JOHN CHAPTER NINETEEN
The Crown of Thorns
John 19:1-5
“In his commentary on John, Harry Ironside tells of a meeting of the Synod of the Free Church of Scotland many years ago. One minister was invited to preach the sermon on a particular Sunday morning, and he gave a marvelous oration on the beauty of virtue. He concluded, ‘Oh, my friends, if virtue incarnate could only appear on earth, men would be so ravished with her beauty that they would fall down and worship her.’ Many went out saying, ‘What a magnificent oration that was!’
“The same evening another man preached. He did not preach about virtue and beauty. He preached Christ and him crucified. As he closed his sermon he said, ‘My friends, Virtue Incarnate has appeared on earth, and men instead of being ravished with his beauty and falling down and worshipping him, cried out, 'Away with him! Crucify him! We will not have this man to rule over us!'’ The second man was right. We do not like to hear it. We resent those who tell us. But the truth is that the natural man (the unbeliever)[fn] hates God's holiness and will do anything rather than allow the light of Christ to penetrate his own deep darkness.”[fn]
The eighteenth and nineteenth chapters of John's Gospel deal with the trials of Jesus beginning with his arrest in the Garden of Gethsemane and ending with His crucifixion.
John 19:1-15 NAS:
1 Pilate then took Jesus and scourged Him.
2 And the soldiers twisted together a crown of thorns and put it on His head, and put a purple robe on Him;
3 and they began to come up to Him and say, "Hail, King of the Jews!" and to give Him slaps in the face.
4 Pilate came out again and said to them, "Behold, I am bringing Him out to you so that you may know that I find no guilt in Him."
5 Jesus then came out, wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe. Pilate said to them, "Behold, the Man!"
6 So when the chief priests and the officers saw Him, they cried out saying, "Crucify, crucify!" Pilate said to them, "Take Him yourselves and crucify Him, for I find no guilt in Him."
7 The Jews answered him, "We have a law, and by that law He ought to die because He made Himself out to be the Son of God."
8 Therefore when Pilate heard this statement, he was even more afraid;
9 and he entered into the Praetorium again and said to Jesus, "Where are You from?" But Jesus gave him no answer.
10 So Pilate said to Him, "You do not speak to me? Do You not know that I have authority to release You, and I have authority to crucify You?"
11 Jesus answered, "You would have no authority over Me, unless it had been given you from above; for this reason he who delivered Me to you (Caiphas)[fn] has the greater sin."
12 As a result of this Pilate made efforts to release Him, but the Jews cried out saying, "If you release this Man, you are no friend of Caesar; everyone who makes himself out to be a king opposes Caesar."
13 Therefore when Pilate heard these words, he brought Jesus out, and sat down on the judgment seat at a place called The Pavement, but in Hebrew, Gabbatha.
14 Now it was the day of preparation for the Passover; it was about the sixth hour. And he said to the Jews, "Behold, your King!"
15 So they cried out, "Away with Him, away with Him, crucify Him!" Pilate said to them, "Shall I crucify your King?" The chief priests answered, "We have no king but Caesar."
John 19:1-3 NAS:
1 Pilate then took Jesus and scourged Him.
2 And the soldiers twisted together a crown of thorns and put it on His head, and put a purple robe on Him;
3 and they began to come up to Him and say, "Hail, King of the Jews!" and to give Him slaps in the face.
Incredible as it seems, at the close of John chapter eighteen the crowd has asked for Barabbas to be freed instead of Christ. The people were worked up to a frenzy by the Jewish leaders according to Matthew 27:20: “But the chief priests and the elders persuaded the crowds to ask for Barabbas and to put Jesus to death” (NAS). The chief priests and elders wanted Jesus killed so they could continue to pursue their own selfish interests without interference.
There is no explanation for the direction a mob may take. The people who made up this mob were probably many of the same people who had very recently hailed Jesus as both the Son of God and their King. Now they were more than ready to choose Barabbas over the Son of God. Now it would seem reasonable to assume that Barabbas could have been very much of a hero to the people because of his courage in leading the resistance against the Romans. Because of that they were probably willing to overlook the fact that he was also a thief and a murderer. Add to that the fact that the Jewish leaders were probably very talented at manipulating the masses, and in producing feelings of patriotic admiration towards Barabbas, and it becomes clear how a mob can lose its ability to reason and start to react with its feelings instead of rational thinking. In fact, the field of social psychology has documented for us the fact that people in a group or mob may ignore their own personal ethics, values, and beliefs and be swept along by the group sentiment to do or say things they would never do by themselves.[fn]
Even though Jesus had been well-received by many of the people, many also were probably disappointed that He was not the military conqueror they were hoping for to overthrow the Roman government. Undoubtedly many were hoping for just that when Jesus made His triumphal entry into Jerusalem earlier in the week.
We mentioned earlier that Pilate must have thought he was caught between a rock and a hard place. He and everybody else knew that Jesus was innocent, but the Jewish leaders and the crowd were turning up the heat and by this time it would seem logical that Pilate would be feeling very uncomfortable; perhaps the word fear would even be appropriate to use at this point. The crowd had cried “Crucify Him!”[fn]yet Pilate knew Jesus to be innocent. What could he do? Then Pilate had a thought. What if he were to order Jesus to be scourged? Maybe such a severe punishment would satisfy their thirst for blood and vengeance. It would be difficult for anyone to look upon someone who had been scourged and not take pity on them.
Luke 23:22 NAS:
22 And he (Pilate) said to them the third time, "Why, what evil has this man done? I have found in Him no guilt demanding death; therefore I will punish Him and release Him."
Scourging was possibly the worst torture imaginable. The victim was tied to a post and beaten with scourges, called scorpions, leather whips tipped with jagged pieces of metal, bone, and sharp spikes, and many prisoners never survived the beating. The severity of the beating in Jesus’ case is evident from His later inability to bear His cross.[fn] Josephus wrote about a man whose ribs were laid bare by scourging. Just imagine what Jesus went through for us. He was slapped in the face before Annas (John 18:22), and spat on and beaten before Caiaphas and the council (Matthew 26:67). Pilate scourged Him and the soldiers slapped Him in the face ( John 19:1–3); and before they led Him to Calvary, the soldiers mocked Him and beat Him with a rod (Mark 15:19).[fn] Do not ever forget the suffering and physical pain Jesus endured for you!
Pilate had called Him “King of the Jews” (John 18:39), so the soldiers decided that the “king” should have a crown and a robe. The Jews had mocked His claim to being a Prophet (Matthew 26:67–68), and now the Gentiles mocked His claim to being a King. The verb tenses in the Greek text in John 19:3 indicate that the soldiers repeatedly came to Him, mocked Him, and beat Him with their hands. The forces of Hell were having a heyday in Pilate’s hall.[fn] Pilate gave in to the accusers and permitted the flogging and the mockery (John 19:1–3).
Pilate thought the Jews might be satisfied if Jesus were humiliated and made to suffer in this fashion. Jesus had predicted this treatment.[fn] A purple robe was often associated with royalty.[fn] The Roman soldiers mocked Christ with a crown of thorns and a purple robe, shouting in jest, “Hail, King of the Jews!” while they beat him. The robe may have been the one Herod put around Him before He sent Jesus back to Pilate, Luke 23:11 (NAS):
11 And Herod with his soldiers, after treating Him with contempt and mocking Him, dressed Him in a gorgeous robe and sent Him back to Pilate.
Then according to Matthew 27:29-31 NAS:
29 And after twisting together a crown of thorns, they put it on His head, and a reed in His right hand; and they knelt down before Him and mocked Him, saying, "Hail, King of the Jews!"
30 They spat on Him, and took the reed and began to beat Him on the head.
31 After they had mocked Him, they took the scarlet robe off Him and put His own garments back on Him, and led Him away to crucify Him.
The reed they gave Jesus was in mockery of the regal scepter (a king’s elaborate ceremonial staff, Psalm 45:6). “And they knelt down before Him” and said, “Hail, King of the Jews!”--mocking Himin the manner used when approaching emperors. “They spat on Him, and took the reed and began to beat Him on the head.”
Pilate had been a ruthless ruler (Luke 13:1), but in a.d. 32, a year or so prior to Jesus arrest and crucifixion, his friend and protector (Sejanus) in Rome who had been covering up his abuses had been executed. Pilate was then no longer secure and comfortable in his relationship with Caesar. He had to guard against any negative reports coming to the emperor’s ears. The Jews knew that he was vulnerable at this point and forced Pilate’s decision to crucify Jesus.[fn]
John 19:4-5 NAS:
4 Pilate came out again and said to them, "Behold, I am bringing Him out to you so that you may know that I find no guilt in Him."
5 Jesus then came out, wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe. Pilate said to them, "Behold, the Man!"
Now Pilate and Jesus went outside again. If we had been there and seen Jesus after that brutal beating it would have sickened us and broken our hearts. He had been beaten within an inch of His life. He must have looked as if He ran into a buzz saw. Pilate took Jesus to the crowd in the street again stating that he found no fault with Him, although he had scourged Him. From Luke 23 we see again that Pilate intended to scourge Jesus and then let Him go.
Luke 23:14-16 NAS:
14 Pilate said to them, "You brought this man to me as one who incites the people to rebellion, and behold, having examined Him before you, I have found no guilt in this man regarding the charges which you make against Him.
15 "No, nor has Herod, for he sent Him back to us; and behold, nothing deserving death has been done by Him.
16 "Therefore I will punish Him and release Him."
If we read between the lines we can almost understand what Pilate is thinking. It is as if he is offering this blood soaked man with flesh hanging from a body that has been ripped apart and ripped open by this vicious whipping, and humiliated, and he is hoping that they will show Jesus some mercy. Pilate then calls out to the crowd, “Behold the man!” Pilate does not want to sentence this innocent man to death. He no longer speaks of Jesus as King, but sees Him as a man beaten nearly to death.
Between John 18:38 and Jesus’ execution we see several attempts by Pilate to set Jesus free and not comply with the crowd’s demand to kill Him. He knew Jesus was innocent of the charges brought against Him; but since the rulers had incited the crowd to demand Jesus be crucified, Pilate (1) sent Jesus to Herod hoping that Herod would make the decision for him, (2) attempted to release Jesus instead of Barabbas, and (3) caused Jesus to be beaten, hoping by this means to promote sympathy for Jesus from the leaders and mob. None of these attempts worked.[fn] None care to admit it, but there is in the unsaved person's heart that which leads people to oppose true righteousness.
