Jesus is stripped of his garments

By A.Vonn Hartung

Once again, we see Jesus as the center of attention. Of all the humiliations he has been given, this, in some ways, is the greatest. He is stripped in a way that He is feeling naked, but in His nakedness and through whatever indignity He is feeling, God is showing the beauty and strength of the human body, and the physical beauty of His son. This I wanted to portray, as so many times Jesus is shown as effeminate. He was a powerful worker, a carpenter in the sense that He did many tasks with His father Joseph. He stands in great dignity as the king He is, not the condemned, cowed criminal His tormentors would like Him to be. Here we see the conclusion of the Centurion's conversion, as he stands to Jesus’ right, pulling off His robe. He looks up to God, realizing his complicity in the torture and execution of this innocent and seemingly divine man. It will be this Centurion whom we will hear speak the words in Mark 15:39 upon seeing Jesus breathe His last breath on the Cross (“Truly this man was the Son of God!”)