John 19

So then Pilate took Jesus and had him whipped.

19:1 We see how much Pilate cared for truth – he ordered punishment for a person he knew was completely innocent.⚜

2 And the soldiers twisted together a crown of thorns and put it on his head. And they put on him a purple robe, 3 and said, “Hail, King of the Jews!” and they struck him with their hands.

4 Then Pilate went out again, and said to them, “Look, I am bringing him out to you, so that you may know that I find no fault in him”.

5 Then Jesus came out, wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe. And Pilate said to them, “See the man!”

19:5 Pilate’s purpose was to show how absurd it was to accuse Jesus of leading a rebellion against Rome. And so he tries to display Him as weak and helpless, more deserving of pity than condemnation and crucifixion.⚜

6 So when the chief priests and officers saw him, they cried out, saying, “Crucify him! Crucify him!” Pilate said to them, “You take him and crucify him, for I find no fault in him”.

19:6 Nothing would move the hearts of these hardened sinners to show compassion or to seek justice. When Pilate told them to crucify Jesus he must have been speaking with anger and sarcasm. Both he and they knew that they had no authority to crucify anyone (John 18:31).⚜

7 The Jews answered him, “We have a Law, and by our Law he ought to die, because he made himself the Son of God”.

19:7 This too showed their utter disregard for truth. They were twisting the law (Lev 24:16). It is true that if Jesus (or anyone else) was not really God’s Son and yet said He was God’s Son, or God, He was a blasphemer and worthy of death. But all the evidence pointed to the truth that He really is God’s Son, and since that is true there was no law forbidding Him to say so. See also John 5:18; 10:31-36; Matt 26:63-66.⚜

8 Therefore, when Pilate heard that statement, he was even more afraid,

19:8 The Romans on the whole were a superstitious people and believed in a great many gods. They believed also that the gods sometimes came down as men, and that in such cases it was not easy to recognize them. It is likely that Pilate began to fear that the innocent, dignified, patient Jesus was some kind of “god”.⚜

9 and went back into the palace and said to Jesus, “From where are you?” But Jesus gave him no answer.

19:9 Jesus had already told Pilate from where He had come and why He had come (John 18:36-37). He had no more to say about this to a person who did not want the truth.⚜

10 Then Pilate said to him, “You are not speaking to me? Don’t you know that I have power to crucify you and power to release you?”

19:10 It seems that Pilate’s pride was offended. The rulers of this world often like to think they are great and powerful and can do as they please.⚜

11 Jesus answered, “You could have no power at all against me unless it were given to you from above. Therefore he who handed me over to you has the greater sin”.

19:11 Jesus is not silent about Pilate’s mistaken view of things. “From above” means from heaven, from God. God is the great king over all the earth and Pilate could do nothing if God did not permit it. Compare Ps 2; 47:1-2; Isa 40:21-23; Dan 4:34-35. Pilate sinned grievously in all this, but the one who handed Jesus over to Pilate (Caiaphas the high priest – John 18:28) sinned even more. In committing sin there can be various degrees of guilt. Compare Luke 12:47-48.⚜

12 And from then on Pilate tried to release him, but the Jews cried out, saying, “If you let this man go, you are not Caesar’s friend. Whoever makes himself a king is denying Caesar”.

19:12 It seems Pilate became convinced that Jesus was at the very least a man of God, and he worried about putting Him to death. Caesar was the emperor of the Roman Empire, the person who had appointed Pilate as governor of Judea. If Caesar thought Pilate was opposing him and promoting some kind of rebellion, it would be the end of Pilate, and Pilate well knew it.⚜

13 Therefore, when Pilate heard that statement, he brought Jesus out and sat down on the judgment seat in a place that is called the Pavement, but in Hebrew, Gabbatha. 14 And it was the day of The Preparation of the Passover, and about six o’clock. And he said to the Jews, “See your King!”

