Lesson 9 - John19:19-37 - THE CRUCIFIXION AND BURIAL OF JESUS
INTRODUCTION: Last week, in john 10:1-16, we continued with Jesus' trial before Pontius Pilate, the Rome-appointed governor of Judea. Earlier, during Jesus first interrogation, we learned that Pilate was convinced that He had committed no crime that deserved a death sentence by crucifixion (18:38). Pilate tried to generate sympathy for Jesus among the Jews by having Him flogged, humiliated Him by twisting a crown of thorns onto his head, dressing Him in a tattered purple robe (royal) robe, then having the soldiers beat him bloody. His motive was to show the Jewish leaders and the crowds that this helpless man surely posed no serious threat to them. But when the leaders and crowds saw this, they shouted "Crucify Him, crucify Him!," charging that Jesus was guilty of blasphemy because He claimed to be the King of the Jews and the Son of God (which was true). Pilate was already fearful because the Jews had previously complained to Rome about his leadership and knew that he would be hard-pressed to keep his job if they complained to Rome that he had failed to condemn a man guilty of sedition against Rome. When Pilate asked the Jews, "shall I crucify your king?", the chief priests replied, "We have no king but Caesar!" (19:15). This effectively showed that the Jews were not only rejecting Jesus, but also repudiating their Messianic hope and the Messianic Kingdom. So, when all was said and done, Pilate gave-in and grudgingly handed Jesus over for crucifixion. The main point of application pertained to who we choose as friends: If we choose Caesar (a metaphor for the world), we have contempt for people who oppose our agenda; whereas, if we choose Jesus (believe in Him), we have compassion for who oppose us (lost sinners). This week, in John 19:19-42, we'll cover the details of Jesus' crucifixion and burial.
Read John 19:19-22 - JESUS THE NAZARENE, THE KING OF THE JEWS
19 Pilate also wrote an inscription and put it on the cross. It was written, "JESUS THE NAZARENE, THE KING OF THE JEWS." 20 Therefore many of the Jews read this inscription, for the place where Jesus was crucified was near the city; and it was written in Hebrew, Latin and in Greek. 21 So the chief priests of the Jews were saying to Pilate, "Do not write, '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."
v. 19: "Pilate also wrote an inscription and put it on the cross. It was written, "JESUS THE NAZARENE, THE KING OF THE JEWS." - In crucifixions, Romans customarily made a placard (Lat. titulus), specifying the crime of the offender, which was fixed to the cross or hung from the person's neck. It was intended as a deterrent against violating Roman laws. Pilate's purpose here, however, was to thumb his nose at the Jewish leaders one more time. Ironically, it stated a fundamental truth: As Israel's Messiah, God did in fact send Jesus to earth to be the "KING OF THE JEWS" (John 12:13).
v. 20: "Therefore many of the Jews read this inscription, for the place where Jesus was crucified was near the city; and it was written in Hebrew, Latin and in Greek." - Thousands of Jews from all over the Roman Empire would have been in Jerusalem for the Passover. Many of these pilgrims spoke only Greek or Latin. Thus, many, many Jewish spectators would read and remember the inscription, especially those who would later be saved at the Pentecost (Acts 2:1-47).
v. 21: "So the chief priests of the Jews were saying to Pilate, "Do not write, 'The King of the Jews'; but that He said, 'I am King of the Jews.'" - The chief priests lodged a complaint with Pilate over the placard. They insisted it be modified to state that Jesus only claimed to be King of the Jews.
v. 22: "Pilate answered, "What I have written I have written." - Since the Jewish leaders no longer have any leverage over Pilate, he refuses-one final thumb in their eye.
Read John 19:23-25a - TO FULFILL THE SCRIPTURE
23 Then the soldiers, when they had crucified Jesus, took His outer garments and made four parts, a part to every soldier and also the tunic; now the tunic was seamless, woven in one piece. 24 So they said to one another, "Let us not tear it, but cast lots for it, to decide whose it shall be"; this was to fulfill the Scripture: "They divided My outer garments among them, and for My clothing they cast lots." 25a Therefore the soldiers did these things.
v. 23a: "Then the soldiers, when they had crucified Jesus, took His outer garments and made four parts, a part to every soldier and also the tunic; " - This tells there are four soldiers in the crucifixion squad. It was standard Roman practice to disrobe the offender and allow the execution squad to keep the clothing, and they did this by dividing Jesus' clothing in four parts.
v. 23b-24a: "Then the soldiers, when they had crucified Jesus, took His outer garments and made four parts, a part to every soldier and also the tunic;" - The tunic, a lightweight robe, was woven in one piece and thus more valuable, so rather than cut it into pieces, the soldiers cast lots for it.
v. 24b-25a: "this was to fulfill the Scripture: "THEY DIVIDED MY OUTER GARMENTS AMONG THEM, AND FOR MY CLOTHING THEY CAST LOTS." 25a Therefore the soldiers did these things." - The Scripture fulfilled was Ps. 22:18, which states: "They divide my garments among them, And for my clothing they cast lots."
