JOHN
CHAPTER 19

Jesus Sentenced to be Crucified

¹Then Pilate took Jesus and had him flogged. ²The soldiers twisted together a crown of thorns and put it on his head. They clothed him in a purple robe ³and went up to him again and again, saying, "Hail, king of the Jews!" And they struck him in the face.
⁴Once more Pilate came out and said to the Jews, "Look, I am bringing him out to you to let you know that I find no basis for a charge against him." ⁵When Jesus came out wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe, Pilate said to them, "Here is the man!"
⁶As soon as the chief priests and their officials saw him, they shouted, "Crucify! Crucify!"
But Pilate answered, "You take him and crucify him. As for me, I find no basis for a charge against him."
⁷The Jews insisted, "We have a law, and according to that law he must die, because he claimed to be the Son of God."
⁸When Pilate heard this, he was even more afraid, ⁹and he went back inside the palace. "Where do you come from?" he asked Jesus, but Jesus gave him no answer. ¹⁰"Do you refuse to speak to me?" Pilate said. "Don't you realize I have power either to free you or to crucify you?"
¹¹Jesus answered, "You would have no power over me if it were not given to you from above. Therefore the one who handed me over to you is guilty of a greater sin."
¹²From then on, Pilate tried to set Jesus free, but the Jews kept shouting, "If you let this man go, you are no friend of Caesar. Anyone who claims to be a king opposes Caesar."
¹³When Pilate heard this, he brought Jesus out and sat down on the judge's seat at a place known as the Stone Pavement (which in Aramaic is Gabbatha). ¹⁴It was the day of Preparation of Passover Week, about the sixth hour.
"Here is your king," Pilate said to the Jews.
¹⁵But they shouted, "Take him away! Take him away! Crucify him!"
"Shall I crucify your king?" Pilate asked.
"We have no king but Caesar," the chief priests answered.
¹⁶Finally Pilate handed him over to them to be crucified.

1. V1-3 - Pilate tries to satisfy the hatred of the people with a vicious, bloody scourging. This flogging, as a “light” punishment, will ultimately be ineffective to accomplish Pilate’s intention; but it will be effective in the divine design to fulfill God’s will and prophecy: “By His stripes we are healed” (Isaiah 53:5). It is also at this time that the wicked actions of the cruel, pagan Roman soldiers – under Pilate’s authority – serve to display God’s sovereign will and design: for they put upon Him a crown of thorns and a robe of purple, in bitter mockery, and bow down to Him – but in reality, the bitter pain and bloody work of Jesus Christ will turn to the greatest victory and most exalted kingship in all of history; and the mockery of the crowds will turn to true worship and praise, when Jesus is exalted above the heavens.

2. V4-9 - Pilate issues a “light” punishment, hoping to appease the Jews, and then brings Jesus before them, again declaring that he finds no fault in Jesus. Pilate says, “Here is the Man.” I wonder if Jesus appeared differently, having been beaten and flogged and dressed as a king. Do you think that no one would have recognized Him if Pilate had not told the crowd that this was Him? V6 is especially harsh, for we notice the cruelty of the Jews, who continue demand crucifixion, even after seeing the beating and mocking of their Savior. Yet for the joy set before Him, Jesus endured all this and more to come – the cross.

   Pilate declares, once again, his own innocence in this matter by offering to give Jesus back into the hands of the Jewish leaders. As none of Pilate’s schemes to deliver Christ from crucifixion have worked, the bloodthirsty mob remaining relentless as ever, he turns to Jesus again for questioning – but this time in even greater fear than before, for the people have told Him that He claims to be the Son of God, and Pilate has seen no hint of dishonesty in this Man. Maybe, Pilate must wonder, He is actually telling the truth. They’ve got Pilate between a rock and a hard place, for he is the only one with authority to crucify, and their law demands execution. If he doesn’t crucify Jesus, there will certainly be a riot, which would end his career and perhaps his life (fear). If he does crucify Jesus, he may be executing an innocent Man – and maybe worse (more fear; hell to pay?).

   Out of this fear of crucifying the Son of God, Pilate asks Jesus where He comes from, hoping to learn whether He is from God or not. Pilate may even trust Jesus for the truth at this point. But Jesus is silent, leaving a great burden upon Pilate’s shoulders, leaving him in his fear, according to the will of God. Had Jesus affirmed His divinity, Pilate may have refused to crucify him and exalted Him alongside other Roman gods, as Tiberias Caesar wished to rank Jesus among the Roman gods. But of course, Jesus silence not only fulfilled Scripture, but also led to His ordained crucifixion, which was appropriately at hand. We might learn this: If reverence for God had so much influence on an irreligious man, must not they be worse than reprobate, who now judge of divine things in sport and jest, carelessly, and without any fear? Pilate is a proof that men have naturally a sentiment of religion, which does not suffer them to rush fearlessly in any direction they choose, when the question relates to divine things.

