IV. THE SOLDIERS MOCKED HIM AND CROWNED HIM
Then Pilate took Jesus and had him scourged. The soldiers twisted together a crown of thorns and put it on his head. They clothed him in a purple robe and went up to him again and again, saying, “Hail, king of the Jews!” And they slapped him in the face. John 19: 1-3
The Syrian Christ Thorn was most likely the plant used for the crown of thorns. This plant has sharp, closely spaced thorns and can be easily twisted into a cap. The crown was not a wreath as is typically believed. It was a cap of thorns placed upon Jesus’s head. Striking Jesus’s head with reeds would have caused excruciating pain.
Purple robes were the most expensive of cloths hence reserved for rulers and Kings.
Crowned and clothed in purple, Jesus is then mocked. He was an object of ridicule and humiliation.
Freud suggests that ridicule is wide spread because it shields hostility with a cloak of misguided humour. This humour disguises itself in taking delight in the misery of others.
Any form of ridicule is a form of aggression, abuse or humiliation. It is intended to humiliate and hurt another’s feelings. Its purpose is to belittle the other person and make the perpetrator feel superior. It is often done by insecure people who ridicule, degrade, or humiliate others, so they can feel better about themselves. Ridicule comes in many forms including humour. When used to ridicule others, humour can carry many degrees of viciousness. In Ireland when someone make what sounds like a funny comment but behind it you know there is malice – we say “they put a tooth in it”!
REFLECTION
Do you disguise dislike through humour?
In what subtle ways do I ridicule others?
Do you undermine colleagues at work?
In what ways do you discriminate?
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