John Chapter 19__The End is Near

John 19 and an Effort at Harmony with the Synoptics

The Crown of Thorns

By Lane Rogers

Jesus delivered for Crucifixion

I. Verses 1-3___There is little doubt in my mind that the "flogging" of Jesus was an effort by Pilate to have Jesus set free. Having failed with his plan of amnesty which was custom (18:39-40), Pilate now thinks that this flogging will satisfy the Jews as opposed to crucifixion (Lk. 23:16). "Therefore, I will punish Him and release Him." This is the message we have from Pilate time after time with declarations that Jesus is innocent (18:38; 19:4; 19:6 and parallels, Matt. 27:23; 27:24; Mk. 15:14; Lk. 23:4; 23:13-15; 23:22).

II. The impression is given in Mk. 15:15 that Pilate sets Barabbas free and hands Jesus over to be crucified after having Him flogged. One is left thinking that the flogging takes place "after" the crucifixion sentence. However, most modern commentaries recognize that any so called difference is only a matter of translation difference. Since this is the case, Matt. Mk. and Lk. all record these events with John adding details.

III. The next question we must ask is what kind of flogging did Jesus get? It could be one of three kinds.

1. The fustigatio__A beating of less severe kind.

2. The flagellatio__a flogging more severe

3. The verberatio__a scourging, which was most terrible and was always associated with other forms of punishments including crucifixion.

The first punishment was given for lighter offenses accompanied by a magisterial warning. (Accidental harm to other people or property). There is the argument that based on Lk. 23:16, the first punishment mentioned is the kind that was inflicted on Jesus. Pilate just intended to "teach Him lesson" and then release Him. However, the accounts found in Matt. and Mk. do not reinforce this idea. The punishment inflicted on Jesus was verberatio__the most severe form.

From the Word Commentary on John__

IV. Some of the Prophetic aspects of this event!!! (Isaiah 50: 4-10)

V. Some Commentaries insist that what we are seeing as we view Jesus being mocked and thorns put on His head is the remnants of an ancient ritual of human sacrifice. (History of the Synoptic Tradition). The crown was probably intended as a caricature and not as a form of torture at least originally. Nevertheless, it must have been unspeakably painful. The "crown" probably looked more like an American Indian headdress rather than how artists have portrayed it. The use of such a crown was to signify that Jesus was decked out as a king seated on His throne. His purple cloak (it may have actually been an old shaggy rug) represented the royal dress of a king. According to the Synoptics, Jesus was also given a "stick" or a royal diadem. To the soldiers mocking Him, He was divus lesus raditus "radiant god Jesus." So the solders bowed the knee to Him as they might before any Hellenistic ruler. "Hail the king of the Jews" was no doubt a mimic of "Ave Caesar!" But instead of a kiss of homage they spat on Him and slapped His face. According to Mark and Matthew, they also hit Him on the head with the rod.

If we have a chronological account next is Judas' remorse.

Judas' Remorse and Death (Please read the content of Zechariah chapter 11 to grasp this)

Since we are studying the book of John and not the book of Matthew, we will only make a brief mention concerning Judas hanging himself as noted above in Matthew 27:3-10. No man commits suicide casually. There is a strange consistency in Judas’ final act. Because his root motivation seems to have been selfish ambition that clamored for instant solutions, he would not hesitate to eliminate anyone or anything that jeopardized his happiness.
Was Judas’ final act of self-oblivion the attempt to escape the curse for betraying the innocent for a bribe (Deut. 27:25)? Or did he even think of this? Did he remember Jesus’ fearful prophecy 26:24? Was it not the frenzied desperation of a man so tortured by his own conscience that he would rather become his own executioner than tolerate its accusations? Even so, did he not curse himself by hanging himself (Deut. 21:22f.)? The sad irony is that salvation for Judas was as close as Jesus, had he but believed it-and Him!
Judas, according to Matthew, hanged himself. Luke says, however, “he fell headlong, his body burst open and all his intestines spilled out” (Acts 1:18). The alleged contradiction is resolved by noting that, whereas Luke describes the result of Judas’ suicide, our author documents the way he died, i.e. by hanging. Whether Judas’ decaying body remained suspended several days and either the limb or rope would not support his weight, or whether these broke when he fell headlong and his body was grotesquely impaled on a sharp rock from which he could not extricate himself, the conditions are supplied to harmonize both testimonies. Thus, the Acts account incidentally supplements Matthew's account.

