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"Now Jesus stood before the governor, and the governor questioned Him, saying, 'Are You the King of the Jews?' And Jesus said to him, 'It is as you say.' [12] And while He was being accused by the chief priests and elders, He made no answer. [13] Then Pilate said to Him, 'Do You not hear how many things they testify against You?' [14] And He did not answer him with regard to even a single charge, so that the governor was quite amazed. [15] Now at the feast the governor was accustomed to release for the multitude any one prisoner whom they wanted. [16] And they were holding at that time a notorious prisoner, called Barabbas. [17] When therefore they were gathered together, Pilate said to them, 'Whom do you want me to release for you? Barabbas, or Jesus who is called Christ?' [18] For he knew that because of envy they had delivered Him up. [19] And while he was sitting on the judgment seat, his wife sent to him, saying, 'Have nothing to do with that righteous Man; for last night I suffered greatly in a dream because of Him.' [20] But the chief priests and the elders persuaded the multitudes to ask for Barabbas, and to put Jesus to death. [21] But the governor answered and said to them, 'Which of the two do you want me to release for you?' And they said, Barabbas.' [22] Pilate said to them, 'Then what shall I do with Jesus who is called Christ?' They all said, 'Let Him be crucified!' [23] And he said, 'Why, what evil has He done?' But they kept shouting all the more, saying, 'Let Him be crucified!' [24] And when Pilate saw that he was accomplishing nothing, but rather that a riot was starting, he took water and washed his hands in front of the multitude, saying, 'I am innocent of this Man's blood; see to that yourselves.' [25] And all the people answered and said, 'His blood be on us and on our children!' [26] Then he released Barabbas for them; but after having Jesus scourged, he delivered Him to be crucified." (NASB)

When the Roman Soldiers drove the spikes through the hands of Jesus, they were driving our sins to the cross. Think for a moment about that day. They moved Him from one clandestine courtroom to another to achieve their goal-Crucifixion. Finally, Pilate sealed His fate when he took the bowl of water and declared, "I wash my hands of the blood of this man," and he turned Jesus over to the angry mob.

They beat Him with a cat of 9-tails. 39 strokes some say, following Jewish law. The truth is, we don't know how many lashes He took. The whip was not in the hands of a Jew-it was a Roman who beat him.

"Hail, King of the Jews," they cried, as they put a crown made of thorns on his head. They spat in his face, they pulled his beard and they mocked his Holy name.

They put a 300 pound cross on his back, and in His weakened state, He stumbled beneath the load. Simon of Cyrene carried the cross for Him as he walked up the hill to His destiny.

The soldiers ripped His robe from Him, reopening his wounds and forced Him on the rough hewn cross. Though it was customary to use ropes to tie a victim to the cross, the soldiers used fourteen-inch spikes to nail Him and our sins to the cross. First one spike and then another through the quivering flesh of His hands.

Then as the serpent was raised in the wilderness, they raised Him from the ground and dropped the cross into its resting place.
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