This post is taken in part from an article posted in Men of Renown, Part xxxv, titled The Woman Arrayed in Purple, part 4. CLICK HERE to read the complete article.
The Written Transcript of the Fourth Court Proceedings Kept
by the Court Reporter, the Holy Spirit of God
• 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)
• And they clothed him with purple, and platted a crown of thorns, and put it about his head, (Mark 15:17)
• And began to salute him, Hail, King of the Jews! (Mark 15:18)
• And they smote him on the head with a reed, and did spit upon him, and bowing their knees worshipped him. (Mark 15:19)
• And when they had mocked him, they took off the purple from him, and put his own clothes on him, and led him out to crucify him. (Mark 15:20)
  There is no doubt that this is the 4th court appearance of the Lord Jesus Christ after Herod (the third court appearance) sent the Lord Jesus Christ BACK to Pilate to be adjudicated. This is exactly the very same description of the 4th court appearance as in the gospel of Matthew, BUT there is a huge difference. Compare Matthew 27:28 with Mark 15:17 and compare Matthew 27:31 with Mark 15:20. This is NOT an ERROR by the heavenly COURT REPORTER. Let us proceed and allow Him to lead the way.
Point #1
  The gospel of Matthew is the only gospel with the word scarlet, and purple is NEVER mentioned in the gospel of the King . . . so strange! WHY?
  The FIRST gospel opens the New Testament to mankind to see and to understand His need for a Savior; therefore, the ONLY time that scarlet is recorded is in the gospel of Matthew is in Matthew 27:28 And they stripped him, and put on him a scarlet robe. Since the word scarlet refers to the sin of mankind, and to the One who through His blood took on Himself the sin of the whole world it was necessary that the Holy Spirit of God, the Court Reporter, would document this SINGLE and ONLY event when the SIN of man was LAID on the Man who was without SIN; when the JUST suffered for the UNJUST; when SIN met the Savior and when the SCARLET of sinful man met the SCARLET salvation of the Savior. The greatest issue that God had and has against man had to be introduced to man in the FIRST book of the New Testament, through the FIRST GOSPEL to man. Man is a sinner and man has a Savior from sin. Therefore, it is evident that the gospel of Matthew, although it is the gospel of the King, HAD to present to ALL (not only to Israel) BUT to ALL that the King of Israel was also the Savior of mankind and the King of all the earth.
For the LORD most high [is] terrible; [he is] a great King over all the earth. (Psalm 47:2) For God [is] the King of all the earth: sing ye praises with understanding. (Psalm 47:7) For God [is] my King of old, working salvation in the midst of the earth. (Psalm 74:12) And the LORD shall be king over all the earth: in that day shall there be one LORD, and his name one. (Zechariah 14:9)
Point #2Â
  The gospels of Mark, Luke and John NEVER mention the word scarlet, BUT purple is documented twice in Mark, once in Luke and twice in John. Curiously . . . and more curiously. WHY? Let’s remove the gospel of Luke from this discussion because the verse in Luke is NOT about the Lord Jesus Christ but it is about a certain rich man soon to face the end of his life on earth for another life, and eternal life not of his liking. So, removing Luke from our article, we will be discussing only the gospel of Mark and the gospel of John.
  Now back to And they clothed him with purple, and platted a crown of thorns, and put it about his head, (Mark 15:17) We are not through with our comparative study, we will be comparing Matthew 27:27 and 28 with Mark 15:16 and 17. Well. . . . before we turn back to Mark 15:17, I know, I know, it’s not easy sometimes to follow along, but nevertheless . . . let’s turn back to Matthew 27:27 before we turn back to Mark 15:17. (I am smiling southern.) 🙂
Then the soldiers of the governor took Jesus into the common hall, and gathered unto him the whole band of soldiers. (Matthew 27:27) And they stripped him, and put on him a scarlet robe. (Matthew 27:28)
  The Spirit of God is making a distinct statement and the word scarlet is deliberately used to convey that distinctness of the sin of man. IT IS THE SIN OF MANKIND that the Holy Spirit of God wants us to focus on, NOT the KINGSHIP of the Lord Jesus Christ. The first time that the word common is recorded in the New Testament is in this verse of Matthew 27:27. And what does God spiritually call the common hall. It is what is COMMON in ALL of mankind: sin.
