John 19 - Life Application Bible Commentary (NT)

19:2-3 The soldiers twisted together a crown of thorns head. They clothed him in a purple robe and went up to him again and again, saying, “Hail, king of the Jews!” And they struck him in the face.NIV The Roman soldiers jammed a crown of thorns onto Jesus’ head and obtained a purple robe (purple was the color of royalty) in order to mock Jesus’ supposed kingship. According to Matthew 27:28, they first stripped Jesus of his outer garment. Matthew and Mark add that the soldiers spit on Jesus as well (Matthew 27:30; Mark 15:19). Then the Roman soldiers mocked Jesus further by bowing before him and striking him. They took devilish delight in repeatedly mocking and pummeling their prisoner.

Again, all this had been prophesied. Listen to Isaiah: “I offered my back to those who beat me, my cheeks to those who pulled out my beard; I did not hide my face from mocking and spitting” (Isaiah 50:6 NIV; see also 52:14–53:6).

Then Pilate took Jesus and had him flogged.NRSV Pilate handed Jesus over to the soldiers to be flogged. According to Luke 23:16 and 22, Pilate intended to teach Jesus a lesson by flogging and then releasing him. It was also another attempt by Pilate to set Jesus free. Pilate knew that Jesus was innocent of any crime, and he desperately wanted Jesus freed to quiet his own conscience. So Pilate thought the flogging would appease the Jews. This was ruthless but not intended to kill him. Nevertheless, it was not uncommon for prisoners to die of floggings. Some of the whips used for flogging were designed to inflict terrible damage to the human body. The leather thongs that formed the striking surfaces were embedded with shards of metal so that victims were both bruised and cut severely. Punishment was applied to the bared upper body of a bound prisoner. Apparently, Pilate thought this flogging was a humane alternative to crucifixion. He was avoiding condemning Jesus to death.

19:4 Pilate went out again and said to them, “Look, I am bringing him out to you to let you know that I find no case against him.”NRSV After Jesus’ beating and the display of mockery, Pilate, for the second time (see 18:38), declared Jesus “not guilty” —that is, not guilty of a crime warranting death.

19:5-7 Then Jesus came out, wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe,NKJV and Pilate uttered the now-famous words, “Behold the Man!”NKJV (Latin, Ecce homo). He hoped the sight of this beaten, bloody person would elicit pity and make the crowd realize that there could be no possible threat from this poor fellow. The tone of these words implies ridicule, as if he said, “How can you possibly believe this pitiful man’s claim to be a king?”

But the bloodthirsty chief priests and officials responded: “Crucify him! Crucify him!”NRSV That they demanded crucifixion reveals their intense hatred of Jesus. Crucifixion was a shameful death reserved for criminals, slaves, and rebels. Jesus was none of these, and Pilate knew it. But the Jewish enemies of Christ wanted not only to kill him but also to discredit and humiliate him thoroughly.

“You take him and crucify him. As for me, I find no basis for a charge against him.”NIV Pilate dared the Jewish leaders to usurp the exclusive Roman authority of capital punishment by crucifying their “King” themselves. But the Jewish leaders were too shrewd to fall into this trap, and they weren’t about to lose the battle now. So they revealed the real reason for their hatred of Jesus: “We have a law, and according to that law he ought to die because he has claimed to be the Son of God.”NRSV The law they were referring to is Leviticus 24:16: “Anyone who blasphemes the name of the LORD must be put to death” (NIV) For anyone to claim to be God (as Jesus did) was a clear case of blasphemy and thus required that the person be put to death. The irony here is that Jesus was not violating the law, for what he had said was true! The Jews just didn’t believe it.

GOLDEN MOMENT

Pilate let his golden moment slip away. Three times he pronounced Jesus “not guilty” (18:38; 19:4; 19:6). He even tried to set Jesus free (19:12). But Pilate would not stand for truth or justice in the face of opposition. Instead, he tried to preserve his position at the expense of doing what was right.