It was the verdict of all who had dealings with Jesus in His final hours that He was innocent. First, Judas declared, "I have sinned, for I have betrayed innocent blood" (Matthew 27:4). Second, Pilate's wife sent a message to Pilate saying, "Don't have anything to do with that innocent man, for I have suffered a great deal today in a dream because of him" (Matthew 27:19). Third, Pilate himself declared Christ innocent: "I find no basis for a charge against him" (John 18:38). Fourth, Herod found Christ blameless, for Pilate reported of Herod's verdict, "Neither has Herod, for he sent him back to us; as you can see, he has done nothing to deserve death" (Luke 23:15). Fifth, on the cross the dying thief cried out, "We are punished justly; for we are getting what our deeds deserve. But this man has done nothing wrong" (Luke 23:41). Sixth, the centurion in charge of the crucifixion said, "Surely this was a righteous man" (Luke 23:47). Lastly, the crowds at the cross, seeing the earthquake and the other supernatural signs accompanying His death, exclaimed, "Surely this was the Son of God" (Matthew 27:54).
So therefore it would seem it was almost a miracle that Jesus was crucified—a devastating miracle that One whom so many declared innocent could be executed. This is yet another evidence of everything God did so that you and I, the truly guilty ones, could be declared “not guilty” in God’s eyes. We are “not guilty” because Christ took our punishment and shed His blood because He loves us so. How loving and gracious our God is to perform all the miracles that would allow us to spend eternity in His presence (His birth, His incarnation, His death, and His resurrection).
As we see Jesus standing before Pilate we see clearly that He is a brave man. The beating when a person was scourged lasted so long that few remained conscious throughout the ordeal and some died. Yet it was after His suffering this brutal beating that Pilate presented Jesus to the crowd calling out to the people to "Behold the man!"[fn]
William Barclay was on the right track when he wrote:
"It must have been Pilate's first intention to awaken the pity of the Jews. 'Look!' he said. 'Look at this poor, bruised, bleeding creature! Look at this wretchedness! Can you possibly wish to hound a creature like this to an utterly unnecessary death?' But even as he said it, we can almost hear the tone of Pilate's voice change and see the wonder dawn in his eyes. And instead of saying it half-contemptuously, to awaken pity, he says it with a dawning wonder and an admiration that will not be repressed." [fn]
In wartime soldiers will frequently admire the bravery of a defeated enemy, wondering how they themselves might bear up under similar suffering were the roles reversed. Did Pilate, an old soldier, perhaps inwardly respect Christ's bravery?[fn]
But it is not only bravery that we see in the man standing before Pilate. There is also majesty, and such majesty as befits the Son of God. “Behold the man.” Yes. But behold the King too, the King of kings, whose dignity and grace shone through even in the moment of his greatest physical humiliation. This was a great man. But this was also God, as the resurrection was soon to indicate (Romans 1:4).[fn]
We have more opportunities to learn about Christ in our day than ever before in human history. Books and magazines and radio programs and movies and television have all told about Him. The call has gone forth, "Behold the man! Look to this one for salvation. He loves you, he died for you. He rose again. Turn from your sin and place your trust in him as your Savior!"[fn]Most people today pay little or no attention to that message however. They are more concerned about whether a church has a contemporary service or active youth programs over and above whether it teaches the truth of God’s Word.
Today is the day of God's grace. Now we see Him offered to us for salvation. His death is our life. But the day is coming when this period of grace will end, and the One who was once judged by the people of this world will be the Judge of the people of this world. The King of Glory will then have exchanged the robe of mockery for the role of divine Majesty, the wreath of thorns for a crown of glory, and the reed for the scepter of universal dominion.
Where will you be on that day. Will you be among the sheep or the goats? Will you receive judgment or a reward? The answer depends on what you do with Jesus today. Will you turn from His call to follow your own path or will you surrender to Him as your Lord and Savior?
Pilate’s Dilemma
John 19:6-11
John 19:1-11 (NASB):
6 So when the chief priests and the officers saw Him, they cried out saying, "Crucify, crucify!" Pilate said to them, "Take Him yourselves and crucify Him, for I find no guilt in Him."
7 The Jews answered him, "We have a law, and by that law He ought to die because He made Himself out to be the Son of God."
8 Therefore when Pilate heard this statement, he was even more afraid;
9 and he entered into the Praetorium again and said to Jesus, "Where are You from?" But Jesus gave him no answer.
10 So Pilate said to Him, "You do not speak to me? Do You not know that I have authority to release You, and I have authority to crucify You?"
11 Jesus answered, "You would have no authority over Me, unless it had been given you from above; for this reason he who delivered Me to you has the greater sin."
“A Philadelphia woman in her will instructed her executor to take one dollar from her estate, invest it and pay the interest on this investment to her husband, ‘as evidence of her estimate of his worth.’ Another woman—also from Philadelphia—bequeathed her divorced husband one dollar to buy a rope to hang himself.”[fn]
“John J. Harrington, national president of the Fraternal Order of Police and a 27-year veteran of the Philadelphia police force, says, ‘There is hatred today in this country that’s growing and growing. Near where I live a man was walking to church, and two men came up behind him and cut his throat.’
“Another man was just standing on a street corner when a bunch of kids came along. They said. ‘Let’s give it to him,’ and they killed him. And a little girl was walking up the street from where I live, and a boy just came along and stabbed her. All these things seem to happen for no reason at all—just hatred.”[fn]
We see so much similar senseless violence today, in drive-by shootings and other events we hear about almost daily in the news.
Harry Emerson Fosdick was quoted as saying, “Hating people is like burning down your own house to get rid of a rat.”[fn]
We will see how equally self-destructive hatred can be as we continue in this study of Jesus’ trial before Pilate. In verse 6 of this chapter, the Jewish leaders displayed their hatred for Jesus by demanding His death. Crucifixion at this time was a shameful death, usually reserved for criminals, slaves, and especially revolutionaries. Pilate could not find any evidence of Jesus being guilty of any of these things. So in effect he told them that if they wanted Jesus crucified, they should crucify Him themselves, knowing full well that they could not administer the death penalty without his approval. Even though he did not want to anger these Jews, he could not support their demand for crucifixion because according to Roman law, Jesus had not done anything wrong, and certainly not anything that would even approach justifying crucifixion.
When the Jewish leaders saw that they could not nail Jesus to the cross with the argument they were giving Pilate, they switched tactics. They told Pilate that according to their law anyone charged with blasphemy was subject to the death penalty if it could be proven, Leviticus 24:16 NAS: [fn] “Moreover, the one who blasphemes the name of the Lord shall surely be put to death; all the congregation shall certainly stone him. The alien as well as the native, when he blasphemes the Name, shall be put to death.” Since Jesus claimed to be God, they demanded that Pilate find Jesus guilty of Jewish law and administer the death penalty.
Now it is very likely that about this time Pilate could have been getting a little worried. This reference to the Jewish law reminded him that it was Rome’s policy to maintain local customs and laws in the nations that they occupied. In other words, if the nation of Palestine had a certain law that the officials claimed to have been broken, it was up to the Roman official in charge of that province to see that the appropriate punishment was administered to the guilty party. In this case, the death penalty would be required if Jesus had actually committed blasphemy.
Add to this the fact that Jesus did claim to be the Son of God, and as such He would have supernatural powers and authority, and therefore could have caused Pilate some stress. Pilate had heard stories of gods who took human form coming down to earth and punishing men for committing acts that were not pleasing to them. Maybe Jesus’ regal stature, demeanor, confidence, and references to His kingdom not being of this world started to get to Pilate. If he thought Jesus was a god from out of this world somewhere, he could have been frightened that Jesus might punish him in some horrible way if he did not release Him.[fn] Then, sometime during all this activity, Pilate received a message from his wife saying, “Don’t have anything to do with that innocent Man, for I have suffered a great deal today in a dream because of Him” (Matthew 27:19).
It is therefore not surprising that Pilate asked Jesus in verse 9, “Where are you from?” A question that Jesus met with silence. Pilate became impatient and frustrated by Jesus’ silence and told Jesus that He had better realize that he (Pilate) had the power and authority to either send Him to His death or free Him. Jesus still did not answer Pilate’s original question regarding where He called home, but made it clear that Pilate would have no authority whatsoever if it had not been given to him by God. Pilate may have figured out from Jesus’ response that if Jesus’ Father was from above, that meant Jesus was from above. Now Pilate may have begun to feel the vice tightening. He was beginning perhaps to feel he was in danger because of what Jesus might do to him, and he was beginning to sense the trouble the Jewish leaders could cause him with Caesar.
In John 19:11 Jesus speaks to Pilate for the final time, revealing His complete faith and trust in God. All authority comes from God (Romans 13:1 ff). Pilate was boasting about his authority (John 19:10), but Jesus reminded him that what he considered to be his authority was only delegated to him by God. One day God would call him to account for the way he had used and abused his responsibilities.
It would do all world leaders today well to remember that whatever power they have comes from God Almighty. The arrogance that many of them have will one day bring them to nothing when they stand before the All-Powerful God.
Why did Jesus not answer Pilate’s question? Because He had already answered it in John 18:33–38 NAS:
33 Therefore Pilate entered again into the Praetorium, and summoned Jesus and said to Him, "Are You the King of the Jews?"
34 Jesus answered, "Are you saying this on your own initiative, or did others tell you about Me?"
35 Pilate answered, "I am not a Jew, am I? Your own nation and the chief priests delivered You to me; what have You done?"
36 Jesus answered, "My kingdom is not of this world. If My kingdom were of this world, then My servants would be fighting so that I would not be handed over to the Jews; but as it is, My kingdom is not of this realm."
37 Therefore Pilate said to Him, "So You are a king?" Jesus answered, "You say correctly that I am a king. For this I have been born, and for this I have come into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth hears My voice."
38 Pilate said to Him, "What is truth?" And when he had said this, he went out again to the Jews and said to them, "I find no guilt in Him.
“It is a basic spiritual principle that God does not reveal new truth to us if we fail to act on the truth we already know. Furthermore, Pilate had already made it clear that he was not personally interested in spiritual truth. All he was concerned about was maintaining peace in Jerusalem as he tried to expedite the trial of Jesus of Nazareth. Pilate did not deserve an answer!”[fn]
Jesus’ silence before both Herod and Pilate fulfilled Isaiah’s prophecy in Isaiah 53:7: “He was oppressed and treated harshly, yet he never said a word. He was led like a lamb to the slaughter. And as a sheep is silent before the shearers, he did not open his mouth (NLT).” Peter later used Jesus as the example for suffering Christians to follow.
1 Peter 2:18–23 NLT:
18 You who are slaves must accept the authority of your masters with all respect. Do what they tell you—not only if they are kind and reasonable, but even if they are cruel.
