“Then Pilate had Jesus flogged with a lead-tipped whip.”
John 19:1 (NLT)
This is a short verse, and because of that, it’s easy to read past it. But what John records here is anything but small. Pilate has Jesus flogged even though he finds Him not guilty and intends to release Him. This was not a mild punishment. The Romans used a lead-tipped whip designed to tear flesh, often down to the bone. Many men never survived this beating, let alone went on to be crucified afterward.
Based on Scripture, the flogging was not required for our salvation. The cross alone was sufficient to secure eternal life. Yet Jesus endured the whipping post anyway. Why? Because He was doing more than securing eternity—He was providing abundance. Isaiah foretold it: He was beaten so we could be whole, and He was whipped so we could be healed. At the whipping post, Jesus fulfilled prophecy and made provision for healing that reaches into our lives today.
This kind of flogging was not part of Jewish law. Israel limited lashes to avoid killing someone. What Jesus endured was Roman cruelty, unchecked and prolonged. We don’t know how long it lasted, but we do know what it accomplished. By His stripes, we are healed. His suffering was intentional, not accidental. His love was active, not theoretical.
We have access to what He provided, even if we don’t always ask for it or walk in it. Jesus endured unimaginable pain so we wouldn’t have to live under every affliction. Let’s not ignore or neglect what cost Him so much. Let’s thank the Father for it, trust Him for healing, and boldly testify to what Jesus has already done.