Under pressure, we too may feel our power or security threatened. But unlike Pilate, we must stand for what is right even if the consequences mean personal loss. If we don’t, we will lose something even more valuable —our integrity. When we face tough choices, we can take the easy way out or with God’s help speak out for what is right. When we know what is right yet do not act on it, we sin (James 4:17).

19:8 When Pilate heard this, he was even more afraid.NIV Pilate’s fear may have had its origin in a combination of three factors:

Romans were inclined to believe in human deities; so Pilate may have sensed that the man in his presence was a god.
According to Matthew 27:19, Pilate’s wife may have influenced his thoughts about Jesus, for she had had a troublesome dream, and had sent word to Pilate: “Have nothing to do with that just Man, for I have suffered many things today in a dream because of Him” (NKJV).
Pilate may well have been concerned that a riot was about to break out among the Jews. Hatred for Romans and the extremely crowded conditions in Jerusalem created a powder keg of unrest that needed only a good spark to become explosive.

19:9-11 Pilate therefore asked Jesus about his origin: “Where are you from?”NRSV But Jesus gave him no answer. Some commentators see Jesus’ silence as fulfilling Isaiah 53:7 (“He was oppressed and afflicted, yet he did not open his mouth” NIV). Pilate, astounded by Jesus’ silence, reminded Jesus: “Don’t you realize I have power either to free you or to crucify you?”NIV

Pilate’s power did not intimidate Jesus because God’s authority overrules all human authority. Therefore Jesus answered, “You would have no power over me unless it had been given you from above.”NRSV Pilate had no power over Jesus, for Jesus lived and died completely under control of divine authority. Jesus’ statement about the source of all power further clarified the meaning of his earlier words, “My kingdom is not of this world” (18:36, NIV).

Jesus continued, “The one who handed me over to you is guilty of a greater sin.”NRSV Jesus referred to Caiaphas, the high priest, who handed Jesus over to the Romans, not to Judas, who had betrayed him to the Jews. For a Jewish high priest to deliver the Jews’ King and Messiah over to the Romans for execution was an even more heinous sin than for the Roman governor to sentence him to death. Pilate was merely a pawn in a very elaborate game, but the high priest would be more severely judged because he should have known better. Caiaphas turned from the “light” in order to side with the darkness and made excuses for disobeying God’s law. However, Jesus was at the same time clearly charging Pilate with sin. Pilate was responsible for his choices.

19:12 Pilate tried to set Jesus free.NIV By this time Pilate was apparently convinced that Jesus was some kind of extra-special, supernatural person, so he tried still another time to let him go.

But the Jews were not about to let Jesus escape at this point in the trial; so in a final desperate ploy, they played their trump card: “If you let this man go, you are no friend of Caesar. Anyone who claims to be a king opposes Caesar.”NIV Since the Jews despised Roman rule, this was blatant hypocrisy. But these Jews hated Jesus so much that to get rid of him they were claiming their allegiance to Rome and to Caesar! If it were not so tragic, these Jewish leaders would almost appear comical. At any rate, their strategy worked —very likely Pilate was afraid that he would be reported to Caesar as having released a man who had been charged with claiming to be a king. Historical records indicate that the Jews had already threatened to lodge a formal complaint against Pilate for his stubborn flouting of their traditions. Most likely such a complaint would have led to being recalled by Rome, losing his job, or even losing his life. The Roman government could not afford to put large numbers of troops in all the regions under its control, so one of Pilate’s main duties was to do whatever was necessary to maintain peace.

The Jews’ use of the term friend of Caesar (philos tou Kaisaros) probably alluded to the technical Roman term (amicus Caesaris). The emperor awarded privileged status of “friend of Caesar” to loyal subjects. There is evidence that Pilate may have enjoyed this status by virtue of his association with the strongly anti-Semitic Aelius Sejanus. (Tacitus wrote in Annals 6.8 that “whoever was close to Sejanus had a claim on the friendship of Caesar.”) But Sejanus lost his own status in the year A.D. 31 (or 32), and for this reason Pilate may have been especially vulnerable —especially to threats from the Jews.

