John
© copyright 2008 Darroll Evans, all rights reserved

Chapter 19

John 19:1-37
1
 Then Pilate therefore took Jesus, and scourged him.
2 And the soldiers platted 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 smote him with their hands.
4 Pilate therefore went forth again, and saith unto them, Behold, I bring him forth to you, that ye may know that I find no fault in him.
5 Then came Jesus forth, wearing the crown of thorns, and the purple robe. And Pilate saith unto them, Behold the man!
6 When the chief priests therefore and officers saw him, they cried out, saying, Crucify him, crucify him. Pilate saith unto them, Take ye him, and crucify him: for I find no fault in him.
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.
8 When Pilate therefore heard that saying, he was the more afraid;
9 And went again into the judgment hall, and saith unto Jesus, Whence art thou? But Jesus gave him no answer.
10 Then saith Pilate unto him, Speakest thou not unto me? knowest thou not that I have power to crucify thee, and have power to release thee?
11 Jesus answered, Thou couldest have no power at all against me, except it were given thee from above: therefore he that delivered me unto thee hath the greater sin.
12 And from thenceforth Pilate sought to release him: but the Jews cried out, saying, If thou let this man go, thou art not Caesar's friend: whosoever maketh himself a king speaketh against Caesar.
13 When Pilate therefore heard that saying, he brought Jesus forth, and sat down in the judgment seat in a place that is called the Pavement, but in the Hebrew, Gabbatha.
14 And it was the preparation of the passover, and about the sixth hour: and he saith unto the Jews, Behold your King!
15 But they cried out, Away with him, away with him, crucify him. Pilate saith unto them, Shall I crucify your King? The chief priests answered, We have no king but Caesar.
16 Then delivered he him therefore unto them to be crucified. And they took Jesus, and led him away.
17 And he bearing his cross went forth into a place called the place of a skull, which is called in the Hebrew Golgotha:
18 Where they crucified him, and two other with him, on either side one, and Jesus in the midst.
19 And Pilate wrote a title, and put it on the cross. And the writing was, JESUS OF NAZARETH THE KING OF THE JEWS.
20 This title then read many of the Jews: for the place where Jesus was crucified was nigh to the city: and it was written in Hebrew, and Greek, and Latin.
21 Then said the chief priests of the Jews to Pilate, Write not, The King of the Jews; but that he said, I am King of the Jews.
22 Pilate answered, What I have written I have written.
23 Then the soldiers, when they had crucified Jesus, took his garments, and made four parts, to every soldier a part; and also his coat: now the coat was without seam, woven from the top throughout.
24 They said therefore among themselves, Let us not rend it, but cast lots for it, whose it shall be: that the scripture might be fulfilled, which saith, They parted my raiment among them, and for my vesture they did cast lots. These things therefore the soldiers did.
25 Now there stood by the cross of Jesus his mother, and his mother's sister, Mary the wife of Cleophas, and Mary Magdalene.
26 When Jesus therefore saw his mother, and the disciple standing by, whom he loved, he saith unto his mother, Woman, behold thy son!
27 Then saith he to the disciple, Behold thy mother! And from that hour that disciple took her unto his own home.
28 After this, Jesus knowing that all things were now accomplished, that the scripture might be fulfilled, saith, I thirst.
29 Now there was set a vessel full of vinegar: and they filled a spunge with vinegar, and put it upon hyssop, and put it to his mouth.
30 When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, he said, It is finished: and he bowed his head, and gave up the ghost.
31 The Jews therefore, because it was the preparation, that the bodies should not remain upon the cross on the sabbath day, (for that sabbath day was an high day,) besought Pilate that their legs might be broken, and that they might be taken away.
32 Then came the soldiers, and brake the legs of the first, and of the other which was crucified with him.
33 But when they came to Jesus, and saw that he was dead already, they brake not his legs:
34 But one of the soldiers with a spear pierced his side, and forthwith came there out blood and water.
35 And he that saw it bare record, and his record is true: and he knoweth that he saith true, that ye might believe.
36 For these things were done, that the scripture should be fulfilled, A bone of him shall not be broken.
37 And again another scripture saith, They shall look on him whom they pierced.

Pilate ordered Jesus to be scourged.

Most Christians today have no idea what that was like!

It was not s simple 39 stripes, although that makes a wonderful fairy tale!

Paul was given 39 stripes on 5 occasions and easily survived (2 Cor 11:24)!