15 But they cried out, “Away with him! Away with him! Crucify him!” Pilate said to them, “Shall I crucify your King?” The chief priests answered, “We have no king but Caesar”.

16 So then he handed him over to them to be crucified. And they took Jesus and led him away.

19:16 Pilate knew Jesus was innocent and he was afraid he was making a grave mistake. It was his duty to judge justly. But his knowledge, fears, and duties were as nothing before another fear he had – the fear of offending Caesar and losing his position. Being gripped by that fear, truth and justice had no chance with him (compare Prov 29:25). Pilate did not have the fear of the Lord which would have kept him from condemning the innocent. Anyone who fears men more than God, or loves his position more than truth is in terrible spiritual peril and in grave danger of God’s judgment.⚜

Christ on the cross

17 And he, bearing his cross, went out to a place called The Place of a Skull, which is called Golgotha in Hebrew.

18 There they crucified him, and two others with him, one on each side and Jesus in the middle.

19 And Pilate wrote an inscription and had it put on the cross. And this is what was written:

JESUS OF NAZARETH THE KING OF THE JEWS.

20 Then many of the Jews read this inscription, for the place where Jesus was crucified was near the city, and it was written in Hebrew, Greek, and Latin.

21 Then the Jewish chief priests said to Pilate, “Don’t write, ‘The King of the Jews’, but, ‘He said, I am the King of the Jews.’ ”

22 Pilate answered, “What I have written, I have written”.

19:17-22 Matt 27:31-38. John says Jesus carried His own cross. He started out with it, but along the way the soldiers compelled someone else to carry it. Only John mentions that the “accusation” against Jesus was written in three languages, and that the Jews protested to Pilate about the wording of it. God used Pilate to write a truth Pilate himself did not understand, for Jesus was indeed the Messiah of Israel, the great King promised in the Old Testament (note at Matt 1:1).⚜

23 Then the soldiers, when they had crucified Jesus, took his clothes and divided them into four parts, a part to each soldier, and also his tunic. Now the tunic was seamless, woven in one piece from the top. 24 So they said among themselves, “Let’s not tear it, but cast lots for it, to determine whose it shall be”, so that the Scripture might be fulfilled, which says,

They divided my clothing among them,

and cast lots for my garment.

Therefore the soldiers did these things.

25 Now near the cross of Jesus stood his mother, his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Cleophas, and Mary Magdalene.

19:25 This sister was probably the Salome mentioned in Mark 15:40, the mother of Zebedee’s sons, mentioned in Matt 27:56. If so, she was John’s own mother.⚜

26 Therefore when Jesus saw his mother, and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby, he said to his mother, “Woman, see your son”.

27 Then he said to the disciple, “See your mother”. And from that time that disciple took her to his own home.

28 After this, Jesus, knowing that all things were now accomplished, that the Scripture might be fulfilled, said, “I thirst”.

29 Now a jar full of sour wine was standing there, and they soaked a sponge in the sour wine, put it on a hyssop stick, and put it to his mouth.

19:28-29 See Ps 69:21. Many prophecies of the Old Testament were fulfilled in the sufferings and death of Christ. Nothing happened by accident, everything had some purpose of God. Remember that Jesus was suffering in the place of sinners, bearing their punishment (references at v 30). His thirst on the cross was a part of that. Compare Luke 16:22-24. Jesus thirsted that believers might have the water of life (John 4:14; 7:37-38; Rev 22:17), and not thirst in eternity (Rev 7:16-17).⚜

30 So when Jesus had received the sour wine, he said, “It is finished”, and he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.