THE TRAP CLOSES

Pilate tried to avoid or disarm the conflict over Jesus, but he waited too long to take decisive action. A mob mentality was beginning to form, and Pilate knew that events were almost beyond his control. Because Pilate had not really tried to beat the Jewish leaders, he found himself forced to join them. When we continually compromise with sin, we risk falling so deeply under its control that we cannot extricate ourselves. Pilate’s actions also demonstrate that we must never conclude that we have fallen so far that going along with sin is better than repentance.

19:13-14 Pilate brought Jesus out and sat down on the judge’s seat at a place known as the Stone Pavement.NIV Although the text does not explicitly state that Pilate passed judgment on Jesus, the fact that Pilate seated himself on the judgment seat indicates that the judgment originated from him; thus, he was responsible. The Stone Pavement was the courtyard of the Fortress of Antonia that was built next to the northwest corner of the temple area. This judgment came on the day of Preparation of Passover Week, about the sixth hour.NIV In this context, the day would be Friday, the day of preparation for the weekly Sabbath. Passover refers to the week-long Feast of Unleavened Bread. By this time in history, the term Passover was used for the entire week-long celebration.

But the judgment was very indirect. Perhaps Pilate was too guilt-ridden to summarily condemn Jesus, and he was angry at having his hand forced against his better judgment. So his words ring with anger and mockery at these Jews by saying to them: “Behold your King!”NKJV It is as if he were saying, “You are a pitiful bunch, and this really is your pitiful king.”

19:15-16 But the Jews continued with their shouting: “Away with him! Away with him! Crucify him!”NRSV Again Pilate retorted, “Shall I crucify your King?”NKJV His repetition of Jesus as “your King” angered the leaders all the more, to the point where they made a ludicrously hypocritical statement . . .

“We have no king but Caesar!”NKJV Nothing could be farther from the truth than this pronouncement of loyalty to Caesar from the Jewish religious leaders. These religious men, in the heat of the moment and in their blindness, had forgotten their faith —the Jews were God’s people. God was their King (Judges 8:23; 1 Samuel 8:7). But perhaps the words rang with truth, for in their murderous plans against Jesus, God’s Son, they showed that God was no longer their king. And if that was they case, they, the Jewish leaders, were committing blasphemy.

NO KING BUT CAESAR

In rejecting Christ’s rightful control over their lives, the religious leaders claimed Caesar as king. They acknowledged a human power that they thought would guarantee their own status. Instead, that power destroyed Jerusalem and the temple and killed 500,000 Jews. The next generation paid dearly for the sins of their leaders.

Today people still refuse to let God have any control or influence over their decisions. They make choices based on short-term goals. They grasp present “benefits” without regard for the long-term costs. We must not give allegiance or cooperation to leaders and systems that have no regard for God’s authority. Who or what holds the position of king in your life?

Finally Pilate handed him over to them to be crucified.NIV According to the Greek text, the pronoun them would refer to the “chief priests” in verse 15. But the Roman soldiers actually carried out the crucifixion (as is conveyed by the next statement: The soldiers took charge of JesusNIV). Therefore, the text must mean that Pilate gave in to the Jews’ desire to have Jesus executed. This idea is captured in the NEB: “Then at last, to satisfy them [the chief priests], he handed Jesus over to be crucified.” (See also Luke 23:25, where it says Pilate “surrendered Jesus to their will” NIV).

19:18-22 There they crucified him, and with him two others, one on either side, with Jesus between them.NRSV The others were criminals (see Matthew 27:38; Mark 15:27; Luke 23:32). This again fulfilled prophecy: “He poured out his life unto death, and was numbered with the transgressors” (Isaiah 53:12 NIV). Luke records that one of the criminals insulted Jesus, while the other turned to Jesus and said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom” (Luke 23:42 NIV). To which Jesus replied, “Today you will be with me in paradise” (Luke 23:43 NIV).

