Verse 20
Normally the Romans forced criminals condemned to crucifixion to walk naked to their place of execution and flogged them along the way. [Note: Josephus, Antiquities of . . ., 19:4:5.] Evidently the soldiers concluded that Jesus would not live through such treatment in view of the abuse that He had already suffered. Therefore they put His own garments back on Him.
Mark’s original readers faced subjection to similar mockery and abuse from pagan authorities. This pericope would have been an encouragement to them to remain faithful to Jesus. Jesus allowed other people to treat Him as a servant because this was a part of His obedience to God (cf. 1 Peter 5:6-7).
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