They stripped Him and threw a scarlet robe over Him.
The soldiers stripped Jesus, wanting to humiliate Him, and put a red cloak on Him as a mocking symbol of royal clothing. That red, which for them was a sign of ridicule, became a symbol of salvation, reminding us of Christ’s blood by which a person was to be cleansed. The world was mocking the King, thinking it was humiliating Him, but at that moment it was in fact clothing Him with the sign of a spiritual kingdom. This scene shows how God’s plan overturns human sarcasm, making disgrace the beginning of glory. The stripping recalls the spiritual truth that Christ willingly stripped Himself of earthly glory in order to clothe a person with righteousness.