Pilate's Valiant Effort

I. Verse 4-5__There is no mention that Pilate is aware of what has been happening to Jesus. But now we see this occasion gives Pilate a new window of opportunity to try and please the Jews some other way instead of releasing Barabbas. We don't know when Pilate gave Barabbas to the people but in view of Mark 15:15, most likely after the death sentence had been passed on Jesus. The fact that it was the "peoples" prerogative of choosing who they wanted released limited Pilate's options. Pilate's statement "that you may know I find no ground of complaint against Him" and "behold the man" are statements made to demonstrate to the people just how harmless Jesus was! At this juncture, Jesus must have been a shocking sight. He was bleeding, wearing clothes that made Him look more like a clown than a king and all the while hearing the blood thirsty pleas of the Jews.

II. Verse 6___It is clear once more, Pilate has failed. Far from changing their minds their cries intensified. This unexpected reaction by the people infuriated Pilate. "Take Him yourself and crucify Him, for whatever you think I find no charges against Him."

III. Verse 7___The Jewish leaders respond to Pilate with a new charge. If this charge is accepted, it might change the nature of the trial. The charge of "blasphemy" meant that Jesus had violated "Jewish Law" by claiming to be the "Son of God." This charge had already been explored in front of Caiaphas (not the charge of being the Messiah, but that Jesus had made Himself the Son of God Mark 14:61-64). The acceptance by the Jews of Jesus as "The Son of God" was then, and still remains, the great stumbling block.

IV. Pilate's Second round of Questioning.

A. Now since these new charges have been leveled, Pilate became more afraid (V.8_)

V. Verse 9___ The governor once more takes Jesus away from the crowd and asks Him, "Where are You from?" One cannot help but remember Isaiah 53:7 as Jesus stands there saying nothing.

Pilate was thinking about his first conversation with Jesus and the reply from Jesus. "I came into this world to bear witness of the truth." Now how should Pilate comprehend the statements of Jesus? Where was Jesus from?

VI. Verses 10-11___And now Pilate's fear turns to annoyance. He was not use to people declining to speak to him. I do not think that in this situation, the "authority" given Pilate is  not a reference to God giving all state rulers power over their kingdoms. This is situation specific. Jesus ended up in Pilate's court because the Father allowed Jesus to end up there. The "Him who has the greater sin" is whoever delivered Jesus to Pilate.

VII. Verse 12___Pilate was deeply affected by the conversation with Jesus and now makes another attempt to free Him. But according to the Jews, if Jesus is released he is Caesar's enemy. It is plain that the Jews are claiming they will denounce Pilate before Caesar. Maybe even to the point of accusing him of being a traitor. It was well known that Tiberius was notoriously suspicious of any who threated his position. This threat by the Jews was the final straw.

VIII. Jesus is Sentenced to Death by Crucifixion (19:13-16a).

A. The trial by Pilate now comes to a close. Pilate has lost confidence in himself because of the threat made on him in verse 12. Pilate has been defeated and the Jews know they have won the day.

B. Verses 13-14___Pilate brings Jesus out. He takes his place on the tribune. Jesus was probably made to stand beside him. For all practical purposes, the Passover was under way and there were hundreds if not thousands of Jews in town. The hour that was pre-ordained before the foundation of the world was at hand. The Jews are now awaiting the death sentence of Jesus but instead Pilate calls to the crowd "this man made Himself a king" and "look at your king." The crowd was expecting a proclamation of condemnation from Pilate and instead they received a proclamation of the kingship of Jesus. Unlike the opening verses of this chapter these statements were not intended to mock Jesus. Pilate had been deeply moved by Jesus. This is the Jews final opportunity to change their minds.