Pilate had a notice prepared and fastened to the cross. It read: JESUS OF NAZARETH, THE KING OF THE JEWS.NIV Pilate wrote this notice in three languages so that anyone passing into or out of the city would be able to read it. Pilate provided a tribute to Jesus’ kingship with this trilingual placard that all the world could read in Hebrew (or Aramaic —the language of the Jews), Latin (the Roman language, the official language), and Greek (the lingua franca, the common tongue).

Probably bitter over his political defeat at the hands of the Jewish leaders, Pilate posted a sign over Jesus that was meant to be ironic. The sight of a humiliated king, stripped of authority, fastened naked to a cross in public execution could only lead to the conclusion of complete defeat. But the irony that Pilate hoped would not be lost on the Jews pales before the irony that God wanted to communicate to the world. The dying King was actually taking control of his kingdom. His death and resurrection would strike the death blow to Satan’s rule and would establish Jesus’ eternal authority over the earth. Few people reading the sign that bleak afternoon understood its real meaning, but the sign was absolutely true. Jesus was King of the Jews as well as the Gentiles, the universe, and you. This sign became a universal proclamation, an unconscious prophecy, that Jesus is the royal Messiah.

CRUCIFIXION

Both the Greeks and the Romans used crucifixion to execute victims and criminals. Alexander the Great crucified 2,000 prisoners of war at one time. For the Romans, it was a slave’s punishment; it was not used against freeborn citizens. It was a death for the worst criminals and terrorists. Before the crucifixion, the prisoner was flogged; the blood loss hastened the death. The prisoner was then nailed to the crosspiece by the wrists and to the stake by the ankles. He died completely naked to complete the humiliation. The death was slow and painful; the person died of shock or suffocation when the lungs collapsed.

For Jesus to die this way was hideous; Deuteronomy 21:23 says that anyone who is hung on a tree is cursed. But Jesus’ crucifixion was the path to his exaltation; he was “lifted up on the cross” and then exalted into glory for his ultimate act of sacrifice on our behalf.

The chief priests wanted Jesus’ crime posted as a false claim to kingship, but no persuasion from the chief priests could induce Pilate to change his mind. He dismissed them by saying, “What I have written, I have written.” Again, if this whole scenario weren’t so tragic, it would be quite humorous to see Pilate’s “last laugh” against the chief priests. Pilate had given in long enough; he was determined to have the final word.

JESUS IS PLACED ON THE CROSS / 19:18-27 / 235

Jesus knew his destiny (see 18:37), and he approached death boldly and courageously —carrying his own cross to Calvary (19:17). Jesus endured the shame of crucifixion, the ridicule of the crowd, and the insults of those who cast lots for his clothing as he died. Though he was in agony, his thought included the care of his aged mother, whose care he entrusted to the disciple he loved.

The Jews and the Romans were not taking Jesus’ life from him; he was laying it down of his own accord. When Jesus had accomplished salvation —when it was all “finished,” of his own volition he gave up his spirit (19:30). As Jesus had foretold, no one had taken his life from him; he had the authority to give it up and then to retake it in resurrection (10:18). Thus, the royal Messiah went to the cross as if going to his throne, which had a universal proclamation of his royal status written in three languages: “This is the King of the Jews.”

Carrying his own cross, he went out to the place of the Skull (which in Aramaic is called Golgotha).NIV Jesus carried the cross (usually the horizontal cross beam) at first, but he became weak because of the flogging that Simon was commanded to take over (see Matthew 27:32; Mark 15:21; Luke 23:26). Jesus went to Golgotha, meaning place of the Skull. This hill may have been called this because of its stony top or because it was shaped like a skull. Golgotha is the Hebrew word for “skull.” The familiar name Calvary is derived from the Latin calvaria (also meaning “skull”).

