Soldiers Leading Jesus - Mark 15:16

Mark wrote how Pilate, “at that feast he released unto them one prisoner, whomsoever they desired. And there was one named Barabbas, which lay bound with them that had made insurrection with him, who had committed murder in the insurrection. And the multitude crying aloud began to desire him to do as he had ever done unto them. But Pilate answered them, saying, Will you that I release unto you the King of the Jews? For he knew that the chief priests had delivered him for envy. But the chief priests moved the people, that he should rather release Barabbas unto them. And Pilate answered and said again unto them, What will you then that I shall do unto him whom you call the King of the Jews? And they cried out again, Crucify him. Then Pilate said unto them, Why, what evil has he done? And they cried out the more exceedingly, Crucify him. And so Pilate, willing to content the people, released Barabbas unto them, and delivered Jesus, when he had scourged him, to be crucified”, and in chapter fifteen and verse sixteen of his book, Mark shared how “the soldiers led” Jesus “away” where we read:

And the soldiers led him away into the hall, called Praetorium; and they call together the whole band.

The verse reads, “And the soldiers led him away into the hall, called Praetorium;”. Mark began with the words, “And the soldiers” which means “and the warriors of the Roman army” “led him away” or “brought, took off and carried Jesus” “into the hall” which means “to an uncovered space around the house, enclosed by a wall, in which the stables stood, hence among the Orientals that roofless enclosure by a wall”, “called Praetrium” or “that was named Praetrium which was the tent of the commander-in-chief or the palace in which the governor or procurator of a province resided to which use the Romans were accustomed to appropriate the palaces already existing which were formerly dwelt in by kings or princes. At Jerusalem it was a magnificent palace which Herod the Great had built for himself, and which the Roman procurators seemed to have occupied whenever they came from Caesarea to Jerusalem to transact public business”. Mark shared how the “warriors” of the Roman army led Jesus to the uncovered space located outside the palace where Pilate resided.

The verse continues, “and they call together the whole band.” Mark added the words, “and they call together” which means “and the Roman warriors summoned and beckoned to convoke, assemble and gather” “the whole band” or “the complete military cohort which was as many as six hundred men who were part of the company and detachment of soldiers”. Mark shared how the “soldiers” who led Jesus to the “Praetorium” summoned the rest of their “company” to join them.

When we consider Mark's words in this verse, we see the continuation of the suffering of Jesus Christ. After Pilate released Barabbas to the people and delivered Jesus to the Roman soldiers, the soldiers led Jesus to this “outer court area” known as the “Praetorium”. Once there, rather than put Jesus through great suffering alone, the soldiers beckoned their fellow soldiers to join them in their punishment of Jesus. Can we even begin to imagine how God felt as He watched His Only Begotten Son Jesus being subjected to this treatment by Pilate, the crowd and these soldiers? God's purpose for sending Jesus to suffer and die was to “save” people from their “sins, errors and wrongs”, and without Jesus dying to pay the price for those “sins, errors and wrongs”, no person could have a relationship with God. Those who are wise will carefully consider what God the Father and Jesus Christ endured so people could be “saved”, and when they realize the great price They paid, may they “believe and trust” in Jesus as their personal “Savior and Lord”.

Next time Mark shares how the soldiers, “clothed him with purple, and platted a crown of thorns, and put it about his head”, so read ahead, and we shall join together then.

Until tomorrow…there is more…

Look for the daily devotional book “Equipped for Battle – From Generation to Generation”, the marriage book “So, You Want to Be Married”, “One Year in the Sermon on the Mount” and the new poetry book "Random Mushrooms Volumes I and II" and the new novel "Elizabeth County" in all major bookstore sites, http://www.amazon.com ; http://www.barnesandnobles.com ; download to e-books, and find it locally at www.mrzlc.com/bookstore. All references are from "Strongs Concordance".