When Pilate gave Jesus up to be scourged and mocked, he thought to excite the pity of the multitude. He hoped they would decide that this was sufficient punishment. Even the malice of the priests, he thought, would now be satisfied. But with keen perception the Jews saw the weakness of thus punishing a man who had been declared innocent. They knew that Pilate was trying to save the life of the prisoner, and they were determined that Jesus should not be released. To please and satisfy us, Pilate has scourged Him, they thought, and if we press the matter to a decided issue, we shall surely gain our end.

Da Pilatus overgav Jesus til at blive pisket og forhånet, var det for at vække mængdens medlidenhed. Han håbede, at de ville finde, at denne straf var tilstrækkelig. Han troede, at selv præsternes had nu måtte være tilfredsstillet. Men med deres skarpe opfattelsesevne indså jøderne imidlertid svagheden ved således at straffe en mand, der var blevet erklæret for at være uskyldig. De vidste, at Pilatus forsøgte at redde fangens liv, og de var fast besluttede på, at Jesus ikke skulle frigives. Det er for at behage og tilfredsstille os, at Pilatus har ladet ham piske, tænkte de, og hvis vi gennemfører sagen med et bestemt formål, så får vi ganske sikkert vor vilje!