The
scourging and crowning of Jesus, amid
the mockery of the soldiers. As
revealed to Maria
Valtorta – mystic
and victim soul.
«Let
Him be scourged» Pilate orders a centurion.
«How
many blows?»
«As
many as you like... In any case the matter is over. And I am bored.
Go.»
Jesus
is led by four soldiers to the court-yard beyond the hall. In the
middle of that court-yard […], there is a high column like the one
in the porch. At about three meters from the floor it has an iron bar
protruding at least a meter and ending with a ring, to which Jesus is
tied, with His hands joined above His head, after He has been
undressed.
He
has on only short linen drawers and sandals. His hands tied at His
wrists are raised up as far as the ring, so that, although tall, He
rests only the tips of His toes on the floor... And even that
position is a torture. I have read,
I do not know where, that
the column was low and that Jesus was bent over it. That may be. I
say what I see.
Behind
Him stands one who looks like an executioner
[…],
in front of Him, another man, looking like the previous one. They are
armed with scourges, made of seven leather strips tied to a handle
and ending with small lead hammers. They begin to strike Him
rhythmically […].
One in front and one behind, so that Jesus' trunk is in a whirl of
lashes and scourges.
The
four soldiers [...],
are
indifferent and are playing dice with another three soldiers who have
just arrived. And the voices of the players follow the rhythm of the
sound of the scourges, which hiss like snakes and then resound like
stones striking the stretched skin of a drum.
They beat the poor
body, which is so slender and as white as old ivory, and then becomes
covered with stripes that at first are a brighter and brighter pink
shade, then violet, then it displays blue swellings full of blood,
then the skin breaks letting blood flow from all sides. They redouble
their cruelty on His thorax and abdomen, but there is no shortage of
blows given to His legs, arms and even to His head, so that no
fragment of His skin may be left without pain.
And
not a moan... If He were not held up by the rope, He would fall. But
He does not fall and does not groan. Only His head hangs over His
chest, after so many blows, as if He had fainted.
Displayed in the church of Paola, Malta.
«Hey!
Stop! He must be alive when He is killed» shouts a soldier
scoffingly. The two executioners stop and wipe their perspiration.
«We
are exhausted» they say. «Give us our pay, so that we may have a
refreshing drink...»
«I
would give you the gallows! But here you are...» and a decurion
[Roman officer in charge of ten soldiers] throws a large coin to each
executioner.
«You
have done a good job. He looks like a mosaic. Titus, do you mean that
this man was really Alexander's love? We must let him know, so that
he may mourn over His death. Let us untie Him.»
They
untie Him, and Jesus falls on the floor like a dead body. They leave
Him there, pushing Him now and again with their feet […],
to see
whether He moans. But He is silent.
«Is
He dead? Is it possible? He is a young man and a handicrafts-man, so
I am told… and He looks like a delicate lady.»
«I
will take care of Him» says a soldier. And he sits Him with His back
against the column. Clots of blood appear where He was. He [the
soldier] then goes towards a fountain […], he fills a tub with
water and pours it on Jesus' head and body.
«That's
it! Water is good for flowers.»
Jesus
draws a deep sigh and tries to stand up, but His eyes are still
closed. «Oh! good. Come on, darling! Your dame is waiting for
You!...»
But
Jesus in vain presses His hands against the floor trying to stand up.
«Come
on! Quick! Are You weak? Here is some refreshment» says another
soldier sneeringly. And with the shaft of his halberd he delivers a
blow to Jesus' face striking it between the right cheekbone and the
nose, that begins to bleed. Jesus opens His eyes and looks round. His
eyes are veiled... He stares at the soldier who struck Him, wipes the
blood with His hand, and then, with much effort, He stands up.
«Get
dressed. It is immodest to stay like that. You lewd man!» They all
laugh standing around Him.
And
He obeys without speaking. But when He bends – and He alone knows
how much He suffers when stooping to the ground, contused as He is,
as His wounds open even more when the skin is stretched
[...] – a soldier
gives a kick to His garments and scatters them, and every time Jesus
reaches them, staggering to where they lie, a soldier pushes them
away or throws them in a different direction. And Jesus, suffering
bitterly, goes after them without uttering a word, while the soldiers
deride Him obscenely.
He
can dress Himself again at last. And He can put on also the white
tunic, which was left in a corner and is still clean. He seems to
wish to conceal His poor red garment, which only yesterday was so
beautiful and now is filthy with rubbish and stained with the blood
sweated at Gethsemane. Furthermore, before putting on His short vest,
He dries His wet face with it, cleaning it of dust and spittle. And
the poor holy face looks clean, marked only by bruises and small
cuts. And He tidies His hair which is hanging ruffled, and His beard,
out of an inborn need to be personally tidy. Then He squats in the
sunshine. Because my Jesus is shivering... Fever begins to torture
Him with its cold shivers. And He feels weak because of the blood He
has lost, of fasting and walking so much.
They
tie His hands once again. And the rope begins to cut into His wrists,
where the excoriated skin has left a mark like a red bracelet. «And
now? What shall we do with Him? I am bored!»
«Wait.
The Jews want a king. Now we will give them one. Him...» says a
soldier.
And
he runs out to a court
[…], from
which he comes back with a bunch of branches of wild hawthorn, still
flexible, because springtime keeps the branches relatively tender,
whilst the long sharp thorns are hard. With a dagger they remove
leaves and buds, they bend the branches forming a circle and they
place them on His poor head. But the cruel crown falls down on His
neck.
«It
does not fit. Make it narrower. Take it off.»
They
take it off and scratch His cheeks, risking to blind Him, and they
tear off His hair in doing so. They make it smaller. Now it is too
small, and although they press it down, driving the thorns into His
head, it threatens to fall. They take it off once again, tearing more
of His hair. They adjust it again. It now fits. At the front there
are three thorny cords. At the back, where the ends of the three
branches interweave, there is a real knot of thorns that penetrate
into the nape of His neck.
«Do
You see how well You look? Natural bronze and real rubies. Look at
Yourself, o king, in my cuirass» says the inventor of the torture
scoffingly.
Library of Congress
«A
crown is not sufficient to make a king. Purple and sceptre are
required. In the stable there is a cane and in the sewer there is a
red
chlamys [a woolen cloak]. Get them,
Cornelius.»
And
once they have them, they put the dirty red rag on Jesus, shoulders,
and before putting the cane in His hands, they beat His head with it,
bowing and greeting: «Hail, king of the Jews» and they roar with
laughter.
Jesus
does not react. He lets them sit Him on the «throne»: a tub turned
upside-down
[…], He
lets them strike and scoff at Him, without ever uttering a word. He
only looks at them, casting glances of such kindness and such
atrocious sorrow that I cannot bear them without feeling
heart-broken.
The
soldiers stop sneering at Him only when the harsh voice of a superior
orders them to take the guilty prisoner to Pilate. Guilty! Of what?
Jesus is taken back again to the entrance-hall […].
He
still has the crown, the chlamys and the cane.
From
chapter
604, The
Gospel as Revealed to Me,
by Maria Valtorta.
View
my recent
books on Maria Valtorta, Padre Pio, and others Here.
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