Pefect salvation of God - Part 5

Nevertheless, after Jesus was chastised by Pilate with the hope of releasing Him, the Jews knew that Pilate would not kill him. Then the Jews again said they had a law against the accusation that had been placed against Jesus and according to this law, Jesus ought to die. Read the following verses:

John 19:6-7
6 When the chief priests therefore and officers saw him, they cried out, saying, Crucify him, crucify him. Pilate saith unto them, Take ye him, and crucify him: for I find no fault in him. 7 The Jews answered him, We have a law, and by our law he ought to die, because he made himself the Son of God.

Further, the Jews went on to say that if Pilate did not crucify Jesus, he would not be considered as a friend of Caesar. We read same at John 19:12.

If thou let this man go, thou art not Caesar's friend: whosoever maketh himself a king speaketh against Caesar. 

At this point, Pilate was fully trapped by the Jews and finally he released Jesus to be crucified.

John 19:16
16 Then delivered he him therefore unto them to be crucified. And they took Jesus, and led him away.

The Book of St. Luke records that Pilate released Jesus to be crucified as he wanted to please the people. We can read it at the 15th verse of Mark 15. 

15 And so Pilate, willing to content the people, released Barabbas unto them, and delivered Jesus, when he had scourged him, to be crucified. 

Eventually, we can come to the conclusion that Jesus suffered two punishments, one that is due for someone who is worthy of beaten and the second one that is due for someone who is worthy of death.

If we look at these two punishments according to the Law of Moses, we can name them as follows:

1. The first punishment - Forty Stripes
2. The second punishment - Stoning to death

But, since Jesus was given these two punishments by the Gentiles, the nature of them was  quite different.

The first punishment according to the Gentiles

• Stripes were given by using whips

• There was no measure or limit in the number of stripes

                      - Additional persecutions were included
                        * hurting the head with a thorny crown

                        * hitting with hands

                        * spitting on the face

                        * smiting with rods

                        * mocking with insulting words

                        * tearing the dress

                        * dressing the insulting clothes and many more which are not mentioned in the Bible.

The second punishment according to the Gentiles

• Crucifixion instead of stoning

                        -Additional sufferings associated with crucifixion as listed below:
                        * Carrying the cross

                        * Beatings on the way to the place of crucifixion

                        * Long suffering on the cross until death as the one on the cross had to die himself.

 Why did Jesus have to face two punishments for the single accusation???
 Jesus faced two punishments as explained above in order to bring us two folds of deliverance or salvation. If we try to summorize these two punishments, they can be classified into two kinds with a broader meaning. They are:

1. The sufferings of the fleshly body of Christ
2. The death of Christ

The Deliverance through the punishment given in the form of stripes

The stripes that Jesus bore on His body have brought us the deliverance of all kinds of sicknesses. In other words, the sufferings of the body of Jesus by the stripes did not bring us anything for us to enjoy after our death in the flesh. This truth is clearly confirmed in the following scriptures: 

1 Peter 2:22-24.

22 Who did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth: 23 Who, when he was reviled, reviled not again; when he suffered, he threatened not; but committed himself to him that judgeth righteously:24 Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed. 

Through the stripes Jesus bore on His body, our mortal bodies have been delivered or saved from all kinds of sicknesses. Receiving the stripes is one of the two punishments Jesus suffered.

According to the above scripture, the sole objective of the first punishment given in the form of stripes, is to keep our mortal bodies free from all kinds of sicknesses until our souls come out of it.