The Innocent for the Guilty

Jesus, the innocent Son of God, was delivered to be crucified. Pilate sent Christ to be scourged, before getting sent to the cross. Roman scourging is extremely painful and gruesome, involving whipping with tools made of metal balls, bones, and spikes. With 39 lashes being typical for Roman scourging, Jesus was left to face a great deal of suffering.

Mark 15:15

[15] So Pilate, wishing to satisfy the crowd, released for them Barabbas, and having scourged Jesus, he delivered him to be crucified. (ESV)

What is significant here is that Roman scourging is for criminals, real criminals. Jesus was without sin, but was still tried as a criminal. How can this be? Why was the perfect Son of God being whipped and beaten, while the criminal Barabbas was set free? We would be fools if we took ourselves out of this story. We are the criminals being set free, while the Son of God is being whipped and flogged in our place. This passage demonstrates how great the love of Christ truly is, that while man deserved the greatest possible punishment, Christ took it upon Himself, giving us life beyond this world.