John 19
perspectively Bonnie’s Notes On Dave’s Comments — John 19
I would like to add a note here. I have been in many churches where pastors have given detailed descriptions of the cruelty of the crucifixion. I do not mean to downplay it by any means, but I am a very queasy person and cannot listen to such speeches without feeling ill. There have been times when the speaking has been so graphic that I had to leave the room. Let’s not embellish too much or spend inordinate time on the physical aspects of the crucifixion. Many people died in such a way. The difference with Jesus Christ is the spiritual significance of what He suffered. The most important aspect of it is the wrath of God that was poured out on the Son to pay for our crimes. I stress this in dealing with lost people because our puny minds cannot comprehend what the Lord went through for us. Instead of trying to shock others by gruesome details, let’s focus on the uniqueness of His death and resurrection.
This chapter focuses on the event and on the Lord. We must pull things out that aren’t mentioned and use the other Gospels to collect the facts. Why the scourging (whipping)? To appease the Jews? Maybe, but Dr. Dave surmises that Pilot is a vicious man and aggravated. He can take out his frustrations on Jesus Christ physically. Perhaps he is irritated at the lack of response from the Lord in the interrogation. We will not cut him any slack here. Murder and cruelty are always wrong.
The purple robe was to mock His “royalty.” The typology of the crown of thorns — thorns being part of the curse — was that the payment to do away with the curse is embodied in Jesus Christ. The soldiers smote Him because they were cruel also. There have been myriads of cruel people in the world’s history and there still are. Of course, they are all on Satan’s team! The Romans hated the Jews and vice versa. When the council members and other Jews talk to the Romans, they don’t come into the Palace because it was Passover. They would be defiled. Pilate sees this as a disdainful attitude on their part. After all, the Romans were the conquerors and the Jews look at them with hatred. Check out Isaiah 50:6 for a prophecy about this event. In verse 5 there, we see that the Lord will not be deterred from His course.
Pilate asserts the innocence of Christ, but he refuses to release Him. He finds no fault in Him but refuses to act — “words are cheap.” What you do reflects what you really believe. Look at the parable of the two sons working in the field. Which one acted on his belief even though he said he would not go and do the work? Our world is full of Pilates!
v. 5 — “Behold the man!” Pilate unwittingly fulfills prophecy in these words. Look at Zech. 6:12. In Zech. 9:9 — “Behold thy King” is a prophecy of the Triumphal entry. Isaiah 40:9 — “Behold your God!” Isaiah 42:1 — “Behold my servant.” While Pilate is seeking to show an absurd kingly figure, his sarcastic remark speaks prophecy. Morris says, “Note how these four scenes correspond to the respective pictures of Christ in the four Gospels — “King” in Matthew, “Servant” in Mark, “Man” in Luke, “God” in John. Pilate sarcastically used two of these titles, “Behold the man” in John 19:5, and “Behold your King in John 19:14.”
Luke emphasizes the humanity of the Lord. Mark shows His many deeds while Matthew focuses on the coming kingdom and Christ’s second coming.
v. 6 — He is acquitted again! Pilate is a coward. With all of the power of Rome behind him, he could have let the Lord go, but his own political advancement rules his actions. If the Jews want the crucifixion and it keeps order in the area, so be it.
v. 7 — The Jews show their rebellion and great lack of belief as they say, “He made himself the Son of God.”
v. 8 — Pilate is afraid. He has received a warning from his wife. He recognizes the truth in his conscience. Perhaps he even thinks it is a god sent down to the Jews. Romans believed in polytheism and had many stories about the “gods” appearing as men. He certainly had been awed by Jesus’ demeanor during questioning. He may have feared that the Lord really was deity.
v. 9 — Why doesn’t Jesus answer? Maybe because Pilate is snippy and demanding.
v. 11 — Jesus’ point is that He speaks recognizable truth. It’s a very rational answer from someone who is about to die. Who delivered Him? Caiaphas sent Him to Pilate. Judas betrayed him to the council. It’s not clear exactly who is referenced here, but some sins have more consequences than others. Pilate has great sin in this situation.
v. 12 — Pilate is under conviction, but the Jews play their cards. See James 4:4. The Jews switch sides here to stroke Pilate’s ego. Jesus claims He is a King, therefore, a threat to Caesar or so the argument goes. Politics wins the day, not truth.
v. 14,15 — The sixth hour (6:00 a.m.) is Roman time. Since this was written after the event of the destruction of Jerusalem in A.D. 70 and the dispersion, and to a different audience (the whole world) the Roman time is used. Jesus was on trial through the wee hours, delivered to Pilate at about dawn and now it is 6:00 a.m. The period on the cross starts at about 9:00 a.m. From noon until 3:00 p.m. is the darkness and death. He is buried by 6:00 p.m.
Another note here: Jesus did not die on Friday! I have a whole article on this on the website. Most of the world gets it wrong. See the article for the details.