  The word common is mentioned in eight (8) verses in the Old Testament and remember how the Law of First Mention lays the platform so that any word in scripture can be validated through the first mention to the last mention. And the word common is another example of the credibility of its connection to SIN. The first time that the word common is recorded is in Leviticus 4:27, And if any one of the common people sin through ignorance, while he doeth [somewhat against] any of the commandments of the LORD [concerning things] which ought not to be done, and be guilty. Man (common man) every person is guilty of sin whether in ignorance or not, mankind is nevertheless still guilty of SIN. In Leviticus, the first mention of the word common we have ‘SIN’ and ‘GUILTY.’ This lays the platform for the word common throughout the scriptures. Then in Ecclesiastes 6:1 we read, There is an evil which I have seen under the sun, and it [is] common among men. As you read further into Chapter 6 (6 the number of man) it is vanity that man is consumed with, and it also coincidentally is the sin that led to the fall of Lucifer. We are still not through with the word common, for in the New Testament, this word is recorded thirteen (13) times. Oh me . . . oh my, another coincidence! The first mention is, (let me guess!!) in our study verse of Matthew 27:27, of course! It’s about SIN. Then as we follow the word common, we see some interesting twists and turns. Now, watch and learn how the Holy Spirit of God takes the word common from SIN to CLEANSING to FAITH and to SALVATION, and then tell me that men alone (without the Holy Spirit of God breathing the exact words to them) wrote the Bible.Â
But Peter said, Not so, Lord; for I have never eaten any thing that is common or unclean. (Acts 10:14) And the voice [spake] unto him again the second time, What God hath cleansed, [that] call not thou common. (Acts 10:15)
To Titus, [mine] own son after the common faith: Grace, mercy, [and] peace, from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ our Saviour. (Titus 1:4)
Beloved, when I gave all diligence to write unto you of the common salvation, it was needful for me to write unto you, and exhort [you] that ye should earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints. (Jude 1:3)
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The Battle of Governmental Sovereignty
versus
The Sovereignty of God
  Now, and I mean it this time. NOW we are returning to Mark 15:16 and 17, And the soldiers led him away into the hall, called Praetorium; and they call together the whole band. (Mark 15:16) And they clothed him with purple, and platted a crown of thorns, and put it about his head, (Mark 15:17) Here it is NOT called common, although it is a common hall, but the Spirit of God used the LATIN word bringing in the authority of man’s government . . . the hall, called Praetorium. Oh . . . Oh . . . this is serious stuff; man’s government doesn’t play around. Government under sinful man is a sinful government. There has NEVER been a government on earth that has NOT been sinful, even the best of all government’s (and I am thinking of government under David) was not squeaky-clean. A few years past, a former so-called President (the 44th) said this of his administration, “not even a smidgen of corruption.” He was correct. That administration wasn’t concerned with smidgens of corruption, they were more interested in barrels, and loads, and bushels and boatloads of corruption. The most corrupt and evil group of ghouls had never before ever been forced on the people of the United States. And this same group of ghoulies, faeries and demons are now behind the green curtain pulling the levers of government. Now let me tell you what I really think about government controlled by corrupt men of renown.
   What Christ stood before was government . . . Praetorium . . . the most powerful government that ruled over the ‘known’ world through a time frame of over a thousand years . . . The Roman Empire. This Empire influenced scores of nations well after its power had diminished. And the soldiers led him away into the hall, called Praetorium; and they call together the whole band. (Mark 15:16) And they clothed him with purple, and platted a crown of thorns, and put it about his head, (Mark 15:17) The Supreme Sovereign fearlessly stood facing the sovereign power (the whole band) over the world of mankind. He, who was not only Sovereign but Servant, allowed the creatures that He had created to cloth Him with the purple robe of royalty for He who was Lord of all was also Servant of all. (The second gospel, the book of Mark, is the gospel of the Servant.) There were many battles that He was engaged with even before His great battle of the cross of Calvary. In the 15th Chapter of the book of Mark we have the Battle of Sovereignty of the Earth with The Supreme Sovereign of Heaven and Earth. The placement of this scene in the Praetorium in the gospel of the Elect-Servant, the gospel of Mark, is quite fitting in the contrasts in the temporary power of mankind (the Praetorium) versus the eternal power of the Godhead bodily. Christ (in the gospel of Mark) is the Elect-Servant of God, the Lord Jesus Christ quoted Isaiah in His address in Matthew, Chapter 12, verses 18 – 21.