19 For God is pleased with you when you do what you know is right and patiently endure unfair treatment.
20 Of course, you get no credit for being patient if you are beaten for doing wrong. But if you suffer for doing good and endure it patiently, God is pleased with you.
21 For God called you to do good, even if it means suffering, just as Christ suffered for you. He is your example, and you must follow in his steps.
22 He never sinned, nor ever deceived anyone.
23 He did not retaliate when he was insulted, nor threaten revenge when he suffered. He left his case in the hands of God, who always judges fairly.
To whom was Jesus referring when He said, “he who delivered Me to you has the greater sin”? Most likely, Jesus was referring to Caiaphas, the high priest. Pilate said to Jesus earlier, it was "your people and your chief priests who handed you over to me" (John 18:35). Caiphas had been trying to have Jesus killed for quite some time. Let us go back for just a moment to remember what had happened perhaps a week or so earlier at the time Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead.
John 11:45-57, The Message:
45 That was a turnaround for many of the Jews who were with Mary. They saw what Jesus did, and believed in him.
46 But some went back to the Pharisees and told on Jesus.
47 The high priests and Pharisees called a meeting of the Jewish ruling body. "What do we do now?" they asked. "This man keeps on doing things, creating God-signs.
48 If we let him go on, pretty soon everyone will be believing in him and the Romans will come and remove what little power and privilege we still have."
49 Then one of them—it was Caiaphas, the designated Chief Priest that year—spoke up, "Don't you know anything?
50 Can't you see that it's to our advantage that one man dies for the people rather than the whole nation be destroyed?"
51 He didn't say this of his own accord, but as Chief Priest that year he unwittingly prophesied that Jesus was about to die sacrificially for the nation,
52 and not only for the nation but so that all God's exile-scattered children might be gathered together into one people.
53 From that day on, they plotted to kill him.
54 So Jesus no longer went out in public among the Jews. He withdrew into the country bordering the desert to a town called Ephraim and secluded himself there with his disciples.
55 The Jewish Passover was coming up. Crowds of people were making their way from the country up to Jerusalem to get themselves ready for the Feast.
56 They were curious about Jesus. There was a lot of talk of him among those standing around in the Temple: "What do you think? Do you think he'll show up at the Feast or not?"
57 Meanwhile, the high priests and Pharisees gave out the word that anyone getting wind of him should inform them. They were all set to arrest him.
So it was Caiaphas who set the plan for Jesus’ trial and execution in motion. Now it is clear to those who are familiar with scripture that all things have been given from God above, therefore there are degrees of sin depending on the gifts a person has been given. Pilate’s sin, even though he is not familiar with the scripture, is not having provided justice to a man he knows is innocent. How much more then is the sin of the chief priest, Caiaphas, and the other leaders of God's people who have received God’s Law and message through the prophets of the Old Testament?
Luke 12:47-48 NAS:
47 "And that slave who knew his master's will and did not get ready or act in accord with his will, will receive many lashes,
48 but the one who did not know it, and committed deeds worthy of a flogging, will receive but few. From everyone who has been given much, much will be required; and to whom they entrusted much, of him they will ask all the more.
Both Jew and Gentile share in the sin, and therefore the guilt, of Jesus' death. In fact, the truth is that "each of us is as guilty of putting Jesus on the cross as was Caiaphas" or Pilate. But John clearly tells us that the Jews' sin is greater because of the greater gifts of God within Judaism. The problem is not Judaism as such but the rejection of their own Messiah by these particular leaders and their followers, despite the knowledge available within Judaism. Thus, these Jews who were demanding that Jesus be crucified were of this world, not of God (John 8:23).[fn]
The Jews had a greater knowledge of the Light, which appeared in the person of Jesus, so they should have embraced the Light more readily when He came. Rodney Whitacre writes:
“Accordingly their sin was greater than that of the Gentile, Pilate. But from this perspective there is now a group whose sin is much greater yet. A great many Christians from the time of Christ right up to the present day have been of the world as much as these Jews were, and we Christians have even far more knowledge than the Jews had. We not only have the Old Testament which they had, but we also have the Holy Spirit, the New Testament, and the witness of the saints throughout the ages. Anyone who does not accept Jesus Christ as their personal savior is of the world and is allied with Satan against the Son of God.[fn] Listen to what John writes in John 8:44 NAS:
44 "You are of your father the devil, and you want to do the desires of your father. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth because there is no truth in him. Whenever he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own nature, for he is a liar and the father of lies.
Stop for a moment and just imagine what was going on here. Caiaphas is the high priest, which means he has the most powerful position in the Sanhedrin, the Jewish governing authority. So he had to have a thorough knowledge of the Old Testament writings in the Bible. He would have known the teachings and the commands of God. So we have no alternative but to come to the conclusion that Caiphas intentionally ignored God’s truth and was willing to deny what God had said about the coming of a Messiah, and intentionally disobeyed God so that he might get his own way. He first made certain that Jesus would not have a fair trial. Next, he made certain that other members of the Sanhedrin would stir up the crowd to demand that Jesus be crucified. Pilate was a pagan who knew nothing about the Bible, but Caiaphas was a Jew who had a working knowledge of Scripture. Therefore, it was Caiaphas, not Pilate, who had committed the greater sin.
Kind of looks like Pilate found himself in quite a dilemma, don’t you think? How would anyone gather evidence to determine if Jesus was who He claimed to be? The prophecies of His birth and the miracles He performed were ample evidence. But everyone seemed to be ignoring them. Yet there was no evidence that He had even committed the most minor of offenses. Pilate made repeated attempts to release Jesus so he could get off the hook and not have to make the more difficult decision. But then the crowd got it into their heads to accuse Pilate of being a traitor to Caesar. Pilate must have thought at this point that things were going too far. He could not risk an already shaky relationship with Caesar that might make Caesar question his loyalty. He therefore made the decision to have Jesus crucified.
As a gesture of frustration Pilate went out and washed his hands in front of the crowd,
“Pilate saw that he wasn’t getting anywhere and that a riot was developing. So he sent for a bowl of water and washed his hands before the crowd, saying, ‘I am innocent of this man’s blood. The responsibility is yours (Matthew 27:24 NLT)!’”
The trial of Jesus had to be the biggest miscarriage of justice in all of history. Or was it? In spite of all the terrible things that were done to Christ in regard to this earthly trial, God had planned all of this and nothing was going to interfere with Jesus accomplishing His purpose for coming. This event had been predicted throughout the Old Testament and God’s will is always fulfilled. Does that absolve the participants in this trial from any responsibility for their many sins? Not on your life. Luke writes the following in
Acts 2:22-24 NLT:
22 “People of Israel, listen! God publicly endorsed Jesus the Nazarene by doing powerful miracles, wonders, and signs through him, as you well know.
23 But God knew what would happen, and his prearranged plan was carried out when Jesus was betrayed. With the help of lawless Gentiles, you nailed him to a cross and killed him.
24 But God released him from the horrors of death and raised him back to life, for death could not keep him in its grip.
Everyone is responsible for his or her own actions, no matter what the circumstances. God worked His will in spite of the sinful behavior of all involved in Christ’s crucifixion, and one day they will all answer for what they did.
What do you think the Church’s response would be if Christ came again today under similar circumstances to His first coming? We are sorry to say that we believe many of the church leaders might do the same thing the Jewish leaders did for similar reasons. No wonder our nation is in the condition it is in. May God be merciful to those who still truly love Him.
But what about you? Are you in a dilemma over what to do with Christ? If you are not a Christian, your dilemma may be: “Shall I accept Him as my Savior and follow Him? Shall I walk down the narrow road that leads to heaven and glory? Or shall I walk down the wide, easy road that is full of parties, selfishness, materialism, and being like the world that will eventually take me to destruction?”
If you are already a Christian you may still be facing a dilemma. God wants all of you and all of your life. Perhaps He is calling you to let go of something, or to be obedient in some way, and you are struggling with the choice. Remember that the path of obedience to God is the key to real happiness, peace, and fulfillment. Recall the words of Jim Elliot, a missionary who lost his life so that a tribe of Indians could eventually come to Christ:
“He is no fool who gives up what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose.” Christ said it first when He said, “what does it profit a man if he gain the whole world but loses his own soul?” (Matthew 16:26).
TOUGH DECISIONS
As we have learned, Jesus was making Pilate feel extremely uncomfortable as this trial progressed, and because of that Pilate continued to make attempts to release Jesus. But the crowd would not accept that. Let us pick up here beginning in John chapter nineteen, verse twelve.
John 19:12-16 NAS:
12 As a result of this Pilate made efforts to release Him, but the Jews cried out saying, "If you release this Man, you are no friend of Caesar; everyone who makes himself out to be a king opposes Caesar."
13 Therefore when Pilate heard these words, he brought Jesus out, and sat down on the judgment seat at a place called The Pavement, but in Hebrew, Gabbatha.
14 Now it was the day of preparation for the Passover; it was about the sixth hour. And he said to the Jews, "Behold, your King!"
15 So they cried out, "Away with Him, away with Him, crucify Him!" Pilate said to them, "Shall I crucify your King?" The chief priests answered, "We have no king but Caesar."
16 So he (Pilate)[fn] then delivered Him to them to be crucified.
The Jewish leaders finally stopped Pilate cold in his efforts to release Jesus by questioning his loyalty to Caesar. This is something that Pilate’s career could not afford. If Caesar had any reason to suspect Pilate’s loyalty, Pilate would be history. So what we see here is a choice Pilate must make, a choice that we are all faced with actually. Pilate, as well as you, Betty, and I, must either choose the things in life that attract him or recognize Jesus as the king He is and give Him complete loyalty. You cannot have it both ways. Pilate is given a choice of kings to serve and he chooses the wrong one because he will not look beyond his worldly desires. Perhaps we all need to stop for a moment and consider where our loyalty lies.
“Several European golfers considered pulling out of the PGA Championship to attend the funeral of fellow golfer Darren Clarke's wife. Heather Clarke lost a long battle with cancer and many of the Clarke's friends wanted to attend the funeral to support their comrade. In the end, only Paul McGinley, a player on the bubble for a Ryder Cup spot, chose to skip the year's fourth major event. McGinley said, "Some things are more important than the Ryder Cup."[fn]
Here was a man who knew how to choose the right loyalty. Pilate and the Jews did not.