Many who underwent a Roman scourging prior to their scheduled crucifixion were never crucified, because they died from the merciless beating by Roman soldiers, which was the scourging!

However, Isaiah describes Christ on the cross:

Isaiah 52:14 As many were astonied at thee; his visage was so marred more than any man, and his form more than the sons of men:

 

On the cross, Christ’s visage, His appearance was so marred, because He was not only beaten mercilessly by the Roman soldiers, but he accepted responsibility for the sins of the world (1 John 2:2)!


The beating was survivable, however Ezekiel tells us that the soul that sins SHALL die (Ez. 18:4)!


Christ died because he accepted responsibility for our sins!

 

Thirty nine stripes is a fairy tale!


That was the punishment that could be given by Jews to other Jews!

 

Jesus was scourged by Romans!

 

If---If they had hit him 39 time times, it was with a cat o’ nine tails!

 

9 times 39 equals 351!

 

Those who teach the 39 stripes garbage should be ashamed of themselves, but they are so bound up in tradition that they cannot acknowledge the truth about God’s Truth!

 

The wound (singular) was so massive that when Peter writes about it (1 Pet 2:24), he used the Greek singular!


Unfortunately, many of those who translated the Bible were also ignorant and could not bring themselves to print the truth found in the Greek text!


As part of the scourging, the Roman soldiers placed a crown of thorns on Jesus’ head, and wrapped him a purple robe.

They mocked Christ saying, “Hail, King of the Jews!”

Then, Pilate again went to the Jewish mob, dragging Christ, and told them, “Look at this!

“I bring Him to you so that you all may know that I find no fault in Him!

Then, Pilate said, “Behold the man!”

As the Chief Priests and Temple guard saw him, they shouted, “Crucify him!

Those wonderful religious leaders were completely corrupt!

Pilate told them, “You do it!

“I find no fault in Him.”

The Jews shouted back, “We have a law, and by our law he ought to die, because He made himself the Son of God.”

Christ Jesus did not “make” himself equal with God!

He is God the Son!

But, when Pilate heard them shouting, he was the more afraid!

And so, he went back into his judgment hall and asked Jesus, “Where are you from?”

But, Jesus did not answer!

So, Pilate asked, “You aren’t willing to talk to me?

“Don’t you know that I have the power to crucify You, or to release You?”

At that Jesus responded, “You have no power over Me, except that given to you from above!

Because of that those who handed Me over to you have the greater sin!

Then, Pilate sought to release Him!

However, the Jews shouted, “You are not Caesar's friend, if you release this man!

“Whoever makes himself a king speaks against Caesar.

When Pilate heard that he brought Jesus out in front of the mob and sat down in the judgment seat.

The place where Pilate sat is called “the Pavement,” but in the Hebrew, “Gabbatha.”

All this happened on the day of preparation for the Passover!

At about noon Pilate told the Jews, “Behold your King!”

Pilate spoke the truth, although he said it mockingly!

But the Jews shouted back, “Take Him away and crucify Him!”

Then, Pilate asked them, “Shall I crucify your King?”

At that the Chief Priests showed that they were just religious hypocrites, “We have no king but Caesar.”

Indeed, God was not their king, Caesar was!

In that they were Jews in name only, as are many Jews today who still hate Christ Jesus!

So Pilate gave in!

He ordered that Jesus should be crucified!

All of the happenings so far are considered party of the crucifixion process!

It started at 9Am and would last until 3PM!

Roman soldiers took Christ to a hill called the place of a skull!  In Hebrew it is Golgotha!

There they finished the crucifixion!

Christ Jesus was crucified along with two others, one malefactor on either side of Christ.

As a final gesture mocking the Jews, Pilate wrote a title, and put it on the cross!

His writing proclaimed, “JESUS OF NAZARETH THE KING OF THE JEWS.”

With all those “religious” folks around, it took a heathen non-believer to proclaim the truth!

That title could be read by the Jews, because the place of the final crucifixion was near, but outside Jerusalem!

The sign was written in Hebrew, Greek, and Latin!

All, literate people of that day could read the sign!

The Jewish leaders objected!

But, Pilate told them, “What I have written I have written.”

As Christ hung on the cross, the Roman soldiers took his garments, and ripped them into four parts.

Each soldier took part.

They also divided His coat!

Jesus coat had no seams. It had been woven from the top throughout.

His Kingdom from top to bottom is also seamless!

At first, the soldiers wanted to rip it, but instead they decided to cast lots for it.

