Purple is the color of royalty. In the ancient world, it was expensive, rare, and reserved for kings and emperors. And yet, we read that soldiers put a purple robe on Jesus — not to honor Him, but to mock Him. They pressed a crown of thorns into His head and bowed down, sneering: “Hail, King of the Jews!” Purple meant power. But here, purple was used to humiliate. A crown became a weapon. A robe became a joke. This is the heart of Lent: the King we follow does not enter with parades and armies, but with humility and suffering.