It seems to us that in verses 14 and 15 Pilate is mocking the Jews to get back at them for threatening him by telling the crowd that this man who has been beaten bloody, humiliated, `and scorned is their king. He is saying that this poor miserable excuse for a man is what they deserve for a king. Pilate, without knowing it, is giving the Jews a last chance to recognize Jesus as their king, but they would have none of it. “We have no king but Caesar” is what they say in verse 15. So, like Pilate, they also have a choice to make regarding who they will accept as their king, and they too choose the wrong king. By rejecting Jesus as the King and Savior they knew would be coming, here the Jewish religious leaders are rejecting the faith that they claim they have been given the responsibility to uphold. One day they will pay the ultimate price for rejecting Jesus when they are sentenced to the Lake of Fire for eternity. It cannot be too pleasant for them right now either, because unless they changed their attitudes and later accepted Jesus, they are all now in Hell.
Pilate finally hands Jesus over to the crowd and although they do not carry out the crucifixion themselves, this certainly places as much blame on their shoulders as on the Romans. The Jewish leaders then saw to it that Jesus was led away to the place where He would be crucified.
If we think about this carefully it should really boggle our minds. Rejecting Jesus is what sin is all about. And in the midst of this expression of the essence of sin, Jesus willingly goes to the cross to die for the sin they are committing against Him at that very moment.
You might be interested in knowing that years later Pilate was removed from office by the Proconsul of Syria and banished to France where he later died. Pilate made a bad decision at a defining moment in his life for a very common reason. Pilate, like so many other people, feared what other men might do to him, rather than fearing God and what He could do for him and to him. Making a choice that you know in your heart is wrong always eventually leads to unpleasant and even disastrous results, and we all have done that. In Pilate’s case he even went so far as to sentence God’s Son to death. We can only do the right thing when we choose God over men.
Matthew 10:28 NAS:
28 "Do not fear those who kill the body but are unable to kill the soul; but rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.
What does it mean to fear God more than man? How can we make this feeling the dominant force in our hearts and minds? We must have this feeling imbedded securely in our minds so that whenever an issue comes up, that is the first filter that we use to begin our decision process. Is this from God? Is this within the will of God as expressed to us in the Bible? If a crisis arises, do we panic, or do we immediately ask God for His help and His counsel? Let us try to illustrate this better by reading you two stories from Daniel. Please keep in mind that we are trying to understand what life can be like when we believe in the sovereignty of God and when we realize He can be totally trusted to be in control of everything that is going on in the world. We can be sure that, no matter what the outcome, He will take care of those who are His through their faith in the work of Christ. These two stories from the book of Daniel take place during the time of Israel’s captivity in Babylon, beginning in 606 B.C. and lasting until around 536 B.C.
Daniel’s three friends, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego in the fiery furnace:
Daniel 3:1-30 NLT:
1 King Nebuchadnezzar made a gold statue ninety feet tall and nine feet wide and set it up on the plain of Dura in the province of Babylon.
2 Then he sent messages to the high officers, officials, governors, advisers, treasurers, judges, magistrates, and all the provincial officials to come to the dedication of the statue he had set up.
3 So all these officials came and stood before the statue King Nebuchadnezzar had set up.
4 Then a herald shouted out, “People of all races and nations and languages, listen to the king’s command!
5 When you hear the sound of the horn, flute, zither, lyre, harp, pipes, and other musical instruments, bow to the ground to worship King Nebuchadnezzar’s gold statue.
6 Anyone who refuses to obey will immediately be thrown into a blazing furnace.”
7 So at the sound of the musical instruments, all the people, whatever their race or nation or language, bowed to the ground and worshiped the gold statue that King Nebuchadnezzar had set up.
8 But some of the astrologers went to the king and informed on the Jews.
9 They said to King Nebuchadnezzar, “Long live the king!
10 You issued a decree requiring all the people to bow down and worship the gold statue when they hear the sound of the horn, flute, zither, lyre, harp, pipes, and other musical instruments.
11 That decree also states that those who refuse to obey must be thrown into a blazing furnace.
12 But there are some Jews—Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego—whom you have put in charge of the province of Babylon. They pay no attention to you, Your Majesty. They refuse to serve your gods and do not worship the gold statue you have set up.”
13 Then Nebuchadnezzar flew into a rage and ordered that Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego be brought before him. When they were brought in,
14 Nebuchadnezzar said to them, “Is it true, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, that you refuse to serve my gods or to worship the gold statue I have set up?
15 I will give you one more chance to bow down and worship the statue I have made when you hear the sound of the musical instruments. But if you refuse, you will be thrown immediately into the blazing furnace. And then what god will be able to rescue you from my power?”
16 Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego replied, “O Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you.
17 If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God whom we serve is able to save us. He will rescue us from your power, Your Majesty.
18 But even if he doesn’t, we want to make it clear to you, Your Majesty, that we will never serve your gods or worship the gold statue you have set up.”
Do you think that Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego ever gave this order of the king a second thought? We do not think so. One of the Ten Commandments forbids the worship of false gods (Exodus 20:4-5). This kind of law was strictly in opposition to the Law of God and therefore no true believer would ever consider obeying it. It did not matter what type of punishment they would suffer or how severe, they were on auto-pilot to obey everything that God had instructed them to do through His Holy Word. If they were driving along in their chariot and saw a sign that said “Speed Limit, 35 MPH,” would they obey it? Absolutely. If Nebuchednezzar made a law that said they were to pay a 50% Camel Tax, would they obey it? Certainly. If the law specified they purchase a license in order to operate their airplane, would they comply? Without question. If the law required they worship the king, would they do it? No. Continuing in verse 19:
19 Nebuchadnezzar was so furious with Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego that his face became distorted with rage. He commanded that the furnace be heated seven times hotter than usual.
20 Then he ordered some of the strongest men of his army to bind Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego and throw them into the blazing furnace.
Now for most of us this would be more than a little stressful. Imagine yourself seated at the entrance of the hottest fiery furnace in the world. As these thugs bind your hands and feet as tight as they can, you can feel the intense heat from the furnace and you have not even been tossed in yet. The thought flashes into your mind that you can save yourself from a very painful death by simply saying, “Excuse me, I’ve made a terrible mistake! Could I please worship the king now?” Would you be tempted to do that? We believe we would be tempted, but we know the Holy Spirit within us would prevent us from caving in to what would be in opposition to the will of God.
But the great thing about the kind of faith these three men had was that they trusted completely in God to care for them in such a situation and nothing would convince them otherwise.
Remember, they had no idea what God might really do. They had affirmed their belief that He had the power to save them from the fire. But they also recognized God’s sovereignty. They said, ”even if He doesn’t save us . . . We will never serve your gods” (verse 17). How many of us affirm that we will continue to serve God even if He does not answer our prayers in the way we expect?
To be able to face every situation without fear or worry is the kind of faith many of the church martyrs have had throughout the years. Now let us resume the story in verse 21:
21 So they tied them up and threw them into the furnace, fully dressed in their pants, turbans, robes, and other garments.
22 And because the king, in his anger, had demanded such a hot fire in the furnace, the flames killed the soldiers as they threw the three men in.
23 So Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, securely tied, fell into the roaring flames.
24 But suddenly, Nebuchadnezzar jumped up in amazement and exclaimed to his advisers, “Didn’t we tie up three men and throw them into the furnace?” “Yes, Your Majesty, we certainly did,” they replied.
25 “Look!” Nebuchadnezzar shouted. “I see four men, unbound, walking around in the fire unharmed! And the fourth looks like a god!”
26 Then Nebuchadnezzar came as close as he could to the door of the flaming furnace and shouted: “Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, servants of the Most High God, come out! Come here!” So Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego stepped out of the fire.
27 Then the high officers, officials, governors, and advisers crowded around them and saw that the fire had not touched them. Not a hair on their heads was singed, and their clothing was not scorched. They didn’t even smell of smoke!
28 Then Nebuchadnezzar said, “Praise to the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego! He sent his angel to rescue his servants who trusted in him. They defied the king’s command and were willing to die rather than serve or worship any god except their own God.
29 Therefore, I make this decree: If any people, whatever their race or nation or language, speak a word against the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, they will be torn limb from limb, and their houses will be turned into heaps of rubble. There is no other god who can rescue like this!”
30 Then the king promoted Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego to even higher positions in the province of Babylon.
Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego trusted God in the face of death and God took care of them. Could you do the same? If the government passes a law against worshipping God and Christ alone, would you be willing to worship God in spite of the threat of imprisonment or death? Such a decision may be closer than you think.
Daniel In The Lion’s Den
Daniel 6:1-28 NLT:
1 Darius the Mede decided to divide the kingdom into 120 provinces, and he appointed a high officer to rule over each province.
2 The king also chose Daniel and two others as administrators to supervise the high officers and protect the king’s interests.
3 Daniel soon proved himself more capable than all the other administrators and high officers. Because of Daniel’s great ability, the king made plans to place him over the entire empire.
4 Then the other administrators and high officers began searching for some fault in the way Daniel was handling government affairs, but they couldn’t find anything to criticize or condemn. He was faithful, always responsible, and completely trustworthy.
5 So they concluded, “Our only chance of finding grounds for accusing Daniel will be in connection with the rules of his religion.”
6 So the administrators and high officers went to the king and said, “Long live King Darius!
7 We are all in agreement—we administrators, officials, high officers, advisers, and governors—that the king should make a law that will be strictly enforced. Give orders that for the next thirty days any person who prays to anyone, divine or human—except to you, Your Majesty—will be thrown into the den of lions.
8 And now, Your Majesty, issue and sign this law so it cannot be changed, an official law of the Medes and Persians that cannot be revoked.”
9 So King Darius signed the law.
10 But when Daniel learned that the law had been signed, he went home and knelt down as usual in his upstairs room, with its windows open toward Jerusalem. He prayed three times a day, just as he had always done, giving thanks to his God.
11 Then the officials went together to Daniel’s house and found him praying and asking for God’s help.
12 So they went straight to the king and reminded him about his law. “Did you not sign a law that for the next thirty days any person who prays to anyone, divine or human—except to you, Your Majesty—will be thrown into the den of lions?” “Yes,” the king replied, “that decision stands; it is an official law of the Medes and Persians that cannot be revoked.”
13 Then they told the king, “That man Daniel, one of the captives from Judah, is ignoring you and your law. He still prays to his God three times a day.”
14 Hearing this, the king was deeply troubled, and he tried to think of a way to save Daniel. He spent the rest of the day looking for a way to get Daniel out of this predicament.
15 In the evening the men went together to the king and said, “Your Majesty, you know that according to the law of the Medes and the Persians, no law that the king signs can be changed.”
16 So at last the king gave orders for Daniel to be arrested and thrown into the den of lions. The king said to him, “May your God, whom you serve so faithfully, rescue you.”