3. V10-12 – Pilate is aggravated with Jesus’ silence, and any fear that he had upon hearing that Jesus proclaimed to be the Son of God is now gone. Fear is a good thing, but only when it drives us to faith and repentance. This, of course, was not the case for Pilate, as his fear of man is greater than his fear of God; how many have been in the same position, willing rather to deny the One who holds their destiny in His hands than to run the risk of offending those around them! Let us be sure not to fear them who kill the body but cannot kill the soul, but rather to fear Him who is able to destroy both body and soul in hell forever (Matthew 10:28)! Pilate declares that he has power over Jesus to put Him to death, and Jesus replies that his power is granted to him from above.

   At this point, once again, we have an indication that, behind all the unjust actions of men, God’s sovereign will is holding sway – for it is only God who gave Pilate the authority to crucify Jesus, and therefore, the event has occurred by God’s sovereign decree. Some suggest that since Pilate’s weak and cowardly actions are not in active pursuit of Christ’s unjust death, his guilt is less than that of the Jews who are actively seeking Jesus’ crucifixion – but we should certainly not understand Jesus’ statement in v11 to mean that Pilate has no guilt at all. Jesus directly attacks the Jews and indirectly censures Pilate, who complies with their wicked desire – all according to the will of God to crush His own Son for us.

   Notice Pilate’s response recorded in v12. His modesty is commendable; when he is severely reproved by Jesus, he does not fly into a passion, but, on the contrary, is still more disposed to release him. He is a judge, and yet he meekly permits the accused person to be his reprover. He tried to set Jesus free, but the people showed their control over by threatening rebellion against him for the sake of Caesar. This, of course, was nonsense, but the Jews, as we have already seen, were willing to use whatever tactic at their disposal, however lawless it may have been, to gain victory over Jesus. They didn’t realize that their evil was His victory over sin.

4. V13-16 – Pilate’s mental torment reached the boiling point long ago in this encounter with Jesus and the Jews. He must have been stressed beyond measure. We’d like to think that we would have done the right thing had we been in Pilate’s shoes, but the reality is that we have been in similar circumstance and failed just the same. Can you think of an example where you had to choose to let your light shine before men or choose to keep your light hidden under a bushel? Lord, forgive us, like your servant Peter, for the countless times that we’ve failed You. We do love You, and we want to show it. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak. We are so glad to be called Your children, for we know that You – the faithful One – will never abandon us.

   When John details the location of Pilate’s sentencing of Jesus, he does so for an illustrative purpose. “Gabbatha” meant “the lofty place,” and of course, it is fitting that innocent Jesus would be condemned to die from on high. For on the last day, He will come from the lofty place not to condemn but to acquit us, the guilty ones who deserve what He suffered on our behalf. Isn’t the unity of Scripture amazing! The portraits are so vibrant (Hebrews 4:12). Next in v14-15, we are once again reminded of how the wicked actions of men, unintentionally to them, are used by God to display His own plan. When the Jews shout that Caesar is their only king, they show their disdain for God. And Pilate, with a sarcasm designed to display the hypocrisy of the Jews who claimed that Jesus should be crucified because Caesar was their only king, cries out to them, “Here is your king!” In Pilate’s ironic rebuke of the Jews, God the Father proclaims to all those watching that this Man, whom they are crucifying, is indeed their King and Lord.

   The gospel writers appear to differ, and even contradict each other, in the computation of time. The synoptic gospels say that the darkness came on about the sixth hour, while Christ was hanging on the cross (Matthew 27:45; Mark 15:33; Luke 23:44). Mark 15:25 says that it was the third hour when the sentence was pronounced on Jesus. But this may be explained like this: The day was at that time divided into four parts, as the night also contained four watches; in consequence of which, the authors sometimes allot not more than four hours to each day, and extend each hour to three, and, at the same time, reckon the space of an hour, which was drawing to a close, as belonging to the next part. According to this calculation, John relates that Christ was condemned about the sixth hour, because the time of the day was drawing towards the sixth hour, or towards the second part of the day. Hence we infer that Christ was crucified at or about the sixth hour; for, as John mentions v20, the place was near to the city. The darkness began between the sixth and ninth hour, and lasted till the ninth hour, at which time Jesus died.

