Summary

In Chapter 18, during the morning and afternoon of April 7 AD, in Jerusalem’s Upper City, Jesus is tied to the scourging pole and whipped, but he endures the pain because it is not yet time for him to die. He is removed from the pole and led back to the prison where the guards robe him and spit on the “King of the Jews”, adding sadism as they form a crown of thorns around his head. Just as it seems he cannot take anymore, Pontius Pilate orders an audience, and at 9 a.m., Pilate presents Jesus to the religious leaders who call for his death, demanding he be crucified. Pilate washes his hands of Jesus’s blood, leaving him to the priests. Jesus’s cloak is ripped away, but the crown of thorns remains as he is led to his crucifixion. Nailed to the...