Why was Jesus beaten and whipped before crucifixion?

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Everything in the Bible is there for a reason. One of the best ways to study Scripture is to ask the question, “Why?” As we seek understanding, the Holy Spirit who dwells within us guides us into truth and reveals God’s wisdom. To the natural mind, this may sound overly supernatural. But think about this: what part of the Bible is not supernatural? Was it Moses parting the Red Sea by the hand of God? Or Jesus healing the sick and raising the dead? If we believe these things are true, then we must also believe what Scripture says about the Holy Spirit guiding us into all truth (John 16:13).

As Christians, we are called to rely on the Holy Spirit for knowledge, wisdom, and discernment. He helps us understand God’s Word, apply it to our lives, and grow in our relationship with Him.

Let us now go back to the main topic, why was Jesus beaten? Wasn’t crucifixion itself already sufficient punishment? The Bible from the Old to the New Testament flows in order. Although contrary to what is being said these days, Jesus did not come to abolish the Old Covenant, instead He came to fulfil it and He says so in Matthew 5:17,

“Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them.“

Think back about the story of Jesus’s crucifixion. The Pharisees wanted to crucify Him because of blasphemy and Jesus’s claim to be God. Here’s what the Jews told Jesus in John 10:33,

The Jews answered him, “It is not for a good work that we are going to stone you but for blasphemy, because you, being a man, make yourself God.”

This was the dispute among the Jews against Jesus. Let us now take our Bibles and turn to the Old Testament to see how the Law handles dispute between men and what was prophesied about Jesus regarding this.

Scripture	What?	When?
The Law – Deuteronomy 25:1-2	A guilty man deserves beating	1400 BC pprox.
The Prophecy – Isaiah 53:5	He was wounded for our transgressions	700 BC approx.
The Fulfilment – Matthew 27:26	Jesus was whipped	700 years after it was prophesied by Isaiah.

The Law

The law concerning dispute between men, can be found in the book of Deuteronomy, which was written around 1400 BC.

“If there is a dispute between men and they come into court and the judges decide between them, acquitting the innocent and condemning the guilty, then if the guilty man deserves to be beaten, the judge shall cause him to lie down and be beaten in his presence with a number of stripes in proportion to his offense.” Deuteronomy 25:1-2

In Luke 23:13-15, we see that neither Pilot nor Herod found Jesus guilty, yet in verse 18 we see that the crowd cried out more, insisting that Jesus be punished by crucifixion.

The Prophecy

Now that we have seen the Law concerning dispute between men, let’s take a look at the prophecy regarding Jesus. The book of Isaiah is said to have been written around 700 BC. So between the Law in Deuteronomy and the prophesy in Isaiah, there is a gap of 700 years. Let’s read what Isaiah 53:5 says,

But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed. KJV

Now that we see that Prophet Isaiah mentions that there will be a suffering servant who will suffer with bruises and by HIS stripes we will be healed. Isaiah 53 talks in great detail about the ordeal that Jesus will go through.

The Fulfilment

As we all know from the Gospel accounts, Jesus was beaten, whipped, and ultimately crucified. But have you ever considered how long before these events they were foretold? The prophecy found in Isaiah 53 describes the suffering of the Messiah in remarkable detail. What’s truly astounding is that these words were written approximately 700 years before Jesus endured His suffering and death on the cross.

The fulfilment of this prophecy can be read in the books of Matthew 27:26, Mark 15:15 and John 19:1.

Then he released for them Barabbas, and having scourged Jesus, delivered him to be crucified. Matthew 27:26

This is just one of the many prophecies Jesus fulfilled. But if you are curious to read more on this, study this Isaiah 53 prophecy of Jesus and the Psalm 22 prophecy of Jesus. They are both Old Testament Chapters written hundreds of years before Jesus came to live on earth, yet give clear details of what the Christ will go through.

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