As the drama of the cross unfolds, John’s writing captures the simple ironies of the tragedy. The soldiers who escorted Jesus to Calvary didn’t know who he was, they were just doing their duty. Pilate knew that Jesus wasn’t guilty of death, but he still didn’t understand who Jesus was. The people, roused to a fever pitch by the religious leaders, didn’t take the time to care about who Jesus was (even though they had hailed him as their king a few days earlier. Obviously, they were disappointed by the mocking display of him as a pitiful king). The chief priests perhaps were the most blind of all, for they had totally lost sight of everything they stood for, seeking Jesus’ death only to hold onto their precious positions and to stop the teachings that were threatening their status quo.

JESUS IS LED TO THE CROSS / 19:17 / 234

We must never forget the reason Christ died. Unless we recognize the eternal tragedy that would have occurred to the human race without the Cross, we will not be able to see the Cross as our victory. At great personal cost, Jesus won eternal life for us. He paid the price for our sin with his own life. That he offers us life as a free gift ought to give us deep joy. We must be touched by Christ’s death, for he died in our place!

19:17

19:23-24 When the soldiers had crucified Jesus, they took his clothes and divided them into four parts, one for each soldier.NRSV Contrary to the paintings depicting the Crucifixion, Jesus died naked, another horrible part of his humiliation. The Roman soldiers who performed the Crucifixion divided the victim’s clothes among themselves. Clothing was not a cheap commodity in those days as it is today. Thus this was part of the “pay” the executioners received for performing their gruesome duties. But one part of Jesus’ clothing was not divided. The tunic was seamless, woven in one piece from the top.NRSV The soldiers decided to cast lots (somewhat like rolling dice) for it. In so doing they fulfilled the Scripture: “They divided My garments among them, and for My clothing they cast lots”NKJV (quoted from Psalm 22:18).

TRAGIC FATE OR GOD’S PLAN

A miscarriage of justice, a jaded political figure, and now soldiers gambling over his torn clothing. On the surface it appeared that Jesus’ life was as wasted as a treasure lost in a game of chance. Little did the Jews or Romans know that God’s divine plan was being worked out. In this dark and terrible humiliating moment, God was completely in control. Out of the greatest evil people could commit, God brought immeasurable good. No matter how bleak our outlook may be or how terrible our circumstances, we must remember the results of our Lord’s suffering. He suffered beyond anything we could ever endure, yet triumphed through it. His courage should motivate us and his power enable us to persevere.

19:25 Near the cross of Jesus stood his mother, his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene.NIV The four women, in contrast to the four soldiers, are the faithful; they stayed with Jesus until the end. Even more so, in contrast to the disciples who had fled after Jesus was arrested, these women followed Jesus to the cross and became eyewitnesses of his crucifixion. The first woman mentioned is Jesus’ mother (see 2:1ff.). Imagine her incredible grief, helplessly watching her son suffer and die unjustly. Indeed the prophet Simeon, who had spoken to her in the temple just after Jesus’ birth, had been correct when he had told her, “A sword will pierce your own soul too” (Luke 2:35, NIV). Surely Mary was feeling that “sword” at that very moment.

The other women mentioned here have not appeared earlier in John’s Gospel. Mary’s sister could have been Salome (see Matthew 27:55ff.; Mark 15:40ff.), the mother of John (the Gospel writer) and James. If this is true, Jesus, John, and James were cousins. Mary the wife of Clopas was the mother of James the younger and of Joses. Mary Magdalene is mentioned here for the first time in this Gospel. She will be a prominent figure in the next chapter —for Jesus appears first to her after his resurrection.

19:26-27 When Jesus saw his mother there, and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby, he said to his mother, “Dear woman, here is your son,” and to the disciple, “Here is your mother.” From that time on, this disciple took her into his home.NIV Seeing his mother and the disciple whom he loved (John, the Gospel writer), Jesus directed his disciple John to take care of Mary, his mother, in his absence. Mary had apparently been widowed and was being cared for by Jesus himself. Even while suffering in agony, Jesus demonstrated his care for his mother. Jesus’ compassion for Mary teaches us to care for our aging parents. Jesus’ brothers were not there; they had been sceptical of Jesus and had probably remained in Capernaum. So Jesus commissioned John to care for Mary. In Christ’s greater family, the church, fellow believers may be more of a family to us than our blood relatives.

