John 19 - NIV Study Bible

19:1 Pilate hoped a flogging would satisfy the Jews and enable him to release Jesus (see note on Mk 15:15).

19:2 thorns. A general term relating to any thorny plant (see note on Mk 15:17). purple. A color used by royalty.

19:6 You . . . crucify him. The petulant utterance of an exasperated man, for the Jews could not carry out this form of execution. I find no basis for a charge against him. For the third time Pilate proclaimed Jesus’ innocence (see 18:38 and note; 19:4). Luke also records this threefold proclamation (Lk 23:4, 14,22).

19:7 he must die. Apparently referring to the penalty for blasphemy (Lev 24:16).

19:8 even more afraid. Pilate was evidently superstitious, and this charge frightened him.

19:9 Jesus gave him no answer. Although Jesus had answered Pilate’s other questions, Jesus’ silence here agrees with the other three Gospel accounts (Mt 26:63; Mk 14:61; cf. Lk 23:9) and with the prophecy in Isa 53:7. Perhaps Pilate would not have understood the answer or would not have believed it.

19:10 I have power. Pilate was incredulous and very conscious of his authority. His second question indicates his personal responsibility for crucifying Jesus.

19:11 Jesus’ last words to Pilate. from above. All earthly authority comes ultimately from God (cf. Ro 13:14 and note). greater sin. Although Pilate acted against his own judgment, he was still guilty of sin. The sin of the one who handed Jesus over was greater because it was carried out with willful, malicious intent.

19:12 no friend of Caesar. Some people had official status as “Friends of Caesar,” but the term seems to be used here in the general sense. There was an implied threat that if he released Jesus, Pilate would be accused before Caesar. His record of antagonizing the Jewish people meant he could not face such a prospect without concern.

19:14 day of Preparation. Probably does not mean preparation for the Passover celebration, which has already taken place (see note on 18:28), but rather preparation for the Sabbath of Passover week (19:31). Normally Friday was the day people prepared for the Sabbath. about noon. Or, “about the sixth hour.” Mk 15:25 says that Jesus was crucified at “nine in the morning” (or, “the third hour”). It may be that John was using Roman time, in which case the appearance before Pilate would have been at 6:00 AM and the crucifixion at 9:00 AM (the third hour according to Jewish reckoning; see Mk 15:33). Or it may be that in a world punctuated by the four watches of the day, one Gospel writer is rounding up and the other down. For other time references, see Mt 27:45–46; Mk 15:33–34; Lk 23:44 and note. Here is your king. John does not let us forget the sovereignty of Jesus. Pilate did not mean the expression seriously, but the author of this Gospel did. the Jews. See note on 1:19.

19:15 We have no king but Caesar. More irony. They rejected any suggestion that they were rebels against Rome but make a statement of allegiance that no Jew should rightly make.

19:17 Carrying his own cross. A cross might be shaped like a T, an X, a Y or an I, as well as in the traditional form 🕇. A condemned person would normally carry a beam of it to the place of execution. The Synoptic Gospels report that Simon of Cyrene carried Jesus’ cross (see Mk 15:21 and note). This difference may be easily resolved if Jesus, weakened by the flogging, collapsed and Simon was conscripted to carry the cross. Golgotha. “Calvary” comes from a Latin word that has the same meaning (see Mk 15:22 and note).

19:18 they crucified him. See note on Mk 15:24. As with the scourging, John describes this horror with one Greek word. The crucifixion itself is described remarkably briefly. None of the Gospel writers dwells on the physical sufferings of Jesus.

19:19 a notice. A placard stating the crime for which someone was executed was often fastened to his cross. THE KING OF THE JEWS. Again emphasizing the theme of Jesus’ royalty.

19:20 Aramaic. One of the languages of the Jewish people at that time (along with Hebrew). Latin. The official language of Rome. Greek. The common language of communication throughout the empire. The threefold inscription may account for the slight differences in wording in the four Gospels.

