Then the soldiers of the governor took Jesus into the governor's headquarters, and they gathered the whole battalion before him. And they stripped him and put a scarlet robe on him, and twisting together a crown of thorns, they put it on his head and put a reed in his right hand. And kneeling before him, they mocked him, saying, “Hail, King of the Jews!” And they spit on him and took the reed and struck him on the head. And when they had mocked him, they stripped him of the robe and put his own clothes on him and led him away to crucify him.

Scenes of horror and dehumanization would have been a familiar sight to these Roman soldiers. Desensitized to the pain they inflict on others, they mockingly dress Jesus like a king, while venting their own pent up pains upon him with each blow to his head and curse of their tongues.

It may be human nature to avoid pain – both our own pain and the pain we witness others experiencing. We cope by distracting ourselves, numbing ourselves or even by simply denying that the pain really exists. Take some time to consider the pain and shame Jesus endured in these moments and how you have been invited to join him today as a witness in his journey toward the cross.

What might Jesus’ embrace of such suffering have to say to the pain and shame that we ourselves have experienced?