“But if I spoke the truth, why did you strike me?” – John 18:23
What were these objects made for?
In this station, we have the juxtaposition of a whip known as the “Cat of Nine Tales” and a crown made out of thorns. What was the desired byproduct of these devices?
It’s to dehumanise.
Yes… to inflict pain. To torture. To beat down. But even the implementation of physical pain is to diminish the narrative of innate human dignity.
According to the Psychological community, the most common reasons for mockery are that one may feel insecure. Rather than face insecurity, mockery helps make the feeling of insecurity less noticeable. It may even help someone feel more self-assured and confident because they feel like they have the upper hand.
Jesus partook in being dehumanised.
Have you ever hated your life so much that your anger was released on other people?
Maybe you’re angry about how your life is turning out. It’s not what you had planned, and you find yourself in a situation that you loathe. And if anybody asks how you are doing, it takes all your patience not to lash out in anger.
Or maybe you’re in a dead end job. Or a job that is really stressful. And you work with others who don’t appreciate you. And maybe even dislike you. And all you get all day every day is disdain and passive aggressive hate.
Dehumanising situations can wear you down.
And have you ever been so worn down that, in a completely different context, something someone says is a release valve for all that pent-up anger? Maybe it’s a hard conversation that becomes way more intense than it needs to be. Maybe a child is disobedient, and you yell at them more than necessary. Often, we release our anger in places that are embarrassingly inappropriate. In our dehumanisation, we can lash out with dehumanising actions.
I bet those Roman soldiers beat the crap out of that Rabbi.
“But if I spoke the truth, why did you strike me?”
1 / What parts of life feel “dehumanising” to you?
2 / What’s a memory you have of being mocked?
3 / What’s a memory you have of being the one mocking?
© Image & words by Scott Erickson
