They clothed Jesus with a crimson robe and purple, and put on His head a crown made of thorns.
The soldiers create a mocking royal scene. The purple robe was a parody of royal clothing, and the crown of thorns a cruel distortion of a royal crown. Yet within this mockery there is deep meaning. The thorn was one of the signs of sin’s curse upon the earth, and Christ wears the crown of thorns, showing that He takes the curse upon Himself. They mock Him as a king, but in truth He is the King, who will ascend to His throne through the cross. His crown was a crown of pain, so that He might give His people the crown of life.