19:22 Pilate had to have a sufficient reason for the execution, and he was not above mocking the Jews, but for John his insistence may also have served to underscore that Jesus’ kingship is final and unalterable.

19:23 undergarment. A type of shirt, reaching from the neck to the knees or ankles. seamless. Therefore too valuable to be cut up.

19:24 See introduction to Ps 22 and notes on Ps 22:17,20–21.

19:25 Clopas. Mentioned only here in the NT. Mary Magdalene. Appears in the crucifixion and resurrection story in all four Gospels, but apart from that we read of her only in Lk 8:2–3 (see note on 8:2).

19:26 disciple whom he loved. John (see note on 13:23). Woman. See NIV text note.

19:27 took her into his home. And so took responsibility for her. It may be that Jesus’ brothers still did not believe in him (7:5).

19:28 I am thirsty. May refer to Ps 69:21 (see note there; cf. Ps 22:15).

19:29 wine vinegar. Equivalent to cheap wine, the drink of ordinary people (see notes on Mk 15:36; Lk 23:36). hyssop. The name given to a number of plants (see note on Ex 12:22).

19:30 It is finished. Apparently the loud cry of Mt 27:50; Mk 15:37. Jesus died as a victor and had “finished” (v. 28) what he came to do (cf. 17:4). gave up his spirit. An unusual way of describing death, perhaps suggesting an act of will (cf. 10:17–18 and note).

19:31 Preparation. See note on v. 14. a special Sabbath. The Sabbath that fell at Passover time. The Passover meal had been eaten on Thursday evening, the day of Preparation was Friday and the Sabbath came on Saturday. the Jewish leaders. See note on 1:19. bodies left on the crosses during the Sabbath. According to Mosaic law, leaving a body hanging on a pole overnight would “desecrate the land” (Dt 21:22–23). This would be unacceptable at any time but especially during the special Sabbath at Passover. to have the legs broken. To hasten death, because the victim then could not put any weight on his legs, and breathing would be difficult.

19:34 pierced Jesus’ side. Probably to make doubly sure that Jesus was dead, but perhaps simply an act of brutality (see v. 37; Isa 53:5; Zec 12:10; cf. Ps 22:16). blood and water. The result of the spear piercing the pericardium (the sac that surrounds the heart) and the heart itself.

19:35 The man who saw it. Probably John himself (cf. 21:24). As an eyewitness, John affirms the certainty of Jesus’ death. testifies . . . believe. See note on 1:7.

19:36–37 scripture. Again John observes God’s superintending human action in the fulfillment of Scripture. It was extraordinary that Jesus was the only one of the three whose legs were not broken and that he suffered an unusual spear thrust that did not break a bone. Not one of his bones will be broken. A reference to the Passover lambs (Ex 12:46), reaffirming that Jesus is the Lamb of God (1:29,36).

19:38 See note on Lk 23:52. Joseph. A rich disciple (Mt 27:57), and a member of the Sanhedrin who had not agreed to Jesus’ condemnation (Lk 23:51; see note on 23:50). Arimathea. See note on Mt 27:57. secretly. It would have been hard for a member of the Sanhedrin to support Jesus’ cause openly. Jesus’ closest followers all ran away (see Mk 14:50 and note), and it was left to Joseph and Nicodemus to provide for his burial. With Pilate’s permission. Otherwise people could take away their crucified friends before they died and revive them.

19:39 Nicodemus. John alone tells us that he joined Joseph in the burial. earlier had visited Jesus. See 3:1–15. seventy-five pounds. A very large amount, such as was used in royal burials (cf. 2Ch 16:14).

19:40 strips of linen. Thin strips like bandages. There was also a shroud, a large sheet (Mt 27:59; Mk 15:46; Lk 23:53).

19:41 new tomb. Joseph’s own tomb (Mt 27:60).

19:42 Preparation. See note on v. 14. nearby. Haste was necessary, since it was near sunset, when the Sabbath would start and no work could be done.