   We see from this passage that Jesus is despised by the world – just as prophesied. And we were once part of that “world” that despised Jesus. Maybe we didn’t do anything violent, like scourging another man, but the reality is that we did it – because we’ve done it in our heart. We’ve hated. And by evidence of our sin, we’ve hated Jesus. We’re the ones responsible for His suffering and painful death. But amazingly, this was all according to God’s eternal plan. And Jesus fulfilled that plan and purpose of God to perfection. Pilate reveals Jesus’ identity twice: v5, “Here is the Man,” and v14, “Here is your King.” And finally, the Man, our King, is pronounced repeatedly, “Not guilty!” Yet He is ultimately condemned and crucified on the basis of two charges: treason and blasphemy. What’s the significance? It’s that these are precisely the charges that are leveled by God against you and me. Treason – because we have refused to have Him as King; and blasphemy – because we have made ourselves to be God. It’s what Martin Luther called the great exchange: the innocent for guilty.

The Crucifixion

¹⁷So the soldiers took charge of Jesus. Carrying his own cross, he went out to the place of the Skull (which in Aramaic is called Golgotha). ¹⁸Here they crucified him, and with him two others--one on each side and Jesus in the middle.
¹⁹Pilate had a notice prepared and fastened to the cross. It read:|sc JESUS OF NAZARETH, THE KING OF THE JEWS. ²⁰Many of the Jews read this sign, for the place where Jesus was crucified was near the city, and the sign was written in Aramaic, Latin and Greek. ²¹The chief priests of the Jews protested to Pilate, "Do not write 'The King of the Jews,' but that this man claimed to be king of the Jews."
²²Pilate answered, "What I have written, I have written."
²³When the soldiers crucified Jesus, they took his clothes, dividing them into four shares, one for each of them, with the undergarment remaining. This garment was seamless, woven in one piece from top to bottom.
²⁴"Let's not tear it," they said to one another. "Let's decide by lot who will get it."
This happened that the scripture might be fulfilled which said,
   "They divided my garments among them
       and cast lots for my clothing."^[1] So this is what the soldiers did.
²⁵Near the cross of Jesus stood his mother, his mother's sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. ²⁶When Jesus saw his mother there, and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby, he said to his mother, "Dear woman, here is your son," ²⁷and to the disciple, "Here is your mother." From that time on, this disciple took her into his home.

The Death of Jesus

²⁸Later, knowing that all was now completed, and so that the Scripture would be fulfilled, Jesus said, "I am thirsty." ²⁹A jar of wine vinegar was there, so they soaked a sponge in it, put the sponge on a stalk of the hyssop plant, and lifted it to Jesus' lips. ³⁰When he had received the drink, Jesus said, "It is finished." With that, he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.
³¹Now it was the day of Preparation, and the next day was to be a special Sabbath. Because the Jews did not want the bodies left on the crosses during the Sabbath, they asked Pilate to have the legs broken and the bodies taken down. ³²The soldiers therefore came and broke the legs of the first man who had been crucified with Jesus, and then those of the other. ³³But when they came to Jesus and found that he was already dead, they did not break his legs. ³⁴Instead, one of the soldiers pierced Jesus' side with a spear, bringing a sudden flow of blood and water. ³⁵The man who saw it has given testimony, and his testimony is true. He knows that he tells the truth, and he testifies so that you also may believe. ³⁶These things happened so that the scripture would be fulfilled: "Not one of his bones will be broken,"^{[2] 37}and, as another scripture says, "They will look on the one they have pierced."^[3]

The Burial of Jesus

³⁸Later, Joseph of Arimathea asked Pilate for the body of Jesus. Now Joseph was a disciple of Jesus, but secretly because he feared the Jews. With Pilate's permission, he came and took the body away. ³⁹He was accompanied by Nicodemus, the man who earlier had visited Jesus at night. Nicodemus brought a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about seventy-five pounds.^{[4] 40}Taking Jesus' body, the two of them wrapped it, with the spices, in strips of linen. This was in accordance with Jewish burial customs. ⁴¹At the place where Jesus was crucified, there was a garden, and in the garden a new tomb, in which no one had ever been laid. ⁴²Because it was the Jewish day of Preparation and since the tomb was nearby, they laid Jesus there.