Most people placed in such a situation would begin screaming in terror the minute they were placed in that den. Panic would overtake most people as they watched these lions prepare to rip them to shreds in what might be the most horrible kind of death as your flesh is torn apart by these vicious lions. You might have to spend several minutes of sheer terror before death would mercifully put an end to your suffering. But Daniel apparently remained as cool as a cucumber, as we see starting in verse 17.
17 A stone was brought and placed over the mouth of the den. The king sealed the stone with his own royal seal and the seals of his nobles, so that no one could rescue Daniel.
18 Then the king returned to his palace and spent the night fasting. He refused his usual entertainment and couldn’t sleep at all that night.
19 Very early the next morning, the king got up and hurried out to the lions’ den.
20 When he got there, he called out in anguish, “Daniel, servant of the living God! Was your God, whom you serve so faithfully, able to rescue you from the lions?”
21 Daniel answered, “Long live the king!
22 My God sent his angel to shut the lions’ mouths so that they would not hurt me, for I have been found innocent in his sight. And I have not wronged you, Your Majesty.”
Daniel had been obedient to God Almighty and at the same time did nothing to disrespect the king, because he willingly accepted the punishment the king had required for his actions. He simply could not place anyone or anything on the same level of obedience as he placed God. Picking up the account in verse 23:
23 The king was overjoyed and ordered that Daniel be lifted from the den. Not a scratch was found on him, for he had trusted in his God.
24 Then the king gave orders to arrest the men who had maliciously accused Daniel. He had them thrown into the lions’ den, along with their wives and children. The lions leaped on them and tore them apart before they even hit the floor of the den.
25 Then King Darius sent this message to the people of every race and nation and language throughout the world: “Peace and prosperity to you!
26 “I decree that everyone throughout my kingdom should tremble with fear before the God of Daniel. For he is the living God, and he will endure forever. His kingdom will never be destroyed, and his rule will never end.
27 He rescues and saves his people; he performs miraculous signs and wonders in the heavens and on earth. He has rescued Daniel from the power of the lions.”
28 So Daniel prospered during the reign of Darius and the reign of Cyrus the Persian.
Men with the kind of faith which Daniel and his friends had allowed them to ignore the demands of the powerful world rulers of their day because they trusted the most powerful of all the rulers. They knew that when push came to shove, God was the one who was in control and no world ruler or system could alter what He wanted to happen.
Now, you may be thinking, “What about the early Christian martyrs whom the Romans threw to the lions? They were not miraculously delivered. They died.” But remember what Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego said: “Even if God does not rescue us, we will not worship other gods.” The early Christian martyrs felt the same way and were ushered into the glorious presence of Christ, rather than left to dwell in a sinful, difficult world. So they also were delivered, only in a different way.
Now in order to be able to develop this kind of faith and trust, one must have a thorough knowledge of Scripture. Just because you want to be able to do what is right, does not mean that you will always know what is right. Doing what is right is based on knowing what is right, and then being able to call upon the power of the Holy Spirit to insure that you do it. Now since the time of Christ, that almost always means that such power is made available only to those who are saved by their faith in Jesus Christ. Before Christ’s resurrection and ascension the Holy Spirit did not permanently indwell even those who trusted in God. God would occasionally provide the Holy Spirit in a person’s life for a limited period of time to accomplish whatever it was that God wanted accomplished. Such power might be made available to anyone who is truly seeking after God’s truth with a sincere heart. That person might be assisted by the Holy Spirit for a while in order to find what he/she is looking for.
It is true that there are some issues that are not all that clear, such as conscientious objectors like Alvin York encounter when deciding if it is okay to fight in a war in defense of your country. Alvin York, if you do not recognize the name was the most decorated hero of World War I. But the Bible is the only source we have for such decisions and we have to study it thoroughly so that we might understand its overall intent.
Pilate failed to do the right thing, not because he did not know what was right, but because he felt his own selfish interests were more important than doing the right thing. When we fail to do what we know is right in order to get what we want, it almost always inevitably leads to misery. That reality should motivate us to understand our Bibles thoroughly because God promises that doing what is right in His eyes will bring comfort, peace, joy, and even abundance.
You see Jesus is King of Kings and has offered to be a friend to sinners. I hope that, based on his experience with Jesus, Pilate found that out and became a believer. There is a tradition that says he did, but nothing in the Bible tells us that.
Yes, even Pilate, who sent Jesus to His death, could be saved by turning to Jesus and accepting Him as Savior. Imagine that kind of forgiveness and that kind of love.
James Montgomery Boice has said:
“God will demand your total allegiance and faithful service, perhaps even to death. But He does not demand of you what He was unwilling to undergo Himself. He died for you, and He promises that no matter what you may go through for His sake and the sake of righteousness, He will go through it with you, thereby proving Himself to be ‘a friend who sticks closer than a brother.’”[fn]
This brings us to a question we believe needs to be addressed in regard to making right decisions in our relationship to God and Jesus. It is not always easy to know when a Christian's obligation to obey God requires disobedience to the state. If God and state were always diametrically opposed, the decision would be easy. We would obey God and disobey the state in all situations. But this is not the case. The state is often if not usually right. And what is more, it has been instituted by God and is invested with God's authority. Consequently, under normal circumstances we are to obey the government. Yet what are "normal circumstances"? We are not to obey without question. How then do we decide when a particular demand by the state is wrong and requires firm Christian opposition?
The authority of the state is limited in at least two important areas. First, it has no right to forbid the teaching of the complete Word of God. If the government attempts to do this, we must resist, knowing that we have been given a commission to preach the Word from Jesus Himself. Second, the state has no right to command an immoral act that is in opposition to God’s Word.[fn]
It is at this point, however, that we as followers of Christ must be extremely cautious. We know that it is easy to develop an attitude that the government is hopelessly immoral. Governments quite often do things that people do not like, many of which are not in competition with God’s will. High taxes and laws that require one to be fair to others are not reasons for disobedience, because they do not violate either of the two things we have already mentioned. We may not want to obey the government simply because we have a resentment against authority. We saw that Jesus alerted us to precisely this danger in John 19:11 by indicating that, although the sin of Pilate was great, the sin of the religious leaders was greater in that they sinned out of pride and against a greater knowledge. We need to make certain that we do not act from impure motives. One good way to insure that is to have input from other Christians about our thoughts, feelings, and actions so that we are accountable to one another for our actions.
In our country today the government has instituted a number of practices that apply to the second point and are getting very close to creating laws to restrict the first point. We as Christians must prepare ourselves to disobey such laws even if it means imprisonment or death. Such acts include:
- abortion
- recognition of homosexuality as an alternate lifestyle
- embryonic stem-cell research
- eliminating the use of “Jesus” in our prayers
- stealing from the poor to give to the rich
(You may need to think about this last one for a while, and be certain, it is worded correctly).
Let us just look at abortion as one example. There can be no doubt that life begins at conception. Anyone with two brain cells can come to that realization with all the scientific proof and technology that is available today; and Scripture tells us this as well (Psalm 139:13-18; Jeremiah 1:4-5). In this country we have laws that prohibit people from putting an end to the lives of other human beings. If someone murders a pregnant woman and her unborn child that individual is tried for two murders. If a baby is born in a hospital and immediately after that birth someone enters the birthing room and shoots the baby, they would be arrested and tried for murder. If ten minutes before that baby is born, however, the doctor plunges a sharp scissors through the baby’s skull, sucks out his/her brains, and crushes the skull to complete the procedure before removing it from the mother, that is called an “abortion,” and it is supposedly justified by a mother’s “right to choose,” whether the baby lives or dies. Does the mother, according to our laws, have the right to choose after the baby is born? If she plunges that scissors into the baby’s head right after birth, it would be considered murder. This is simply “bad law” and any knowledgeable attorney will tell you Roe v. Wade was a very bad decision.
Let us give you some plain and simple facts. As soon as that baby begins growing in his/her mother, it is a living human being given life by its creator, God. If a doctor comes along and snuffs out that baby’s life in any way, that doctor is guilty of murdering a human being, and the mother who allows it is guilty of being an accessory to that murder. A pregnant mother has no more right to end the life of her child than she has of ending the life of her husband, or brother, or mother, or next door neighbor. The president of the United States and all the members of Congress, governors and all the members of state legislatures are guilty of being accomplices to murder, and they are walking the streets free. We who believe the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution to be the guiding principles for our republic, should throw every single one of them out of office, and that includes judges who have come to believe they have power to make laws instead of enforcing them, and who refuse to accept and defend that document as originally written and lawfully amended. We need to begin again, a fresh start, with the constitutional law our founding fathers gave us.
Fifty million murders that have gone unpunished since 1973. And what has the Church done about it? For the most part nothing. Few pastors have the kind of faith that Daniel and his friends had. It makes us wonder why they became pastors in the first place. They stand silent in the pulpit afraid to talk about the worst holocaust in all of history. Christians go to bed every night and do not give a thought to the 2,000 or so babies that have been murdered that day. People march up and down in front of and all around abortion clinics so that they do not interfere with these murderers, when they should be standing in the doorways with thousands of other pro-life people forbidding those murders to take place.
But where are the people of courage today? Are they all sitting in comfort before their electronic games, computers, or giant screen TVs? Are they all playing with their cell phones, blackberries, or Ipods? Is this what the United States has come to? We hope not, but we certainly do not see any behavior from the majority of Americans to make us believe otherwise.
We as Christians should do everything within our power to put an end to these practices wherever possible. Nonviolence is the preferred method and should be used until all such efforts prove futile. But when a government persists in promoting what decent people know to be evil, the people must do whatever necessary to correct the wrong, or they will be promoting disobedience to God’s will, and for that the entire nation will eventually suffer.
Our first line of attack must be prayer. Then we should take action by writing and phoning our representatives in government as well as voting only for people who hold to biblical and constitutional values. But remember, we must always take a stand against wrong and we must refuse to worship any god but the Lord God Jehovah and His Son Jesus Christ.
The Crucifixion
John 19:17-30
Jesus’ trial was now over and the time was drawing close for Jesus to be nailed to the cross. We pick up the story after Jesus has been flogged, ridiculed, and sentenced.
John 19:17-30 NAS:
17 They took Jesus, therefore, and He went out, bearing His own cross, to the place called the Place of a Skull, which is called in Hebrew, Golgotha.
18 There they crucified Him, and with Him two other men, one on either side, and Jesus in between.
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."
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 ."
25 Therefore the soldiers did these things. 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.
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.
“Years ago, a Roman emperor said to a Greek architect: “Build me a Coliseum, and when it is done, I will crown you, and I will make your name famous through all the world.” The work was done. The emperor said: ‘Now, we will crown that architect. We will have a grand celebration.’”
“The Coliseum was crowded with a great host. The emperor was there and the Greek architect, who was to be crowned for putting up this building. And they brought out some Christians, who were ready to die for the truth and from the doors underneath were let out the hungry lions.