This was the third of the seven statements made by Jesus from the cross —the seven statements gleaned from all the Gospel accounts (where quoted, from the NIV):

He spoke to God of his executioners, asking that they be forgiven. (Luke 23:34, in some manuscripts)
He assured the penitent criminal crucified beside him that they would be together in paradise. (Luke 23:43)
He asked John to care for his mother, Mary. (Recorded here, in John 19:26-27)
“My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” (Matthew 27:46; Mark 15:34)
“I am thirsty.” (John 19:28)
“It is finished.” (John 19:30)
“Father, into your hands I commit my spirit.” (Luke 23:46)

JESUS DIES ON THE CROSS / 19:28-37 / 236

19:28 After this, Jesus, knowing that all things were now accomplished, that the Scripture might be fulfilled, said, “I thirst!”NKJV As he had stated in 17:4, Jesus knew he had carried out the mission his Father had given him. His success was complete at the moment of his death. He was about to surrender his life to his Father who would carry out the crowning touch of the plan by raising the Son from the grave.

Some scholars believe this Scripture is Psalm 69:21, “They . . . gave me vinegar for my thirst” (NIV); thus, Jesus said, “I thirst.” This emphasizes Jesus’ humiliation. Others point to Psalm 42:2, “My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When can I go and meet with God?” (NIV). This affirms Jesus’ submission to the Father. In either case, Scripture was fulfilled.

19:29 A jar full of sour wine was standing there. So they put a sponge full of the wine on a branch of hyssop and held it to his mouth.NRSV This sour wine was not the same as the drugged wine offered to Jesus earlier (“wine mixed with myrrh,” Mark 15:23 NIV). Jesus did not take the wine earlier because he wanted to be fully conscious through the entire process.

19:30 “It is finished”NRSV According to the Greek, the one word, tetelestai, means “it is accomplished,” “it is fulfilled,” or even, “it is paid in full.” Jesus’ death accomplished redemption —“paid in full”; and his death fulfilled all the Old Testament prophecies. It was time for Jesus to die (see 4:34; 17:4). Up to this point, sin could be atoned through a complicated system of sacrifices. Sin separates people from God, and only through the sacrifice of an animal, a substitute, and faith in God’s promise could people be forgiven and become clean before God. But people sin continually, so frequent sacrifices were required. Jesus, however, was the final and ultimate sacrifice for sin. With his death, the complex sacrificial system ended because Jesus took all sin upon himself. Now we can freely approach God because of what Jesus did for us. Those who believe in Jesus’ sacrificial death and resurrection can live eternally with God and escape the penalty that comes from sin.

He bowed his head and gave up his spirit.NRSV The language describes Jesus’ voluntarily yielding his spirit to God. Luke records Jesus’ last words from the cross: “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit” (Luke 23:46 NIV, echoing Psalm 31:5). Jesus’ life was not taken from him; he gave his life of his own free will (see 10:11, 15, 17-18; 15:13). This shows Jesus’ sovereignty over all —he was even in control of his death!

19:31-34 It was the day of Preparation, and the next day was to be a special Sabbath. . . . The Jews did not want the bodies left on the crosses during the Sabbath.NIV The Jewish leaders were concerned that the dead bodies would remain on the crosses during the Sabbath. The Sabbath began on Friday evening —and this was a very special Sabbath because it coincided with the Passover festival. The Jews did not want to desecrate their Sabbath (Deuteronomy 21:22-23) by allowing the bodies of three crucified Jews to remain hanging on crosses overnight. Thus, they asked Pilate to have the legs broken and the bodies taken down.NIV A person being crucified could use his legs to lift up his body in an attempt to take more oxygen into his collapsing lungs. To break the legs of one being crucified would, therefore, speed up the death. Pilate agreed with the request.