Again, this is a lengthy, drawn out view of the Holy of Holies, our final destination in the tour of the tabernacle that John has given us in his gospel. And John most certainly is aware of Mark’s gospel, and maybe Matthew’s and Luke’s as well. So he doesn’t include all the details that they offer. He simply glories in the cross. Jesus is exalted as He is lifted up on the cross. This, it could be said, begins the climax of John’s gospel – the glory of the cross. Christians stand in awe at the cross; and outsiders may consider it strange – like cherishing a golden electric chair or guillotine. But it was at that cross that our salvation was purchased. And so just as our Savior endured the cross for the joy set before Him, so we glory in it as well.

1. V17-22 - Here at Golgotha, the spotless Lamb of God was numbered among the transgressors (Isaiah 53:12), because, indeed, He had our transgressions upon Him. Jesus, whose only “fault” was that He was the King of the Jews, died so that we might live. The King of the world was proclaimed to be King in the most important languages of the time (Hebrew, or Aramaic, Greek, and Latin), just as His kingship would soon be proclaimed in every tongue, and to every kindred, people, and nation (Revelation 5:9-10). Hebrew or Aramaic represented the official language of Judea. Latin represented the official language of the Roman Empire. And Greek represented common street language of the day. It is almost certain that this multiple language sign was uncommon. It was God’s will that all nations would be able to know that Jesus is the King of the Jews. It is for this reason that we engage in translating the Scriptures in the languages of every tribe, tongue, people, and nation, that God would draw all men unto Himself by His word. Similarly to where John points out that Caiaphas prophesied accurately though he didn’t mean to, here John points out that Pilate’s sign did not meet the Jews’ demands, but it also an accurate declaration of the Person of Jesus. The Jews didn’t want the sign to read what it read. But God overrode their desires to bring His will to pass.

   The trials of the cross are illustrated here as a symbol of the King’s enthronement ceremony. Jesus is enthroned in the opposite way that you might expect in a coronation ceremony. In our view, a king gets a robe and is shown to the throne, makes a few first declarations in power, and sits down to reign triumphantly. Jesus, however, was exalted to glory in quite a different manner. He was disrobed and nailed to a tree; He made a few final declarations in compassion; and He hung to die and to be buried in darkness.

2. V23-24 - John reveals here the King’s disrobing. Here at Golgotha, or Calvary, all the prophecies of God were fulfilled, including prophecies related to our peace and justification, even down to the most minor detail of what would become of His garments (John 19:24; Psalm 22:18). Remember when Jesus washed the disciples feet, He took off His outer robe, and we noted that as a sign of humiliation. Well this is the greatest humiliation, because in all likelihood, Jesus was nailed to the cross buck-naked. It may be appalling to think about Jesus having nothing to cover His shame; but do you remember the last thing that the Bible says before the description of mankind’s fall? Adam and Eve were naked, and they were not ashamed; they had nothing to be embarrassed about. Clothing comes after the fall. John is saying, as he brings all of these strands of biblical teaching together, that Jesus on the cross is going back to the beginning. He’s going back to where Adam was; He’s going to the cross having fulfilled all righteousness, having obeyed the covenant of works that Adam had broken. And He’s going there as naked as Adam was in the Garden of Eden. But unlike Adam, He’s covered with sin. He’s covered with our sin. He’s bearing Adam’s shame and guilt, and He’s meeting the unmitigated judgment of God. Christ was stripped of His garments, that He might clothe us with righteousness; His naked body was exposed to the insults of men, that we may appear in glory before the judgment-seat of God.

   Apart from this event, we are hopeless and helpless, lost in shame and guilt; because of this event, we are more than conquerors, and possessors of every blessing, far more than we could ever imagine (Romans 8:37; Ephesians 1:3; 1 Corinthians 2:9).

3. V25-27 - Notice the women present at this horrible place; they reveal their genuine love for Jesus by their presence. V25-30 serve as John’s illustration of the King’s last acts. Note the first of three sayings that John records Jesus saying from the cross, “Woman, behold your son.” This demonstrates that, as Jesus hung upon the cross, He was intentionally aware of those individuals for whom He was dying, and was actively working to secure their good. We ought to devote ourselves to the interests of men, so as not in any degree to interfere with the worship and obedience which we owe to God. When we have obeyed God, it will then be the proper time to think about parents, and wife, and children; as Christ attends to His mother, but it is after that He is on the cross, to which He has been called by His Father’s decree.

   Jesus here provides for the welfare of His own mother, entrusting her to the care of His beloved disciple John, as He was about to leave (at this time, one must remember, Jesus’ own brothers were not yet believers, and may have not even been in Jerusalem). “Woman” is a polite term, but Jesus is speaking to her not as her Son, but as her King. And John obeys Jesus. In the same way, Jesus is concerned to take care of every one of His followers, and provides for their individual good, even in the smallest matters. How encouraging this should be for us! Jesus did not only die for the Church as a whole – He died for every person within that Church, and He loves each one individually. There are times when He speaks to us as a brother, and there are times when He speaks to us as children. He never speaks to us as enemies, because of what He has done. While we were still enemies, Christ died for the ungodly.