“The emperor arose amid the shouting assemblage and said: “The Coliseum is done, and we have Christians at the mouth of these lions, and we have come here to honour the architect who has constructed this wonderful building. The time has come for me to honour him, and we further celebrate his triumph by the slaying of these Christians.” Whereupon, the Greek architect sprang to his feet and shouted: “I also am a Christian.”
And they flung him to the wild beasts, and his body, bleeding and dead, was trampled into the dust of the amphitheatre.”
—Talmage[fn]
Here was a great man who was about to be honored by the king himself until it was discovered that he was a Christian. Jesus was the greatest of men and they hated and killed Him as well. He had come to offer a great gift but ignorance and greed made them willing to kill what they feared.
There is yet another story about the Coliseum we would like to tell you:
“After three centuries, notwithstanding the spread of Christianity, gladiatorial combats continued to be the favorite pastime of a large proportion of the Roman citizens. Constantine prohibited them. The populace persisted. To avoid an insurrection they were allowed to have their will. Honorious re-enacted the prohibition. It was also in vain.
“One day, as the gladiatorial fight was about to commence, Telemachus rushed down into the arena and separated the combatants. Then the spectators, indignant at this interruption, tore up the marble benches and hurled them down upon him from the amphitheatre, which seemed crowded with so many demons raging for human blood.
“But on his death the benevolent monk Telemachus was victorious—rage yielded to admiration—and gladiatorial combats ceased forever. He became the last martyr of the Coliseum.”[fn]
The way in which these early martyrs went to their death and the way Jesus accepted His own tortuous death said something to people about the faith of men and women that could die without fear. It is our feeling that this was one of the main reasons Christianity spread so rapidly in those early years. People saw something in those people that they wanted for themselves. We may learn something about faith as we take a closer look at these verses.
John 19:17-18 NAS:
17 They took Jesus, therefore, and He went out, bearing His own cross, to the place called the Place of a Skull, which is called in Hebrew, Golgotha.
18 There they crucified Him, and with Him two other men, one on either side, and Jesus in between.
Golgotha was probably located on the same site that the Church of the Holy Sepulcher is located today. There have been several churches built on this site and later destroyed and rebuilt. The present church was completed in A.D. 1149 by the Crusaders.[fn]
In that culture crucifixion was a form of capital punishment and was reserved for the worst kind of lawbreakers, especially those who were involved in rebelling against the authority of the government. In Jesus’ time, death on the cross represented rejection, shame, and suffering. The convicted prisoner had to carry his cross, or at least the crossbeam, from the court to the place of execution. It was approximately one-mile from the place where Pilate sentenced Jesus to Golgotha. From what was said earlier you can imagine what kind of physical condition Jesus was in after His severe scourging. Somewhere along the way Jesus began stumbling and falling under the weight of the cross, so the Romans commanded a passer-by to take the cross from Jesus and carry it the rest of the way to Golgotha. The man who took the cross from Jesus was Simon of Cyrene. The scene here fulfills two Old Testament symbols or types. Isaac carried his own wood for the sacrifice in Genesis 22:1-6, and the sin offering used to be taken outside the camp or city as we read in Hebrews 13:11-13. So Jesus was first made sin according to 2 Corinthians 5:21. He was then made to carry the wood on which He would be presented as an offering, and then sent outside the walls of the city as that sin offering. Golgotha in Aramaic meant “the place of the skull,” and that was probably because this hill resembled a skull in appearance.[fn]
So the chief priests and the Roman soldiers led Jesus off to be crucified. It was probably the most cruel and shameful punishment imaginable, and extremely painful. Not only were spikes similar to railroad spikes driven through your hands and feet to hold you on the cross, which would be bad enough, but the weight of a person’s body hanging on those spikes would cause excruciating pain. To top it all off, crucifixion would cause suffocation if the person did not put pressure on his feet and pull up with his arms so that he could breathe. Often a person would hang there for days in that kind of agony. God ended Jesus’ agony, we would suggest out of the love for His son, after several hours.
John 19:19-22 NAS:
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."
It was customary for the Romans to place a sign above the head of the person being crucified for the purpose of letting everyone know what crime had been committed. In Jesus’ case it was written in all three common languages of the culture: Hebrew, Greek, and Latin, so that all that went by would be able to understand what crime Jesus had committed. The wording on the sign has been translated with some variations, depending on which gospel account is quoted, but they all say the same thing: that Jesus was the king of the Jews. This implied of course that Jesus intended to lead an uprising among the Jews against the Roman government. Additionally there could be little doubt that Pilot also wanted it to be an embarrassment to the Jewish leaders that their king would suffer such a humiliating judgment and death. Yet you also have to consider the possibility that Pilate was saying, “Here is the King of the Jews and look how He is treated.”
The chief priests therefore asked Pilate to edit the sign to read: "He said, I am King of the Jews." Pilate refused their request because he very well could have wanted to rub salt in their wounds in order to make them squirm in their humiliation. "What I have written, I have written," Pilate told them, and that was final. Thus the cross proclaimed that Jesus was the King of the Jews, and is it not ironic that that is exactly what He is?
John 19:23-24 NAS:
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."
At most Roman executions, the execution squad included a centurion and four soldiers to assist him. The soldiers were permitted to divide among themselves whatever personal belongings were seized by the soldiers when the criminal was arrested. So these soldiers divided up the only things that Jesus possessed, His personal clothing, which very likely would have included an undergarment, an outer garment, sandals, a girdle, and a robe. The four men each took one piece of clothing, and then they threw the dice for Jesus’ robe. This fulfilled the prophecy in Psalm 22:18 when David wrote: “They divide my garments among them, And for my clothing they cast lots.”
As Jesus hung on that cross He not only had to endure the kind of pain that 99.9% of us will never know, but He also had to endure the verbal abuse of the passers-by, as we read in Mark 15:27-32 (NAS):
27 They crucified two robbers with Him, one on His right and one on His left.
28 [And the Scripture was fulfilled which says, "And He was numbered with transgressors."]
29 Those passing by were hurling abuse at Him, wagging their heads, and saying, "Ha! You who are going to destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days,
30 save Yourself, and come down from the cross!"
31 In the same way the chief priests also, along with the scribes, were mocking Him among themselves and saying, "He saved others; He cannot save Himself.
32 "Let this Christ, the King of Israel, now come down from the cross, so that we may see and believe!" Those who were crucified with Him were also insulting Him.
It is interesting to note that even though John was the only disciple who actually witnessed the crucifixion, his gospel gives the fewest details so that we turn to the other gospels to fill in details.[fn] We could speculate about why John gives such a “bare bones” account. Dr. Merrill Tenney suggests that John “did not lay great value upon stressing the physical suffering.”[fn] He also comments that since crucifixion was still practiced at the time the Gospel was written, the details would be common knowledge. Perhaps, also it was so horrific to see his Lord treated in such a manner that John simply did not want to relive the crucifixion by relating all the details of it.
Now let us move on in the story.
John 19:25-27 NAS:
25 Therefore the soldiers did these things. 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.
A group of women, along with the Apostle John, at first stood near the cross, but then apparently had to move farther away for some reason.
Matthew 27:55-56 NAS:
55 Many women were there looking on from a distance, who had followed Jesus from Galilee while ministering to Him.
56 Among them was Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James and Joseph, and the mother of the sons of Zebedee.
Mark 15:40-41 NAS:
40 There were also some women looking on from a distance, among whom were Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James the Less and Joses, and Salome.
41 When He was in Galilee, they used to follow Him and minister to Him; and there were many other women who came up with Him to Jerusalem.
John specifies four women: Mary, the mother of Jesus; His mother’s sister, Salome, the mother of James and John; Mary, the wife of Clopas (Cleophas); and Mary Magdalene. This scene fulfills the prophecy of Simeon who blessed the Baby Jesus when His parents brought Him to be presented at the Temple.
Luke 2:33-35 NLT:
33 Jesus’ parents were amazed at what was being said about him.
34 Then Simeon blessed them, and he said to Mary, the baby’s mother, “This child is destined to cause many in Israel to fall, but he will be a joy to many others. He has been sent as a sign from God, but many will oppose him.
35 As a result, the deepest thoughts of many hearts will be revealed. And a sword will pierce your very soul.”
Jesus’ thoughts were for His mother and He singled out the disciple that He knew would take the best care of her. We know that John cared for Mary because later we see that she was among the believers in the Upper Room as they awaited Pentecost (Acts 1:14). Even while He was performing the great work of redemption, Jesus was faithful to His responsibilities as a son. What an honor it must have been for John to take Jesus’ place in Mary’s life![fn]
Do not confuse Mary Magdalene with the “sinful woman” described in Luke 7:36 and the following verses. Jesus had delivered Mary Magdalene from demons (Mark 16:9; Luke 8:1-2). Mary Magdalene used her resources to assist Jesus in His ministry. Salome had asked Jesus for thrones for her two sons, if you recall, so that they could sit on His right and left hands in the Kingdom and He had denied her request (Matthew 20:20-21).[fn]
John 19:28-30 NAS:
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.
We believe that, among other things, Jesus’ statement that He was thirsty speaks of His human nature. Sometimes people forget that He was fully human just as you and I are fully human. He was of course also fully God, which many people have a hard time understanding. He was the God-man, forever God and now forever man. In His incarnation He took our humanity upon Himself. How is that true? It is true because Jesus entered into our suffering and finally died that we might be delivered from sin and its effects.[fn]
You may think this to be a little bit of a stretch, but we kind of like the idea of relating Jesus’ physical expression of thirst here with our spiritual thirst. His death then satisfies our thirst for salvation. Horatius Bonar writes:
“I heard the voice of Jesus say,
‘Behold, I freely give
The living water; thirsty one,
Stoop down and drink, and live.’
I came to Jesus, and I drank
Of that life-giving stream;
My thirst was quenched, my soul revived,
And now I live in Him.”