However, when the soldiers came to Jesus and saw that he was already dead, they did not break his legs. Instead, one of the soldiers pierced his side with a spear, and at once blood and water came out.NRSV This piercing would make sure that Jesus was really dead. Medical experts have tried to determine what was punctured to create a flow of blood and water. Some think the pericardial sac was ruptured. John’s testimony of this occurrence was important to affirm a major argument in this Gospel against the Docetists who were denying Jesus’ humanity. Jesus was indeed a man composed of blood and water. He actually experienced death as a human being (see 1 John 5:6-7). The mention of the blood and water also answers the argument by some that Jesus did not really die but fell into some type of coma from which he later awakened in the tomb. But the eyewitness account of the blood and water refutes that. The piercing itself would have killed Jesus, but he was already dead as the separation of blood and water reveal. Jesus did indeed die a human death. In addition, the Roman soldiers, who had participated in numerous crucifixions, reported to Pilate that Jesus was dead (Mark 15:44-45). Questioning Jesus’ death was one way that people used to reject the news of his resurrection.

19:35 The man who saw it has given testimony, and his testimony is true. He knows that he tells the truth, and he testifies so that you also may believe.NIV The man who saw the Crucifixion and witnessed the issue of blood and water is John the apostle (see 20:30-31 and 21:24-25). Luke’s prologue (Luke 1:1-4) and John’s words demonstrate that the Gospel writers were writing reliable history, not just a subjective description of what they felt (see also 2 Peter 1:16-18).

Some question the identity of the witness as John, claiming that he probably took Mary home before this time. They interpret verse 27 (“From that time on”) to mean immediate action. But “taking someone into your home” is as much an expression of acceptance as it is a description of someone moving their belongings into a new house. The witness may have been a Roman soldier or someone else, but it is more likely that John himself heard and saw these events.

19:36-37 These things were done that the Scripture should be fulfilled, “Not one of His bones shall be broken.” . . . “They shall look on Him whom they pierced.”NKJV Without knowing it, the soldiers fulfilled two biblical prophecies when they lanced Jesus instead of breaking his bones: (1) Not one of his bones shall be broken. Exodus 12:46 and Numbers 9:12 speak of the bones of the Passover lamb that are not to be broken. Because Jesus was the final sacrifice, these verses apply to him; and (2) They shall look on Him whom they pierced. This is from Zechariah 12:10; see also Revelation 1:7. The risen Christ bore this mark in his side (20:19ff.).

JESUS AND THE EXODUS EXPERIENCE

John shows the parallels between events in Exodus and the life of Jesus. God filled the wilderness experience of his people with illustrations of his eternal plan to save the world. The rescue of a people from captivity itself became a prophetic clue that God would offer a way of escape to the world through Jesus Christ. John indicated:

As God temporarily took up residence in a tent among the people, Jesus is the living tabernacle of God. (John 1)
As Moses lifted the serpent in the wilderness, Jesus is the perfect bronze serpent. (John 3)
As God provided bread from heaven to feed the people, Jesus is the real manna. (John 6)
As God provided water from the rock, Jesus is both source and substance of living water from the rock. (John 7)
As God’s presence was seen in the column of fire in the wilderness, Jesus is the Light of the World. (John 8)
As God instituted the memorial of the sacrificed lamb and the blood of Passover, Jesus is the perfect Passover Lamb. (John 1:29; 18:28; 19:14, 36)

JESUS IS LAID IN THE TOMB / 19:38-42 / 237

Two secret disciples of Jesus came forward to take care of Jesus’ burial. They both had feared persecution from the Jewish religious leaders, so they had not openly declared their faith in Jesus as the Messiah (see 12:42).

Secrecy and true belief are only temporary allies. Those who try to be permanent, secret disciples have no way of knowing if their faith is real. God will create moments along the way when even those who are secret disciples will have to declare themselves or be forced to admit that they are not disciples after all. In the case of Joseph and Nicodemus, late was certainly better than never!

