Before He was crucified, Jesus was falsely accused and mocked by the soldiers. He was also tried and cruelly treated by (1) the chief priests and elders; (2) the Tetrarch Herod; and (3) Pontius Pilate, the Roman governor. It was Pontius Pilate who condemned Him to die on the Cross as a common criminal.

“And taking the twelve, he said to them, ‘Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem, and everything that is written of the Son of man by the prophets will be accomplished. For he will be delivered to the Gentiles, and will be mocked and shamefully treated and spit upon, they will scourge him and kill him, and on the third day he will rise’” (Luke 18:31-33). But His disciples could not begin to understand this mystery of redemption (cf. Luke 18:34) until it had been accomplished (cf. Luke 24:25).

Jesus, whose very name means “Savior,” had the Cross always “before his eyes.” Jesus longed for the Cross, for by it, only, would the fire of His love be enkindled on earth (cf. Luke 12:49); by it He would “gather into one the children of God who are scattered abroad” (John 11:52).