If you have not come to Christ, then you need to respond to the One who died for your salvation.[fn]
“It is finished.” What did Jesus mean? He meant the suffering that has accompanied His saving and redeeming work for mankind is over. The work that was spoken of throughout the thousands of preceding years, the promises of God communicated by the prophets, is finished. In His report to the Father He had said, "I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do" (John 17:4).[fn]
John shows us specifically that prophecy is being fulfilled. There are chapters in the Old Testament which are especially concerned with the Crucifixion: Psalm 22, Genesis 22, Isaiah 53, and Leviticus 16. There are twenty-eight prophecies alone that were fulfilled while Jesus was hanging on the Cross. "I thirst" is the fulfillment of Psalm 69:21.[fn]
We know from one of our earlier studies that Jesus had been meditating upon the Scriptures during the hours of His agony. He had been thinking of Psalm 22 especially. Apparently, His mind had also run over other prophecies, almost, it would seem, checking them off to assure Himself that everything prophesied concerning His life had been accomplished. Was there anything in Genesis that had been left undone? No. Exodus? No. Deuteronomy? No. At last He reached Psalm 69 where it is said in verse 21, 'They put gall in my food and gave me vinegar for my thirst." Already they had offered him gall (a bitter, poisonous herb) to deaden His pain (Mark 15:23), but there had been no offer of vinegar for His thirst. Therefore, he calls out "I thirst" that this might be completed. This was the last prophecy. So we are told, “When he had received the drink, Jesus said, ‘It is finished.’” With that, He bowed his head and gave up His spirit. [fn]
He “bowed His head,” or literally laid His head to rest. Dr. Tenney comments that this word had only been used one other time in Jesus’ ministry. That was when He said, “The Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head” (Matthew 8:20; Luke 9:58). “The only place where He could lay His head to rest was on the cross.”[fn] Then Christ gave up His Spirit. He released it from the human body He had dwelt in for 33 years.[fn]
That, to us, is a great wonder. Jesus, the One who is Life itself, the One who came to give us life voluntarily gave up His human life for you and me. No one, and no amount of suffering or punishment, could take Jesus’ life. He gave it up voluntarily. He had the power to call legions of angels to strike the soldiers dead. He had the power to just come down off that cross. However, if He had, you and I would be miserable in our sins with ho hope of Heaven or eternal life.
When our problems come and we face hardships, especially those that come because of our faith, we can take comfort in knowing our Lord endured so much more. May we each call on His strength, His comfort, and His guidance as we go through whatever ordeal may come our way. He endured much to be our Savior, let us each make Him Lord of our lives.
The Burial
Have you thought at all about what you want for your funeral, or how you want to be buried? Most people avoid this consideration until and unless they are making a will and their attorney insists they give it some thought.
“In July 1994 Brian Kelly, who lived in suburban Detroit, suffered complications from surgery on his intestines. Knowing he was soon to die, Kelly told his family what he wanted done with his remains. His request was unusual, but his family granted it.
“Kelly’s boss, Mary McCavit, at Independence Professional Fireworks shop in Osseo, Michigan, rolled up Kelly’s ashes in a twelve-inch-round fireworks shell. On Friday, August 12, at a convention of fireworks technicians near Pittsburgh, they shot that shell into the sky. It trailed two silvery comet tails as it ascended into the night sky, and then it exploded into red and green stars.
“If you want to go out in a glorious display, you have to admit, that is pretty spectacular.”[fn]
Well, our glorious Lord did not go out in a spectacular display, but was hastily buried in a borrowed grave. Now the details of His burial.
John 19:31-42 NAS:
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."
38 After these things Joseph of Arimathea, being a disciple of Jesus, but a secret one for fear of the Jews, asked Pilate that he might take away the body of Jesus; and Pilate granted permission. So he came and took away His body.
39 Nicodemus, who had first come to Him by night, also came, bringing a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about a hundred pounds weight.
40 So they took the body of Jesus and bound it in linen wrappings with the spices, as is the burial custom of the Jews.
41 Now in the place where He was crucified there was a garden, and in the garden a new tomb in which no one had yet been laid.
42 Therefore because of the Jewish day of preparation, since the tomb was nearby, they laid Jesus there.
Now we will take a closer look at the passage, beginning with John 19:31-34:
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.
According to the Jewish Law (Deuteronomy 21:22-23) a body was not to remain exposed on a tree (or cross) overnight and certainly not over a Sabbath. A person executed in such a manner was under God’s curse and his body if left exposed would defile the land (Deuteronomy 21:23; Galatians 3:13).[fn]
Deuteronomy 21:22-23 NLT:
22 “If someone has committed a crime worthy of death and is executed and hung on a tree,
23 the body must not remain hanging from the tree overnight. You must bury the body that same day, for anyone who is hung is cursed in the sight of God. In this way, you will prevent the defilement of the land the Lord your God is giving you as your special possession.
Everyone who hangs on a tree is cursed. The hanging referred to here, which included being nailed to a post, was the public display of a body after the execution or death itself. Such a practice was intended to heap shame on the victim even after his death, by showing that he was under God’s curse for breaking a law of God that was worthy of the death penalty. The law, however, only allowed the person to hang on the tree until sundown because the body would by that time begin to decay and become “cursed.” While every dead body was considered unclean, the body that had been hanged would also become cursed and thereby capable of bringing defilement on the whole land if allowed to hang overnight. The cursed body could therefore defile the entire nation as it would rot and fall to the ground. The curse applied to the criminal would carry over to the community and the land as a whole.
D. A. Carson comments, “This law lies behind the statement in Galatians 3:13 that Christ took upon himself the curse of the law due to all people because of sin. The manner of his execution, therefore, was awful not only because of its pain, but also because of its shame.” To expose the body for any length of time after death would be to hold it up to public shame and ridicule. A greater curse than this could hardly be imagined.[fn]
These comments about hanging also refer to people like Absalom, who was accidentally killed when his long hair got caught in tree branches and hanged him. It may seem odd that such a law is mentioned in Deuteronomy because the form of capital punishment which was used in Israel was stoning. Israel never used hanging as a form of capital punishment. So what this really means is that a person who was put to death by stoning was then afterwards hung on a tree.[fn] Such shame would apply only to criminals of the worst kind to let it be known in public view that they had died for breaking God‘s Law. This was to be a warning to others of the severe penalty for such a crime. The body was to be taken down from the tree by nightfall and buried.[fn]
Probably Moses did not realize, and certainly the children of Israel did not realize, the full significance of this law. In Galatians 3:13, Paul applies this law to Christ. After His arrest and trial, Jesus was delivered into the hands of the Romans for execution. He was crucified on a Roman cross, sometimes called a tree. Paul says that when Christ was hanging there on that tree (cross), He was taking our sins and the curse of God which we would have suffered for our sins. We would be the ones cursed and prevented from entering Heaven, because no one who had broken God’s Law could receive salvation. But Jesus was willing to become a curse for us to redeem us from the curse of sin. He redeemed us from the penalty of sin, and He has bought our pardon. How? Because He was made a curse for us.[fn]
After a crucifixion the Romans usually left the dead body to the beasts of prey. This lack of proper burial was the final humiliation in a crucifixion. But Jews removed exposed bodies for the reasons we have already indicated.[fn]
Jewish burial customs did not involve mummification or embalming, which took out the blood and body organs. Their normal process was to wash a body and cover it with cloth and aromatic oils or spices. Jesus’ body was placed in a new tomb in a private garden, not in a cemetery. Matthew wrote that this was Joseph’s “own new tomb that he had cut out of the rock” (Matthew 27:60). Isaiah prophesied that the Messiah, the suffering Servant, though despised and rejected by men, would be with the rich in His death (Isaiah 53:9). Also, in Jesus’ burial He identified with believers who will die and be buried.[fn]
Joseph’s and Nicodemus’ act of love and respect for the body of Jesus was for them dangerous, costly, and without any personal gain. The service of Christians for Christ should be equally courageous and sacrificial, for their labor is not in vain (1 Corinthians 15:58).[fn]
With what we have just learned as a background, we think it appropriate that we not continue in John 19 without first turning to Galatians chapter 3.
Galatians 3:1, 10-14 NLT:
1 Oh, foolish Galatians! Who has cast an evil spell on you? For the meaning of Jesus Christ’s death was made as clear to you as if you had seen a picture of his death on the cross.
10 But those who depend on the law to make them right with God are under his curse, for the Scriptures say, “Cursed is everyone who does not observe and obey all the commands that are written in God’s Book of the Law.” 11 So it is clear that no one can be made right with God by trying to keep the law. For the Scriptures say, “It is through faith that a righteous person has life.”
12 This way of faith is very different from the way of law, which says, “It is through obeying the law that a person has life.”
13 But Christ has rescued us from the curse pronounced by the law. When he was hung on the cross, he took upon himself the curse for our wrongdoing. For it is written in the Scriptures, “Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree.”
14 Through Christ Jesus, God has blessed the Gentiles with the same blessing he promised to Abraham, so that we who are believers might receive the promised Holy Spirit through faith.
Now we will get back to John 19. Breaking a victim’s legs while they were hanging on a cross caused death to occur fairly quickly by shock, loss of blood, and an inability to breathe (the chest cavity would bear the pressure of the body’s weight after the legs were broken). Without this procedure, a person could live for many hours or even days. The procedure was performed on the two thieves on each side of Jesus.[fn]
Jesus had already died so His legs were not broken. But just to make sure, a soldier pierced Jesus’ side with a spear. The result was a sudden flow of blood and water. This clearly indicates that Jesus was a real human being who died a real human death. It is entirely possible that the spear struck the stomach and the heart, which accounted for the flow. This is also proof beyond a doubt that Jesus did really die. Some folks like to claim that Jesus did not really die on the cross and that He was buried alive and therefore did not rise from the dead.
John 19:35-37 NAS:
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."
You might be wondering why so much attention is being given to all these details of Jesus’ death, some of which seem morbid. In verse 35 John asserts these things are true and that he was an eyewitness to them. In addition, he cites the events bringing fulfillment of prophecy in the Scripture. John was an actual eyewitness to the Crucifixion. The value of his testimony is that it enables others to understand the facts and also their significance (John 20:31; 21:24). John explained that by piercing Jesus’ side rather than breaking His legs, two specific prophecies or types were fulfilled: 1) Jesus, as the true Passover Lamb, did not have any of His bones . . . broken (Exodus 12:46; Numbers 9:12; Psalm 34:20) and, 2) people in the future will look on the pierced One (Zechariah 12:10; Revelation 1:7).[fn]
God knew that down through the centuries critics would debunk Jesus’ resurrection. One of the arguments used against the resurrection is that Jesus did not really die. So here we have the record that even the Roman soldiers knew that Jesus was dead so they did not have to break His legs. But just to be sure a soldier thrust the sword into Jesus’ side. Even if He had not already been dead, the extreme loss of blood would have made the death certain.
Furthermore, by giving all the details of the burial, John also confirmed that everyone who was on the scene and who was caring for the body knew they were wrapping and laying to rest a corpse. So let us now look at those details.
John 19:38-42 NAS:
38 After these things Joseph of Arimathea, being a disciple of Jesus, but a secret one for fear of the Jews, asked Pilate that he might take away the body of Jesus; and Pilate granted permission. So he came and took away His body.