Behold my servant, whom I uphold; mine elect, in whom my soul delighteth; I have put my spirit upon him: he shall bring forth judgment to the Gentiles. (Isaiah 42:1) He shall not cry, nor lift up, nor cause his voice to be heard in the street. (Isaiah 42:2) A bruised reed shall he not break, and the smoking flax shall he not quench: he shall bring forth judgment unto truth. (Isaiah 42:3) He shall not fail nor be discouraged, till he have set judgment in the earth: and the isles shall wait for his law. (Isaiah 42:4)
  Christ, the bodily of the Godhead, the Son of God, the High Priest of the most high God, Melchisedec, the Creator of all things, thus, the Highest of all things in His highest position took on the lowest of all positions, the position of a servant, and Elect-Servant, SENT to serve for He who was LORD over ALL was Servant of all.
  The True Sovereign of the SEEN and UNSEEN world faced off with the sovereign of man’s realm: the whole band of Romans soldiers were the SEEN forces led by the UNSEEN force of Satan. Just the phrase And the soldiers . . . and they call together the whole band allows us to understand that man’s government even through its military character acts against the SOVEREIGNTY of God. All governments are represented in Mark 15, for they mocked God as they mocked His Christ, the Lord Jesus. They did not know that they were not only being used by Satan, but God was also using them when they clothed him with purple, and platted a crown of thorns, and put it about his head. As the Son of man and as the obedient righteous Elect-Servant of God, Christ faced hundreds of hardened Roman soldiers obedient to an unrighteous military system of a deeply corrupt Senate approved by an equally corrupt populace and wrapped with the earthly robe of royalty. He was obedient to the suffering and humiliation that His own creatures placed on Him. They crowned Him with the evidence of the curse of the earth, but God crowned Him with glory and honor. But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honour; that he by the grace of God should taste death for every man. (Hebrews 2:9)
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The Court Reporter Describes the 4th Court Scene
with the Verdict of NOT GUILTY
And the soldiers platted a crown of thorns, and put [it] on his head, and they put on him a purple robe, (John 19:2)
Then came Jesus forth, wearing the crown of thorns, and the purple robe. And [Pilate] saith unto them, Behold the man! (John 19:5)
  The last gospel, the gospel of John, has the word purple documented twice, and both are in the 19th Chapter. (Number nineteen [19] is God’s perfect order [10] connected to judgment [9].) The first mention in verse 2 clearly reveals the adversaries as soldiers, Roman soldiers, warriors sworn to serve a tyrannical government. Those who serve the enemies of God are soldiers of the UNSEEN tyrannical realm, The first thing that should be noticed is the crown of thorns, that is God’s correct order, the curse on the earth was the reason why God SENT His Son, the royal Prince of life (Acts 3:15), and Prince and Savior (Acts 5:31) covered with the purple robe as Sovereign and Ruler over heaven and earth.
