SCRIPTURE: JOHN 19
JESUS SENTENCED TO BE CRUCIFIED (vs. 1-16)
Pilate took Jesus and had him flogged. The soldiers twisted together a crown of thorns and put it on his head. They clothed him in a purple robe and went up to him again and again, saying, “Hail, king of the Jews!” And they struck him in the face. Once 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.” When Jesus came out wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe, Pilate said to them, “Here is the man!” (v. 4). When the chief priests and their officials saw him, they shouted, “Crucify! Crucify!” (v. 6). But Pilate answered, “You take him and crucify him. As for me, I find no basis for a charge against him.” (v. 6), The Jews insisted, “We have a law, and according to that law he must die, because he claimed to be the Son of God.” (v. 7). Pilate went to ask Jesus, “Where do you come from?” (v. 9) but Jesus gave him no answer. So Pilate said, “Do you refuse to speak to me? Don’t you realize I have power to either free you for to crucify you?” (v. 10). Jesus answered, “You would have no power over me if it were not give to you from above. Therefore the one who handed me over to you is guilty of a greater sin.” (v. 11)
From 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.” (v. 12). When Pilate heard this, he brought to Jesus out and sat down on the judge’s seat at the Stone Pavement (which in Aramaic is Gabbatha). It was the day of Preparation of Passover Week, about the sixth hour. Pilate said to the Jews, “Here is your king”:. But they shouted, “Take him away! Take him away! Crucify him!”. Pilate asked, “Shall I crucify your king?”, the chief priests answered, “We have no king but Caesar” (v. 15) Finally, Pilate handed him over to them to be crucified.
THE CRUCIFIXION (v. 17-27)
So the soldiers took charge of Jesus. Carrying his own cross, he went out to the place of the Skull (known as Golgotha in Aramaic). They crucified him together with two others – one on each side and Jesus in the middle. Pilate had a notice prepared and fastened to the cross. It read: JESUS OF NAZARETH, THE KING OF THE JEWS. Many 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. The 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”, Pilate answered, “What I have written, I have written.” (v. 22)
When 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. Instead of tearing it, they decided to cast a lot on who will get it. This fulfilled on what the scripture had written: “They divided my garments among them and cast lots for my clothing” (v. 24)
At the cross of Jesus stood his mother, his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby, he said to his mother, “Dear woman, here is your son”, and to the disciple, “Here is your mother.” From that time one, this disciple took her into his home.
THE DEATH OF JESUS (vs. 28-37)
Jesus said, “I am thirsty”. A 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. When he had received the drink, Jesus said, “It is finished.” With that, he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.
The next day was the Sabbath day. 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. The soldiers therefore came and broke the legs of the first man who had been crucified with Jesus, and then those of the other. But when they came to Jesus and found that he was already dead, they did not break his legs. Instead, one of the soldiers pierced Jesus’ side with a spear, bringing a sudden flow of blood and water. The 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. These things happened so that the scripture would be fulfilled: “Not one of his bones will be broken, and as another scripture says, “They will look on the one they have pierced.” (v. 37)
THE BURIAL OF JESUS (vs. 38-42)
Later, Joseph of Arimathea asked Pilate for the body of Jesus. With Pilate’s permission, he came and took the body away. He was accompanied by Nicodemus, the man who earlier had visited Jesus at night. Nicodemus brought a mixture of myrrh and ales, about seventy-five pounds. Taking Jesus’ body, the two of them wrapped it, with the spices, in strips of linen. This was in accordance with Jewish burial customs. At 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. Because it was the Jewish day of Preparation and since the tomb was nearby, they laid Jesus there.
THOUGHTS:
The religious leaders brought Jesus to Pilate not because of rebellion against Rome, but because of blasphemy that deserved the death penalty. But they accused him of treason in order to give credibility to their case in the eyes of the Romans.
As a Roman governor, Pilate was expected to keep the peace in that area. Because Rome could not afford to keep large numbers of troops in the regions, they maintained control by crushing rebellions immediately with brutal force. Pilate was afraid that reporting to Caesar of the insurrection in his region would cost his job or life. That was why he succumbed to the demands of the religious leaders. When we face a tough decision, we can take the easy way out or we can stand for what is right regardless of the cost. If we know the good we ought to do and don’t do it, we sin.
The Jewish leaders were so desperate to get rid of Jesus that despite their intense hatred to Rome, they shouted, “We have no king but Caesar”. It was so ironic that they gave allegiance to Rome while rejecting their own Messiah.
Crucifixion was a Roman form of execution. The condemned man was forced to carry his cross along a main road to the execution site. There are many types of crosses and methods of crucifixion. Jesus was nailed to his cross. Some people were tied with ropes. Death is caused by suffocation because the weight of the body made breathing difficult as the victim lost strength. Crucifixion was a slow and painful death.
Even while Jesus was suffering at the cross, he was concerned about his family. He instructed John to take care of his mother Mary. Our families are precious gifts from God. We should value and care for them under all circumstances. Show love and care to your family members and take responsibility for their welfare.
When Jesus said, “It is finished”, it means he had finished His work of salvation to pay the full penalty for our sins. With his death, he took all our sins upon himself. Those who believe in Jesus can freely approach God and live eternally with Him.
4 people that stood up for Jesus in the process of His death:
- The criminal asked Jesus to include him in his Kingdom.
- The Roman officer proclaimed that Jesus was really the Son of God.
- Joseph of Arimathea was a member of the Jewish high priest. He risked his reputation by asking the body of Jesus from Pilate to provide for His burial.
- Nicodemus was a secret follower of Jesus. He brought a mixture of myrrh and aloes at night to wrap the body of Jesus with spices in strips of linen.
Are you hiding your faith from your friends and fellow workers? It is time for you to step out of hiding and let others know whom you believe and follow.