Read John 19:25b-27 - WHEN JESUS SAW HIS MOTHER
25b But standing by the cross of Jesus were His mother, and His mother's sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. 26 When Jesus then saw His mother, and the disciple whom He loved standing nearby, He *said to His mother, "Woman, behold, your son!" 27 Then He *said to the disciple, "Behold, your mother!" From that hour the disciple took her into his own household.
v. 25b: But standing by the cross of Jesus were His mother, and His mother's sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene." - This identifies four women: Jesus' mother, Mary; Mary's sister, Salome, who is also the mother of James and John; Clopas, who is thought to be married to Joseph's brother and thus, Jesus' aunt; and Mary Magdalene, who Jesus delivered from seven demons (Luke 8:2) and would become the first witness to the resurrected Christ (John 20:1-18).
v. 26: "When Jesus then saw His mother, and the disciple whom He loved standing nearby, He *said to His mother, "Woman, behold, your son!" - Even in the mist of His suffering, Jesus had the grace to think of His mother's welfare. Since Joseph is presumed to be dead by this time, Mary is a middle-aged widow without any means to support herself. The word for "Woman" (Gk. guné [goo-nay']) can be phrased as 'dear women.' As the eldest son, Jesus was responsible for her.
v. 27: "Then He *said to the disciple, "Behold, your mother!" From that hour the disciple took her into his own household." - The "disciple" whom Jesus loved (v. 26) is identified as the apostle John. Jesus did not name his half-brothers, James, Joses, Simon, and Jude, because they were not believers at this time, though they would believe after the resurrection. John would thereafter take Mary into his household care for her for the rest of her life.
Read John 19:28-30 - IT IS FINISHED!
28 After this, Jesus, knowing that all things had already been accomplished, to fulfill the Scripture, *said, "I am thirsty." 29 A jar full of sour wine was standing there; so they put a sponge full of the sour wine upon a branch of hyssop and brought it up to His mouth. 30 Therefore when Jesus had received the sour wine, He said, "It is finished!" And He bowed His head and gave up His spirit.
v. 28: "After this, Jesus, knowing that all things had already been accomplished, to fulfill the Scripture, *said, "I am thirsty." - It's clear that Jesus is very near death at this point, and He's accomplished all on earth that He came to do. The withholding of water was part of the misery inflicted o crucifixion victims. The Scripture fulfilled is Ps. 69:21, states: "They also gave me gall for my food And for my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink" (see next verse).
v. 29: "A jar full of sour wine was standing there; so they put a sponge full of the sour wine upon a branch of hyssop and brought it up to His mouth." - This is probably a cheap wine that the Roman soldiers drank. They soaked the wine into a sponge attached to a hyssop branch and extended up to Jesus' mouth.
v. 30: "Therefore when Jesus had received the sour wine, He said, "It is finished!" And He bowed His head and gave up His spirit." - Jesus' declaration, "It is finished," was a cry of victory, signifying that His mission had been accomplished. Having spoken, Jesus "bowed His head" in peaceful death and "gave up His Spirit" to His Father-no one had taken Jesus' life from Him; He freely gave it.
Read John 19:31-37 - THEY SAW THAT HE WAS ALREADY DEAD
31 Then the Jews, because it was the day of preparation, so that the bodies would not remain on the cross on the Sabbath (for that Sabbath was a high day), asked Pilate that their legs might be broken, and that they might be taken away. 32 So the soldiers came, and broke the legs of the first man and of the other who was crucified with Him; 33 but coming to Jesus, when they saw that He was already dead, they did not break His legs. 34 But one of the soldiers pierced His side with a spear, and immediately blood and water came out. 35 And he who has seen has testified, and his testimony is true; and he knows that he is telling the truth, so that you also may believe. 36 For these things came to pass to fulfill the Scripture, "NOT A BONE OF HIM SHALL BE BROKEN." 37 And again another Scripture says, "THEY SHALL LOOK ON HIM WHOM THEY PIERCED."