C. Verses 15-16___The response of the Jews was clear. There was a furious expression of revulsion against Jesus. "Take Him away." Pilate exclaims, "your king" am I to crucify Him?" Now the Priests return to the mantra of verse 12. "We have no king but Caesar." They repudiate the "Son of God" in pretended loyalty to the Roman Emperor. No more remains to be said. Pilate must sentence Jesus to crucifixion. The usual formula for crucifixion was "Ibis in crucem," you shall go to the cross. This is not what has been handed down to us. Matthew comes the closest by "He handed over Jesus to be crucified." Luke is different. In Luke 23:25 "He handed Jesus over to their will." Jesus was technically handed over the the high priest.

What is Gabbatha?

A comparison of this account with the synoptics shows two things. (1) First, they have a great deal in common (2) John omits a great many details that are found in the other stories, yet has striking features that are not in the other gospels. 

The Crucifixion

1. The Most important elements in Mark but not in John are the mocking of Jesus by the passer-by and also by the chief priests and scribes (Mark 15:29-32).

2. The darkness over the land (15:33)

3. The cry of desolation (15:34)

4. The tearing of the curtain in the Temple (15:38).

5. The centurion's confession upon the death of Jesus (15:39).

These are common to Matthew also but Luke adds a few points.

1. The weeping women on the way to Golgotha (Luke 23:27)

2. The prayer of Jesus for His enemies (Luke 23:34).

3. The conversation with the two crucified with Jesus and the repentance of one (Luke 23: 39-43).

4. The mourning of the crowd standing by (Luke 23:47-49).

John's Special Features in Part are:

1. The Inscription on the cross and the controversy it caused (19:19-22).

2. His Scripture quotations (vv. 24,28-29, 36-37).

3. The care of Jesus for His mother (vv 25-27).

4. His last cry from the cross (v.30).

5. The piercing of His side (vv 31-36).

Thus the point is that John has been selective in what he chose to include in his story just as he made the choice for the "seven" signs that we have already explored. What John does have in common with the other accounts is the brevity of the crucifixion.

I. Verses 16-17___If we look at v.23, it is apparent that there were four soldiers who formed the execution squad. It is these who commanded Jesus to carry the cross which was common practice (cf. Plutarch: "each criminal as part of his punishment must carry his own cross on his back, " The Divine Vengeance, 554 A/B). This was not the entire cross that Jesus carried but the "cross beam." The usual practice was that the vertical post was already in place. The victim was nailed to the cross beam while laying on the ground and a squad lifted the body up on the post. Presumably, such posts were permanent fixtures at Golgotha. Modern scholarship has reached a point of absurdity when dealing with textual criticism. Notice that John does not give the details of carrying the cross as found in Luke and this is an alleged contradiction. In other words, if one writer omits things the other writer mentions, according to much modern scholarship, that is a contradiction. Tradition states that Jesus set out for Golgotha carrying the cross by Himself and when He collapsed, Simon was press-ganged into helping Him the rest of the way probably carrying the cross behind Jesus. This seems to be a perfectly reasonable interpretation. However, Jesus bearing His cross alone has been the subject of many sermons from the beginning. The most common interpretation of antiquity was that of Isaac carrying his own wood. 

II. Verse 18__The place of crucifixion was a public area near the city (v. 20). This was a site chosen so that all might see and heed the warning not to be a law breaker. (Josephus tells us that Titus had men crucified "opposite the wall" as a spectacle for those in the city BJ. 5. 449). Golgotha was a place where the entire world might view Jesus on the cross to say nothing about the "sign" that Pilate place over His head.