Then Pilate therefore took Jesus, and scourged him. (John 19:1)
And the soldiers platted a crown of thorns, and put it on his head, and they put on him a purple robe, (John 19:2)
And said, Hail, King of the Jews! and they smote him with their hands. (John 19:3)
Pilate therefore went forth again, and saith unto them, Behold, I bring him forth to you, that ye may know that I find no fault in him. (John 19:4)
Then came Jesus forth, wearing the crown of thorns, and the purple robe. And Pilate saith unto them, Behold the man! (John 19:5)
When the chief priests therefore and officers saw him, they cried out, saying, Crucify him, crucify him. Pilate saith unto them, Take ye him, and crucify him: for I find no fault in him. (John 19:6)
The Jews answered him, We have a law, and by our law he ought to die, because he made himself the Son of God. (John 19:7)
When Pilate therefore heard that saying, he was the more afraid;Â (John 19:8)Â
And went again into the judgment hall, and saith unto Jesus, Whence art thou? But Jesus gave him no answer. (John 19:9)
Then saith Pilate unto him, Speakest thou not unto me? knowest thou not that I have power to crucify thee, and have power to release thee? (John 19:10)
Jesus answered, Thou couldest have no power at all against me, except it were given thee from above: therefore he that delivered me unto thee hath the greater sin. (John 19:11)
And from thenceforth Pilate sought to release him: but the Jews cried out, saying, If thou let this man go, thou art not Caesar’s friend: whosoever maketh himself a king speaketh against Caesar. (John 19:12)
When Pilate therefore heard that saying, he brought Jesus forth, and sat down in the judgment seat in a place that is called the Pavement, but in the Hebrew, Gabbatha. (John 19:13)
And it was the preparation of the passover, and about the sixth hour: and he saith unto the Jews, Behold your King! (John 19:14)
But they cried out, Away with him, away with him, crucify him. Pilate saith unto them, Shall I crucify your King? The chief priests answered, We have no king but Caesar. (John 19:15)
  This was the world of justice ignored, the world of truth refused, the world where expediency is the goal, and the world where fear rules . . . this also describes our world today. Pilate feared for his position, and the chief priests (the religionists) feared for their positions knowing that the Man wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe was the Son of God, yet they chose to fight against God . . . he made himself the Son of God.
  Thousands of years after this court room scene when the chief priests of the Jews arranged to condemn an innocent Man, they still to this second refuse to admit to their travesty. They continue to lie to themselves and to their nation that although the Governor had declared Jesus INNOCENT of their charges, they adamantly prevented His release, BUT chose instead a murderer to be set free. To this day, the Jewish religious leaders are working to form laws to make it a crime to even mention the name of Jesus. Yes, they STILL FEAR His name, even today. Yes, they feared then for their powerful positions, and they still FEAR today that even the mention of His name, Jesus, will draw people to question, to search and to be led to the Son of God, the Lord Jesus Christ. The same fear that these reprobate religious individuals cower with is the same fear expressed thousands of years past as documented in John 11:48, If we let him thus alone, all men will believe on him: and the Romans shall come and take away both our place and nation. This is the difference between religion and Christianity. Religion is ALL about CONTROL, POWER and MONEY. Religion is ALL about PLACE and STANDING. What in the world would religionists do if their robes of purple were removed from them? They would probably have to work for a living! Oh me, Oh my, what would they do if they could no longer rule over the SOULS of mankind? The robes of purple and sovereignty are more important to the religionist than truth and obedience to God. In fact, the truth of God does not concern them, it has always been and will always be their own place and standing in the hearts and minds of their skinned flock . . . and they love to have it so.
  Twice, the Holy Spirit of God, discloses that Pilate KNEW that the chief priests ENVIED the Lord Jesus Christ, For he knew that for envy they had delivered him. (Matthew 27:18) For he knew that the chief priests had delivered him for envy. (Matthew 15:10) The spiritual things that occur in the natural material world, FIRST began in the UNSEEN supernatural realm of God. It was through ENVY of the High Priest of God, Melchisedec, in the heavenlies that Lucifer sought to remove and to replace Melchisedec from His position as High Priest of the most high God, possessor of heaven and earth. BUT the GODHEAD then and now cannot be divided. Lucifer was consumed with envy and his vanity and pride lusted (craved) after what could never be his because he had forgotten that he was merely a created angel not the Creator of angels.
For wrath killeth the foolish man, and envy slayeth the silly one. (Job 5:2) A sound heart [is] the life of the flesh: but envy the rottenness of the bones. (Proverbs 14:30) Wrath [is] cruel, and anger [is] outrageous; but who [is] able to stand before envy? (Proverbs 27:4)
Do ye think that the scripture saith in vain, The spirit that dwelleth in us lusteth to envy? (James 4:5)
CLICK HERE to read the complete article.
Men of renown is a companion piece to Giants in the Earth series.
© Copyright 2023, Mary Haigh
This article may be used, but not for gain. Freely ye have received, freely give.
All Scripture references are from the King James Bible. (KJV)