"And the chief priests and all the council sought for witness against Jesus to put him to death; and found none. For many bare false witness against him, but their witness agreed not together. ... And some began to spit on him, and to cover his face, and to buffet him, and to say unto him, Prophesy: and the servants did strike him with the palms of their hands." - Mark 14:55-56, 65 KJV

"And straightway in the morning the chief priests held a consultation with the elders and scribes and the whole council, and bound Jesus, and carried him away, and delivered him to Pilate." - Mark 15:1 KJV

"Then Pilate therefore took Jesus, and scourged him." - John 19:1 KJV

The number of stripes allowed by Jewish law was forty (Deut. 25:3). Scourging by the Romans, however, had no legal limit to the number of blows.

Their leather whips would be knotted with sharp pieces of metal designed to tear the flesh from the muscles, leaving deep lacerations and the loss of much blood. The victim of Roman scourging would be left "half-dead," while death was often the result.

"I gave my back to the smiters, and my cheeks to them that plucked off the hair: I hid not my face from shame and spitting." - Isaiah 50:6

"The plowers plowed upon my back: they made long their furrows." - Psalm 129:3

"As many were astonied at thee; his visage was so marred more than any man, and his form more than the sons of men:" - Isaiah 52:14 KJV (“…his appearance was so disfigured beyond that of any man and his form marred beyond human likeness" - Isaiah 52:14 NLT)

"But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed." - Isaiah 53:5

To fulfill prophecy, Jesus went from scourging on to crucifixion.

"And so Pilate, willing to content the people, released Barabbas unto them, and delivered Jesus, when he had scourged him, to be crucified." - Mark 15:15 KJV

While we faced the curse that comes with the law, Jesus took our place and became a curse for us, hanging on the cross fashioned from a tree. (Galatians 3:10)

"Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree:" - Galatians 3:13 (Deuteronomy 21:23)

"Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed." - 1 Peter 2:24

To be continued…