19:30 What was finished? Surely He meant that the whole purpose which brought Him into the world was accomplished (John 4:34). This purpose He Himself expressed in different words at different times. See John 3:14-17; 6:51; 10:10-11, 15, 17; 12:23-24, 31-33; 17:4; 18:11 (Matt 26:39); Matt 20:28. John the Baptist put it like this: “The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world” (John 1:29). Other writers of the New Testament put it in other words. See Rom 3:25; 5:8; 1 Cor 15:3; 2 Cor 5:15, 19; Gal 1:4; Eph 5:2; Phil 2:8; Col 1:20-22; 1 Tim 1:15; Heb 1:3; 2:14, 17; 9:12, 14, 15; 10:10, 14; 13:12; 1 Pet 2:24; 3:18; 1 John 4:9-10; Rev 1:5-6. “It is finished” means His sacrifice and sufferings for sinners were finished. He had taken away the sin of the world. He had redeemed His people with His blood. He had made salvation and liberation from sin possible for everyone. This work is finished. All that is left for sinners to do to gain salvation is to repent and truly believe the gospel (Mark 16:15-16; Luke 24:46-47). Since the work He came to do was finished, there was no need for Him to remain any longer suffering on the cross. It was a real atonement delivering salvation for all those for whom Christ died - his elect, His sheep. So, when Christ cried out, "It is finished!" He had accomplished the atonement for all who believe - His sheep. Believing is certainly what the true Christian "does", however, that faith is itself a gift of God as the Father draws His own to Himself as the bride for Jesus. Compare John 10:17-18; Luke 23:46.⚜

31 Then, because it was the Preparation Day, so that the bodies would not remain on the cross on the Sabbath (for that Sabbath was an important day), the Jews asked Pilate that their legs might be broken and that they might be taken away.

19:31 Verse 14; Deut 21:22-23. They did not want the land defiled by a dead body left overnight on the cross. They were not concerned that they themselves were horribly defiled by their murder of God’s Son. Compare John 18:28; Matt 23:24. Usually Romans left the bodies of crucified criminals on their crosses as a warning to others.⚜

32 Then the soldiers came and broke the legs of the first man and of the other who had been crucified with him. 33 But when they came to Jesus and saw that he was already dead, they did not break his legs,

19:33 The Lord Jesus died earlier than anyone expected. See Mark 15:44-45.⚜

34 but one of the soldiers pierced his side with a spear, and immediately blood and water came out.

19:34 It seems the soldiers thought there might possibly have been a spark of life left in Jesus and wanted to make sure of His death. This spear thrust alone would have killed Him if He had not died earlier. Any flow of blood and water from a body, as described here, is unusual. This event can remind us of the water of life Jesus gives (John 4:34; 7:37-38), and that His shed blood alone makes it available to us. Also we should note that in the Old Testament blood was for atonement (Lev 17:11), water was for cleansing (Ex 29:4; 30:18-20). Compare also 1 John 5:6-8.⚜

35 And he who saw this has given testimony, and his testimony is true, and he knows that he speaks the truth, so that you might believe.

19:35 It seems the writer of this Gospel is speaking of himself. As one who actually saw what happened he declares that Jesus was dead and that this unusual event occurred.⚜

36 For these things were done that this Scripture might be fulfilled:

Not one of his bones will be broken.

37 And again another Scripture says,

They will look on him whom

they pierced.

Christ’s body placed in the tomb

38 And after this, Joseph of Arimathea, being a disciple of Jesus, but secretly for fear of the Jews, asked Pilate that he might take away the body of Jesus. And Pilate gave him permission. So he came and took the body of Jesus.

39 And Nicodemus came also (the man who at first came to Jesus by night), and brought a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about a forty-five kilograms in weight. 40 Then they took the body of Jesus, and wrapped it in strips of linen, with the spices, as the custom of the Jews is in burying.

41 Now in the place where he was crucified there was a garden, and in the garden a new tomb in which no one had ever been placed. 42 So they placed Jesus there because of the Jewish Preparation Day, for the tomb was nearby.

19:38-42 See Matt 27:57-60; Mark 15:42-46; Luke 23:50-54. Only John says that Joseph had kept his faith secret while Jesus lived.⚜