2 Chronicles 12:1-13:22; Ezekiel 35:1-36:15; John 13:31-14:14
Then came Jesus forth, wearing the crown of thorns, and the purple robe. John 19:5
And a certain woman named Lydia, a seller of purple. Acts 16:14
Archaeologists in Israel recently discovered a piece of fabric dyed a vivid purple. Tabernacle coverings included a purple dye. Lydia, of Thyatira, sold purple dye for a living. The dye, recovered from a tiny gland in shellfish, was more expensive than gold due to the lengthy production process. Our Lord was given a crown of thorns and a purple robe in mockery. Marvellous to think that just as a cloth with purple in it covered the Divine presence in the tabernacle, so too was the Holy One of God covered with a purple robe.—Brian Powlesland
Crowned with thorns upon the tree, silent in Thine agony;
Dying, crushed beneath the load, of the wrath and curse of God. —H. Gratton Guiness