All five meditations on the Sorrowful Mysteries could focus on the intense physical suffering Jesus endured for our sake, but the second mystery, The Scourging at the Pillar, brings the physical torment of Christ into stark relief.
Scourging was a common practice for the Romans prior to a crucifixion. (1) The entire process was designed to maximize the suffering and humiliation of the victim as a deterrent to other criminals. (2) 39 lashes were prescribed, but the flogging could go on much longer, depending on the whims of the soldiers. The whip itself was made of braided leather tongs with metal balls woven into them. The whip had pieces of sharp bone as well, so that the metal balls would cause deep bruises, while the bone would rip the flesh itself.
As the flogging continued more and more of the victim’s flesh would be torn away. Eusebius, a third-century historian, described the effects of a scourging this way: “The sufferer’s veins were laid bare, and the very muscles, sinews, and bowels of the victim were open to exposure.”
It was not unusual for the flogging itself to kill the victim prior to the crucifixion. At a minimum, the scourging greatly hastened the victim’s death. The gospel accounts strongly suggest that Jesus suffered from hypovolemic shock caused by losing a large amount of blood. The fact that Jesus needed assistance carrying the cross, and that he cried out “I thirst” while on the cross, are consistent with hypovolemic shock. (3)
So why dwell on the torture of Jesus? Let’s be honest, this is the most unpleasant part of the Good News. The churches that are packed on Christmas are not as full on Good Friday. But it’s important to reflect on Jesus’ sufferings because they remind us of the consequences of sin. Of our sins. We are the soldiers who scourged Jesus. We hit him, our Lord and Savior, with the lash. We tore the flesh of the Prince of Peace from his back. We inflicted this terrible punishment on him.
And he endured this terrible punishment for us. He took this suffering upon himself so that we wouldn’t have to endure it. He did this because he loves and desires to save us. Only love can explain why anyone would suffer so brutally.
Jesus and Mary ask us to reflect upon this mystery so that we understand the consequences of our sin. When we truly understand the suffering it causes them, not to mention the suffering it causes us, we can turn away from sin, free ourselves from the bondage of sin, and begin our lives anew.
Eight years after the Miracle of the Sun, Sister Lucia received another vision of Mary, during which our Holy Mother revealed to Lucia her Immaculate Heart, “surrounded by thorns which ungrateful men pierce at every moment with their blasphemies and ingratitude.” (It was during this apparition that Mary gave Lucia the devotion of First Saturdays.) (4)
Our sins wound Jesus, not just then but now. And yet he continues to love us, continually invites us back to him, waiting, like the Father of the Prodigal Son, for us to return home.
Notes:
(1) All four evangelists record that Jesus was scourged. In Mark and Matthew’s account, Jesus was scourged immediately before the crucifixion, after he had been sentenced by Pilate, as was the typical punishment. In Luke and John’s account, Pilate has Jesus scourged as an initial punishment, apparently in the hopes of placating the crowd. Only after Jesus is scourged and the crowd still demands his death does Pilate accede to their request. In John’s account, after Jesus is scourged, dressed in purple and crowned with thorns, Pilate presents him to the crowd, saying “Behold the man!” (in Latin, Ecce Homo). This theme has been taken by numerous artists. The depiction of this moment by the Italian Renaissance master Caravaggio (shown above) is a particularly striking invitation to look upon the Lord and reflect on the profound act of suffering and humility that was his Passion. (Image downloaded from Wikipedia Commons.)
(2) Dostoevsky said you could judge a civilization by how it treats its prisoners. It has been fashionable since the Enlightenment to extol the virtues of the Romans while blaming Christianity for the Dark Ages. That’s a subject for another day, but before we praise the Romans, let’s recall how they treated their prisoners.
(3) Lee Strobel, The Case for Christ (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1998), p. 211-212.
(4) Mary appeared to Sister Lucia Santos in her convent cell on December 10, 1925. After revealing her Immaculate Heart pierced by thorns to Sister Lucia, Mary said: “Say to all those who:
- for five months, on the first Saturday, confess,
- receive Holy Communion,
- recite the Rosary
- and keep Me company for 15 minutes while meditating on the fifteen mysteries of the Rosary, in a spirit of reparation,
I promise to assist them at the hour of death with all the graces necessary for the salvation of their souls.”
