The soldiers hit Jesus on the head many times with a stick. They also spit on him. Then \{they teased Jesus by\} bowing on their knees and worshiping him.
{Elijah, you are not the only faithful person in Israel. Those men will kill many people. But, even after that,} there will still be 7,000 people living in Israel that never bowed down to Baal! I will let those 7,000 people live—and none of those people ever kissed a Baal idol.
“I make this promise by my own power. And when I make a promise, that promise is true. The thing I promise will happen! And I promise that every person will bow before me (God). And every person will promise \{to follow me\}.
The Lord, the Holy One of Israel,\par the Protector of Israel says,\par “My Servant is humble.\par He serves rulers.\par But people hate him.\par But, kings will see him,\par and stand \{to honor him\}.\par Great leaders will bow down to him.”\par
Now, strong city, {\cf2\super [59]} gather your soldiers.\par They are surrounding us for the attack!\par They will hit the Judge of Israel\par on the cheek with their stick.\par
Those people will laugh at him and spit on him. They will beat him with whips and kill him. But on the third day after his death, he will rise to life again.”
Some of the people there spit at Jesus. They covered Jesus’ eyes and hit him with their fists. They said, “Be a prophet {\cf2\super [221]} and tell us who hit you!” Then the guards led Jesus away and beat him.
After they finished teasing Jesus, the soldiers took off the purple robe and put his own clothes on him again. Then they led Jesus out of the palace to be killed on a cross.
Jesus answered, “They are right to say that Elijah {\cf2\super [109]} must come first. Elijah makes all things the way they should be. But why does the Scripture {\cf2\super [110]} say that the Son of Man {\cf2\super [111]} will suffer much and that people will think he is worth nothing?
But what answer did God give Elijah? God said, “I have kept for myself 7,000 men that still worship me. These 7,000 men have not given worship to Baal. {\cf2\super [120]} ” {\cf2\super [121]}