4. V28-30 - Some time later, after the events described by the other gospel writers happened, Jesus knew that His work had been accomplished. He had felt the abandonment of His Father on our behalf. Remember His outcry, “My God, My God why have You forsaken Me?” And now, Jesus, having intentionally fulfilled every prophecy down to the smallest detail, professes His thirst so that the prophecies of Psalm 22:15 and Psalm 69:21 might be fulfilled. Out of Jesus flows the living water of life, and yet He thirsts. He thirsts, so we don’t have to. He said in John 7, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink.” He pours out of Himself the water of life, and He thirsts for us. In this short statement, “I thirst,” Jesus signals the forthcoming outpouring of the Holy Spirit on the Day of Pentecost.

   John points out a customary item present at crucifixion – the jar of wine vinegar. It is thought that this was a beverage (gall) intended to accelerate the death of a criminal who had been tortured enough. They gave it to Jesus, and He took it. Some are perplexed at this event, but it is easily explained. Jesus had done all that He was instructed to do. The only thing left to do was die, and there was nothing prohibiting that from coming more swiftly. He had borne the full extent of God’s wrath against the elect, and that’s why He said, “It is finished.” And He bowed His head and gave up His spirit.

   We recognize in Jesus’ final word, tetelestai, “It is finished,” that there is nothing left to be done for our justification (except the resurrection) – God’s plan for redemption has been fully and finally completed, and we who have trusted in Jesus are secure forevermore! When Jesus said on the cross, “It is finished,” He was making a definite assertion that no price remained to be paid for our redemption; He had suffered God’s full wrath against our sins, and He had satisfied the law’s fullest demands for justice. The word means, “Paid in full.” Everything that contributes to the salvation of men is to be found in Christ and ought not to be sought anywhere else.

   However, this did not mean that the story of redemption was complete: for even though Jesus had made satisfaction for sin, the final seal of the efficacy of that satisfaction and of His eternal victory over death and the grave (sin’s bitter effects), was yet to come, three days later. The resurrection of Christ is the necessary conclusion to His sacrificial death. If His death really did overcome sin and its results; if it really did deal the deathblow to the Serpent who had waged war against mankind by tempting them to sin; then it was impossible that death should hold Him (Acts 2:22-28). Jesus won the victory on the cross; but the victory that He won was displayed three days later in His resurrection from the dead. In His death, He won for all of His children an eternal, resurrection life. To borrow the title of John Owen’s outstanding work, we have certainly encountered “the death of death in the death of Christ.”

5. V31-37 - Jesus is now dead; and in His death, we have the fulfillment of the last prophecies (Because He died more quickly than expected, though completely in accordance with God’s prescribed will, His bones were not broken, Psalm 34:20; yet, like God was pierced by Israel’s disobedience, as in, “His Spirit was deeply grieved,” Jesus too was pierced, Zechariah 12:10), as well as the final picture of what His death accomplished. The blood that flowed from His pierced side was for our justification, or absolution from guilt; and the water that flowed from His pierced side was for our sanctification, or purification from sins.

6. V38-42 - Here is the picture of the King’s royal burial. Joseph (a wealthy senator) and Nicodemus, perhaps secret disciples for some time, now come out of the closet and take their stand with the King. They take their stand with a dead corpse, because they realize – fully at His quickening death – that He is the King. He is worthy of a King’s burial. And we take our stand with a dead corpse as well, according to the world. You see, they don’t believe that Jesus conquered the grave. And so He’s dead. They’re looking for His bones all the time. Why? So they can conquer Christianity once and for all. Without the resurrection, we are to be pitied the most of all men. Yet His bones they’ll never find. For He is risen. Now, Jesus is truly dead; and the final witness to this truth is His burial in the tomb of Joseph of Arimathea (thus fulfilling the prophecy of Isaiah 53:9). But the tomb cannot hold Him for long – soon He will rise again, the eternal Victor over sin, death, and the grave!

Footnotes

1. 19:24 Psalm 22:18
2. 19:36 Exodus 12:46; Num. 9:12; Psalm 34:20
3. 19:37 Zech. 12:10
4. 19:39 Greek a hundred litrai (about 34 kilograms)

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Bible text from Gospelcom.net.  Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society.

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