Before Pilate sentenced Jesus to be crucified, he had had Jesus scourged.   For Pilate wanted to let Jesus go.  By this inhumane punishment of scourging, Pilate thought to appease the crowds whose desire was to have Jesus executed. 

(NASB) John 19:1 “PILATE THEN took Jesus and scourged Him.” 

  Scouring: another word for the whip was ‘flagellum’.  It could have several straps tipped with bone, metal, and even glass in the ends of the ‘tails’.  Such scourging could cause the death of the one being whipped.
  The Romans did not count how many ‘stripes’ they inflicted on the man being punished.
  The whip was used with skill, force, flaying skin, cutting muscles and ligaments.  Veins were opened and Jesus endured it all.
  When Jesus prayed in the Garden only hours earlier, He knew that He would be going through the pain and the agony.  All of this was foretold by Isaiah! 

(NASB) Isaiah 53:3-5 “He was despised and forsaken of men,
A man of sorrows and acquainted with grief;
And like one from whom men hide their face
He was despised, and we did not esteem Him.
4 Surely our griefs He Himself bore,’
And our sorrows He carried;
Yet we ourselves esteemed Him stricken,
Smitten of God, and afflicted.
5 But He was pierced through for our transgressions,
He was crushed for our iniquities;
The chastening for our well-being fell upon Him,
And by His scouring we are healed.”  (Underlining added) 

  What does this mean for you and me today?  Even though this occurred about 2,000 years ago – it was prophesied about 500 years before it took place.  And it continues to affect every person! 

  “And by His scourging we are healed.”  What does this mean for you and me?
(NASB) 1 Peter 2:21-24 “for you have been called for this purpose, since Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example for you to follow in His steps,
22WHO COMMITTED NO SIN, NOR WAS ANY DECEIT FOUND IN HIS MOUTH;
23and while being reviled, He did not revile in return; while suffering, He uttered no threats, but kept entrusting Himself to Him who judges righteously;
24 and He Himself bore our sins in His body on the cross, so that we might die to sin and live to righteousness; for by His wounds you were healed.” 

  Jesus took your place and mine when He was punished; He took your sins and mine as if they were His and suffered our punishment for us. 
  God’s love in action for us!

  Jesus was scourged for you and for me!  [This is why we need Jesus as our Savior]