vv. 31-32: Then the Jews, because it was the day of preparation, so that the bodies would not remain on the cross on the Sabbath (for that Sabbath was a high day), asked Pilate that their legs might be broken, and that they might be taken away. 32 So the soldiers came, and broke the legs of the first man and of the other who was crucified with Him;" - Romans typically left corpses on a cross until birds picked them clean, but it was Friday, the "day of preparation," and the Sabbath would officially begin at sundown, so the Jews wanted the bodies taken off the crosses and buried so they would not defile the land according to Jewish Law (Deut. 21:22-23). Breaking the offender's legs would hasten death by asphyxiation.
vv. 34-35: "but coming to Jesus, when they saw that He was already dead, they did not break His legs. 34 But one of the soldiers pierced His side with a spear, and immediately blood and water came out." - Jesus had already given up His own life and appeared to be dead, but the soldier thrust a spear into His side just to make sure. As to the "blood and water" that "came out," medical experts explain that the spear pierced both Jesus' heart and the pericardial sac that contained water.
v. 35: "And he who has seen has testified, and his testimony is true; and he knows that he is telling the truth, so that you also may believe." - John, as the writer of this gospel, wants us to understand that He was present at Jesus crucifixion and can personally testify as to the truth of all the things he saw and heard as an eyewitness, so that we, his readers, might believe it.
vv. 36: "For these things came to pass to fulfill the Scripture, "NOT A BONE OF HIM SHALL BE BROKEN." - John is very careful about connecting events of the crucifixion with OT prophecy. In relation to the Passover lamb, Ex. 12:46 states in part: "nor are you to break any bone of it." And in relation to a righteous man whom God keeps, Ps. 34:20 states, "He protects all his bones, Not one of them is broken."
v. 37: "And again another Scripture says, "THEY SHALL LOOK ON HIM WHOM THEY PIERCED." - Here, John alludes to the fulfillment of Zech. 12:10, which states: "And I will pour out on the house of David and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem the Spirit of grace and of pleading, so that they will look at Me whom they pierced; and they will mourn for Him, like one mourning for an only son, and they will weep bitterly over Him like the bitter weeping over a firstborn. This exactly describes Jesus, a direct descendant from the line of David, whom God promised, "Your house and your kingdom shall endure before Me forever; your throne shall be established forever" (2 Sam. 7:16). Thus, Jesus perfectly fulfilled the Davidic Covenant.
Postscript-vv. 38-42: Proper burial was very important in Jewish culture. Joseph of Arimathea, a secret disciple of Jesus, was a wealthy Jew and a member of the Sanhedrin who had opposed the plan to arrest Jesus (Luke 23:51). He boldly came out publicly when he went to Pilate and obtained permission to remove Jesus' body and place it in a tomb that he would provide (Mark 15:43). The synoptics report that the tomb was new and thus vacant. Joseph was joined in the endeavor by Nicodemus (John 3:1-15), a prominent Pharisee who was another secret disciple of Jesus. Nicodemus brought 65 pounds of spices that were used to prepare Jesus' body for burial. Since Jews didn't embalm bodies, the usual practice was to wrap the body with linen clothes with spices mixed-in to mask the odor of decomposition. John doesn't add the detail that the tomb was carved out of solid rock and sealed with a massive round stone that was rolled into depression at the opening to protect it from grave robbers (Mark 15:46; Matt. 27:60). This would have made it virtually impossible for the disciples or anyone else to remove Jesus' body.
APPLICATION-So Great a Salvation:
God planned Christ's death for our great salvation. John intended for us to see that the cross was no accident. From start to finish it was in accordance with God's foreordained purpose, even in the seemingly minor details. John shows this through Jesus' fulfillment of types and prophecies; through Pilate's inscription; and through the soldiers' gambling. But what Pilate meant in sarcasm on the placard above Jesus' cross, God meant in truth: Jesus was in fact the promised King of the Jews. None of the Roman soldiers who gambled for Jesus' clothes were aware of the fact that they were fulfilling a prophecy made 1,000 years before. The fact that Jesus finished (v. 30) our salvation on the cross means that we cannot add anything to what He did. Noted Bible scholar and theologian Charles C. Ryrie said this about the crucifixion of Jesus: "Anyone who that can read passages like this without a deep sense of man's debt to Christ, must have a very cold, or a very thoughtless heart. Great must be the love of the Lord Jesus to sinners, when He could voluntarily endure such sufferings for their salvation. Great must be the sinfulness of sin, when such an amount of vicarious suffering was needed in order to provide redemption." (Expository Thoughts on the Gospels, pp. 290-291).
