Ecce Homo

Basic Info

John 19:5

In John’s account of the Trial before Pilate, the Scourging and the Crowning with Thorns and Mocking all occur in the middle of the trial. After all this punishment occurs, Pilate is hoping he has satisfied the crowd’s anger at Jesus and again tries to release Jesus. He brings a bloody Jesus, still wearing the crown of thorns, out to the crowd and says, “Ecce Homo,” which is translated into English as “Behold the Man.”

Devotional images are used by Christians for their personal piety or private worship practices. Throughout Church history, there have been periods when communal devotion was more popular and times when personal devotion was more popular. Even within denominations, we see such pendulum swings. Someone devoted to an Ecce Homo image could focus their prayerful reflection on Jesus’ vulnerable aloneness in this moment, the extent of his suffering, or that he went through all this out of love for the devoted person.

Historical Notes

Ecce Homo artworks are similar in composition to another popular devotional theme, the Man of Sorrows. Ecce Homo depicts Jesus Christ after being beaten but before being crucified. The Man of Sorrows displays the wounds of the Crucifixion in his hands, feet, and side. Occasionally, the differences between the two are not carefully honored.

What to Look For

• The wounds of the scourging / whipping
• The thorniness of the crown
• Jesus’ emotions / attitude after being whipped and mocked
• Whether Jesus is depicted alone or vulnerable before a crowd
• Whether Jesus is looking lovingly at the viewer

Questions to Focus a General Interpretation

Although Christian understandings of the specificity of salvation vary from denomination to denomination, they all acknowledge the intensity of Jesus’ final hours. Ecce Homo artworks offer the viewer an opportunity to reflect on that intensity. They boil it down to essences. Does this particular artwork emphasize the physical pain, the aloneness, the vulnerability, the love of Jesus / God for humanity that he would do this, or some other essence of the event?

Questions to Guide a Personal Interpretation

Does this artwork tap into the strongest essence for you regarding Jesus’ journey toward his death? Does it have the power to move you? Can you name why or why not?

Questions to Suggest a Historical Interpretation



An artwork may be very moving for the people of its day but not have the power to move viewers of another generation or era. Has this artwork stood the test of time? Can it still move the viewer to feel Jesus’ pain and aloneness?