long their furrows.' This vividly illustrates the deep and lasting wounds inflicted on Jesus' back, turning his body into a landscape of suffering.
John 19:15-16This passage from John provides crucial context to Pilate's decision, highlighting the ultimate pressure that moved him: the threat of being reported to Caesar. It shows that Pilate, despite finding no fault in Jesus, delivered him up due to political fear rather than any genuine belief in his guilt.
Deuteronomy 25:1-3This Old Testament law outlines the limits on physical punishment, stating that a judge could order no more than forty stripes. The Roman scourging of Jesus, however, far exceeded this limit, emphasizing the cruelty and illegitimacy of the punishment from a Jewish legal perspective.
1 Peter 2:24clarkeMatthew 27:26: "Then released he Barabbas unto them: and when he had scourged Jesus, he delivered him to be crucified."
Scourged Jesus - This is allowed to have been a very severe punishment of itself among the Romans, the flesh being generally cut by the whips used for this purpose: so the poet: - - Horribili Sectere flagello. "To be cut by the horrible whip." Hor. Sat. I. 3. 119. And sometimes it seems, they were whipped to death. See the same poet, Sat. I. 2. 41. - Ille Flagellis Ad Mortem c…
ellicottMatthew 27:26: "Then released he Barabbas unto them: and when he had scourged Jesus, he delivered him to be crucified."
(26) When he had scourged Jesus. —The word used by St. Matthew, derived from the Latin flagellum, shows that it was the Roman punishment with knotted thongs of leather (like the Russian “knout” or the English “cat”), not the Jewish beating with rods ( 2Corinthians 11:24-25 ). The pictures of the Stations, so widely used throughout Latin Christendom, have made other nations mor…
What’s often missed is that Jesus wasn't just whipped; he received a brutal Roman scourging, a punishment so severe it often cut the flesh and was typically reserved for slaves or those condemned to the most extreme suffering. This detail underscores that Jesus was treated as the absolute lowest of the low, a dehumanizing prelude to his crucifixion, fulfilling prophecies about his suffering.
Pilate, under immense pressure from the Jewish crowd and their leaders, chooses to appease them rather than uphold his own judgment that Jesus was innocent. After giving in to their demand to release the murderer Barabbas, Pilate then orders Jesus to be brutally scourged, a Roman punishment of severe whipping designed to inflict maximum pain and humiliation, before handing him over to be crucified.
Pilate, under immense pressure from the Jewish crowd and their leaders, chooses to appease them rather than uphold his own judgment that Jesus was innocent. After giving in to their demand to release the murderer Barabbas, Pilate then orders Jesus to be brutally scourged, a Roman punishment of severe whipping designed to inflict maximum pain and humiliation, before handing him over to be crucified.
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A Corrupted Conscience
Mark tells us Pilate was 'willing to content the people' (Mark 15:15). He wasn't seeking justice, but appeasement. He washed his hands symbolically, a futile gesture trying to shed responsibility for a decision driven by political expediency, not righteousness.
The Weight of Compromise
Pilate's choice highlights the devastating consequences when fear or popularity trumps truth. By releasing a murderer and condemning the innocent, he set in motion the events of the cross, forever marking his own conscience and legacy.
Barabbas Released, Jesus Scourged and Condemned
Pilate, seeking to appease the crowd, released the prisoner Barabbas and, after having Jesus scourged, handed him over to be crucified.
c. AD 30-33
Crucifixion of Jesus
Jesus was led to Golgotha, where he was crucified between two criminals, fulfilling prophecies and accomplishing salvation.
c. AD 30-33
Resurrection and Ascension of Jesus
Three days after his crucifixion, Jesus rose from the dead, appearing to his followers before ascending into heaven.
This New Testament verse explicitly connects Jesus' suffering and wounds to our healing, stating, 'who bore our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed.' This verse reveals the profound redemptive purpose behind the scourging and crucifixion.
"Then he released for them Barabbas, and having scourged Jesus, delivered him to be crucified." — What’s often missed is that Jesus wasn't just whipped; he received a brutal Roman scourging, a punishment so severe it often cut the flesh and was typically reserved for slaves or those condemned to…