III. Verses 19-20___Attaching a sign to the cross of one who is doomed to be crucified was common practice. In our case, Pilate deliberately used the wording of the chief priests and that he himself had taken up during the trial. "Jesus the Nazarene, the King of the Jews." Its repetition in three languages was also common custom. This was Pilate's final act of revenge against the Jews. As far as the Jews, Pilate was the representative of the ruler of the world (the Roman Empire) and now Pilate has declared that Jesus is the king of the Jews. This infuriated the Jews. It was written in Hebrew that the Jews might understand it and in Latin that the Romans might know it and in Greek the lingua franca of the world.

Here is the irony. The two men who were most responsible for the death of Jesus declare that Jesus was to provide redemption for the Jews and the nations (11:49-50) and the other declaring Jesus to be Lord of all.

There has been much said about the Acronym of the Cross but much of this is hearsay and not scholarship. It may be that the initials did spell YHWH or something of that nature but as one might expect there is a great deal of evidence to the contrary. For a complete discussion of the subject see Jesus and the Sign on the Cross

IV. Verses 21-22___Indignation and rage over the inscription by the priests was inevitable. They demanded that Pilate alter it. There request seemed at the time like a small request. They wanted Pilate to insert just one little word (εἰμί (eimi 1510) meaning I am the king of the Jews thereby stating that Christ was "claiming" to be the king of the Jews. It is here that Pilate refuses to co-operate. "What I have written I have written." The "kingship" of Jesus stands through all eternity.

V. Verses 23-24___By custom the clothes of the executed person became the property of the executioner. They were "spoils." Jesus would have had an outer garment (i.e. robe), a tunic, a belt, sandals, and probably a head covering. The tunic was called "seamless." This was common in Palestine at the time. It is mentioned as "seamless" to stress the idea of how foolish it would have been for four soldiers to try dividing it between them so they cast lots for it. The other accounts tell the story but John is extremely brief. The other accounts echo the language of Psalm 22:18.

There are endless interpretations as to what the "tunic" stood for but at the moment we will ignore them and move on.

VI. Verses 25___It appears that the soldiers and the women are being constrained with the former busy dividing up the clothes of Jesus. It is unsure as to what the names were (see Mark 15:40; Matt. 27:55-56; Luke 23:49) of those in attendance. John's list may denote two women, or three, or four.

VII. Verses 26-27___Jesus speaks to His mother and the Beloved Disciple whose presence by the cross we now learn. Jesus knows the end is near (v.28). Jesus speaks in terms a Jew would understand by placing His mother in the care of the Apostle John. "Woman behold your son and Son, behold your mother." This formula for adoption is found in several Jewish apocryphal books (i.e. the book of Tobit) so there isn't any doubt as to what was happening here. It is here that we must protest Roman Catholic exegesis. For many centuries the Catholic church has interpreted this as John coming under the care of Mary and not the other way around. This lead to the doctrine of Mary being the appointed mother not only of John but of all the disciples and the church. As with most Catholics, he sees Mary's appointment as the culmination of the Lord's work on earth. (Jesus now knows that all things on earth had been completed). But to be fair, not all Catholics subscribe to this point of view.

VIII. Verse 28___The giving of the drink to Jesus is described in several ways in the gospels. The offering of wine mixed with myrrh mentioned by Mark (15:22) is a quite different incident: it preceded the act of crucifying and was prepared by women to dull the senses and lessen the pain; this is the drink that Jesus refused to take! Instead, Luke records the mockery by the soldiers and they giving Him "cheap wine" to drink (Lk. 23:36). Mark and Matthew place the event following the cry of desolation (Mark 15:34-36) and this gives the impression that Jesus was calling on Elijah for help and they gave the drink to help Him as the waited to see if Elijah was to save Him. It is clear that the precise settings for the event are unknowable at this point. What is clear is:

1. It happened just before Jesus died.

2. The giving of the wine was an action of a soldier.

3. The wine belonged to a guard standing near by.

And now the end, and Jesus says that all is "accomplished." Jesus cries out ,"I thirst." But the action and the crying out were for the purpose of fulfilling Scripture.

