John 19 - New Spirit-Filled Life Bible

19:5 Behold the Man was not meant as a title of honor but was a mingling of pity and scorn. Pilate regarded the claims of Jesus as more fit for ridicule than for serious legal action.

19:6 Crucifixion was the most hideous Roman method of execution, reserved only for slaves and criminals. The victim generally was nailed or tied to a crossbeam which was then mounted to an upright wooden pole. Crucifixion was despised and therefore not practiced by the Jews. Their disgust with this form of punishment is evident in Deut. 21:23: “He who is hanged is accursed of God.”

19:13 The Pavement, also called Gabbatha (“an elevated place”), was a raised platform upon which Pilate sat in judgment. Archaeologists identify it with an excavated Roman pavement that formed the courtyard of the Tower of Antonia.

19:14 Preparation Day was the day immediately prior to a particular festival, the Passover in this case. Since all religious festivals began on the Sabbath, Preparation Day was Friday.

19:17 The victim was forced to carry only the crossbeam to the place of execution.

19:19–22 It was customary to place the charge for crucifixion over the victim’s cross. One would suspect a charge of sedition. Pilate’s bitter irony achieved a measure of revenge against those who had entrapped him into a condemnation of Jesus.

19:25–27 To the very last, Jesus’ earthly life demonstrated the priority He placed on love and concern in relationships.

19:30 It is finished: The Greek tense indicates that the work of redemption has been completed once for all and its results are abiding continuously.

19:31–33 Jewish law dictated that the bodies of executed criminals be removed from sight before sunset (Deut. 21:23). When the legs were broken, the victims could no longer ease the strain on their arms and chests, causing a greater constriction in their chests, which hastened death.

19:34–37 Whether or not the blood and water may be joint symbols of redemption and evidences of the humanity of Jesus (see 1 John 5:6–8), John sees the piercing of Jesus’ side as a fulfillment of prophecy.

19:38, 39 Both Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus were members of the Sanhedrin and had apparently become covert disciples of Jesus.