The Soldiers Mock Jesus

Mark 15:16-20

The Sacred Geometry Story

This pericope has 5 verses, 17 phrases, 69 words, and 13 sacred geometry diagrams. The last verse of the previous parable mentions Jesus was scourged (Mk 15:15b) but the diagram does not shows it or say where it happened. The new parable begins after Jesus was scourged. He was then led into the praetorium courtyard to be mocked by the whole cohort. They dressed him in purple and placed a woven wreath of thorns on him. Only Roman emperors wore purple robes and were crowned with a solid gold laural wreath diadem. The soldiers then saluted Jesus in his faux Royal regalia so they could mock him as the King of the Jews. They then struck his head with a rod which resembled a royal scepter. They spit on him to imitate sprinkling a new king with holy water. Then they got down on their knees as a sign of worshipping their new king as a god. When they finished mocking him they slipped him out of the purple and back into his old garments. Then they led him out to be crucified.

The Setting: the courtyard, the pratorium of Pilate.

The Characters: Jesus, a cohort of Roman soldiers.

The Signs for the "many things" mentioned in this parable: a courtyard called the praetorium, a cohort of Roman soldiers, a purple, a thorny wreath, saluting, a reed, spit, kneeling, mock worshipping, garments, a cross.