That was in order to fulfill the scripture that says, “They parted my raiment among them, and for my vesture they did cast lots” (Is 22:18).

That may also have been a precursor to the tearing of the curtain that concealed the Holy of Holies!

At this time, the curtain in the temple had not been torn and so Jesus seamless outer garment could not be torn!

As Jesus hung on the cross, John records that Mary Jesus’ mother, Mary’s sister, Mary the wife of Cleophas, and Mary Magdalene were also close by.

When Jesus therefore saw his mother, and John, He said unto His mother, “Woman, behold your son!

In that Christ was giving physical authority to care for His mother to John, His beloved friend!

Then, He told John, “Behold thy mother!

From that hour John took her into his own home.

Jesus knew that all He came to accomplish had been done!

So, He said, “I thirst!

That may seem strange to us, however He had taken responsibility for our sins on the cross!

Jesus did not thirst for physical water!

His thirst was for the water of the Spirit!

This happened at about the ninth hour!

Matt 27:46 And about the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, “Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani?

That is translated, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?

At that point, Jesus felt the extreme need for renewal after taking responsibility for our sins!

That renewal would come in the resurrection when Christ would be restored to His position on the Throne of His Father, and ours (as Christians)!

 

1 John 2:2 And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.

The Roman soldiers feeling some compassion, but not understanding Spiritual things, filled a sponge with “vinegar”(Gr. oxos-ὄξος), or sour wine thinking He was calling call something to quench a physical thirst.

It was At that moment that Christ Jesus uttered that now famous word Tetelestai-Tetelestai, “It is finished”, or “It is paid in full!

That announcement came at the exact moment that the high Priest, in charge of the slaughtering the lambs in the Temple area announced the same words (in Hebrew) to declare the finish of the preparation killing of the Lambs for Passover!

Then, Christ Jesus, the Son of God, and Savior of the world, bowed his head, and died!

It was at that point in human time that Christ Jesus became qualified to be the Savior of the world!

1 John 4:14 And we have seen and do testify that the Father sent the Son to be the Saviour of the world.

“It is finished”, “Paid in full” meant that the demands of the Law had been completely paid! Christ became the sacrifice for all time for the sins of all mankind!

1 John 2:1-2 And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.

 

What most Christians do not understand is that having our sins paid for and being saved are separate issues!

 

Christ gave to power to become sons of God only to those who received or accepted Him!

John 1:12 But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:

Being a son of God is by the exclusive appointment of God the father through God the Son and the Power of God the Holy Spirit!

The Jews could not touch a dead body on the Sabbath and remain ritually clean, however this therefore, because it was the preparation Jesus body could be taken down without violating Sabbath rules!

Joseph of Arimethaea asked Pilate for the body of Christ.

Matt 27:57 When the even was come, there came a rich man of Arimathaea, named Joseph, who also himself was Jesus' disciple:


He did that in order that Jesus’ body might not remain on the cross during the Sabbath.

Due to Joseph’s request, Pilate, not knowing that Jesus had died sent word to the Roman soldiers telling them to break the legs of those on the crosses to hasten their deaths!

The two on the other crosses were also Jews!

They broke the legs of the other two, but when they came to Jesus, they saw that he was dead already, and did not break His legs!

However, to make sure Christ was dead, one of the soldiers pierced his side with a spear!

When the soldier did that blood and water came out of the wound!

John himself witnessed it!

That happened to fulfill Scripture (Ex 12:46).

There are other applicable Scriptures (Ps 24:20; Zech 12:10).

John 19:38-42
38
 And after this Joseph of Arimathaea, being a disciple of Jesus, but secretly for fear of the Jews, besought Pilate that he might take away the body of Jesus: and Pilate gave him leave. He came therefore, and took the body of Jesus.
39 And there came also Nicodemus, which at the first came to Jesus by night, and brought a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about an hundred pound weight.
40 Then took they the body of Jesus, and wound it in linen clothes with the spices, as the manner of the Jews is to bury.
41 Now in the place where he was crucified there was a garden; and in the garden a new sepulchre, wherein was never man yet laid.
42 There laid they Jesus therefore because of the Jews' preparation day; for the sepulchre was nigh at hand.

As I said, Joseph of Arimathaea, who was a secret follower of Christ along with Nicodemus, a member of the Sanhedrin and the man who came to Christ in John 3, took Jesus down and laid Him in the garden tomb!

They covered Christ in the traditional linen Jewish death clothes, and covered the body with spices.

John writes that the tomb was near Golgotha!

 

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