Pilate says, “Behold your king!” and gives them one last chance to change their minds. The Jews still cry for crucifixion. The Jews have a complete role reversal and acclaim Caesar. God takes them seriously and they will suffer for it by being dispersed. See Jeremiah 16:9-13 which was just before Babylon took Judah captive for some 70 years.
v. 16 — Jews and Romans both take Him. The cross symbolizes the curse as well. Golgotha is a prophecy. The major event in Genesis that typifies this is Abraham taking his son to Mount Moriah, looking forward to the cross of Christ. According to 2 Chronicles 3:1, Solomon built the temple on Mt. Moriah where God had appeared to David (1 Chron. 21:15-22:1). It’s not certain that this is the same place as Abraham, but it could be. See Rice’s commentary on John, page 371.
v. 18 — The two criminals were most likely members of Barabbas’ band. Jesus was on the middle cross in Barabbas’ place. Jesus thus hung on a cross in the place of a sinner.
v. 19-21 — The Jews don’t like the phraseology and want it changed.
v. 22 — Pilate is insulting the Jews by the words. Now he won’t be pushed. What a weakling he is and so contrary in his judgments!
v. 23 — Here another prophecy is fulfilled — Psalm 22:18. Why so much attention to the coat? Is. 61:10 — the robe of righteousness is salvation. Jesus is stripped of His righteousness so we can have it. Rev. 7:13,14 — the “dress uniform” for saints. 2 Cor. 5:21 — He took off His robe of righteousness for us. Gen. 3:10 — Sin is represented by nakedness. Matt. 22:11-13 — You have it or you don’t. There are two camps, heaven and hell. It’s binary, you are either in or out, nothing in between.
The coat was probably a gift from someone. It was made without a seam meaning it was specially woven that way and thus more valuable. Maybe Mary and Martha gave it to him. They seem to have been a wealthy family. We can only speculate on that.
v. 25 — The Lord puts His mother into the care of a believer rather than His own half brothers. He is still thinking of others even while dying!
v. 28 — Everything important that He had to accomplish is now finished.
v. 29 — See Psalm 22 and 69. Hyssop is a long stalk plant (sometimes 3-4’) with blossoms on the end to reach far. The first offerings of vinegar with gall were denied but now He accepts the vinegar. Thirst also appears in the parable of the rich man and Lazarus — John 7:37. Christ suffered thirst so we may drink of everlasting life. (Things that are recorded often connect to something else. Discovering the connections is great!)
v. 31 — This is the preparation of the high Sabbath for Passover, not the weekly Sabbath.
History reports that Andrew died in 3 days on an “X” shaped cross.
Jesus chose the time of death to coincide with the Passover lamb being sacrificed in the temple and the veil separating man from God is torn in two, top to bottom — God reaching down to us. The leg breaking was to hasten the deaths so the bodies could be taken down before Sabbath. Prophecy stated that not a bone of the Saviour was to be broken so He had already given up the Ghost. It relates to the provision that sacrificial lambs could not have blemishes and must be perfect in form.
v. 34 — See also Ps. 69:20 — “reproach hath broken my heart.” This outpouring of fluids may suggest as Morris relates that “Jesus literally died of a broken heart, with the collapse of the ruptured heart cavity resulting in separation of the watery serum from the clotted blood in the pericardium. On the other hand, Jesus’ death was supernatural; He did not die naturally like others, but voluntarily ‘gave up the ghost,’ so there may not be a natural explanation for this phenomenon. He had promised to provide ‘living water’ to those who would ‘come unto me and drink’, and the water flowing from His opened side would at least be symbolic of the ‘water of life’ that would be eternally ‘proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb’ (Rev. 22:1)”
At any rate, the flow of these fluids showed He was dead already.
v. 35 — John has written the Gospel as an eyewitness to the truth. Check out Zech. 12: 9,10. Israel will someday recognize the Messiah.
v. 38,39 — Joseph takes the body. His beliefs are set now and his actions clearly show his love for the Lord. He would have prepared the tomb ahead of time nearby knowing the time would be short. He is a Sanhedrin member (Luke 23:51) and may not have been called to the trial either. The Romans would have thrown the bodies of the dead on a heap in Gehenna. Joseph and Nicodemus go to Pilate for the body, taking a public stand for their reverence of the Lord. They already had one hundred pounds of spices and burial clothing ready.
v. 40,41 — This tomb had been specially prepared for the Lord. Joseph’s home was Arimathaea, not Jerusalem, so it would likely not have been for himself or his family. A hundred pounds of myrrh and aloes was a very expensive “gift.” This rock-hewn tomb was definitely the tomb of a rich man.
See Matt. 12:38 – 41 — Jesus had to be in the tomb 3 days and 3 nights. Jesus was buried at evening time, Wednesday, the end of the preparation period for the High Sabbath. Thus he had to rise at what we would call Saturday night. Matt. 28:13 implies that the resurrection was at night since whatever happened could be explained by night action.
~~~Bonnie