Station six: Jesus is crowned with thorns

Bible reading

The soldiers led Jesus away into the palace (that is, the Praetorium) and called together the whole company of soldiers. They put a purple robe on him, then twisted together a crown of thorns and set it on him. And they began to call out to him, “Hail, king of the Jews!” Again and again they struck him on the head with a staff and spit on him. Falling on their knees, they paid homage to him.


Mark 15:16-19 (NIV)

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Pause

Jesus was treated very badly by the soldiers. They hit him, called him names and made fun of him. They made a crown out of thorns and put it on his head. It would have scratched him and been very uncomfortable. Jesus puts himself in the place of human suffering. He knows what it is like to be bullied for who other people say you are. The soldiers did not know anything about Jesus, and yet they followed the behaviour of the people they looked up to and bullied him. Christians believe that when you are suffering because of what other people think, Jesus is with you.

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Ponder

• Have you ever been bullied by someone else?
  
• How did it make you feel?
  
• Have you ever joined in with bullying or been a bully?
  
• Why did you feel that you needed to do that?
  
• Jesus tells us that we should love our neighbours as ourselves.
  
• Ask God to help you to always treat other people as you would like to be treated.