This is just part of a lengthly Psalm of desolation, isolation and scorn that the Righteous Sufferer was to experience. Mark eludes to the event related to the cry from the cross (Ps. 22:11). John gives a specific passage for the thought of Psalm 69 is almost the same as Psalm 22. Indeed, the cry "I thirst" has been interpreted over the years and the "cry of desolation."

IX. Verse 29_____And now we must speak of the sponge for the wine affixed to an implement. I think it was not because the cross was high but because the soldier did not want to use his own cup!

X. Verse 30___It should be mentioned at this juncture that there is an overwhelming amount of prophecy in this chapter being fulfilled from the book of Leviticus. In the cleansing of the Leper we have the “hyssop” and “stalk” as a shadow (See the Cleansing of the Leper)

It is at this point that Jesus utters His final words known to the evangelist: “It is finished” conveys only part of the meaning. Let's look at the verb!!!!

Notice the word definitions above. Jesus is saying the will of the Father is carried out but more importantly, Jesus is saying that Old Testament prophecy is now fulfilled. “It is finished.” There is no Old Testament Prophecy left to fulfill in relation to Jesus. “It is Finished!!!!!”

XI. Verse 31___The Piercing of the side of Jesus is also foreshadowed in the Law and in particular the book of Leviticus. See the link above and the cleansing of the Leper. This scene is set by the request of the Jewish leaders. They did not want men to remain on the cross on the “Sabbath.” This is not the weekly Sabbath that is being spoken of here. This is a special Sabbath which would have been on Friday. John calls it a “high sabbath” and it was the “First Day of Unleavened Bread.” See Leviticus 23: 6ff. On this year, the Passover was on Thursday and the Feast of Unleavened Bread on Friday and the weekly sabbath on Saturday. The day of Preparation would have been on the same day as the Passover! For a complete explanation with charts and calenders see (Good Thursday and not Good Friday) or this chart (Chart of the Passover) Since the day begins at evening, we are fairly close to another day beginning.

The Jews wanted Jesus taken down off the cross before “Friday” or the “High Day.” The Romans might leave men on the cross to die for several days but the “Jewish law” prohibited such. Jewish law on the basis of Deut. 21:22,23 laid down that if one is hanged on a tree he should not remain on the gibblet overnight since that person has been cursed by God. As was the custom, the Romans smashed the legs of the crucified victims to hasten death by causing a loss of blood and asphyxia. And then there was the vultures to worry about. Since Golgotha (a rock that was shaped like a skull)  was an established place of execution, the vultures would have been trained to feast here. In this case, it was Passover (the 14^th) and after six p.m. it was a special sabbath (15^th). They needed Jesus off the cross.

XII. Verses 32-34___The execution squad began with the men on both sides of Jesus. On seeing that Jesus was already dead they realized there was no point in breaking His legs__thus fulfilling more OT prophecy (Exodus 12:46). Yes, Jesus was the Passover Lamb (John 1:29). It is here that the soldiers pierce the side of Jesus and blood and water come forth. This event is also foreshadowed in the Cleansing of the Leper in Leviticus chapter 14. This is where the water comes into contact with the blood of Jesus (The Blood and Water) For all the medical reasons there was “blood and water” we will just say that this one fact proves that Jesus was dead and He did not get off the cross alive, thereby making the arguments of the “Swoon Theory” crowd of no value.

XIII. Verse 35___It must always be remembered that we are reading an account from an eye witness. This sentence plainly tells us what the soldiers did and what they did not do. The suggestion that the “he” in this sentence is a refererence to Christ is silly.

XVI. Verse 36__There are three passages here to consider. First is Exodus 12:46__The Passover Lamb must be eaten inside the ONE house. You must not break a bone. Numbers 9:12 similarly states__no bone shall be broken. Psalm 34:20 claims that God guards every bone in His body!!

XV. Verse 37___

This is a prophetic utterance  that tells of the events of Acts Chapter 2, and yes, the later destruction of Jerusalem in 70 A.D. Israel did look at the one they pierced and they did mourn for Him.

Mark 15:34; Matt. 27: 46: "Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?" (My God, My God why have you forsaken me?")

By Lane Rogers