39 Nicodemus, who had first come to Him by night, also came, bringing a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about a hundred pounds weight.
40 So they took the body of Jesus and bound it in linen wrappings with the spices, as is the burial custom of the Jews.
41 Now in the place where He was crucified there was a garden, and in the garden a new tomb in which no one had yet been laid.
42 Therefore because of the Jewish day of preparation, since the tomb was nearby, they laid Jesus there.
Matthew alone reports that Joseph of Arimathea is both a disciple and a rich man (Matthew 27:57). Matthew could be making the point that it took a great deal of faith for a wealthy man like Joseph to risk losing some or all of that wealth because he was willing to identify himself as a friend and follower of Jesus. It is also reasonable to see here the fulfillment of the suffering servant passage in Isaiah 53:9 NAS: “His grave was assigned with wicked men, Yet He was with a rich man in His death, Because He had done no violence, Nor was there any deceit in His mouth.” Joseph was a member of the Sanhedrin (Luke 23:51), one who had not agreed to the plot to condemn Jesus and to have him crucified (Luke 23:51).[fn]
Only he had secretly been a disciple of Jesus. He was afraid, thinking that if he should do anything for Jesus, the other members of the Sanhedrin would throw him out of the council, and not only from their council but even from the synagogue. (See John 7:13; 9:22; and 20:19.) Though a member of the Sanhedrin, the Jewish council, Joseph was “a good and upright man who had not consented to their decision” (Luke 23:50-51). But now as the result of Christ's atoning death and Joseph’s love for him, this man has suddenly become very courageous. He goes to Pilate and requests the body of Jesus. Mark 15:43 stresses the boldness of this act. The boldness is evident especially in the fact that he acted in spite of knowing that his fellow members of the Sanhedrin would hear about it![fn]
As the linen bandages were wound around Jesus’ body, the mixture of myrrh and aloes were carefully added to cover His body. These perfumes would help prevent the smell of a decaying body. That was the manner in which the Jews prepared their dead for burial. They did not embalm like the Egyptians, who removed the internal organs.[fn]
The question has been raised about the whereabouts of Jesus’ disciples at His crucifixion and burial. We read in Mark 14:50 that, “they all left Him and fled” after Christ was arrested in the garden. Those mentioned as being at the Cross were Christ’s mother, John, several other women, the soldiers, and curious onlookers. We could speculate perhaps that the other disciples were somewhere in the back of the curious crowd, but Scripture does not say so. Mark's Gospel points out the contrast between Jesus’ disciples, the faithful women, and the disciple John. They witness Jesus' death, burial, and eventually the empty tomb. The disciples, on the other hand, except for John, are nowhere to be seen.
Mark 15:43--16:2 NAS:
43 Joseph of Arimathea came, a prominent member of the Council, who himself was waiting for the kingdom of God; and he gathered up courage and went in before Pilate, and asked for the body of Jesus.
44 Pilate wondered if He was dead by this time, and summoning the centurion, he questioned him as to whether He was already dead.
45 And ascertaining this from the centurion, he granted the body to Joseph.
46 Joseph bought a linen cloth, took Him down, wrapped Him in the linen cloth and laid Him in a tomb which had been hewn out in the rock; and he rolled a stone against the entrance of the tomb.
47 Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Joses were looking on to see where He was laid.
1 When the Sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James, and Salome, bought spices, so that they might come and anoint Him.
2 Very early on the first day of the week, they came to the tomb when the sun had risen.
The only people who stuck by Jesus from the cross to the grave were John, Joseph of Arimathea, Nicodemus, and a group of faithful women. The other men were in hiding. Now this is nothing we should be critical of. If we were to face the fear of prison or death, without the power of the Holy Spirit to give us the courage to face it without fear, any of us might scatter to the place of nearest safety. Remember, the Holy Spirit had not yet come upon these men. Later, after Pentecost, the Holy Spirit came to them and each of them eventually died a martyr’s death. Joseph and Nicodemus, however, must have acted together. They must have agreed together beforehand as to what each would do. Therefore they came thoroughly prepared to face whatever the fallout might be. Should we do any less?
When friends or coworkers challenge our faith or aspects of Jesus’ ministry, do we take a loving but firm stand? Or do we shrink back, embarrassed to speak up for fear of what those around us might think? In our current society which puts so much emphasis on political correctness it is becoming more and more difficult to speak up for various truths of the Scripture including: Jesus is the one way to Heaven; God created the world and everything in it; marriage is between one man and one woman, and various sins specifically mentioned in the Bible. Yet, we must trust the Lord and speak whatever the Holy Spirit leads us to say. We dare not shrink back into silence.
[fn] James Montgomery Boice, An Expositional Commentary – John, Volume 5: Triumph through Tragedy (John 18-21), , Paperback ed. (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 2005), WORDsearch CROSS e-book, 1465-1470.
[fn] For additional explanation look up “mob psychology” or “group psychology” in a dictionary of either psychology or social psychology.
[fn] Vincent, Marvin Richardson: Word Studies in the New Testament. Bellingham, WA : 2002, S. 2:277.
[fn] The Greek word that is here translated “slap” means to strike sharply or heavily with the hand or an implement held in the hand.
[fn] Wiersbe, Warren W.: The Bible Exposition Commentary. Wheaton, Ill. : Victor Books, 1996, c1989, S. Jn 18:39
[fn] Mt 20:19). See also Isa 53:5.
[fn] Pfeiffer, Charles F. ; Harrison, Everett Falconer: The Wycliffe Bible Commentary : New Testament. Chicago : Moody Press, 1962, S. Jn 19:1.
[fn] Jamieson, Robert ; Fausset, A. R. ; Fausset, A. R. ; Brown, David ; Brown, David: A Commentary, Critical and Explanatory, on the Old and New Testaments. Oak Harbor, WA : 1997, S. Jn 19:2.
[fn] James Montgomery Boice, An Expositional Commentary – John, Volume 5: Triumph through Tragedy (John 18-21), Paperback ed. (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 2005), WORDsearch CROSS e-book, 1465-1470.
[fn] Tan, Paul Lee: Encyclopedia of 7700 Illustrations : A Treasury of Illustrations, Anecdotes, Facts and Quotations for Pastors, Teachers and Christian Workers. Garland TX : Bible Communications, 1996, c1979.
[fn] Tan, Paul Lee: Encyclopedia of 7700 Illustrations : A Treasury of Illustrations, Anecdotes, Facts and Quotations for Pastors, Teachers and Christian Workers. Garland TX : Bible Communications, 1996, c1979.
[fn] Carson, D. A.: New Bible Commentary : 21st Century Edition. 4th ed. Leicester, England; Downers Grove, Ill., USA : Inter-Varsity Press, 1994, S. Jn 19:1.
[fn] Wiersbe, Warren W.: The Bible Exposition Commentary. Wheaton, Ill. : Victor Books, 1996, c1989, S. Jn 19:8.
[fn] Rodney A. Whitacre, The IVP New Testament Commentary Series – John, ed. Grant R. Osborne (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1999), WORDsearch CROSS e-book, 448-453. (Carson 1991:575).
[fn] World Magazine, August 26, 2006, Around the Horn:Golf; Pg 43. Submitted by Jim Sandell.
[fn] James Montgomery Boice, An Expositional Commentary – John, Volume 5: Triumph through Tragedy (John 18-21), Paperback ed. (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 2005), WORDsearch CROSS e-book, 1483-1488.
[fn] Tan, Paul Lee: Encyclopedia of 7700 Illustrations: A Treasury of Illustrations, Anecdotes, Facts and Quotations for Pastors, Teachers and Christian Workers. Garland TX: Bible Communications 1996, c1979.
[fn] Tan, Paul Lee: Encyclopedia of 7700 Illustrations: A Treasury of Illustrations, Anecdotes, Facts and Quotations for Pastors, Teachers and Christian Workers. Garland TX: Bible Communications 1996, c1979.
[fn] Hughes, Robert B.; Laney, J. Carl; Hughes, Robert B.: Tyndale Concise Bible Commentary. Wheaton, Ill.: Tyndale House Publishers, 2001 (The Tyndale Reference Library), S. 482.
[fn] Alvord, John F.; Zuck, Roy B.; Dallas Theological Seminary: The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures. Wheaton, IL : Victor Books, 1983-c1985, S. 2:339.
[fn] Tenney, Merrill. John: The Gospel of Belief. Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans Publishing Company. 1948, p. 265.
[fn] Wiersbe, Warren W.: The Bible Exposition Commentary. Wheaton, Ill.: Victor Books, 1996, c1989, S. Jn 19:17.
[fn] James Montgomery Boice, An Expositional Commentary – John, Volume 5: Triumph through Tragedy (John 18-21), Paperback ed. (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 2005), WORDsearch CROSS e-book, 1520.
[fn] J. Vernon McGee, Thru the Bible with J. Vernon McGee, (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson, 1983), WORDsearch CROSS e-book, under: "Chapter 19".
[fn] Op. cit., Tenney, p. 268.
[fn] Some accounts indicate Christ may have been as old as thirty-six when He died.
[fn] Larson, Craig Brian, ed., Contemporary Illustrations for Preachers, Teachers, & Writers. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 1996, p. 208.
[fn] Carson, D. A.: New Bible Commentary : 21st Century Edition. 4th ed. Leicester, England; Downers Grove, Ill., USA : Inter-Varsity Press, 1994, S. Dt 21:22.
[fn] Eugene H. Merrill, New American Commentary – Volume 4: Deuteronomy, (Nashville, TN: Broadman & Holman, 1994), WORDsearch CROSS e-book, 295.
[fn] Gen 40:19, 22; Josh 10:26; 2 Sam 4:12; 21:12.
[fn] J. Vernon McGee, Thru The Bible with J. Vernon McGee, (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson, 1983), WORDsearch CROSS e-book, Under: "Chapter 21".
[fn] Walvoord, John F. ; Zuck, Roy B. ; Dallas Theological Seminary: The Bible Knowledge Commentary : An Exposition of the Scriptures. Wheaton, IL : Victor Books, 1983-c1985, S. 2:341.
[fn] Walvoord, John F. ; Zuck, Roy B. ; Dallas Theological Seminary: The Bible Knowledge Commentary : An Exposition of the Scriptures. Wheaton, IL : Victor Books, 1983-c1985, S. 2:340.
[fn] Walvoord, John F. ; Zuck, Roy B. ; Dallas Theological Seminary: The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures. Wheaton, IL : Victor Books, 1983-c1985, S. 2:340.
[fn] William Hendriksen, Baker New Testament Commentary – Exposition of the Gospel According to John, (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 1953), WORDsearch CROSS e-book, 440-445.
