What Jesus Did! 'Innocent but Flogged' — John 19:1

Friday, November 20, 2026

[After the people called for Barabbas to be released,] Pilate had Jesus flogged with a lead-tipped whip.
— John 19:1 NLT

Key Thought

Pilate believed Jesus was innocent, but had him flogged! It was a political move for Pilate. It was torture for Jesus. Having your back beaten and chunks of skin ripped out each time the whip struck was horrific punishment. Pilate thought the flogging would appease the blood-lust of the mob. It did not. Instead, flogging Jesus only set the stage for worse tortures that would be inflicted on him. So often, we read about people who have been touched by a disaster or a catastrophe. Because we don't know these people, the reality of their suffering doesn't really register. However, Jesus knows their suffering and their pain! They are not just faceless names on another casualty list to Jesus - they are very real, individual people; Jesus knows about them! And when we are those faceless unknown sufferers to thousands of others, we can be assured that our hardships and anguish matter to the one whom Pilate had flogged!

Today's Prayer

Holy God, thank you that you know me. Thank you that you care personally for me and my pain, suffering, struggles, temptations, tragedies, hurts, illnesses, anxieties, wounds, and weariness. In a world where I often feel like just a number, I thank you that I am always intimately and personally loved by you. I offer you my thanks in the name of the one who personally loved each individual he met, Jesus. Amen.

Related Scripture Readings

Have thoughts on this devotional? Leave a comment

Illustration

Illustration of John 19:1 NLT — [After the people called for Barabbas to be released,] Pilate had Jesus flogged with a lead-tipped whip.

Other Devotionals from Heartlight for Friday, November 20, 2026

Daily Wisdom
A daily devotional featuring wise counsel found in Scripture.
Proverbs 25:21
"If your enemy is hungry, give him food to eat; if he is thirsty, give him water to drink."
Morning & Evening
The classic twice-daily devotional from Charles H. Spurgeon.
Morning Thought: Isaiah 48:10
"Comfort thyself, tried believer, with this thought: God saith, "I have chosen thee in the furnace of affliction." Does not the word come like a soft....."
Unstoppable!
A one-year devotional guide through the book of Acts.
'What to Do When Threatened' (Acts 4:23-24)
"As soon as they were freed, Peter and John returned to the other believers and told them what the leading priests and elders had said. When they heard..."
God's Holy Fire
A daily devotional about the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives.
'The New Covenant of Life' (2 Co. 3:5-6)
"It is not that we think we are qualified to do anything on our own. Our qualification comes from God. He has enabled us to be ministers of his new covenant...."

About This Devotional

What Jesus Did! is a series of one-year devotional guides through each gospel, using one short scripture passage each day and following the Gospel in sequential order. Each devotional consists of a scripture passage and a reflection and a prayer which open up the day's scripture and show how it challenges you to live for Jesus.

What Jesus Did! is written by Phil Ware and is available in book form.

Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright ©1996, 2004, 2007, 2013, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

More What Jesus Did!