19:38-42

The first man: Joseph of Arimathea asked Pilate for the body of Jesus. Now Joseph was a disciple of Jesus, but secretly because he feared the Jews. With Pilate’s permission, he came and took the body away.NIV Joseph was from Arimathea, a town not exactly pinpointed today but generally considered to have been about twenty miles northwest of Jerusalem. Matthew’s Gospel says Joseph was “a rich man” (Matthew 27:57 NIV); Mark describes him as “a prominent member of the council, who was himself waiting for the kingdom of God” (Mark 15:43 NIV); and Luke adds further that he was “a good and upright man, who had not consented to [the council’s] decision and action” (Luke 23:50-51 NIV).

Joseph would not have been able to stop the council’s planned murder of Jesus, but he did what he could afterwards by boldly going to Pilate to ask for Jesus’ body so he could give it a proper burial. He had to ask for permission because the Romans usually left the bodies exposed without burial, both as a lesson to anyone passing by, and as a final humiliation for those executed. So Joseph went to ask Pilate, and Pilate agreed to let him take and bury the body.

The second man: Nicodemus, who had at first come to Jesus by night, also came.NRSV Jesus had talked at length with Nicodemus about being born again (3:1ff.), and Nicodemus had stood up for Jesus among the chief priests and Pharisees (7:50-52). Nicodemus joined Joseph in embalming and wrapping Jesus’ body in regal style. Nicodemus brought a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about seventy-five pounds.NIV This was an extraordinarily large amount of embalming spices and must have been extremely expensive.

STANDING UP

Joseph and Nicodemus were secret believers, but after seeing the horrible treatment of Jesus, they decided that it had gone far enough and they were going to stand up, show their loyalty, and take care of Jesus’ body for burial. Today, many treat the Bible and Jesus with similar horrible treatment. Now is the time for believers to step forward. Now is the time to come forward and testify to what God has done for you. Now is the time to join “that courageous and faithful band who are not afraid to stand up and be counted!”

Perhaps the action of Joseph and Nicodemus points to a lesson in teamwork. Both men were naturally cautious. Perhaps they had been chastised repeatedly for not openly rejecting Jesus. But when the moment for boldness came, they worked together. When we join with other believers we can often accomplish what we would not dare to try alone. Though Joseph and Nicodemus were probably each very much afraid, they nevertheless acted courageously. Obedience will often require us to act in spite of our fears.

Taking Jesus’ body, the two of them wrapped it, with the spices, in strips of linen. This was in accordance with Jewish burial customs.NIV The Jewish burial customs did not include mummifying or embalming; instead, they washed the body, then wrapped it in a cloth soaked with aromatic oils and spices (thus the myrrh and aloes brought by Nicodemus).

At the place where Jesus was crucified, there was a garden, and in the garden a new tomb, in which no one had ever been laid.NIV According to Matthew 27:60, this was Joseph’s own tomb that he gave up for Jesus (see also Luke 23:53). Such rock-hewn tombs were expensive. Even in burial, Jesus fulfilled prophecy: “He was assigned a grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death . . .” (Isaiah 53:9, NIV). It was fortuitous that Joseph had a tomb nearby and that he wanted to put Jesus’ body there; the burial had to happen quickly because it was the Jewish day of Preparation,NIV prior to the coming of the Sabbath.

CHANGES

The death of Jesus made a dramatic change in the lives of four people. The criminal, dying on the cross beside Jesus, asked Jesus to include him in his kingdom (Luke 23:39-43). The Roman centurion proclaimed that Jesus was the Son of God Mark 15:39). Joseph and Nicodemus, members of the Jewish council and secret followers of Jesus (John 7:50-51), came out of hiding. Each of these men were changed more by Jesus’ death than by his life. As a result of realizing who Jesus was, they believed and put their faith into words and actions. When confronted with Jesus and his death we should also be changed —to believe, proclaim, and act.