Calvary Examined — The Scarlet/Purple Robe

 

Mar 15:17  And they clothed him in a purple cloak, and twisting together a crown of thorns, they put it on him.

 

Mat 27:28  And they stripped him and put a scarlet robe on him,

 

 

 

Right off as you may notice from the two verses above, Matthew mentions that the robe was Scarlet while the other writers say that the Robe was Purple. Bible Historians and studiers such as Barnes and James M. Freeman to just mention two, state that due to the variation in dying colours and garments that the terms were often used interchangeably.

 

But the reason for this article is, what’s the point of the robe anyhow? The ultimate reason was due to an opportunity that the people had to mock Christ.

Mar 15:18  And they began to salute him, “Hail, King of the Jews!”
Mar 15:19  And they were striking his head with a reed and spitting on him and kneeling down in homage to him.
Mar 15:20  And when they had mocked him,…

 

THE ROBE

 

The soldier’s most likely used what was near by for the robe. They were more interested in mocking Him, then getting an actual robe applicable for what they were attempting to make our Saviour look like. There were a number of soldier’s near by, so one of their cloaks were most likely taken and thrown over Jesus.  As mentioned earlier the robe most likely had a scarlet colour too it, the reason for it being called so by Matthew.

Perhaps just the side note is the thought of the pain involved, of putting on and removing garments that have been sitting for a short time on open wounds. The pain that would be involved, as they settled into the tears and then were torn back off.

GOVERNOR’S HEADQUARTERS

It’s worth mentioning in passing where this mockery took place. In the Governor’s Headquarters, a plus where the innocent should be able to expect justice, yet none was shown to Christ by the people.

MOCKERY

The people of the day missed the important message of Christ, as many people do today, that He had come to be the Saviour, yet they clued in not even realizing that He is King, and as in the book of Revelations and chapter 19, verse 16, He is called the King of kings. In Matthew 27:27 it says that the whole Battalion were standing before Christ mocking Him. If we could only see the image now, probably around 400 – 600 people, bowing the knee in mockery as they threw the old robe over the Saviour.

THE ROBE AND OUR SINS

Isa 1:18  “Come now, let us reason together, says the LORD: though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall become like wool.

Some have made the comparison of the colouration of the robe to colour used to explain our sins. It is thought of that the Robe not only was born by Christ as He willingly allowed the mockery, but is a small picture of our sins. How at Calvary as the robe was draped over Christ, our sins were laid on Him as well.

Let us not forget the pain and suffering that Christ went through and bore for us, who have trusted Him for salvation.

 

1Pe 2:24  He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed.