GNT John 19:1 To,te ou=n
e;laben o` Pila/toj to.n VIhsou/n kai. evmasti,gwsenÅ
NAS John
19:1 Then Pilate
therefore took Jesus, and scourged Him.
To,te (correl. adv. of time; "Then")
o` Pila/toj (d.a. + n-nm-s)
ou=n (infer. conj.) e;laben
lamba,nw (viaa--3s) to.n o`
VIhsou/n VIhsou/j (d.a. + n-am-s) kai, (cc) evmasti,gwsenÅ mastigo,w (viaa--3s; "scourged";
the general word for a "beating"; the severity of the
whipping/scourging would be determined by the crime one had committed; it could
be administered with rods or with a "scourge", a small handled whip
fitted with several pieces of leather, the ends of which were weighted with
small pieces of bone or metal; used 7x; the more serious word for scourging,
"fragello,w" used 2x, Mat.27:26; Mar.15:15, indicates the more rigorous and
painful whipping that occurred in conjuction with a crucifixion)
1. Pilate,
still unsuccessful securing a release, now fulfills his promise to have Jesus punished (Luk.23:16,20,22) and then therefore took Jesus, and scourged Him.
2. Still faced with the dilemma
of appeasing the Jews, avoiding Roman censure, and having to deal with a man
that he had pronounced innocent, he continues to “play the field” of
appeasement that results in a failure to properly exercise his authority while
abusing it.
3. Pilate
is a prime example of a “political” authority that rather than sticking to his
guns in the decisions he makes as an authority, now finds himself reflective of
someone that is “wish-washy”, non-dependable and a sorry excuse in his exercise
of power.
4. Principle: As an authority, when a decision is made to
execute your authority, do so, and unless unequivocal evidence can be presented
factually or doctrinally to overturn your decision, enforce your decision
through to the end.
5. Principle: You cannot play the fence of partiality and
favoritism but must make decisions based on what is right and BD as your
ultimate authority.
6. Principle: Otherwise, you will present yourself to
others only as a tool for manipulation in getting their own way, open yourself
up to argumentative opponents and attach to yourself a reputation as being
“weak”.
7. Pilate’s motive here is
obviously to rid himself of this problematic case, save face, and appease the
Jews.
8. Perhaps he felt that the
public beating of Jesus would
satisfy the religious leaders, but probably more it had to do with regaining
the sympathy of the crowd initially revealed (Mar.15:8) seeking to regain the
upper hand.
9. In any case, as we will
observe, the ploy is not successful.
10. The term John uses for
“scourging” here is the more general term and indicates a lessor beating though
still extremely painful.
11. It is the first of two
beatings that Jesus will undergo
during this trial, the second the more serious of the two as the final prelude
to His sentencing of crucifixion.
12. A soldier that was adept at
using the scourge and inflicting maximum punishment and pain via the chosen
tool generally administered Roman scourging.
13. The scourging in view is
generally accepted as a “flagello” (Latin) with the typical Roman whip with
pieces of metal or bone attached.
14. However, Matthew and Mark
denote that a reed was also used to inflict pain around Jesus’ face and head in
the second scourging He underwent.
Mat.27:30; Mar.15:19
15. Josephus tells us that “a
certain Jesus, son of Ananias, was brought before Albinus and flayed to the
bone with scourges”.
16. During the time of Polycarp,
a church leader in Smyrna during the 2nd century AD, Eusebius (a
church historian c 350 AD) states that “certain martyrs were torn by
scourges down to deep-seated vein and arteries, so that the hidden contents of
their bodies, their entrails and organs were exposed to sight”.
17. It is well known and not
unexpected that men often died from the torture inflicted by this means of
punishment.
18. The degree of pain and
damage Jesus endured here obviously
would not be life threatening per se, since it is Pilate’s intentions to try
and free Jesus, but neither was it
just a “spanking”, since Pilate knew
he would have to present enough “blood” to satisfy the Jews.
19. It is sufficient to say that
the scourging here in and of itself would be enough to make most men scream out
in pain.
GNT John 19:2 kai. Oi` stratiw/tai ple,xantej ste,fanon evx avkanqw/n
evpe,qhkan auvtou/ th/| kefalh/|( kai. I`ma,tion porfurou/n perie,balon auvto,n
NAS John
19:2 And the
soldiers wove a crown of thorns and put it on His head, kai, (cc) oi` o` stratiw/tai stratiw,thj (d.a. + n-nm-p; “the
soldiers/common soldiers”; here obviously Roman troops; used 26x) ple,xantej ple,kw (circ. Ptc./a/a/nm-p; “after
weaving/intertwining/plaiting/braiding”; used 3x) ste,fanon ste,fanoj (n-am-s; “a wreath/crown”; it
denotes a victors wreath; used 25x; while there is a distinction between a
“kings crown/dia,dhma” and “wreath”, it
is of no matter as it was intended to mock royalty) evx evk (pAbl) avkanqw/n a;kanqa (n-gf-p;
“thorns/thistles/brambles”; used 14x; some have speculated that this thorn was
the date palm, Phoenix dactylifera, which is called fierce and formidable) there is no “and” in the Grk. Evpe,qhkan evpiti,qhmi (viaa—3p; “placed it upon/put it
on”) auvtou/ auvto,j (npgm3s) th/| h` kefalh/|( kefalh, (d.a. + n-df-s; “head”) and arrayed Him in a purple robe; kai, (cc) perie,balon periba,llw (viaa—3p; “cast around/put
around/arrayed/clothed”) auvto,n
auvto,j (npam3s; ref. Jesus) porfurou/n porfurou/j (a—an-s; “purple”; used 4x;
symbol of royalty) I`ma,tion (n-an-s; “garment/clothing”;
here a robe/cloak; same as 13:4,12)
GNT John 19:3 kai. H;rconto pro.j auvto.n kai. E;legon( Cai/re o`
basileu.j tw/n Vioudai,wn\ kai. Evdi,dosan auvtw/| r`api,smataÅ
NAS John
19:3 and they began to come up to Him, and say,
“Hail, King of the Jews!” kai, (cc) h;rconto e;rcomai(viIPFd—3p; “they were coming”;
ref. the soldiers; IPF denotes
continuous action; they were coming one after another) pro,j (pa) auvto.n auvto,j(npam3s) kai, (cc) e;legon( le,gw (viIPFa—3p; “were saying”) Cai/re cai,rw (vImp.pa—2s; “You rejoice”; used
as a greeting or salutation, hence; “Hail”)
o` basileu,j (d.a. + n-vm-s; “the King”) tw/n o` Vioudai,wn\ Vioudai/oj (d.a. + ap-gm-p) and to give Him blows in the face. Kai, (cc) evdi,dosan di,dwmi (viIPFa—3p; “were giving”) auvtw/| auvto,j (npdm3s; ref. Jesus) r`api,smataÅ r`a,pisma (n-an-p; “blows/slaps/cuffs” to
the head area; possibly is with reeds, as with the second scourging,
symbolizing Jesus’ kingly scepter used against Him)
1. While injustice is modus
operandi in the scourging of an innocent party, John now reflects upon the more
sadistic nature of the injustice at hand.
2. Some may try and rationalize
the actions of these verses as simply a ploy by Pilate to just further
humiliate Jesus in order to gain His freedom.
3. However, that the actions
could not be observed by the Jews
(cp. vss.4,5 where both Pilate and Jesus “come outside” where the Jews are) determines the scenario
as simply “entertainment” to fill in the gap.
4. The
Roman soldiers under Pilate’s
command, begin to engage in some rather crude and vicious horseplay.
5. After the scourging, they wove a crown of thorns and put it on His
head.
6. The type of thorns has been
identified with various species, but a strong case has been made for the
Phoenix dactylifera, or date palm, common to that region and well adapted to
form a “radiate crown”.
7. The radiate crown was such as oriental god-kings
were depicted as wearing on their coins.
8. This was essentially a crown that the spikes would radiate
outward from the head and signified
that the wearer was divine.
9. Obviously, to state this was
the purpose of the soldiers is
impossible, though if it was they inadvertently presented Christ as the
God-King.
10. What is sure is that their
main intention was to be insulting and extremely painful.
11. The wearing of the thorns points to the principle that
Jesus became a curse for us.
Gen.3:17-18; Gal.3:13
12. Next, the soldiers continue to mock the fact that Jesus claims to be a
king and arrayed Him in a purple robe.
13. This would have been put on Him after the beating while the flesh
was opened and bleeding.
14. The robe was a garment called a clamu,j/chlamus; a kind of cloak
worn by soldiers, military officers, kings and emperors.
15. This particular robe was probably the same “gorgeous robe” put upon Jesus by Herod from his own kingly wardrobe,
removed earlier for the scourging and now put back around Him for their
sport. Cp. Luk.23:11
16. As they circled around
Jesus, paying mock homage to Him, they began
to come up to Him, and say, “Hail, King of the Jews!” and to give Him blows
in the face.
17. The “blows” to the face or head area were intended as a
demeaning insult and overtly mocks the authority Jesus’ has placed upon Himself
by proclaiming He is a King.
18. This representation is seen
in the use of the reed for the beating, symbolizing a king’s scepter/staff, a
sign of his authority, as recorded in the final act of mocking before
crucifixion. Mat.27:29-30; Mar.15:19
19. It is amazing as to all of
the parallels spiritually these men were reflecting in their actions in that
what they mocked pictures the reality concerning Christ and their own spiritual
deprivation and rebellion.
20. This was the 2nd
of the 3 times that Jesus was mocked and abused by the soldiers:
21. It should be remembered that
Jesus had been similarly abused at the hands of the Jews, before the assembled Sanhedrin. Mat.26:67-68; Mar.14:65
22. Each of the abuses increased
in severity so that, by the time Jesus was led to Golgotha, He was in no
physical condition to bear His own cross.
Mat.27:32; Mar.15:21
23. Jesus knew that the
prophetic word predicted much suffering, including, mockery, scourging, being
spit upon, etc. Isa.50:4-7; 52:14;
53:4-8; Mat.20:17-19; Mar.10:32-34; Luk.18:31-33; Joh.18:4
24. The eschatological irony is
that the One that they are now abusing and mocking will one day stand over them
as King and Judge, and they will all
have to acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord.
Phi.2:9-11
GNT John 19:4 Kai. Evxh/lqen pa,lin e;xw o` Pila/toj kai. Le,gei
auvtoi/j( :Ide a;gw u`mi/n auvto.n e;xw( I[na gnw/te o[ti ouvdemi,an aivti,an
eu`ri,skw evn auvtw/|Å
NAS John
19:4 And Pilate
came out again, and *said to them, “Behold, I am bringing Him out to you, Kai, (cc) o` Pila/toj (d.a. + n-nm-s) evxh/lqen evxe,rcomai (viaa—3s; “came out from”) e;xw (adv.; “outside/out of doors”;
denotes that the scourging and mocking took place inside the Praetorium
isolated from the crowd) pa,lin (adv.) kai, (cc) le,gei le,gw (vipa—3s) auvtoi/j( auvto,j (npdm3p; ref. the crowd) :Ide (part. of interjection;
“Behold/Look!”) a;gw (vipa—1s; “I am bringing/
leading”) auvto.n
auvto,j (npam3s; ref. Jesus) e;xw( (adv.; “outside”) u`mi/n su, (npd-2p; ref. the crowd) that you may know that I find no guilt in
Him.” I[na (cs; purpose)
gnw/te ginw,skw (vsaa—2p; “you may know”) o[ti (cc; intro. Indir. Disc.) eu`ri,skw (vipa—1s) ouvdemi,an ouvdei,j (a-caf-s; “no thing/not even one
aspect”) aivti,an aivti,a (n-af-s; “guilt/grounds for
accusation/fault”) evn (pL) auvtw/|Å auvto,j (npLm3s; ref. Jesus)
GNT John 19:5 evxh/lqen ou=n o` Vihsou/j e;xw( forw/n to.n avka,nqinon
ste,fanon kai. To. porfurou/n I`ma,tionÅ kai. Le,gei auvtoi/j( Vidou. O`
a;nqrwpojÅ
NAS John
19:5 Jesus
therefore came out, wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe. And Pilate *said to them, “Behold, the
Man!” o` Vihsou/j (d.a. + n-nm-s) ou=n (infer. Conj.) evxh/lqen evxe,rcomai (viaa—3s) e;xw( (adv.; “outside”) forw/n fore,w (circ. Ptc./p/a/nm-s; “while
wearing”) to.n o`
ste,fanon ste,fanoj (d.a. + n-am-s; “crown/wreath”) avka,nqinon
avka,nqinoj (a—am-s; “thorny/of thorns”) kai, (cc) porfurou/n porfurou/j (a—an-s; “purple”) to, I`ma,tionÅ (d.a. + n-an-s; “robe”) kai, (cc) le,gei le,gw (vipa—3s; Pilate is the
subject) auvtoi/j( auvto,j (npdm3p; ref. the crowd) Vidou, (part. interj.) o` a;nqrwpojÅ (d.a. + n-nm-s)
GNT John 19:6 o[te ou=n ei=don auvto.n oi` avrcierei/j kai. Oi`
u`phre,tai evkrau,gasan le,gontej( Stau,rwson stau,rwsonÅ le,gei auvtoi/j o`
Pila/toj( La,bete auvto.n u`mei/j kai. Staurw,sate\ evgw. Ga.r ouvc eu`ri,skw
evn auvtw/| aivti,anÅ
NAS John
19:6 When
therefore the chief priests and the officers saw Him, they cried out, saying,
“Crucify, crucify!” o[te (temp. conj.; “When”) ou=n (infer. Conj.) oi` o` avrcierei/j avrciereu,j (d.a. + n-nm-p; “the high
priests/chief priests”) kai, (cc) oi` o` u`phre,tai u`phre,thj (d.a. + n-nm-p; “the
officers/temple police”) ei=don o`ra,w
(viaa—3p) auvto.n auvto,j (npam3s; ref. Christ) evkrau,gasan krauga,zw (viaa—3p; “they cried
out/shouted”) le,gontej(
le,gw (circ.
Ptc./p/a/nm-p) Stau,rwson
stauro,w (vImp./aa—2s; “Crucify/Nail to a cross!”; used 46x) stau,rwsonÅ stauro,w (vImp./aa—2s) Pilate *said to them, “Take Him
yourselves, and crucify Him, for I find no guilt in Him.” O` Pila/toj( (d.a. + n-nm-s) le,gei le,gw (vipa—3s) auvtoi/j auvto,j (npdm3p) La,bete lamba,nw (vImp./aa—2p) auvto.n auvto,j (npam3s; ref. Jesus) u`mei/j su, (npn-2p; emphatic; “yourselves”;
ref. religious leaders and enforcers) kai, (cc) staurw,sate\ stauro,w (vImp.aa—2p; “you all crucify”;
“Him” understood ref. Jesus) ga,r (explan. Conj.) evgw, (npn-1s; emphatic) ouvc ouv (neg. +) eu`ri,skw (vipa—1s) aivti,anÅ aivti,a (n-af-s; “guilt”) evn (pL) auvtw/| auvto,j (npLm3s; ref. Jesus)
1. After the scourging and the
soldier’s fill of mocking is over, Pilate
came out again, re-addressed the Jews and
said to them, “Behold, I am bringing Him
out to you”.
2. These verses note that
Jesus’ punishment and mocking episode took place somewhere inside of the
Praetorium, out of sight of the assembled crowd.
3. Pilate
announces to the assembly that the purpose for now parading Jesus in front of them is that “you may know that I find no guilt in Him”.
4. He announces for the second
time in John that there is no legitimate charge of breaking Roman law that can
be proved against Jesus.
5. Pilate
now hopes that since Jesus has been
scourged, beaten and bloodied, the crowd will realize His innocence.
6. To bring Jesus out in this condition is designed
to provide evidence that even with punitive torture, Jesus has given no evidence to Pilate
of any collaboration of insurgency against Rome.
7. In addition, Pilate poses Jesus still in His mock king getup and Jesus therefore came out, wearing the crown of thorns and the purple
robe.
8. After mocking Jesus, Pilate sees value in keeping Jesus
dressed up in “costume” as beneficial in facilitating his goal.
9. By showing Him caricatured as royalty, he plays on
the crowd’s own sadistic side that they have revealed, hoping to set a lighter
mood in their approach to Jesus.
10. In Pilate’s thinking, if he
can get the crowd to laugh at Jesus
in “costume” (as he and the soldiers have been doing), then maybe he could
diffuse the hatred now being exuded.
11. In addition, to present Jesus in such disgrace and overtly
beaten, it would serve to play on any sympathy initially portrayed by some of
the crowd and continue to help swing the momentum Pilate’s way.
12. Pilate’s introduction of Jesus in this abused fashion states
clearly his read on Jesus as he said to them, “Behold, the Man!”
13. Pilate
makes clear to the crowd that he regards Jesus
no more or less than any other normal male human being and for sure not the
caliber of threat that one might be in any claim to kingship.
14. The phrase, “Behold, the Man!” is used in classical
Greek with the nuance of “the poor or pitiful Man”.
15. His phrasing and
introduction is designed to be coupled with Jesus’ beaten and sadistically
comic appearance to emphasize that it is ludicrous to even consider any man as a threat that has been
humiliated in such fashion.
16. In essence, Pilate is “painting” the Jews a picture
designed to destroy the lofty notions they have placed upon Christ as a king
with one that he considers reality; just another man that is easily subdued and taken advantage of.
17. In other words, Pilate is now trying to “dramatize”
Jesus’ innocence and how baseless the charges are that He is a threat to Rome,
that have been brought against Him.
18. Again the irony in that
Pilate’s comment of Jesus as the Man is in reality true as He is “the Man”.
19. Jesus
is the perfect Man, being the God/Man,
and will one day execute the appropriate judgment upon all that have looked
upon Him that day.
20. While Pilate’s ploy may have
worked with normal people and under normal circumstances, the religious leaders
and situation confronting him are not “normal”.
21. After Jesus’ entrance, before
any of the crowd that actually had any compassion in their beings could vocally
respond with any affect, the chief
priests and the officers, when
therefore they saw Him, they cried
out, saying, “Crucify, crucify!”
22. Their seeing Jesus did not cause them to change
their mind, but only aroused more vehemently their murder lust.
23. Their hatred of Jesus has been festering for several
years and their murder plot has been brewing for some time, so they are in no
mood to fail at this point.
24. That the officers/temple police enjoined the
high priests in their one word chant
implies the “Gestapo” rule the religious leaders have established.
25. That the law enforcers of
Judaism are right along side their authorities in this regard smacks of their
roles as essentially hired “henchmen” to facilitate whatever the religious
leaders decide.
26. It is obvious that these men
were under orders to comply and support the chief priests in all aspects of this case if they had any desire to
keep their jobs.
27. The purpose for the one word
chant is that it could easily and readily be taken up by the crowd once again,
as they had been coached already to do so.
Mat.27:20; Mar.15:11-14
28. Pilate
is now faced once again with failure of plan and with obvious frustration and
disdain said to them, “Take Him
yourselves, and crucify Him, for I find no guilt in Him”.
29. For the third time he passes
the verdict of “innocent” upon Jesus.
30. Pilate
had no regard for the Jews, and certainly understood that they were attempting
to get him to endorse the decision of their kangaroo court.
31. It is obvious that he did
not like the position he has been put into and is attempting everything he can
think of to rid himself of this problem.
32. He recognized that the Jews
had brought Jesus before him out of
envy and that they had no lofty motivations in their judgment passed.
33. He did not much care for all
this, or for the people that were attempting to force him into a corner.
34. As the governor of Judea, he
was used to using political pressure, but not used to being the object of it.
35. The exasperation of his
response notes that he is fed up with these obnoxious Jews and is ready to get
this case over with.
36. He knew full well that the
Jews did not have the power to crucify
Jesus and it was that very reason they were before him.
37. Further, crucifixion was not
something that was authorized by Jewish law.
38. His sarcastic and petulant
(huffy/ill-tempered) response denotes that Pilate
has to once again retreat in his tactics.
39. In addition and as before,
it is designed to put the Jews on notice that he still remains the ultimate
authority in this case and that at least that respect is due him.
40. He is hoping that since this
approach worked once before (vs.31), it will work again.
GNT John 19:7 avpekri,qhsan auvtw/| oi` Vioudai/oi( ~Hmei/j no,mon
e;comen\ kai. Kata. To.n no,mon ovfei,lei avpoqanei/n( o[ti ui`o.n qeou/
e`auto.n evpoi,hsenÅ
NAS John
19:7 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.” Oi` o` Vioudai/oi(
Vioudai/oj (d.a. + ap-nm-p) avpekri,qhsan
avpokri,nomai (viad—3p) auvtw/|
auvto,j (npdm3s; ref. Pilate) ~Hmei/j evgw,
(npn-1p) e;comen\ e;cw (vipa—1p) no,mon no,moj (n-am-s; “a law”) kai, (cc) kata, (pa; “according to/under that/by
that”) to.n o` no,mon no,moj (d.a. + n-am-s; the d.a. denotes
the specifics of the principle of law in view)
ovfei,lei ovfei,lw (vipa—3s; “He ought/ is indebted to/owes”; same as
13:14) avpoqanei/n( avpoqnh,|skw (compl. Inf./aa-; “to die”) o[ti (causal conj.) evpoi,hsenÅ poie,w (viaa—3s; “He made/did”) e`auto.n e`autou/ (reflex. Pro./am3s;
“Himself”) “to be” supplied ui`o.n ui`o,j (n-am-s) qeou/ qeo,j (n-gm-s)
GNT John 19:8 {Ote ou=n h;kousen o` Pila/toj tou/ton to.n lo,gon(
ma/llon evfobh,qh(
NAS John
19:8 When Pilate
therefore heard this statement, he was the more afraid; {Ote (temp. conj.; “When”) o` Pila/toj (d.a. + n-nm-s) ou=n (infer. Conj.) h;kousen avkou,w (viaa—3s) tou/ton ou-toj (near dem. Pro./am-s) to.n o` lo,gon( lo,goj (d.a. + n-am-s;
“word/statement”) ma/llon (compar. Adv.; “more/to a
greater degree”) evfobh,qh(
fobe,omai (viad—3s; “afraid/frightened/alarmed”)
1. Pilate’s indirect reminder
to the Jews that they can not
effectuate capital punishment without his direct authorization and Roman
facilitation has its desired affect for them to back off and approach him with
a more civil tone.
2. This section of John marks
Pilate’s last attempt in a release for Jesus.
Vss.6b-15
3. The Jews realize that Pilate is not
going to cater completely to their trumped up charge of insurrection and now
take advantage of his stand for Roman law
by appealing to their own law and 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”.
4. The particular law that they bring forth is that of
blasphemy. Lev.24:16
5. The particular form of
blasphemy in view is that of Jesus’ declaration of being Divine in nature.
6. It is clear that Jesus’
claims to be the Son of God were well understood by the Jews, and had been for some
time. Joh.5:18; 8:58-59; 10:33
7. While on the surface it may
appear that the Jews are coming
“clean” with Pilate and now telling
him the real reason they want Him dead, their approach has a more sinister and
legal purpose.
8. To this point, Pilate at the most only regards Jesus
as possibly a trouble maker amongst the hierarchy of Jewish leadership and the
whole situation is internal with them with no reaching effects towards Rome.
9. Their response must be
understood in light of the fact that they are not backing down from their claim
that Jesus is a rebel king (Joh.19:12b), but that in addition to His claim of
being king, He has also claimed to be Divine.
10. The Jews reference to their law is
designed to essentially to upstage Pilate’s understanding of law, in which he find’s Jesus innocent
of insurrection, by using their law
to introduce new evidence that has a bearing on the meaning of insurrection.
11. In other words they are
saying that Jesus not only makes Himself out to be a king, but also makes
Himself out to be Divine in nature, which according to Jewish law is an ultimate act of sedition and
deserving of death.
12. Therefore that Jesus
declares Himself as God, which the Jews
are saying is false, is sedition of the worse kind, because by making Himself
out to be God, He is not only claiming kingship of Israel, but by implication a
Divine ruler that would also have authority over any nation currently ruling
over Israel i.e., Rome.
13. The current legal appeal to Pilate in Rome vs. Christ is to
introduce a law of their own that Pilate should consider as an
underwriter to Roman law in his
interpretation of treason against Rome.
14. That Pilate cannot find any physical evidence to render Jesus as guilty,
then maybe he can find evidence based on religious beliefs.
15. The Jews appeal to Roman Pantheism (belief in many gods) and superstition and
place before Pilate a consideration
he needs to entertain, since if Jesus’ claim in this regard is indeed true,
then He in effect is dealing with one that is truly a danger to Rome.
16. The Jews use Pilate’s religiosity to apply a legal “technicality” that the Jews now introduce as to “how”
Jesus is making Himself out to be a king, that will finally push Pilate over the edge and succumb to
their desires. Vss.12-13a
17. That Pilate indeed adhered to pagan superstition and took serious this
new charge that Jesus claimed some sort of divine nature is seen clearly in
vs.8, “When Pilate therefore heard this
statement, he was the more afraid”.
18. While John has not stated
that Pilate was afraid before, the combination of circumstances has produced no
little concern on his part.
19. In addition to the
possibility of Jewish riot, earlier in the proceedings his wife had sent him a
message with regard to a nightmare she had the previous night that involved
Jesus. Mat.27:19
20. Pilate,
an unbelieving pagan was well aware of the stories of gods appearing in human
guise.
21. Obviously he would not want
to use his power to harm a manifestation of any deity.
22. Now that possibility in
light of the scourging, etc. that has already occurred, coupled with possible
legal implications that the Jews
have introduced that would bear upon this matter, Pilate goes into a deeper state of paranoia.
23. On the one hand if Jesus
claim were indeed true, Pilate would
fear some sort of divine judgment for mistreating a deity or the offspring of
deity.
24. Otherwise, even if Jesus is
not divine, the argument the Jews
have introduced carries a weight of prosecution sufficient to force him to
reverse his decision of innocence loosing face before the Jews, or worse damaging his political career if the case went
to higher Roman authority.
25. Deification was an attribute
only applied to a Caesar and other Roman imperial rulers. Cf. Encyclopaedia Britannica; Macropaedia;
Vol.15, p.1062
26. The irony, as seen even
today, is that Pilate is not
concerned about offending the only true God or righteous justice applied to
others, but is more concerned with his religious superstition and career.
27. His superstition will reign
briefly, but his own base desires for political self-preservation will
ultimately rule.
GNT John 19:9 kai. eivsh/lqen eivj to. praitw,rion pa,lin kai. le,gei
tw/| VIhsou/( Po,qen ei= su,È o` de. VIhsou/j avpo,krisin ouvk e;dwken auvtw/|Å
NAS John
19:9 and he entered
into the Praetorium again, and *said to Jesus, "Where are You from?"
But Jesus gave him no answer. kai, (ch) eivsh/lqen eivse,rcomai (viaa--3s; "he entered
into") eivj (pa) to, praitw,rion (d.a. + n-an-s; "the
Praetorium") pa,lin (adv.; "again") kai, (cc) le,gei le,gw (vipa--3s) tw/| o` VIhsou/( VIhsou/j (d.a. + n-dm-s) Po,qen (interr. adv.; "Where/From
what place?") ei= eivmi, (vipa--2s) su,È (npn-2s) de, (ch) o` VIhsou/j (d.a. + n-nm-s) avpo,krisin avpo,krisij (n-af-s; "a response/answer/reply";
same as 1:22) ouvk ouv (neg. +) e;dwken di,dwmi (viaa--3s; lit. "did not
give") auvtw/|Å
auvto,j (npdm3s; ref. Pilate)
GNT John 19:10 le,gei ou=n auvtw/| o` Pila/toj(
VEmoi. ouv lalei/jÈ ouvk oi=daj o[ti evxousi,an e;cw avpolu/sai, se kai. evxousi,an
e;cw staurw/sai, seÈ
NAS John
19:10 Pilate
therefore *said to Him, "You do not speak to me? o` Pila/toj( (d.a. + n-nm-s) ou=n (infer. conj.) le,gei le,gw (vipa--3s) auvtw/| auvto,j (npdm3s; ref. Jesus) ouv (neg. +) lalei/jÈ lale,w (vipa--2s; "You do not
speak?") VEmoi. evgw, (npd-1s) Do You not
know that I have authority to release You, and I have authority to crucify
You?" ouvk ouv (neg. +) oi=daj oi=da (viPFa--2s; "Do You not
know?") o[ti (cc; intro. indir. disc.) e;cw (vipa--1s; "I
have") evxousi,an
evxousi,a (n-af-s; "authority"; emphatic position before the verb) avpolu/sai, avpolu,w (inf. of purpose/aa-; "to
release/set free") se su, (npa-2s; ref. Jesus) kai, (cc) e;cw (vipa--1s) evxousi,an evxousi,a (n-af-s; emphatic position) staurw/sai, stauro,w (inf. of purpose/aa-; "to
crucify") seÈ su, (npa-2s)
GNT John 19:11 avpekri,qh VIhsou/j( Ouvk ei=cej
evxousi,an katV evmou/ ouvdemi,an eiv mh. h=n dedome,non soi a;nwqen\ dia.
tou/to o` paradou,j me, soi mei,zona a`marti,an e;ceiÅ
NAS John
19:11 Jesus
answered, "You would have no authority over Me, unless it had been given
you from above; VIhsou/j( (n-nm-s) avpekri,qh avpokri,nomai (viad--3s) Ouvk ouv (neg. +) ei=cej e;cw (viIPFa--2s; "You would not
have" +) ouvdemi,an
ouvdei,j (a-caf-s; emphatic; "not even one/no not one"; the sense is
"not one bit of"; this Grk word is incorporated into the English
"no") evxousi,an
evxousi,a (n-af-s) katV kata, (pg; "down
upon/over") evmou/ evgw, (npg-1s) eiv mh, (part. + neg.;
"unless/except") h=n eivmi, (viIPFa--3s; periphrastic
constr. +) dedome,non
di,dwmi (circ. ptc./PF/p/nn-s; lit. "it was having been given" ) soi su, (npd-2s; ref. Pilate) a;nwqen\ (adv.; "from above/from
someplace higher"; the sense is "from a higher authority not of this
world") for this reason he who
delivered Me up to you has the greater sin." dia, (pa +) tou/to ou-toj (near dem. pro./an-s;
"because of this thing/for this reason") o` paradou,j paradi,dwmi (d.a. + subs. ptc./a/a/nm-s;
"he who delivered/gave over") me, evgw, (npa-1s) soi su, (npd-2s) e;ceiÅ e;cw (vipa--3s) mei,zona me,gaj (compar. adj./af-s; "the
greater") a`marti,an
a`marti,a (n-af-s; "sin/guilt"; here in the sense of culpability in sin)
1. The Jew’s allegation of
Jesus’ claim to be the Son of God is sufficient to cause Pilate to reconsider His current stand and investigate further into
the matter.
2. While John does not directly
state that Pilate had Jesus brought back into the Praetorium, it is obviously the case as vs.9 points out, “and he entered into the Praetorium again,
and said to Jesus, ‘Where are You from?’”
3. Operating out of fear, Pilate now removes himself and Jesus from the confusion and noise of
the group outside to his chambers in order to regroup and try to think this
thing through.
4. He appeals to Jesus’
straightforwardness already revealed and asks Him the one question he feels
will help stabilize his thinking.
5. His question in and of
itself points out Pilate’s belief in the supernatural and that he takes the
Jew’s allegation seriously.
6. It points to the mystical
and religious side that many unbelievers carry with them.
7. In his thinking, if Jesus will either confer or deny a
claim of Divine origin, then he will at least know how to proceed more clearly
from this point.
8. However, Jesus’ does not
respond as Pilate would expect and
in fact, gave him no answer at all.
9. Jesus
has spoken to Pilate before and will
again, but legally his question has
no bearing that will effect the outcome of this case at all nor is there any
real spiritual interest on the part of Pilate
with regard to the truth of Christ’s Person.
10. Legally the issue simply is
there any evidence of seditious activity on the part of Jesus against Rome and his place of origin is absolutely of no
consequence.
11. Spiritually Pilate has revealed himself as –V and
has no true interest in the truth since Jesus
had already told him that His kingdom was not from this world and that He had
come into the world to bear witness to the truth. Joh.18:36-37
12. Beyond that statement, what
else would Jesus need to say if Pilate was truly interested in the
spiritual facts of this case and His Person?
13. Jesus
knows that Pilate is only
questioning Him in this regard simply due to his mysticism (religious trend)
and continued attempt to beat the Jews at their own game.
14. Principle: There is a point that we as believers are not
required to banter theology or BD with others when it has been shown by them
that their motivation is not to truly learn the truth of the matter.
15. Principle: Do not allow others to drag you into
conversations that have absolutely no bearing on the real issues at hand
spiritually or in important areas demanding judgment of any sort.
16. Pilate
expresses his amazement and frustration that Jesus does not respond and therefore
said to Him, “You do not speak to me?”
17. He was likely a little
miffed as well, since the Jews are not respecting his authority and now the prisoner as well.
18. Pilate
then seeks to intimidate Jesus into
answering by stressing the power he has to act on this case in vs.10b, “Do you not know that I have authority to
release You, and I have authority to crucify You?”
19. His emphasis on his authority is somewhat ironic
considering what he has done to avoid ruling on this case and his failure to carry
through the ruling he has rendered.
20. In addition, his statement
points to the main STA trend that rules Pilate,
power.
21. He uses the word “evxousi,a/power to act/authority” two times and both times he
places the word in the emphatic position.
22. In addition, his
preoccupation with his power is also seen in the fact that he begins his
question to Jesus with the emphatic
“To me You do not speak”.
23. In view of the power Rome
had placed in the prefect, normally this question is not unnatural.
24. However, considering his
abuse of authority, while
simultaneously skirting it, his remark smacks of arrogance and his real
motivation in its exercise i.e., to control others.
25. While it is a right for authority to rule over others, it is to
be done with an attitude of humility and service. Luk.22:25-27
26. Despite Pilate’s attitude,
his position as judge remains intact and he points out that he is the one that
can help or condemn Jesus, the Jews
and others aside.
27. By stating that he had authority to release Him first, Pilate implies that release is still a
valid option he is considering.
28. Roman law stated that “No
one who has the power to condemn is without the power to acquit”.
29. Pilate
is faced with making the ultimate decision since he possesses the ultimate authority in this case.
30. However, with authority comes responsibility, so he
will bear the responsibility for the decision he makes.
31. In light of Pilate’s claim
of authoritative privilege, Jesus is
not impressed with his vague offer of release, since He already knew the
doctrine respecting His sufferings and He recognizes that Pilate does not have the will to do the right thing.
32. He points out to Pilate that no man has authority inherent in himself and at
this point finally answered him in
vs.11a; “You would have no authority
over Me, unless it had been given you from above”.
33. Jesus
makes clear that it is God’s throne in Heaven that is the true source of authority on earth.
34. While authorities can act as
they choose, they must remember that God is free to act as He chooses also.
35. To the degree that
authorities act under the directive will of God, to that degree God will
support them.
36. However, to the degree they
choose to act under His permissive will and not handle their given authority properly, God is free to
overrule them and jam their actions.
37. Jesus
then points out that the only reason that Pilate
is even exercising his authority in
this case is due to another authority’s actions in vs.11b, “for this reason he who delivered Me up to
you has the greater sin”.
38. The specific authority in view is Caiaphas, who is
the reigning authority over the
Sanhedrin that year.
39. Jesus
does not state that Pilate does not
bear guilt in this matter, only that another bears greater responsibility and
culpability for what is occurring,
40. Pilate
will make the final decision regarding Jesus
and he will have to bear the responsibility for his actions.
41. The concept of “the greater
sin” implies that there is a lesser sin
involved.
42. The lesser sin falls to Pilate and his culpability in the crime to be committed, since he
will deliver an innocent man to death.
43. However the greater sin will fall
with the reigning authority of
Israel since they are the ones that have instigated the murder plot and also
have the greatest knowledge and responsibility before God in their roles as a Priest
nation to uphold the Law.
44. The reality is that all of
those in positions of authority involved
in the betrayal, arrest, trials and death of Jesus will bear responsibility for their actions.
45. Review Doctrine of Authority.
GNT John 19:12 evk tou,tou o` Pila/toj evzh,tei
avpolu/sai auvto,n\ oi` de. VIoudai/oi evkrau,gasan le,gontej( VEa.n tou/ton
avpolu,sh|j( ouvk ei= fi,loj tou/ Kai,saroj\ pa/j o` basile,a e`auto.n poiw/n
avntile,gei tw/| Kai,sariÅ
NAS John
19:12 As a result
of this Pilate made efforts to release Him, but the Jews cried out,
saying, evk (pAbl +) tou,tou ou-toj (near dem. pro./Abln-s;
"From out of this thing/As a result of this") o` Pila/toj (d.a. + n-nm-s) evzh,tei zhte,w (viIPFa--3s; "was
seeking/made efforts") avpolu/sai
avpolu,w (comp. inf./aa-; "to release/set free") auvto,n\ auvto,j (npam3s; ref. Jesus) de, (ch) oi` o` VIoudai/oi VIoudai/oj (d.a. + ap-nm-p) evkrau,gasan krauga,zw (viaa--3p; "cried
out/shouted") le,gontej(
le,gw (circ.
ptc./p/a/nm-p) "If you release this Man, you are no
friend of Caesar; VEa.n eva,n (part. intro. 3rd class
cond.) avpolu,sh|j( avpolu,w (vsaa--2s; "might
release") tou/ton ou-toj (near dem. pro./am-s; "this Man") ouvk ouv (neg. +) ei= eivmi, (vipa--2s; "you are not") fi,loj (ap-nm-s; "a
friend") tou/ o`
Kai,saroj\ Kai/sar (d.a. + n-gm-s; "the Caesar/Kaiser"; the family name of Julius
later adopted by Octavius Augusts and used by other Roman emperors as a part of
their title; used 29x) everyone who makes himself out to be a king opposes
Caesar." pa/j (a--nm-s;
"everyone/all") poiw/n poie,w
(subs.
ptc./p/a/nm-s; "who makes") e`auto.n
e`autou/ (reflexive pro./am3s) "to
be" supplied o` basile,a
basileu,j (d.a. + n-am-s; "king") avntile,gei
avntile,gw (vipa--3s; "speaks against/refutes/contradicts/opposes"; used
9x) tw/| o` Kai,sariÅ Kai/sar (d.a. + n-dm-s)
1. Jesus’ mention of the
principle of authority being “from above” is sufficient to continue to stir up
Pilate’s mysticism.
2. With the combination of
Jesus’ words accompanying the other events of that day and operating out of
fear, Pilate reconsiders any
thoughts he may have been toying with to immediately cave in and crucify Jesus
and “as a result of this Pilate made
efforts to release Him”.
3. John does not record exactly
what steps or negotiations Pilate
took to attempt to release Jesus, but moves immediately to the opposition
that these attempts aroused from the
Jews as they 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”.
4. Their outcry that Pilate had better not release Jesus was strong and insistent.
5. Their not so veiled threat
included a reference to Caesar.
6. The Caesar in question was Tiberius, the second emperor of Rome.
7. The term Caesar was the cognomen of the Julian
family, the most eminent member of which was Caius Julius Caesar.
8. The family name was adopted
into use by subsequent emperors of Rome.
9. The name and heritage was
passed to Octavianus, the adoptive heir that by legal process became Caius
Octavianus Caesar, later know as
Augustus. Luk.2:1
10. His successor was this
Tiberius, the stepson of Augustus.
11. This man had a life that was
marred by unhappy home circumstances and problems with the Roman senate.
12. He became morose/gloomy due
to years of rejection from those that opposed him and became obsessed with
fears of treachery.
13. This accounted for a rash of
trials for treason that marred his reign.
14. He was not popular with the
senate, resented by the aristocracy and the general populace did not appreciate
his austerity/severity and contempt for the Greek games.
15. The phrase, “friend of Caesar” was not merely a
casual allusion to being patriotic, but carried the force of being a member of
the important inner circle and had great political implications.
16. The cry was essentially a
direct threat that the high priest would report to Rome that there was a rival king in Judea and that Pilate had not dealt appropriately with
the situation.
17. In addition to the arguments
presented to date, it would be a short step for the Jews to imply that the reason Pilate had let a pretender to the Roman throne go free was that
maybe he was somehow involved in the plot himself.
18. Pilate,
being very aware of the unstable nature of Tiberius, would not want even a hint
of a charge of treason to be brought against him, fearing the consequences.
19. Since Tiberius was
notoriously suspicious of rival and bitter toward those he perceived as
adversaries, such a charge would probably end Pilate’s career at the least, if
not his life.
20. The Jews drive home the fact that an act of sedition is an act against Caesar himself and thus infer that
anyone that is found to side with such a rebel would obviously be held
accountable of the same crime.
21. Philo tells us (Legatio ad
Caium, xxxviii) that on one occasion Pilate
dedicated some gilt shields in the palace of Herod in honor of the emperor.
22. The Jews petitioned him to have them removed; when he refused, they appealed to
Tiberius, who sent an order that they should be removed to Caesarea, hence the Jews have already manage to
communicate complaints against Pilate
and not without some success.
23. Pilate
now recognizes that he is in a very precarious position and finally concludes
that the only way out is to cave and get rid of Jesus.
24. This final threat by the Jews, effectively makes up Pilate’s
mind as to his course of action.
GNT John 19:13 ~O ou=n Pila/toj avkou,saj tw/n
lo,gwn tou,twn h;gagen e;xw to.n VIhsou/n kai. evka,qisen evpi. bh,matoj eivj to,pon
lego,menon Liqo,strwton( ~Ebrai?sti. de. GabbaqaÅ
NAS John
19:13 When Pilate
therefore heard these words, he brought Jesus out, ~O o` (d.a./nms; serves both noun and
ptc.) Pila/toj (n-nm-s) ou=n (infer. conj.) avkou,saj avkou,w (adj. ptc./a/a/nm-s; "having heard") tou,twn ou-toj (near dem. pro./gm-p) tw/n o` lo,gwn lo,goj (d.a. + n-gm-p) h;gagen a;gw (viaa--3s; "he
brought/led") to.n o`
VIhsou/n VIhsou/j (d.a. + n-am-s) e;xw (adv.; "outside") and sat
down on the judgment seat at a place called The Pavement, but in Hebrew
Aramaic, Gabbatha. kai, (cc) evka,qisen kaqi,zw (viaa--3s; "sat down";
same as 8:2; 12:14) evpi, (pg) bh,matoj bh/ma (n-gn-s; "a bema/judgement
seat"; a raised platform on which a judge sat as he discharged his function) eivj (pa; "unto/at") to,pon to,poj (n-am-s; "a
place") lego,menon
le,gw (circ.
ptc./p/p/am-s; "while having been called") Liqo,strwton( liqo,strwtoj (ap-an-s; "Pavement";
an area paved with stones or mosaic tile"; hapax) de, (cs) ~Ebrai?sti, (adv.; "in the Hebrew or
Aramaic language"; same as 5:2) Gabbaqa, (n-an-s; "Gabbatha";
actually Aramaic, sister language of Hebrew; means "ridge/mound" and
denotes a slightly elevated place probably in the courtyard area in front of
the Tower of Antonia, which overlooked a flat area all being covered with a
Roman pavement; hapax)
GNT John 19:14 h=n de. paraskeuh. tou/ pa,sca( w[ra
h=n w`j e[kthÅ kai. le,gei toi/j VIoudai,oij( :Ide o` basileu.j u`mw/nÅ
NAS John
19:14 Now it was
the day of preparation for the Passover;
de, (cs) h=n eivmi, (viIPFa--3s) paraskeuh. paraskeuh, (n-nf-s; "day of
preparation"; a set time to make ready for a certain purpose; the day on
which the Jews made the necessary preparation to celebrate a sabbath or feast;
used 6x) tou/ o` pa,sca( (d.a. + n-gn-s; "for the
Passover") it was about the sixth
hour. h=n eivmi, (viIPFa--3s) w`j (compar. adv.;
"thus/something like/about") e[kthÅ e[ktoj
(ordin.
adj./nf-s; "sixth"; this would be 6AM Roman time or 12PM Jewish
time; same as 4:6; the question is, is
John using Roman time or is he off 3 hours)
And he *said to the Jews,
"Behold, your King!" w[ra (n-nf-s) kai, (cc) le,gei le,gw (vipa--3s; Pilate's the subject
of the verb) toi/j o`
VIoudai,oij( VIoudai/oj (d.a. + ap-dm-p) :Ide (particle of interj.;
"Behold/Look!") u`mw/nÅ su, (npg-2p) o` basileu,j (d.a. + n-nm-s;
"King")
GNT John 19:15 evkrau,gasan ou=n evkei/noi( +Aron
a=ron( stau,rwson auvto,nÅ le,gei auvtoi/j o` Pila/toj( To.n basile,a u`mw/n
staurw,swÈ avpekri,qhsan oi` avrcierei/j( Ouvk e;comen basile,a eiv mh.
Kai,saraÅ
NAS John
19:15 They
therefore cried out, "Away with Him, away with Him, crucify Him!" evkei/noi(
evkei/noj (remote dem. pro./nm-p; "They/Those"; ref. to the Jews) ou=n (infer. conj.) evkrau,gasan krauga,zw (viaa--3p; "Cried
out/shouted") +Aron ai;rw (vImp./aa--2s; "lift up/do
away with") a=ron( ai;rw (vImp./aa--2s) stau,rwson stauro,w (vImp./aa--2s;
"Crucify") auvto,nÅ
auvto,j (npam3s; ref. Jesus) Pilate *said to them,
"Shall I crucify your King?" o` Pila/toj( (d.a. + n-nm-s) le,gei le,gw (vipa--3s) auvtoi/j auvto,j (npdm3p; ref. the Jews) staurw,swÈ stauro,w (vsaa--1s; "Should I
crucify") u`mw/n su, (npg-2p) To.n o`
basile,a basileu,j (d.a. + n-am-s) The chief priests answered,
"We have no king but Caesar."
oi` o` avrcierei/j( avrciereu,j (d.a. + n-nm-p; "The chief
priests") avpekri,qhsan
avpokri,nomai (viad--3p) Ouvk ouv (neg. +) e;comen e;cw (vipa--1p; "We do not
have") basile,a
basileu,j (n-am-s; "a king") eiv mh, (part. + neg.;
"except") Kai,saraÅ
Kai/sar (n-am-s; "Caesar")
1. Whether bluffing or sincere,
the Jews threat of going over Pilate’s head directly to Rome in this case is
sufficient for him to finally fold and cave in to their desires.
2. This is the force of the 1st
clause in vs.13a, “When Pilate therefore
heard these words, he brought Jesus outside”.
3. Pilate
had obviously kept Jesus within the
Praetorium confines during the time he was seeking appeals for Jesus’ release
in vs.12.
4. In spite of all of his
assurance and previous declarations as to Jesus’ innocence, he brings Jesus out before the crowd and
sat down on the judgment seat at a place called The Pavement, but in Hebrew
Aramaic, Gabbatha.
5. Though Pilate wanted to release Jesus
and knew he should, because his
motivations were for the wrong reasons and morally deficient, when the pressure
peaks he caves in out of self-preservation and political expediency.
6. He will however, as Jesus had pointed out, bear his own
measure of guilt in this matter. Vs.11
7. The judges bench was a
raised platform (bh/ma/Bema) on which the magistrate would sit when discharging his judicial
functions.
8. The Roman name “liqo,strwtoj/lithostrotos” means paved
or spread with stones, and was in the courtyard of Antonia, where there was a
section of some 2500 square meters of pavement.
9. The Aramaic term “gabbaqa,/gabbatha” means ridge and
refers to an elevated spot on which the Bema sat overlooking the crowds.
10. It is associated with the
Latin “gabata” that means “platter” and indicates a lower flat area with a
slight ridge to its sides denoting a slight amphitheater style setting.
11. Pilate
sits in solemn preparation before the crowds to pronounce the verdict in the
case before him.
12. In vs.14, John provides an
historical note as to the day and time in which this occurred and records, “Now it was the day of preparation for the
Passover; it was about the sixth hour”.
13. The specific day in view is
Friday, April 3rd, 33AD or Nisan 14th (Judean reckoning),
the day of the sacrificing of the sacrificial lamb for the Passover meal that evening.
14. The Galilean Jews celebrated the Passover beginning on Thursday at
sunrise and this accounts for the fact that Jesus and His disciples had
celebrated the Passover in the upper
room the previous evening. See notes on the Introduction to Chptr. 12
“Chronological Problems In Dating The Final Week Of The Ministry of Christ”.
15. The time note that John
includes, “it was about the sixth hour”
has caused some problems that most consider to not be fully reconciled even
until this day.
16. Some have suggested that
John is using Roman time in determining which hour is in view.
17. If that is the case it is
still very early, around 6AM.
18. This argument has some
serious flaws, the first of which is that John does not seem to use this method
of reckoning time anywhere else in his gospel.
Joh.1:39; 4:6,52
19. Second, 6AM does not allow
for enough time since daylight broke to accomplish all the things that have
been done:
20. Mark records the fact that Jesus was placed on the cross during
the 3rd hour, making it close to 9AM, not noon (Judean time). Mar.15:25 cp. vs.33
21. The only solutions most
commentaries offer is that John is in error here, or that the 9th
hour in Mar.15:25 is approximate and closer to the 10th hour and by
looking at the sun for time, John’s perception is the sun is high and hence
being late morning approaching noon is in view.
22. However, another alternative
is available as to John’s reference here.
23. That is, he is not wishing
to necessarily record a specific time of day chronologically to his readers,
but rather wants us to focus on a spiritual reality.
24. Specifically, “the actual hour” that carries with it spiritual ramifications Jesus has referred to in overall terms
of His hour of suffering, looking
specifically to His actual work on the cross pertaining to sin bearing. Joh.12:27; 13:1; 17:1
25. His notation of time is to
be taken in the context of the day of
preparation for the Passover in which the Passover lamb is killed between 3-5PM on preparation day.
26. John is referring to the hour which Jesus Christ will fulfill its symbolism beginning with His judgment
for sins at 12 noon ushering in His spiritual death which will culminate in His
physical death at 3PM.
27. It is about the sixth hour in the framework of Jesus’ overall “hour” of sufferings now in view and
thus about the time God will prepare
His sacrifice for the world.
28. John’s focus and reference
is to be taken in the theological sense of time that spiritually fulfills the hour of suffering the sacrificial
Lamb represents.
29. One more time: John is not
saying it is about 12 noon, but is
saying it is about time for Jesus to fulfill His role as the
sacrificial Lamb.
30. In all actuality, the real
time is closer to 8-8:30AM.
31. John uses a general
approximation chronologically to point to a specific spiritual reality as to
the time now at hand.
32. This is totally apropos
since context reveals that Pilate
has caved in and now will declare the sentencing that will bring Jesus’ work on
the cross to reality.
33. Time is of the essence for Jesus to be taken to the cross in
accordance to God’s plan, Pilate now makes up his mind to bring this to fruition,
and none to soon since it was about the
sixth hour.
34. After Pilate brings Jesus out, he does not immediately pronounce his verdict, but re-engages in
his twitting mode and he said to the
Jews, “Behold, your King!”
35. Though it is obvious that Pilate is now ready to give in, he
cannot pass another chance to seek some measure of revenge on the Jews for the pressure and problems
that they have brought to him this day.
36. He did not believe one bit
that this bloody and beaten man was any kind of king in his mind.
37. If this was another feeble
attempt to get the Jews to change
their mind, it meets with the same lack of success as before as they therefore cried out, “Away with Him, crucify Him!”
38. His words provoked a roar of
protest and the mob began to shout for Jesus
to be removed and crucified. Luk.23:23
39. Pilate
asks one final time what they want done with Jesus, placing the term “King”
in the emphatic position and said to
them, “Shall I crucify your King?”
40. He is answered specifically by the
chief priests that claim, “We have
no king but Caesar”.
41. This appearing admission of
loyalty is ludicrous, since the rulers of the
Jews had no real loyalty to Rome and would have loved to see their rulers
out of Israel.
42. The Jews were God’s people and the OT made it plain that they believed God to
be their true King. Jud.8:23; 1Sam.8:7
43. While they spoke in
earnestness in order to get Jesus
killed, they truly expressed the truth that they had rejected God as their King.
44. Truly, their loyalty was no
longer to God, they were more loyal to Caesar
than to the Lord God of Israel, the irony of it all.
45. Their reference once again
to Caesar was their one last reminder to Pilate
of their threat to report him.
46. In addition, the crowd is
now worked up into such frenzy that it was obvious to Pilate that a riot was immanent if he did not act quickly. Mat.27:24a
47. That is all now necessary
for Pilate to pronounce Jesus guilty of sedition, release
Barabbas (Luk.23:24-25) and turn Him over to the Jews for crucifixion.
Joh.19:16ff
48. Though these final words were
spoken by the chief priests, the
religious leaders of Israel, as goes the priests,
so go the people. Isa.24:2; Hos.4:9
GNT John 19:16 to,te ou=n pare,dwken auvto.n
auvtoi/j i[na staurwqh/|Å
NAS John
19:16 So he then
delivered Him to them to be crucified. ou=n (infer. conj.;
"So/Therefore") to,te (adv. of time; "then/at
that time") pare,dwken
paradi,dwmi (viaa--3s; "he delivered/gave over"; Pilate subj. of verb) auvto.n auvto,j (npam3s; ref. Jesus) auvtoi/j auvto,j (npdm3p; ref. the Jews) i[na (conj. purpose; "in order that") staurwqh/|Å stauro,w (vsap--3s; "He might be
crucified")
GNT John 19:17 Pare,labon
ou=n to.n VIhsou/n( kai.
basta,zwn e`autw/| to.n stauro.n evxh/lqen eivj to.n lego,menon Krani,ou
To,pon( o] le,getai ~Ebrai?sti. Golgoqa(
NAS John
19:17 They took
Jesus therefore, and He went out, bearing His own cross, Pare,labon paralamba,nw (viaa--3p; "The
took/received/brought alongside") to.n o`
VIhsou/n( VIhsou/j (d.a. + n-am-s) ou=n (infer. conj.) kai, (cc) evxh/lqen
evxe,rcomai (viaa--3s; "He went out")
basta,zwn basta,zw (circ. ptc./p/a/nm-s; "while bearing/taking up
with the hands/enduring"; same as 10:31; 12:6; 16:12) e`autw/| e`autou/ (reflex. pro./dm3s; "for
Himself/His own") to.n o` stauro.n
stauro,j (d.a. + n-am-s; "the cross"; a stake or one part of the cross; "a cross
piece") to the place called the Place of a Skull,
which is called in Hebrew/Aramaic, Golgotha.
eivj (pa) to.n o`
To,pon( to,poj (d.a. + n-am-s; "the place")
lego,menon le,gw (adj. ptc./p/p/am-s; "being called"; the
d.a. governs both noun (the place) and ptc.)
Krani,ou krani,on (n-gn-s; "the Place of a Skull";
diminutive of kranon, hence a small skull; used 4x; Mat.27:33; Mar.15:22;
Luk.23:33) o] o[j (rel. pro./nn-s;
"which") le,getai
le,gw (vipp--3s) ~Ebrai?sti. ~Ebrai?sti, (adv; "in the Hebrew or
Aramaic language") Golgoqa(
Golgoqa/ (n-nf-s; "Golgotha"; Aramaic; in the Hebrew it is essentially
the same as tl<GOl.Guu /gulegoleth, meaning head or
skull cp. Num.1:2; Jud.9:53; the root letters are the same as in the word for
"roll" - llg, and the connection is easily made to the roundness of the head; the
Latin is translated "Calvary" meaning "of the beheaded";
this term was adopted by Jerome [346-420AD] describing it as a place where
condemned criminals heads were cut off and we are to be wary of this term since
there is no shadow of evidence of any execution place as such in the 1st
century; in addition there is no Biblical evidence that this place occurred on
a hill, though possible)
1. Pilate having made the final
decision in the case condemning Jesus
to death, now considers himself free of this problem and in so doing he then delivered Him to them to be crucified.
2. He
delivers Jesus to the will of the
Jewish leadership that now appears to be placed in charge of this execution.
3. That Pilate provided a
detail of soldiers to handle the mechanics of the execution is from the verses
that follow, especially vs.23.
4. After the transfer of
prisoner, the Jews 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.
5. John’s recording of the
sentencing and Christ’s walk down death row is brief, however the synoptics
fill in the gaps.
6. The order of events as they
occurred are:
7. John stresses that Jesus carried the cross for Himself.
8. This is not unusual since
the condemned man was often forced to carry his own cross to which he was to be crucified.
9. It was generally not the
entire cross, but merely the cross piece, the patibulum.
10. The upright stakes/stipes
were most likely left at the execution places and were used over and over
again.
11. John tells us the name of the Place where Jesus was crucified in
both Aramaic and in Greek.
12. The name means “small skull” and two sites are suggested
today for its location, under the Church of the Holy Sepulchre or the Garden
Tomb/Gordon’s Calvary.
13. However, both locations are
purely speculative and both have serious flaws in the attempts to justify them.
14. The term “Calvary” actual
means, “of the beheaded” and again is not Biblically or historically
justifiable as to a correct reference to this place.
15. Why the place had such an odd name has mystified many and several
conjectures have bee offered, again none of which have ever been fully proved.
16. The most logical conclusion
is that this area included a rock dome visible to the eye and that it was
adjacent to a burial grounds, logical since a place would be needed to bury the
victims if others did not claim their body.
17. What we do know is that it
was a place outside of Jerusalem
(Heb.13:12), but not far outside (Joh.19:20), near a traveled road (Mar.15:21)
and was visible from some distance (Mar.15:40).
18. This has led many to think
of the place as being a hill, but the Bible does not directly state that and in
fact could have been a lower elevation able to be seen from above.
19. Believers should recognize
that songs such as “The Old Rugged Cross” are only words that include belief in
traditions of men and are simply provided to stimulate the emotions i.e., “on a hill far away, etc.”.
20. This is a typical fundy
approach to the Bible to take Biblical accounts and take liberties with them in
order to present a “story” appealing to emotions or mystic fantasy.
21. Unless concrete logical conclusions
based on BD can be presented as to further expansion in explanation of events,
communicators (prep school teachers, P-T’s) and others in charge of
disseminating Biblical accounts (song directors) should avoid any verbiage that
takes liberties with God’s word in this regard.
22. Religious types are
exceedingly interested in where Golgotha
is, but apart from Biblical proof archaeologically, knowing exactly where it is
located does not matter.
23. Occupation with places and
religious artifacts that so many believers become involved in is generally a
waste of time since these things do not of themselves advance one spiritually.
24. Occupation with the Word of
God and applying doctrine in one’s niche is far more crucial to advancing your
spiritual life.
GNT John 19:18 o[pou auvto.n evstau,rwsan( kai. metV
auvtou/ a;llouj du,o evnteu/qen kai. evnteu/qen( me,son de. to.n VIhsou/nÅ
NAS John
19:18 There they
crucified Him, and with Him two other men, one on either side, and Jesus in
between. o[pou (adv. of place; "There/in
what place") evstau,rwsan(
stauro,w (viaa--3p; "they crucified")
auvto.n auvto,j (npam3s; ref. Jesus) kai, (cc) metV meta, (pg) auvtou/ auvto,j (npgm3s) du,o (card. adj./am-p; "two") a;llouj a;lloj (pro.-am-p; of the same kind;
"other men"; denotes that those that crucified Jesus saw Him only as
a man of reputation to be no better than these two men) evnteu/qen (adv. +) kai, (cc +) evnteu/qen( (+ adv; lit. "from here and
from there" or "from this place and from that place" hence
"on the one side and on the other side/one on either side") de, (cc) to.n o` VIhsou/nÅ VIhsou/j (d.a. + n-am-s) me,son me,soj (adv.; "in the middle/in
between")
1. John as do the synoptics,
deals with the process of the actual crucifixion with just a few words avoiding
morbid details and the horrors associated with this enigmatic process of death.
2. He simply states that the
crucifixion occurred and Jesus was
not the only One executed this way on this day per vs.18, “There they crucified Him, and with Him two other men, one on either
side, and Jesus in between”.
3. There would be no reason to
dwell on the suffering involved since the people of that time were well
acquainted with the process.
4. Crucifixion was a method of
execution that arose in the East, practiced by the Medes and Persians and
passed to the West among the Greeks and Romans.
5. By the 1st
century it was an established practice with the Romans.
6. The cross/stauro,j/stauros comes from the
Greek verb i`sth,mi/histemi/to stand, and originally meant an upright or pointed stake or
stipe.
7. The most primitive form of
crucifixion was done by impaling the individual through the body vertically
with a stake and sometimes they would also impale them horizontally making an
impaling cross.
8. Several styles of crosses
were employed, including:
9. The height of the
perpendicular stake/simplex was
usually little more than the height of a man.
10. A block or pin was sometimes
attached into the upright stake to serve as a seat of the condemned, offering
partial support for the body.
11. Similarly, a small perch was
sometimes affixed for the feet.
12. Victims of crucifixion did
not usually die for 2-3 days, and this was largely determined by the presence
or absence of the sedile/seat rest or
the cornu/foot rest.
13. The general practice was to
scourge the individual before their crucifixion, as in Jesus case, and this was such a cruel beating that it became known
as the intermediate death.
14. The victim would be stripped
of his clothing and his hands were tied to an upright post.
15. The back, buttocks and legs
were flogged whether by two soldiers (lictors) or by one who alternated
positions.
16. The whipping would be
directed at an angle of high to low starting from the outer portion across the
back, buttock or leg area and alternating from side to side with each blow.
17. This would leave a mesh of
“x” designed deep stripelike lacerations creating much blood loss producing
orthostatic hypotension (loss of blood pressure) and even hypovolemic shock.
18. The condemned was then
required to shoulder the crossbar/patibulum,
upon which he was to be attached at the place of execution.
19. The person’s offense was
usually published by a crier that preceded him, or it was written on a tablet,
the titulus, which was also carried
by the condemned himself.
20. The titulus was then affixed
to the cross above the victim at the time of execution.
21. Upon arrival at the site,
the victim was stripped of his clothing that was traditionally divided among
those on detail.
22. He was then affixed to the
crossbeam and the upright stake by means of cords or nails or both.
23. In Jesus’ case we are told
expressly that nails were used on His hands/wrists. Joh.20:25,27
(The ancients customarily
considered the wrist to be a part of the hand and reference to “hands” are not
at odds with archaeological evidence of wrist wounds.)
24. The nails used were tapered
iron spikes, 5-7 inches long with a square shaft and were driven into the wrist
between carpals and radius, since it has been shown that the ligaments and
bones of the wrist can support body weight but the palms cannot.
25. The impalement of the flexor
pollicus longus between the two rows of carpal bones was the target, which would provide an
insertion without injury to major arterial trunks and without fractures of
bones.
26. History reveals that a
single nail was used to fasten the feet of the condemned, either driven through
both heels with one resting on top of the other or placing the feet on top of
each other and driving a spike between the first or second intermetatarsal
spaces.
27. While we are not
specifically told in the NT that Jesus
had His feet attached in this manner, the prophecy of Psa.22:16 informs us that
it indeed occurred.
28. An archaeological discovery
in 1968 that uncovered the extant bones of a young crucified man denotes that the legs would be bent to place the feet
under the buttocks as a means of support in lieu of a foot brace.
29. This would cause agonizing
leg cramps and severe muscle spasms in the legs.
30. We do not know if Jesus died in a similar posture, but it
was known that this particular posture helped shorten the time of death.
31. The crucified person would
lose blood pressure quickly in the hands and arms with the pulse rate
increasing dramatically.
32. Insufficient blood was
available for the heart and lungs, as well as the brain, but circulation could
be improved by supporting the body on the seat or foot rest.
33. As noted, this form of death
was lingering with a recorded instance of a man that remained alive for 9 days.
34. Death could be hurried by
breaking the legs of the victim that would not allow them to support their body
weight and heart and lung failure followed quickly.
35. The intensity of pain has
been described as “dying a thousand deaths” and words to describe it are not
truly available.
36. One attempt by A. Reville
describes crucifixion as: “Representing the apex of the torturer’s
art; atrocious physical suffering, length of torment, ignominy, the effect on
the crowd gathered to witness the agony of the crucified. Nothing could be more horrible than the sight
of this living body, breathing, seeing, hearing, still able to feel, and yet
reduced to the state of a corpse by forced immobility and absolute
helplessness. We cannot even say that
the crucified person writhed in agony, for it was impossible for him to
move. Stripped of his clothing, unable
to brush away the flies which landed upon his wounded flesh, already lacerated
by the scourging, exposed to the insults and curses of people who can always
find some sickening pleasure in the sight of the tortures of others, a feeling
which is increased and not diminished by the sight of pain – the cross
represented the miserable humanity reduced to the last degree of impotence,
suffering and degradation. The penalty
of crucifixion combined all that the most ardent torturer could desire:
torture, pillory (humility),
degradation, and certain death, distilled slowly, drop by drop.”
37. Even among the Romans, who
generally did not crucify their own citizens as it was considered beneath them,
crucifixion was viewed as abhorrent.
38. Cicero recorded the
following: “Let the very name of the
cross be far away not only from the body of a Roman citizen, but even from his
thought, his eyes, his ears”.
39. Jews did not crucify living
persons, although they would suspend the bodies of those that had been executed
from trees to intensify their shame.
Jos. 10:26
40. Anyone that was hanged on a
tree was considered accursed by God.
Deu.21:22-23
41. Jesus’ crucifixion most
certainly involved all that we now know about this form of execution.
42. The shape of His cross has
generally been considered to be the t-shape since we are told the titulus was
placed above His head. Mat.27:37
43. However, the head would be
low enough to do so with either style.
44. He was crucified between two
common criminals fulfilling the prophecy of Isa.53:12 cp. Mar.15:27-28;
Mat.27:38
45. This further added to His
indignity.
46. John mentions the two other men incidentally, not noting
that they were both criminals, possibly having been involved with Barabbas, who
had been released.
47. This is derived from the
fact that they are both called lhsth,j/lestes/strong armed robbers, by Matthew and Mark,
the same word that John used of Barabbas.
48. Luke informs us that one of
the robbers actually made the SAJG while on the cross with Jesus. Luk.23:39-43 esp.43
49. This particular person
exercised simple faith in Christ as God and is an obvious thorn in the flesh to
the legalists that claim any form of works + faith for salvation, since it was
impossible for him to do anything else but hang there, believe and then die.
50. While we must be aware of
the isagogics of crucifixion, these sufferings were inflicted upon Jesus by men and are not efficacious
for the removal of sins.
51. Jesus
was placed on the cross around 9AM in the morning. Mar.15:25
52. The actual bearing of sins
began at 12PM and lasted until 3PM.
Mar.15:33
53. As one commentary has aptly
put it, “…I think the Church of God has
suffered more than it knows by pictures of the crucifying of Jesus; and
sometimes by very honest and well-intentioned sermons, trying to describe the
matter on the physical side. I am not denying
the tragedy and pain of it physically, but the physical suffering of Jesus was
nothing compared to the deeper fact of the cross.”
54. The deeper fact of the cross
he alludes to is the actual judgment of sin bearing imposed upon Christ by God
Himself, a fact that made salvation possible.
GNT John 19:19 e;grayen de. kai. ti,tlon o` Pila/toj
kai. e;qhken evpi. tou/ staurou/\ h=n de. gegramme,non\ VIhsou/j o` Nazwrai/oj
o` basileu.j tw/n VIoudai,wnÅ
NAS John
19:19 And Pilate
wrote an inscription also, and put it on the cross. de, (cc; "And/Now") o` Pila/toj (d.a. + n-nm-s) e;grayen gra,fw (viaa--3s;
"wrote") ti,tlon
ti,tloj (n-am-s; "title/inscription"; Latin, titulus; a posting sign
denoting the accusation/guilt of the criminal; used 2x, 19:20) kai, (adjunct.) kai, (cc) e;qhken ti,qhmi (viaa--3s; "put it/placed
it") evpi, (pg) tou/ o` staurou/\ stauro,j (n-gm-s; "the
cross") And it was written, "JESUS THE NAZARENE,
THE KING OF THE JEWS." de, (cc) h=n eivmi, (viIPFa--3s; periphrastic +) gegramme,non\
gra,fw (+
circ. ptc./PF/p/nn-s; "it was written") VIhsou/j (n-nm-s) o` Nazwrai/oj (d.a. + n-nm-s) o` basileu,j (d.a. + n-nm-s)
tw/n o` VIoudai,wnÅ VIoudai/oj (d.a. + ap-gm-p)
GNT John 19:20 tou/ton ou=n to.n ti,tlon polloi.
avne,gnwsan tw/n VIoudai,wn( o[ti evggu.j h=n o` to,poj th/j po,lewj o[pou
evstaurw,qh o` VIhsou/j\ kai. h=n gegramme,non ~Ebrai?sti,( ~Rwmai?sti,(
~Ellhnisti,Å
NAS John
19:20 Therefore
this inscription many of the Jews read,
ou=n (ch; infer. conj.) tou/ton
ou-toj (near
dem. pro./am-s) to.n o`
ti,tlon ti,tloj (d.a. + n-am-s; "inscription")
polloi. polu,j (comp. adj.-nm-p; "many/more") tw/n o` VIoudai,wn( VIoudai/oj (d.a. + ap-gm-p) avne,gnwsan avnaginw,skw (viaa--3p; "read";
lit. to know again; used 32x) for the place where Jesus was
crucified was near the city; and it was written in Hebrew, Latin, and in Greek. o[ti (causal) o` to,poj (n-nm-s; "the
place/location") o[pou (conj.; "where") o` VIhsou/j\ (d.a. + n-nm-s) evstaurw,qh stauro,w (viap--3s; "had been crucified") h=n eivmi, (viIPFa--3s) evggu,j (pg; "near/close
by") th/j `h`
po,lewj po,lij (d.a. + n-gf-s; "the city"; ref. Jerusalem) kai, (cc) h=n eivmi, (viIPFa--3s; periphrastic +) gegramme,non
gra,fw (+
circ. ptc./PF/p/nn-s; "it was written in") ~Ebrai?sti,( (adv.; "Hebrew") ~Rwmai?sti,( (adv.; "Latin/Roman";
hapax) ~Ellhnisti,Å (adv.; "Greek"; used
2x; Act.21:37)
GNT John 19:21 e;legon ou=n tw/| Pila,tw| oi`
avrcierei/j tw/n VIoudai,wn( Mh. gra,fe\ ~O basileu.j tw/n VIoudai,wn( avllV
o[ti evkei/noj ei=pen( Basileu,j eivmi tw/n VIoudai,wnÅ
NAS John
19:21 And so the
chief priests of the Jews were saying to Pilate, ou=n (infer. conj.) oi` o` avrcierei/j avrciereu,j (d.a. + n-nm-p; "the chief
priests") tw/n o`
VIoudai,wn( VIoudai/oj (d.a. + ap-gm-p) e;legon le,gw
(viIPFa--3p) tw/| o` Pila,tw| Pila/toj (d.a. + n-dm-s) "Do
not write, 'The King of the Jews'; but that He said,' I am King of the Jews.
'" Mh. mh, (neg. +) gra,fe\ gra,fw (vImp.pa--2s) ~O basileu,j (d.a. + n-nm-s)
tw/n o` VIoudai,wn( VIoudai/oj (d.a. + ap-gm-p) avllV avlla, (strong advers.) o[ti (cc; intro. indir. disc.) evkei/noj (remote dem. pro./nm-s;
"He/that One"; denotes how the Jews are distancing themselves from
Christ) ei=pen( le,gw (viaa--3s) eivmi, (vipa--1s) Basileu,j (n-nm-s) tw/n o` VIoudai,wnÅ VIoudai/oj (d.a. + ap-gm-p)
GNT John 19:22 avpekri,qh o` Pila/toj( }O ge,grafa(
ge,grafaÅ
NAS John
19:22 Pilate
answered, "What I have written I have written." o` Pila/toj( (d.a. + n-nm-s) avpekri,qh avpokri,nomai (viad--3s) }O o[j (rel. pro./an-s; "What/the
thing which") ge,grafa(
gra,fw (viPFa--1s) ge,grafaÅ gra,fw (viPFa--1s)
1. Pilate
had the customary titulus written out common to crucifixion per vs.19a, “And Pilate wrote an inscription also, and
put it on the cross”.
2. This was the usual method of
advertising the crimes of condemned individuals.
3. The fact that it was placed
“upon/evpi,/epi” the cross denotes a location above Jesus’ head.
4. This has led many to suggest
that the shape of the cross was the crux
immissa (t-shape), and not the crux
commissa (T-shape).
5. However, the weight of the
body and position of the head would obviously be lower than the beam to which
the hands are attached and in either case there would be room for the titulus
to be attached.
6. John informs us of what was
written with respect to Jesus in
vs.19b, “And it was written, ‘Jesus the
Nazarene, the king of the Jews’”.
7. None of the gospel accounts
gives us the full reading, but by putting them together it can be reconstructed. Mat.27:37; Mar.15:26; Luk.23:38
8. The actual placard read,
“This is Jesus the Nazarene, the king of
the Jews”.
9. The placard was Pilate’s
last measure of revenge and twitting the religious leaders that had forced him
into consenting to Jesus’ execution.
10. His actions and words were
calculated to annoy the religious hierarchy, insulting them by portraying this
crucified man as their king.
11. His wording is of such as to
state the claim as fact.
12. That Pilate included the term “Nazarene”
in the inscription was an additional
dig since that term attached to an individual rendered them as considered
worthless and of no account to those around them.
13. The wording is designed to
portray this crucified man, considered to be of the lowest life of Jew in Jewish eyes, as being exalted
as the best and highest among them.
14. The inscription manifests Pilate’s total contempt racially and
otherwise that he had for the Jewish people.
15. Again, the irony can’t be
overlooked that in the converse of Pilate’s intentions, he actually placed the
correct sign above Christ.
16. Further, this title makes it
clear that Jesus was sentenced on
the charge of sedition originally presented to Pilate. Cp. Mat.27:37a
17. In vs.20a,b, John informs
the reader that the site of crucifixion was readily accessible as “Therefore this inscription many of the Jews
read, for the place where Jesus was crucified was near the city”.
18. The placard was obvious to many people since this was a very
public execution that took place not far from the confines of Jerusalem.
19. The general consensus is
that Golgotha was situated alongside a public road (Mar.15:21; Luk.23:26),
allowing maximum exposure of the crucifixion to those coming to and going from
Jerusalem (Mat.27:39; Mar.15:29).
20. John tells us that Pilate wrote his statement in 3 languages
in vs.20c, “and it was written in
Hebrew, Latin, and in Greek”.
21. The trilingual text was
recorded in:
22. That the three primary languages of the known world of the time were used denotes the Jew’s accusation of blaspheme in Jesus’ claim of Deity (19:7), Pilate’s acknowledgement of that accusation (19:8-9), thus proclaiming Jesus’ claim of Kingship as universal, hence again, sedition towards Rome.
23. The statement has its
intended effect and causes one final verbal clash between Jewish authorities
and Pilate.
24. Their indignation cannot be
retained as the Jewish rulership once again spits out towards Pilate as John records in vs.21, “And 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”’”.
25. They insist that Pilate change the wording to reflect
that Jesus has only made this claim
and not that it was a fact.
26. They had refused any notion
that Jesus was their King and wanted the definite nature of
the inscription to be changed to
reflect that fact.
27. Pilate
tersely dismisses their demand and answered,
“What I have written I have written”.
28. The perfect tenses of the
two uses of the verb “written”
placed back to back, reflects the strongest of will that he will absolutely not
change his mind in this matter and that what
has been inscribed is concrete for posterity.
29. Pilate
knows that there is nothing else that the
Jews can now hang over his head as any threat to himself personally
regarding his position and Rome.
30. He has had enough of these
“yayhoos” having washed his hands of the entire affair and now essentially
tells them to take their continued demands and “shove it”.
31. Pilate
seems to have had a natural affinity for making memorable statements, but it
has been at the expense of integrity and resolution of action.
32. He has had several
opportunities to make definitive statements, and then follow through and do the
right thing, which he did not do.
33. The irony is that the
attitude and stand he has now, is the one that he should have had at the very
beginning of this trial.
34. He is the example of a spineless
authority that is only truly willing to exercise his authority when there is no
real pressure of any personal cost to him or his position.
35. The obstinacy, insensitivity
and callousness of Pilate, alluded
to by other first-century writers were viewed as tokens of weakness and not of
strength.
GNT John 19:23 Oi` ou=n stratiw/tai o[te
evstau,rwsan to.n VIhsou/n( e;labon ta. i`ma,tia auvtou/ kai. evpoi,hsan
te,ssara me,rh( e`ka,stw| stratiw,th| me,roj( kai. to.n citw/naÅ h=n de. o`
citw.n a;rafoj( evk tw/n a;nwqen u`fanto.j diV o[louÅ
NAS John
19:23 The soldiers
therefore, when they had crucified Jesus,
Oi` o` stratiw/tai stratiw,thj (d.a. + n-nm-p; "The
soldiers"; Roman soldiers; same as 19:2)
ou=n (infer.
conj.) o[te (conj. of time; "When") evstau,rwsan stauro,w (viaa--3p; "they had crucified") to.n o` VIhsou/n( VIhsou/j (d.a. + n-am-s) took His
outer garments and made four parts, e;labon
lamba,nw (viaa--3p) auvtou/
auvto,j (npgm3s) ta. to,
i`ma,tia i`ma,tion (d.a. + n-an-p; "outer garments/outer wear" as distinguished
from the inner garment worn next to the skin; note the plural use; this
indicates all that is construed as outer wear to include the robe and its
accessories of girdle/belt and head gear and in addition the mantle (phelones;
2Tim.4:13), a wrap or traveling cloak worn over the robe for added warmth and
protection against stormy weather; we know that the weather was cold (18:18)
and Jesus would have had all of His clothing with Him that night) kai, (cc) evpoi,hsan poie,w (viaa--3p) te,ssara te,ssarej (card. adj./an-p;
"four") me,rh( me,roj
(n-an-p;
"parts/pieces/shares") a part to every soldier and also the tunic; me,roj( (n-an-s; "a
share/part") e`ka,stw|
e[kastoj (a--dm-s; "to each/every") stratiw,th| stratiw,thj (n-dm-s) kai, (cc) to.n o` citw/naÅ citw,n (d.a. + n-am-s; "the
tunic/undergarment"; a sleeveless shirt reaching below the knees worn as
underwear"; used 11x) now the tunic was seamless,
woven in one piece. de, (cs) o` citw,n (d.a. + n-nm-s; "the
tunic/chiton") h=n eivmi, (viIPFa--3s) a;rafoj( (a--nm-s; "not sewn
together/one piece"; hapax +) evk (pAbl +) tw/n to, a;nwqen (+ d.a. + adv; "from the
top"; hence, "seamless") u`fanto,j (a--nm-s; "woven";
hapax) diV dia, (pg) o[louÅ o[loj (ap-gm-s;
"whole/entirety"; "woven through the whole piece")
GNT John 19:24 ei=pan ou=n pro.j avllh,louj( Mh.
sci,swmen auvto,n( avlla. la,cwmen peri. auvtou/ ti,noj e;stai\ i[na h` grafh.
plhrwqh/|\ Diemeri,santo ta. i`ma,tia, mou e`autoi/j kai. evpi. to.n
i`matismo,n mou e;balon klh/ronÅ
NAS John
19:24 They said
therefore to one another, "Let us not tear it, ei=pan le,gw (viaa--3p; ref. the
solders) ou=n (infer. conj.) pro,j (pa) avllh,louj( avllh,lwn (recipr. pro./am3p; "one
another/ mutually) Mh. mh, (neg. +) sci,swmen sci,zw (vsaa--1p; "Let us not tear
apart/split/divide/rend"; used 11x)
auvto,n( auvto,j (npam3s; the singular is ref. the tunic/chiton; ) but cast lots for it, to decide whose it shall be"; avlla, (strong advers.) la,cwmen lagca,nw (vsaa--1p; cast lots/attain by
chance or draw/what comes to one always apart from one's own efforts/one's
portion"; used 4x) peri, (pg) auvtou/ auvto,j (npgm3s; ref. the tunic)
"to decide" supplied ti,noj ti,j (interr. pro./gm-s;
"whose?/which one?") e;stai\
eivmi, (vifd--3s;
"it will be") that the Scripture might be
fulfilled, i[na (conj. purpose)
h` grafh, (d.a. + n-nf-s; "the writing/Scripture") plhrwqh/| plhro,w (vsap--3s; "might be
fulfilled/accomplished") "THEY DIVIDED MY OUTER
GARMENTS AMONG THEM, AND FOR MY CLOTHING THEY CAST LOTS." Diemeri,santo diameri,zw (viam--3p; "the
divided/separated"; used 11x; the middle indicates they distributed
amongst themselves) mou evgw, (npg-1s; ref. the Lord) ta. to, i`ma,tia, i`ma,tion (d.a. + n-an-p; "outer
garments") e`autoi/j
e`autou/ (reflex. pro./dm3p; "to themselves/among them") kai, (cc) evpi, (pa; emphasizes motion with the
accusative; "for") mou evgw, (npg-1s; ref. the Lord) to.n o` i`matismo,n i`matismo,j (d.a. + n-am-s;
"clothing/apparel"; general word for clothes; collective singular;
used 5x; looks at the value of the clothes)
e;balon ba,llw (viaa--3p; "they cast/threw"; looks back
to the preposition "epi" denoting the motion of throwing) klh/ronÅ klh/roj (n-am-s; "an
allotment"; here a pebble or other object used to determine their lots or
portions; used 11x)
GNT John 19:25a Oi` me.n
ou=n stratiw/tai tau/ta evpoi,hsanÅ
NAS John
19:25a Therefore
the soldiers did these things. ou=n (infer. conj.) me,n (part. not translated;
"indeed/surely"; the continuation of thought is seen in vs.25b with
the conjunction de,; it points to the contrast seen between the activity of the soldiers now
and that which follows in context) Oi` o`
stratiw/tai stratiw,thj (d.a. + n-nm-p; "the soldiers")
evpoi,hsanÅ poie,w (viaa--3p) tau/ta ou-toj
(near dem.
pro./an-p; "these things")
1. John simply notes that the
execution of crucifixion took place and then zeroes in on a couple of scenarios
taking place while Jesus was on the cross.
Vss.23-27
2. Luke informs us that after
Jesus was nailed to the cross, He petitioned the Father to forgive those
involved in His execution who are acting out of ignorance due to their -V. Luk.23:34
3. His request does not mean
that God will not exact judgment upon them in time for their atrocities
(Rom.1:18), but is a statement of realization by Christ that His work on the
cross will include even this sin activity.
4. It is a prayer that
recognizes that God will not hold sin of -V regarding their eternal
destination.
5. His prayer regards His work
on the cross as unlimited and encompassing of all sin for all men. Heb.7:26-27; 10:10; cp. 1Tim.4:10
6. There is only one sin that
remains an issue regarding one’s eternal niche, the sin of unbelief. Mar.3:28
7. Further, His prayer
indicates that Jesus never engaged in any sin anger towards others nor ever
held a grudge, even towards His enemies.
Cp. Mat.6:15
8. John now picks up beginning
with the activities of the Roman execution squad in charge of the mechanics of
crucifixion in vs.23, “The soldiers
therefore, when they had crucified Jesus, took His outer garments and made four
parts, a part to every soldier and also
the tunic”.
9. As John implicitly notes,
there were four Roman soldiers
acting as executioners.
10. This does not mean that
there were not more soldiers
present, since the synoptics tell us that there was a centurion (one in charge
of a 100) present indicating that there was a sufficient detail of soldiers involved, if for no other
reason than crowd control. Mat.27:54;
Mar.15:39; Luk.23:47
11. It was customary, and in
fact recognized as a legal right, for the soldiers
in charge of an execution to confiscate the clothing of the victim(s).
12. The wardrobe of that time
consisted of:
13. The reading of John’s
account alone might suggest that the
soldiers took the outer garment and divided it along the
seams to have four parts, one for each soldier.
14. However, a comparison of the
synoptic parallels indicates that such was not the case. Mat.27:35; Mar.15:24; Luk.23:34b
15. The soldiers actually cast lots to see
who would receive what article of Jesus’ clothing.
16. The plural “garments” is also used by John to
indicate that more than one article of the wardrobe is in view.
17. He has used the singular
previously when only one article of clothing was in view. Joh.19:2,5
18. As noted, there were
essentially 5 pieces of clothing to be divided amongst the 4 soldiers.
19. Once they had cast lots for the four pieces of outer wear, there was one article left,
the tunic or chiton.
20. John informs us that the
particular tunic Jesus was wearing was seamless, woven in one piece.
21. To rip it into four pieces
just for the material would obviously depreciate its value considerably.
22. The soldiers recognized this and they said
therefore to one another, “Let us not tear it, but cast lots for it, to decide whose it shall be”. Vs.24
23. Rather than destroy
something of value just for equality’s sake, they determined to risk minimal loss for a greater gain.
24. The method of casting lots could vary, but often was
done by having a stone or stick with a man’s name on it that was placed into a
jar and the first name drawn or cast out was the winner.
25. Notation: Some fundies love to use this verse to
enhance their human viewpoint that gambling is a sin.
26. Note continued: They appeal to people’s emotions that other’s
gambled for Jesus’ clothing and somehow that makes it wrong or sinful.
27. While the
soldiers “gambled” with respect
to Jesus’ tunic, quite frankly it
was a business decision that had nothing to do with God’s directive will for
them, but only with what was theirs legally.
28. In fact, given the
situation, these men made the best financial decision, apart from selling the tunic outright and splitting the money,
available to them.
29. Principle: Gambling is as with any other freedom we have
in Christ, whether for entertainment or investment value, a freedom that can be
abused, misused or done without discretion, but these facts do not make
gambling a sin, anymore than abuse of drinking, authority, sex, etc.
30. While these men’s actions
did nothing to violate God’s law, what they did do is fulfill the Word of God
as John notes, “that the Scripture might
be fulfilled, ‘They divided my outer garments among them, and for my clothing
they cast lots’”.
31. Prophecy is a demonstration
of God’s omniscience as He tells in advance what will come to pass in a given
situation.
32. Prophecy does not make
things come to pass, it merely foretells what will come to pass as God surveys
history.
33. The prophecy in view
specifically is Psa.22:18
34. They
indeed did divide Jesus’ outer garments
among themselves and for all of His clothing
they cast lots, in fulfillment of prophecy as John reemphasizes in vs.25a,
“Therefore the soldiers did these things”.
35. Just as God foreknew that
Jesus’ would be crucified, as Israel was under Roman rule in this time in their
history, He also knew the custom and rituals of the Roman executioners and
exactly what they would do with Jesus’ clothing.
GNT John 19:25b ei`sth,keisan de. para. tw/| staurw/|
tou/ VIhsou/ h` mh,thr auvtou/ kai. h` avdelfh. th/j mhtro.j auvtou/( Mari,a h`
tou/ Klwpa/ kai. Mari,a h` Magdalhnh,Å
NAS John
19:25b But
there were standing by the cross of Jesus His mother, de, (cc) ei`sth,keisan i[sthmi (viPLUPFa--3p; "there were
standing") para, (pL; "by/beside") tw/| o` staurw/| stauro,j (d.a. + n-Lm-s; "the
cross") tou/ o`
VIhsou/ VIhsou/j (d.a. + n-gm-s; gen. of description)
auvtou/ auvto,j (npgm3s; ref. Jesus) h` mh,thr (d.a. + n-nf-s;
"mother"; ref. Mary) and His mother's sister, Mary
the wife of Clopas, and Mary
Magdalene. kai, (cc) auvtou/( auvto,j (npgm3s; ref. Jesus) th/j h` mhtro.j mh,thr (d.a. + n-gf-s;
"mother's"; gen. of relationship)
h` avdelfh, (d.a. + n-nf-s; "biological sister"; ref.
Salome; Mar.15:40) Mari,a (n-nf-s;
"Mary/Maria") h` (d.a./nfs; "the
woman"; translated "the wife"; other possibilities could be a
daughter or the construction could actually be taken as referring to Jesus'
mother's sister as being named Mary, rather than being Salome) tou/ o` Klwpa/ Klwpa/j (d.a. + n-gm-s; "of
Clopas"; hapax; gen. of relationship)
kai, (cc) Mari,a (n-nf-s; "a
Mary") h` (d.a./nfs; "the woman
of") Magdalhnh,Å (n-nf-s; "Magdalene";
ref. to the city of Magdala, located on the west side of the Sea of Galilee;
used 12x)
GNT John 19:26 VIhsou/j
ou=n ivdw.n th.n mhte,ra kai. to.n maqhth.n parestw/ta o]n hvga,pa( le,gei th/|
mhtri,( Gu,nai( i;de o` ui`o,j souÅ
NAS John
19:26 When
Jesus therefore saw His mother, and the disciple whom He loved standing
nearby, VIhsou/j (n-nm-s) ou=n (infer. conj.) ivdw.n o`ra,w (circ. ptc./a/a/nm-s; "When
or After He saw") th.n h`
mhte,ra mh,thr (d.a. + n-af-s; "the mother"; ref. Jesus' mother) kai, (cc) to.n o` maqhth.n maqhth,j (d.a. + n-am-s; "the
disciple"; the d.a. governs both noun and following ptc.) o]n o[j (rel. pro./am-s;
"whom") hvga,pa(
avgapa,w (viIPFa--3s; "He loved")
parestw/ta pari,sthmi (adj. ptc./PF/a/am-s; "standing
nearby/standing alongside) He *said to His mother, "Woman, behold,
your son!" le,gei le,gw (vipa--3s; ref. Jesus) th/| h` mhtri,( mh,thr (d.a. + n-df-s) Gu,nai( gunh, (n-vf-s; "Woman"; case of address) i;de (part. interj.;
"behold!") souÅ su, (npg-2s) o` ui`o,j (d.a. + n-nm-s)
GNT John 19:27 ei=ta le,gei tw/| maqhth/|( :Ide h`
mh,thr souÅ kai. avpV evkei,nhj th/j w[raj e;laben o` maqhth.j auvth.n eivj ta.
i;diaÅ
NAS John
19:27 Then He
*said to the disciple, "Behold, your mother!" And from that hour the
disciple took her into his own household. ei=ta (temporal adv.; "Then/
Next/After that") le,gei le,gw (vipa--3s; ref. Jesus the
subject) tw/| o` maqhth/|( maqhth,j (d.a. + n-dm-s) :Ide (part. interj.) souÅ su,(npg-2s; ref. the disciple) h` mh,thr (d.a. + n-nf-s) kai, (ch) avpV avpo, (pAbl) evkei,nhj evkei/noj (remote dem. pro./Ablf-s) th/j h` w[raj w[ra (d.a. + n-Ablf-s; "the
hour") o` maqhth,j (d.a. + n-nm-s) e;laben lamba,nw (viaa--3s;
"took/received") auvth.n
auvto,j (npaf3s; ref. Mary) eivj (pa) ta. to, i;diaÅ i;dioj (possess. pro./-an-p; "into
his own things/household")
1. John now shifts our
attention from the crucifixion detail to friends and family of Jesus that was present at the scene in
vs.25b, “But there were standing by the
cross of Jesus His mother, and His mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene.
2. In vs.25a, the Greek
particle “me,n/men” not translated in the English, is set to emphasize a contrast of
context now introduced by the conjunction “de,/de/But”.
3. John wants his readers to
realize the contrast as seen in the soldiers and their focus on using their
positions to serve themselves and Jesus,
whose focus remains to serve and benefit others.
4. Even though the soldiers
could care less of the spiritual ramifications of this event, Jesus to the very end stayed focused on
the necessary doctrines at hand.
5. Even while on the cross, Jesus sees to the needs of others as demanded by BD.
6. The timing of this event is
very close to when the soldiers were dividing Jesus’ clothing and therefore
very early in the crucifixion process.
7. This event does not coincide
with the events recorded in the synoptic parallels at the end of the
process. Mat.27:55; Mar.15:40; Luk.23:49
8. Whether the Romans moved
Jesus’ sympathizers away later on or they moved on their own accord is not
stated.
9. However, at this point and
time in our passage they are very close to the
cross as seen in the language and the fact that they could audibly hear
Jesus’ voice even in a seriously weakened condition.
10. The first person John
mentions is Mary, the mother of Jesus.
11. She is at the cross experiencing the soul anguish
that was prophesied by Simeon.
Luk.2:34-35
12. Though Jesus’ mother was a
believer, she, as with the disciples, was slow on the uptake of the necessity
of the cross and His mission at the
first advent.
13. John related this to us
early on in this gospel at the wedding of Cana and he noted that she was
looking for Jesus to present Himself
in all of His glory during Jesus’ ministry.
Joh.2:3-4 (The intent of Mary’s
assertion that there is no wine is to push Jesus to manifest His glory through
omnipotence in an expression of His claim of Kingship.)
14. The second person mentioned
is the unnamed sister of Jesus’ mother.
15. At this point there is some
division over whether or not there are three persons mentioned in our passage,
or four.
16. Since there is no connecting
particle or conjunction between the phrases “His mother’s sister” and (there is no “and” in the Greek”) “Mary the wife of Clopas”, some have taken the “Mary” of Clopas to be
the same as His mother’s sister.
17. This is unlikely for at
least two reasons:
18. The synoptic accounts
identifies Mary’s sister as being
Salome, the mother of the sons of Zebedee.
Mat.27:56; Mar.15:40; 16:1,2
19. Those accounts reflect the
other women there at the cross in
addition too, though excluding in their accounts, Mary, Jesus’ mother.
20. That Salome is Mary’s sister makes James and John our author
the 1st cousins of Jesus. Mat.4:21
21. That John does not refer to
his mother by name fits perfectly the privacy he employs regarding his own name
being used in this gospel.
22. The third woman identified
as Mary is inferred as the wife
of Clopas.
23. While the Greek leaves open
possibilities that this Mary could
be a daughter, sister or even mother of Clopas,
it does not make any sense that any of these would be identified by their
father, brother or son unless single, which she is not. Mat.27:56
24. As the Greek states, Mary was the woman of Clopas and belonged to him as such.
25. This Mary was the mother of James and Joseph, who were the sons of
Alphaeus being the same as Clopas. Mat.10:3; 27:56; Mar.3:18; 15:40
26. According to one 2nd
century writer, Hegesippus, Clopas
was the brother of Joseph the carpenter (Jesus’ legal father) and this accounts
for why he is mentioned.
27. If that is true, then James
the less (little/younger James) and Joseph were also Jesus’ cousins.
28. The third Mary was from the town of Magdala, a
city on the west side of the Sea of Galilee.
29. Little is known about her,
but one very crucial fact is mentioned in Luk.8:2.
30. There is no evidence to
identify her as the harlot of Luk.7:37, as sometimes done.
31. She was healed of some
demonic possession that resulted in serious illness.
32. She is regularly mentioned
as a leader among the women as seen in the fact that her name is very often
mentioned, some 12x, and in many cases listed 1st.
33. She followed Jesus and ministered to Him after her
healing, suggesting that she was a woman of some means.
34. She was present at the crucifixion,
located the garden tomb, was of the first to arrive at the tomb, and first to
see the risen Lord. Joh.19:25;
Mar.15:47; 16:1,9
35. The listing of these women
along with Jesus’ mother makes
evident that God used many women to assist His Son.
36. In some cases these were
women that were not married and who devoted themselves to following and
assisting the Lord. Mar.15:40-41
37. There is no injunction that
believers have to get married, since Paul makes it clear that it is
preferable for one to stay single and unencumbered in their service, even as
he. 1Cor.7:8
38. There is no room for
believers to be playing “match making” regarding other believers, since that
decision is between the individuals concerned and God.
39. Apart from parents
interceding on behalf of children under their roof in this regard, others
should keep their noses out of it.
40. Some like Mary and Martha of
Bethany, did not necessarily follow the Lord geographically, but remained at
home and made their house a base of hospitality for Jesus and His disciples.
41. There has been stupid
speculation among some that possibly Mary of Bethany or even Mary Magdalene, either of, was a
potential right woman for Christ.
42. And that is all that that
speculation is, stupidity, otherwise if one of them were Jesus’ RW, Jesus
failed to identify her and marry her, since that is why God provides a right
opposite number.
43. It was not God’s will for Jesus to be married at the 1st
advent, therefore there was no RW excepting one, the Church.
44. These women in our passage,
single and married, were quite helpful to Jesus
at various times in His ministry and are to be commended.
45. The principle that women
have nothing to offer to the POG based on the fact that they are not to be
leaders in the local church is wrong.
46. Our author John wrote the epistle
of 2John to a woman, canonized in Scripture, who obviously was considered by
John as someone depended upon for notable applications.
47. Although Jesus is suffering intensely due to the
beatings, scourgings, lack of sleep and now the rigors of crucifixion, His
presence of mind is not on Himself but on making one final application of BD
towards another in His earthly ministry.
48. That application centers on
honor parents as noted in vss.26,27a, “When
Jesus therefore saw His mother, and the disciple whom He loved standing nearby,
He said to His mother, ‘Woman, behold, your son!’ Then He said to the disciple, ‘Behold, your
mother!’
49. The disciple in view is again our author, John.
50. The love he attributes to Jesus as having for his own person is
Divine love.
51. It denotes that everything Jesus ever did regarding him was based
on the highest category of love one can have for another, love in compliance
with God’s will.
52. John’s consistent use of
this phrase is no way saying that Jesus
somehow expressed love for him beyond love for others.
53. Rather, it is John’s way of
saying he personally recognized all that Christ was and did for him in Person,
something he had total appreciation for at the time of writing.
54. With Jesus’ earthly father
Joseph demised, He as the oldest son had assumed the authority of the
household, a responsibility of BD that He took seriously.
55. He makes it plain that His
plan is for His mother Mary to be
placed under the care and responsibility of John.
56. While some may argue that
Jesus’ is seeking to ensure financial and logistical support for Mary in her
advancing age, there is no indication that her own family could not or was not
willing to provide continued support in this regard.
57. I submit that the real
intent of His desire in His honor of mother
is to ensure the best for an immediate stable and consistent support
spiritually.
58. Due to the –V of his
brothers at this time, it is Jesus’ desire as the authority of the house for
His mother to separate herself from
this environment and attach herself to one that He knows will see to her
immediate needs spiritually.
59. While Jesus makes provision for His mother
in this regard, He is not overly familiar with her, preferring to maintain some
distance and employing His authority over her and John.
60. This is seen in the fact that
once again Jesus does not address
His mother by that term but instead
calls her “Woman”, just as He did at
the wedding feast in Joh.2:4
61. This was not a suggestion
from her son, this was a command from the Son of God.
62. That John has the desired
obedience to BD to benefit Mary and thus a prime candidate for Jesus’ choice in
this regard is seen in vs.27a, “And from
that hour the disciple took her into his own household”.
63. It is John, the only
eye-witness of the disciples recorded to be at the cross, that Jesus
chooses to act in His stead regarding His own mother.
64. While John’s depth of
spiritual advancement beyond the other disciples is only implied by Jesus’
application, it is noted that whatever problems he too faced in accepting the
necessity of Christ’s work on the cross, he continued to embrace and support Jesus beyond the norm of the group by
his very presence at this time.
GNT John 19:28 Meta.
tou/to eivdw.j o` VIhsou/j o[ti h;dh pa,nta tete,lestai( i[na teleiwqh/| h`
grafh,( le,gei( Diyw/Å
NAS John
19:28 After this,
Jesus, knowing that all things had already been accomplished, Meta. meta, (pa; "After") tou/to ou-toj (near dem. pro./an-s) o` VIhsou/j (d.a. + n-nm-s)
eivdw.j oi=da (circ. ptc./PF/a/nm-s) o[ti (cc; intro. indir. disc.) pa,nta pa/j (ap-nn-p; "all
things") h;dh (adv.; "already") tete,lestai( tele,w (viPFp--3s; "had been
accomplished/finished/brought to an end")
in order that the Scripture might
be fulfilled, *said, "I am thirsty."
i[na (cs; purpose) h` grafh,( (d.a. + n-nf-s) teleiwqh/|
teleio,w (vsap--3s; "might be completed/carried through to the end/made
perfect"; hence fulfilled exactly)
le,gei( le,gw (vipa--3s; ref. Jesus the subject) Diyw/Å diya,w (vipa--1s; "I am
thirsty"; spoken from His humanity)
GNT John 19:29 skeu/oj e;keito o;xouj mesto,n\
spo,ggon ou=n mesto.n tou/ o;xouj u`ssw,pw| periqe,ntej prosh,negkan auvtou/
tw/| sto,matiÅ
NAS John
19:29 A jar full
of sour wine was standing there; skeu/oj (n-nn-s; "A
vessel/utensil"; contextually a jar or jug; used 23x) mesto,n\ mesto,j (a--nn-s; "very full/filled
up"; used 9x) o;xouj o;xoj (n-gn-s; "of sour
wine"; actually a vinegar (barley and grape juice) and water mixture, a
drink of the common soldiers considered refreshing or thirst quenching; not a
pure wine cp. Mat.26:29; Mar.14:25; used 6x )
e;keito kei/mai (viIPFd--3s; "was lying/situated/standing or
set there"; same as 2:6) so they put a sponge full of
the sour wine upon a branch of hyssop, and brought it up to His mouth.
ou=n (infer. conj.) periqe,ntej
periti,qhmi (circ. ptc./a/a/nm-p; "after putting/ placing") spo,ggon spo,ggoj (n-am-s; "a sponge";
used 3x) mesto.n mesto,j (a--am-s; "full") tou/ to, o;xouj o;xoj (d.a. + n-gn-s; "of the
sour wine") u`ssw,pw|
u[sswpoj (n-Lf-s; "on a hyssop"; an aromatic Mideastern plant that
liquid, hence a sponge, clings easily to its bushy leaves; used 2x) prosh,negkan prosfe,rw (viaa--3p; "they brought
to") auvtou/
auvto,j (npgm3s; ref. Jesus) tw/| to,
sto,matiÅ sto,ma (d.a. + n-dn-s; "mouth"; used 82x)
1. The phrase, “After this” beginning vs.28 indicates
an unspecified lapse of time.
2. In effect, John’s narrative
omits the majority of what happened during the entire 6 hours Jesus was on the cross.
3. John simply highlights Jesus on the cross as One engaged in a
continued capacity of service and instruction to others for their spiritual
well being.
4. This in effect epitomizes
His Passion and work on the cross as an event that culminates in the spiritual
benefit for mankind.
5. The order of events
including John’s accounts and input from the synoptics reflect the following:
6. It is after Jesus’ sin bearing occurs, that John now picks up in his
narrative per vs.28, “Jesus, knowing
that all things had already been accomplished, in order that the Scripture
might be fulfilled, said, ‘I am thirsty’”.
7. John alone records this 5th
saying and fact that His humanity thirsted.
8. Even after the rigors of 6
hours of crucifixion to include the bearing of sins, Jesus is still fastidious in executing the particulars of the POG.
9. He recognized that there was
one scripture yet to be fulfill before His physical death now at hand.
10. The prophecy in view is
Psa.69:21
11. In this case He knew what
the drink would be as John records the prophetic fulfillment in vs.29, “A jar full of sour wine was standing there;
so they put a sponge full of the sour wine upon hyssop, and brought it up to
His mouth”.
12. In order for this prophecy
to be fulfilled, Jesus had to take
the initiative to make certain that they offered Him something to drink.
13. However, Jesus was not saying that He was thirsty just to fulfill the Word of
God, He really was thirsty.
14. Here we have an example of Jesus executing the POG out of a real
need, but still demanding the free exercise of human volition to make
application regarding that need.
15. Both worked in concert to
fulfill the POG foretold in the prophecy.
16. While one might accuse Him
of saying this in an attempt to fulfill the prophecy in order to convince
people that He was the Messiah, He obviously had no control over what they gave
Him to drink.
17. The wine in view is not the same as that which they offered Him at the
beginning of His execution. Mat.27:34;
Mar.15:23
18. That wine was drugged to dull the pain of the sufferer and was rejected
by Jesus so to retain clear thoughts
during crucifixion and not loose any of His senses.
19. It did not mean that He had
some type of martyr complex, only that He relied strictly on God and BD to
sustain Him even through His most critical hour of suffering and test.
20. The wine given Him now, was that which was commonly used by the
soldiers as an alternative for water to quench their thirst.
21. It was strongly diluted with
a vinegar and water base having an obvious tart taste.
22. Jesus
would be greatly dehydrated by now and needed moisture for His dry mouth so
that He could make His final strong and loud utterances from the cross.
23. Two of the synoptic accounts
(Mat.27:48; Mar.15:36) state that Jesus
was offered this vinegar on a reed, while John says that it was placed on a hyssop.
24. As usual, this has caused no
little conflict among interpreters as to which account is correct and in
seeking to provide apologetics as to one or the other.
25. This kind of arguing is a
waste of time and advances no one spiritually.
26. The solution is simple: All of the accounts are accurate and a
relatively small piece of sponge was
saturated with the sour wine, a hyssop top with its bushy leaves were
employed to contain the sponge and
minimize its loss of fluid (to attach the sponge
to something that would not require having to squeeze it unnecessarily) and
both were attached to a longer reed in order to adequately reach Jesus’ mouth.
GNT John 19:30 o[te ou=n e;laben to. o;xoj o`
VIhsou/j ei=pen( Tete,lestai( kai. kli,naj th.n kefalh.n pare,dwken to.
pneu/maÅ
NAS John
19:30 When
Jesus therefore had received the sour wine, He said, "It is
finished!" And He bowed His head, and gave up His spirit. o[te (temp. conj.;
"When") ou=n (ch) o` VIhsou/j (d.a. + n-nm-s) e;laben lamba,nw (viaa--3s; "had
received") to, o;xoj (d.a. + n-an-s; "the sour
wine") ei=pen( le,gw
(viaa--3s) Tete,lestai( tele,w (viPFp--3s; "It has been
finished/completed/brought to a close")
kai, (cc) kli,naj
kli,nw (circ.
ptc./a/a/nm-s; "after bowing/inclining"; idiomatically used for sleep
or rest cp. Mat.8:20) th.n h`
kefalh.n kefalh, (d.a. + n-af-s; "the head")
pare,dwken paradi,dwmi (viaa--3s; "He gave up/delivered
up") to, pneu/maÅ (d.a. + n-an-s; "the
spirit"; here ref. to His human spirit)
1. When Jesus therefore had received the sour wine sufficiently to speak
clearly and audibly, He proclaims
His last two statements from the cross.
2. John alone records the 6th
saying, “He said, ‘It is finished!’”,
which is shortly followed by a 7th saying, “Father, into Your hands I commit My spirit”, after which He bowed His head, and gave up His spirit.
3. The synoptics reveal that
Jesus’ final words were cried out in a very loud voice. Mat.27:50; Mar.15:37; Luk.23:46
4. The statement, “It is finished!” refers to the purpose
for which God had become flesh.
5. Jesus
did not die in a resigned fashion, but left this life with the shout of victory
on His lips.
6. His loud cry was the
triumphant recognition that He had fully accomplished everything that the
Father had given Him to do.
7. A fact that had been
anticipated in His prayer recorded in Joh.17:4, but now a reality in time.
8. He had, from the moment of
His birth, executed every detail of the Father’s plan for His life and now had
made the ultimate sacrifice of Himself for all humanity.
9. His mission and life at the
1st advent was finished by completing His work with regard to making
salvation available to all men through the bearing of the sins of the world.
10. The reality of redemption,
foreshadowed in the multitude of sacrifices under the Levitical system had been
fully accomplished.
11. The symbolic sacrifice of
all those millions of animals that pointed to the Person and work of Christ was
no longer necessary.
12. Since it is not possible for
the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins, God offered the ultimate
sacrifice on behalf of the human race to actually remove sins. Heb.10:1-12
13. The sacrifice of Jesus Christ, in which He was judged
for every sin that had ever or would ever be committed, is referred to in the
Scripture as His blood. Joh.6:53-56;
Act.20:28; Rom.3:25; 5:9; Eph.1:7; 2:13; Col.1:20; Heb.9:12,14; 10:19; 13:12;
1Pet.1:19; 1Joh.1:7; Rev.5:9; 7:14; 12:11
14. That it is not His literal
physical blood should be evident, since Jesus
shed blood before He was placed on the cross, while He was alive on the cross
and after He was dead on the cross.
15. The life of animals is in
their blood (Lev.17:11), and the cutting of the animal’s throat and bleeding to
death was designed to portray the fact that Christ gave up His eternal life in
order to take the deserved penalty for sins, spiritual death. Isa.53:12
16. God had taken upon Himself
human flesh and had lived as a man among men, taking the deserved penalty of
sin upon Himself, offering every man the potential to share the eternal life of
God Himself.
17. “He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, that we might
become the righteousness of God in Him”. 2Cor.5:21
18. Luke alone records the
seventh and final saying from the cross.
Luk.23:46
19. Jesus
had accomplished all that He had come to do and the only thing left was to
physically die.
20. His physical death was not a
result of the crucifixion, but a choice by His Deity to check His humanity
out. Joh.10:18
21. This does not mean He could
not leave the signature of physical phenomenon that might proceed any death,
but that His soul and spirit exited
timed by His exercise of will.
22. His physical death was
unique, as was His conception, birth, life and Person.
23. Jesus had stated that no
would take His life away from Him and He now voluntarily dismisses His human spirit and commits it to the Father.
24. The human spirit is the place where BD is stored
and so emphasizes to the very end the importance of doctrine.
25. John alone records that He bowed His head as He voluntarily died
physically.
26. The term John uses for bowing
His head is used of sleep and is very fitting to describe the peaceful and
temporary death of the Messiah.
27. Jesus is
the prototype for all believes that face physical death in that death is only a
temporary sleep for the body that will be resurrected eventually. 1Cor.15:51-52; 1The.4:13-15
28. In Jesus’ case it is only a
matter of less than 72 hours.
29. Again, John omits events
that happened upon the death of Jesus
as we look to the synoptics to fill in the blanks.
30. The accounts inform us that
the veil of the temple, that inner curtain that divided the Holy Place (Ph2)
from the Most Holy Place (Ph3), was split in two parts. Mat.27:51-53; Mar.15:38; Luk.23:45b
31. The curtain was quite thick
and was of great size, being hung so that one must enter one end of the curtain
and close it and move to the other end before entering the MHP.
32. It was there to emphasize
that a barrier existed between man and his approach to God and only one man was
allowed in the MHP and only once a year on the Day of Atonement. Lev.16:2ff; Num.18:7; Heb.9:7
33. Matthew and Mark record the
fact that the renting of the veil was supernatural in light of the fact that
the veil was torn from the top to the bottom.
34. This teaches that Jesus, who had a right to enter into
the presence of God due to His perfect +R, had opened the way for all to
approach God by His work. Heb.6:19,20;
9:12; 10:19-20
35. Matthew also records that
there was an earthquake that occurred at the same time, that tombs were opened
up--that is, the remains were exposed, rocks were split, and the bodies of
certain believers were resuscitated after Jesus’ resurrection. Mat.27:52-53
36. The earthquake hitting
Jerusalem itself was a symbol of Divine judgment and glory. Isa.29:6; Jer.10:10; Eze.26:18
37. The subsequent
resurrection/resuscitation of “many
bodies of the saints” is unusual from the standpoint of its brevity and
lack of parallels.
38. The first two phenomena, the
splitting of the inner veil and the splitting of the tombs and rocks, together,
symbolize Jesus’ death and resurrection to shortly follow.
39. Jesus’ victorious
resurrection and vindication that followed on Sunday was followed by the
resuscitation of many saints.
40. This singular phenomenon
symbolizes and focuses strictly on Jesus’ resurrection.
41. It signals the promise of
the final resurrection of those that die in Him.
42. The sentence should end with
“were opened” (Mat.27:52a), and a new
sentence/verse should begin with “and
many bodies…were raised” (vs.52b).
43. These people were not
resurrected when Jesus died, but
after He was resurrected.
44. This serves to show that
Jesus’ resurrection is the basis for the resurrection of the saints.
45. So they did not wait in
their tombs in resuscitated bodies until Jesus
was raised.
46. By Matthew placing the fact
of their resurrection at this point in his narrative illustrates that Jesus’
work on the cross is the basis for His impending resurrection.
47. This also notes that Matthew
does not hold to strict chronological sequence of events in his gospel.
48. Jesus’ resurrection declares
that what He accomplished on the cross is valid.
49. Since these believers came
back to the earth in natural bodies, the rocks covering their tombs were moved
so they could get out.
50. So witnesses could have seen
the open tombs before the bodies were raised.
51. When they finally did stand
on their feet and come out, appearing to many in the holy city, the effect was
extremely dramatic.
52. It has been suggested that
the saints in view during this phenomenon were certain well-known OT and
intertestamental Jewish saints, spiritual heroes and martyrs in Israel’s history.
53. After their brief ministry
of appearing to many, they no doubt quickly passed from the scene, probably via
translation (apart from physical death; like Enoch and Elijah), and their
bodies never found.
54. In any case, Matthew is
telling us, among other things, that the resurrection of believers that lived
before the 1st advent were dependent on Jesus’ triumph, as are we
that follow.
55. John also does not record
the impact of Jesus’ death on those in the immediate vicinity of the cross.
56. Matthew states that the
centurion, the one in charge of the crucifixion detail, and the other four
soldiers guarding Jesus (cp.
Mat.27:36), were profoundly affected by the events they witnessed. Mat.27:54
57. It is important to note that
the soldiers remained as guards over Jesus
to deflect those theories that something happened to Jesus’ body while still on
the cross.
58. The sudden coming of
darkness and sudden leaving 3 hours later, the cry of dereliction, the manner
of Jesus’ death and the earthquake convinced these men that Jesus was no ordinary man.
59. The portents terrified them,
and led them to believe that these things testified to heaven’s wrath at the
perpetration of such a crime, in which the soldiers had participated.
60. Their confession tells us
something more: Jesus became to them the unique Son of God through their witnessing
of the things associated with His sufferings and death.
61. The Jewish religious
establishment, mistaking the nature of His Messiahship, mocked Him with the
very title that these pagans now confessed in belief.
62. The thing that most
impressed the centurion was the manner in which Jesus died. Mar.15:39
63. Luke say that his man
actually praised God and affirmed the innocence of Jesus. Luk.23:47
64. All of this taken together
indicates that these men made the SAJG.
65. Luke also records the mass
impact of Jesus’ death on the multitudes that had gathered. Luk.23:48
66. Though it cannot be stated
that salvation occurred for any of these, it is clear that the supernatural
effects that occurred, at the minimum, made most realize that a grave injustice
had been served.
67. In addition, all of the
synoptics indicate that the women previously introduced by John standing near
the cross had either been removed or had removed themselves some distance and
stood observing these things. Mat.27:55-56;
Mar.15:40-41; Luk.23:49
68. Review Doctrine of the Blood.
GNT John 19:31 Oi` ou=n VIoudai/oi( evpei.
paraskeuh. h=n( i[na mh. mei,nh| evpi. tou/ staurou/ ta. sw,mata evn tw/|
sabba,tw|( h=n ga.r mega,lh h` h`me,ra evkei,nou tou/ sabba,tou( hvrw,thsan
to.n Pila/ton i[na kateagw/sin auvtw/n ta. ske,lh kai. avrqw/sinÅ
NAS John
19:31 The Jews
therefore, because it was the day of preparation, Oi` o` VIoudai/oi( VIoudai/oj (d.a. + ap-nm-p) ou=n (infer. conj.) evpei, (causal conj.;
"since/because") h=n( eivmi, (viIPFa--3s) paraskeuh, (n-nf-s; "that which is
prepared/a making ready"; it is always used technically for Friday before
Sabbath, hence "the day of preparation"; same as 19:14) so that the
bodies should not remain on the cross on the Sabbath (for that Sabbath was a
high day), i[na (cs; purpose) ta. to,
sw,mata sw/ma (d.a. + n-nn-p; "the bodies/corpses") mh, (neg. +) mei,nh| me,nw (vsaa--3s; "should not
remain") evpi, (pg) tou/ o` staurou/ stauro,j (d.a. + n-gm-s; "the
cross") evn (pL of time) tw/| to, sabba,tw|( sa,bbaton (d.a. + n-dn-s; "the
Sabbath") ga,r (explan. conj.) evkei,nou evkei/noj (remote dem. pro./gn-s) tou/ to, sabba,tou( sa,bbaton (d.a. + n-gn-s) h=n eivmi, (viIPFa--3s) mega,lh me,gaj (pred. adj.--nf-s; comp. adj.
denoting a qualitative force; "a great/high/more important") h` h`me,ra (d.a. + n-nf-s; "day";
lit. "for GREAT was the day of that Sabbath") asked Pilate that their legs might be
broken, and that they might be taken away. hvrw,thsan evrwta,w (viaa--3p; "they
asked/requested"; ref. the Jews as the subject of verb) to.n o` Pila/ton Pila/toj (d.a. + n-am-s) i[na (cc; purpose) kateagw/sin kata,gnumi (vsap--3p; "might be
broken/shattered"; used 4x; ref. the crucifixion detail as subject of
verb) auvtw/n auvto,j (npgm3p; ref. Jesus and the two
thieves; "their") ta. to,
ske,lh ske,loj (d.a. + n-an-p; "legs"; inclusive from the hip down to toes;
used 3x) kai, (cc) avrqw/sinÅ ai;rw (vsap--3p; "they might be
lifted up/removed/taken away")
GNT John 19:32 h=lqon ou=n oi` stratiw/tai kai. tou/
me.n prw,tou kate,axan ta. ske,lh kai. tou/ a;llou tou/ sustaurwqe,ntoj
auvtw/|\
NAS John
19:32 The soldiers
therefore came, and broke the legs of the first man, oi` o` stratiw/tai stratiw,thj (d.a. + n-nm-p; "The
soldiers") ou=n (infer. conj.) h=lqon e;rcomai (viaa--3p) kai, (cc) me,n (correl. part.; untranslated;
goes with the following de, in vs.33, "on the one hand...on the other in contrast" ) kate,axan kata,gnumi (viaa--3p; "broke") ta. to, ske,lh ske,loj (d.a. + n-an-p; "the
legs") tou/ o` prw,tou prw/toj (d.a. + ord. adj./gm-s;
"the first man"; denotes the first man in order of their approach to
all three) and of the other man who was
crucified with Him; kai, (cc) tou/ o` a;llou a;lloj (d.a. + pro.-gm-s; "other
man of the same kind") tou/ o`
sustaurwqe,ntoj sustauro,w (d.a. + adj. ptc./a/p/gm-s; "who had been crucified together
with") auvtw/|\
auvto,j (npdm3s; ref. the 1st man)
GNT John 19:33 evpi. de. to.n VIhsou/n evlqo,ntej(
w`j ei=don h;dh auvto.n teqnhko,ta( ouv kate,axan auvtou/ ta. ske,lh(
NAS John
19:33 but coming
to Jesus, when they saw that He was already dead, they did not break His
legs; de, (ch; goes with me,n in vs.32; "but/on the
other hand") evlqo,ntej(
e;rcomai (circ. ptc./a/a/nm-p; "when coming") evpi, (pa; "up to") to.n o` VIhsou/n VIhsou/j (d.a. + n-am-s) w`j (temp. conj.;
"when/as") ei=don o`ra,w
(viaa--3p;
"they saw") auvto.n
auvto,j (npam3s; ref. Jesus) h;dh (adv.; "already/by this time") teqnhko,ta( qnh,|skw (circ. ptc./PFa/am-s;
conditional; "was dead") ouv (neg. +) kate,axan kata,gnumi (viaa--3p; "they did not
break") auvtou/
auvto,j (npgm3s) ta. to,
ske,lh( ske,loj (d.a. + n-an-p; "legs")
GNT John 19:34 avllV ei-j tw/n stratiwtw/n lo,gch|
auvtou/ th.n pleura.n e;nuxen( kai. evxh/lqen euvqu.j ai-ma kai. u[dwrÅ
NAS John
19:34 but one of
the soldiers pierced His side with a spear,
avllV avlla, (strong advers.)
ei-j (card. adj./nm-s; "one")
tw/n o` stratiwtw/n stratiw,thj (d.a. + n-gm-p; "the
soldiers") e;nuxen(
nu,ssw (viaa--3s;
"pierced/stabbed"; hapax) auvtou/
auvto,j (npgm3s; ref. Jesus) th.n h`
pleura.n pleura, (d.a. + n-af-s; "side/rib area"; used 5x; ) lo,gch (n-If-s; "with a spear
head/lance/iron tip"; hapax) and
immediately there came out blood and water.
kai, (ch) euvqu,j (adv.; "immediately/right
away/at once") evxh/lqen
evxe,rcomai (viaa--3s; "there came out")
ai-ma (n-nn-s; "blood") kai, (cc) u[dwrÅ (n-nn-s; "water")
1. Even though the Jews have carried out the most
dastardly and evil deed of Israel’s history, the murder of their Messiah, it
does not deter them from observing their religious agendas.
2. This is the last time the Jews are mentioned in this context
in the gospel and again points out to the nature of the hypocrisy of the Jews.
3. While they sought to cross
every “t” and dot every “i” in their legalistic observance of the Law, they
totally and conveniently dismissed the necessity of justice, mercy and
faithfulness of moral integrity.
Mat.23:23
4. That Passover is nigh, they therefore, because it was the day of
preparation, asked Pilate that their legs might be broken, and that they might be taken away.
5. Whether the religious
leaders stayed around to witness the actual death of Jesus is not recorded, but here implied that they did not as their
request is for all 3 crucified, the most natural reading of the text.
6. There was a delegation of
Jesus’ enemies that went to Pilate,
obviously before it was clear to them that Jesus
had already died, to request a means to facilitate their death by breaking their legs.
7. John tells us that their
request was made so that the bodies
should not remain on the cross on the Sabbath.
8. Their favor is based on
Levitical law that state that the dead body of an executed criminal was not to
remain all night and hang upon a tree.
Deu.21:23
9. In this case, it was also the day of preparation for the Passover
that coincided with the weekly Sabbath
that year. Joh.19:14
10. Mark and Luke specifically
point out that the term “preparation”
had become a technical term for Friday.
Mar.15:42; Luk.23:54
11. When a particular feast day
occurred on a Sabbath day, the Jews considered it as a more holy day than normal, which is why
John parenthetically includes, “(for
that Sabbath was a high day).
12. Due to the exceptionally
holy nature that they regarded this Sabbath,
the Jews were insistent that death
be quickened and that the bodies be
removed before sundown that technically begin that Sabbath day.
13. This was not customary for
Rome that preferred to stretch out the time of dying and then to leave the dead
bodies on the cross for some time as
a warning and deterrent to such crimes as those executed had committed.
14. Therefore, the Jews were forced once again to
appeal to Pilate in order to attain
their goals.
15. In addition, that all 3 are
included in their request denotes that both criminals with Jesus were also Jewish.
16. The manner of speeding death
of the crucified was by breaking their
legs.
17. This lends credence that
these crosses were constructed with a cornu, or footrest, upon which the victim
could support the weight of his body.
18. When death was to be
hastened, the victim’s legs would be broken below the knee with one blow from a
heavy mallet.
19. This would no longer allow
him to support the weight of his body and asphyxia, shock and coronary failure
would quickly follow.
20. Pilate
approves their request and the soldiers
therefore came, and broke the legs of the first man, and of the other man who
was crucified with Him.
21. That these soldiers came to carry out the orders
denotes a separate detail from those already there guarding and keeping watch
over the execution.
22. John records in graphic,
plodding detail what he observed as he watched the soldiers approach the
first criminal and then the next and smash their legs with the mallet.
23. Some interpreters
automatically assume that the order in which the soldiers approached the victims was first the two criminals and for some reason bypassing Jesus in between and saving Him for
last.
24. However, this is not what
John is saying as seen in the use of the particle and the conjunction “me,n….de,”/”on the one hand….in
contrast on the other hand”.
25. John is not trying to
establish a sequence of leg breaking, he is simply noting the contrast as to
who got their legs broke and who did
not.
26. The natural route that the soldiers would take would be first one criminal, then Jesus, then the final criminal, as Jesus was between the two criminals.
27. John then informs us in
vs.33 that in contrast to the criminals getting their legs broke, the same did not occur with Jesus, “but coming to Jesus,
when they saw that He was already dead, they did not break His legs”.
28. It was only in this sense
that Jesus was bypassed during this
ordeal.
29. The soldiers observing the obvious fact that He was already dead, forego this
excruciating but yet merciful act with regards to Jesus.
30. Though their observation of
Jesus’ death was accurate and sufficient for them to skip the leg breaking, in
order to make certain, one of the
soldiers pierced His side with a spear, and immediately there came out blood
and water.
31. Their piercing was not done
to be malicious, but rather was done to establish their claim that Jesus was
dead in case they were asked why they did not break His legs.
32. Failure for them to execute
an order from Pilate would carry
severe consequences and at least one of these men made certain that their job
was actually done.
33. Which side of Jesus that was pierced is not indicated by John, only
that proof of death was seen in the immediate issuing of blood and water from His body.
34. While our account does not
state how deep the piercing was, it can be concluded that the puncture wound
was fairly wide and deep and not just a superficial puncture breaking the skin.
35. This is determined by the
accounts of Jesus’ resurrection appearance to the disciples and the comments of
placing a “hand” into his side versus a “finger” into the nail imprints of His
wrists/hands. Joh.20:25,27
36. John is not concerned with
the cause of death, only the fact of death, which was effectively established
by several eyewitnesses:
36. And little did John probably
know that his description of “blood and
water” would be all that is necessary for modern day pathologists
(interpreting changes in tissue and body fluid caused by disease or trauma) to
confirm the death of Christ.
37. An excerpt from the Journal
of the American Medical Association (JAMA), Mar.21,1986 by Dr. William D.
Edwards, article titled “On the Physical Death of Jesus Christ” is sufficient
medical proof:
The source material concerning Christ’s death comprises a body of literature and not a physical body or its skeletal remains. Accordingly, the credibility of any discussion of Jesus’ death will be determined primarily by the credibility of one’s sources. For this review, the source material includes the writings of ancient Christian and non-Christian authors, the writings of modern authors, and the shroud of Turin. Using the legal-historical method of scientific investigation, scholars have established the reliability and accuracy of the ancient manuscripts.
The most
extensive and detailed descriptions of the life and death of Jesus are to be
found in the New Testament gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. The other 23 books of the New Testament
support but do not expand on the details recorded in the gospels. Contemporary Christian, Jewish, and Roman
authors provide additional insight concerning the first-century Jewish and
Roman legal systems and the details of scourging and crucifixion. Seneca, Livy, Plutarch, and others refer to
crucifixion practices in their works.
Specifically, Jesus (or His crucifixion) is mentioned by the Roman
historians Cornelius Tacitus, Pliny the Younger, and Suetonius, by non-Roman
historians Thallus and Phlegon, by the satirist Lucian of Samosata, by the
Jewish Talmud, and by the Jewish historian Flavius Josephus, although the
authenticity of portions of the latter is problematic.
The Shroud of
Turin is considered by many to represent the actual burial cloth of Jesus (not this Pastor-Teacher, my
insert), and several publications
concerning the medical aspects of his death draw conclusions from this
assumption. The shroud of Turin and
recent archaeological findings provide valuable information concerning Roman
crucifixion practices. The
interpretations of modern writers, based on a knowledge of science and medicine
not available in the first century, may offer additional insight concerning the
possible mechanisms of Jesus’ death.
When taken in
concert, certain facts – the extensive and early testimony of both Christian
proponents and opponents, and their universal acceptance of Jesus as a true
historical figure; the ethic of the gospel writers, and the shortness of the
time interval between the events and the extant manuscripts; and the
confirmation of the gospel accounts by historians and archaeological findings –
ensure a reliable testimony from which a modern medical interpretation of
Jesus’ death may be made.
Two aspects of Jesus’ death have been the source of great controversy, namely, the nature of the wound in His side and the cause of His death after only several hours on the cross.
The gospel of
John describes the piercing of Jesus’ side and emphasizes the sudden flow of
blood and water. Some authors have
interpreted the flow of water to be ascites or urine, from an abdominal midline
perforation of the bladder. However, the
Greek word (pleura,, or pleura) used by John clearly denoted laterality and often implied
the ribs. Therefore, it seems probable
that the wound was in the thorax and well away from the abdominal midline.
Although the
side of the wound was not designated by John, it traditionally has been
depicted on the right side. Supporting
this tradition is the fact that a large flow of blood would be more likely with
a perforation of the distended and thin-walled right atrium or ventricle than
the thick-walled and contracted left ventricle.
Although the side of the wound may never be established with certainty,
the right seems more probable than the left.
Some of the
skepticism in accepting John’s description has arisen from the difficulty in
explaining, with medical accuracy, the flow of both blood and water. Part of this difficulty has been based on the
assumption that the blood appeared first, then the water. However, in the ancient Greek, the order of
words generally denoted prominence and not necessarily a time sequence. Therefore, it seems likely that John was emphasizing
the prominence of blood rather than its appearance preceding the water.
Therefore, the
water probably represented serous pleural and pericardial fluid, and would have
preceded the flow of blood and been smaller in volume than the blood. Perhaps in the setting of hypovelemia and
impending acute heart failure, pleural and pericardial effusions may have
developed and would have added to the volume of apparent water. The blood, in contrast, may have originated
from the right atrium or the right ventricle or perhaps from a hemopericardium.
Jesus’ death
after only three to six hours on the cross surprised even Pontius Pilate (Mar.15:42-45 – my note). The
fact that Jesus cried out in a loud voice and then bowed his head and died
suggest the possibility of a catastrophic terminal event. One popular explanation has been that Jesus
died of cardiac rupture. In the setting
of the scourging and crucifixion, with associated hypovolemia, hypoxemia, and
perhaps an altered coagulable state, friable non-infective thrombotic
vegetations could have formed on the aortic or mitral valve. These then could have dislodge and embolized
into the coronary circulation and thereby produced an acute transmural
myocardial infarction. Thrombotic
valvular vegetations have been reported to develop under analogous acute
traumatic conditions. Rupture of the
left ventricular free wall may occur, though uncommonly, in the first few hours
following infarction.
However,
another explanation may be more likely.
Jesus’ death may have been hastened simply by his state of exhaustion
and by the severity of the scourging, with its resultant blood loss and
preshock state. The fact that he could
not carry his patibulum supports this interpretation. The actual cause of Jesus’ death, like that
of other crucified victims, may have been multifactorial and related primarily
to hypovolemic shock, exhaustion asphyxia, and perhaps acute heart
failure. A fatal cardiac arrhythmia may
have accounted for the apparent catastrophic terminal event.
Thus, it remains unsettled whether Jesus died of cardiac rupture or of cardiorespiratory failure. However, the important feature may be not how he died but rather whether he died. Clearly, the weight of historical and medical evidence indicates that Jesus was dead before the wound to his side was inflicted and supports the traditional view that the spear thrust between his right ribs, probably perforated not only the right lung but also the pericardium and heart and thereby ensured his death. Accordingly, interpretations based on the assumption that Jesus did not die on the cross appear to be at odds with modern medical knowledge.
38. God has provided for anyone
desiring the truth, all of the evidence necessary to ascertain that Jesus died on the cross and before the spear
was thrust into His side.
39. This fact goes into the face
of the skeptics and heretics that promote, support or hold to theories that
speculate Jesus did not really die
and there was no resurrection, such as the “swoon” theory.
40. Other religious types, the
docetics, hold to the doctrine that Christ’s body was not really human but a
phantom or celestial body that was not subject to human limitations.
41. This Gnostic type sect
developed due to the pagan philosophies that suggested that matter itself is
inherently evil and God could not have entered a union with a material body.
42. The clear teachings of the
Scripture prove that they are wrong.
1Joh.4:2; 2Joh.7
43. John clearly attaches the
importance of both the blood and water/fluid
issuing from Jesus’ body to denote that had He been alive, each beat of His
heart would have caused blood alone
to gush out of the open wound and that Jesus
was true humanity.
44. Apart from the medical facts
of His death, the bottom line feature emphasized by John was the eyewitnesses
to this fact and that once again prophecy is fulfilled confirming that Jesus
was indeed the Messiah. Vss.35-37
GNT John 19:35 kai. o` e`wrakw.j memartu,rhken(
kai. avlhqinh. auvtou/ evstin h` marturi,a( kai. evkei/noj oi=den o[ti avlhqh/
le,gei( i[na kai. u`mei/j pisteu,ÎsÐhteÅ
NAS John
19:35 And he who
has seen has borne witness, and his witness is true; kai, (cc) o` e`wrakw.j o`ra,w (d.a. + subs. ptc./PF/a/nm-s;
"he who has seen"; ref. John our author) memartu,rhken( marture,w (viPFa--3s) kai, (cc) auvtou/ auvto,j (npgm3s) h` marturi,a( (d.a. + n-nf-s) evstin eivmi, (vipa--3s; "is/keeps on
being") avlhqinh.
avlhqino,j (a--nf-s; "true/genuine/trustworthy") and he
knows that he is telling the truth, so that you also may believe. kai, (cc) evkei/noj (remote dem. pro./nm-s;
"he/that one") oi=den oi=da (viPFa--3s) o[ti (cc; intro. indir. disc.) le,gei( le,gw (vipa--3s; "he is
saying/telling") avlhqh/
avlhqh,j (ap-an-p; "true things/the truth") i[na (cs; purpose)
u`mei/j su, (npn-2p; "you all"; here John is looking
to any reader or recipient of the information of his gospel) kai, (adjunct.; "also";
looks to John as already believing) pisteu,ÎsÐhteÅ
pisteu,w (vsaa--2p [with the sigma] or vspa--2p [without the sigma]; textual
variant; both have early support; the difference is interpreting the intent of
John whether he is addressing unbelievers [the aorist-the act of faith] or
believers [the present-a faith continued in the present])
GNT John 19:36 evge,neto ga.r tau/ta i[na h` grafh.
plhrwqh/|( VOstou/n ouv suntribh,setai auvtou/Å
NAS John
19:36 For these
things came to pass, that the Scripture might be fulfilled, "NOT A BONE OF
HIM SHALL BE BROKEN." ga,r (explan. conj.) tau/ta ou-toj (near dem. pro./nn-p) evge,neto gi,nomai (viad--3s; "became/came to
pass") i[na (ch; purpose)
h` grafh, (d.a. + n-nf-s; "the writing/Scripture") plhrwqh/|( plhro,w (vsap--3s; "might be
fulfilled/completed") ouv (neg.; goes with the verb;
+) VOstou/n ovste,on (n-nn-s; "a bone";
used 4x) auvtou/Å auvto,j (npgm3s; ref. Messiah/Lord) suntribh,setai suntri,bw (vifp--3s; "shall be
broken/shattered/broke to pieces"; used 7x)
GNT John 19:37 kai. pa,lin e`te,ra grafh. le,gei(
:Oyontai eivj o]n evxeke,nthsanÅ
NAS John
19:37 And again
another Scripture says, "THEY SHALL LOOK ON HIM WHOM THEY
PIERCED." kai, (cc) pa,lin (adv. "again") e`te,ra e[teroj (rel. pro.--nf-s;
"another"; as a different specific fulfillment) grafh, (n-nf-s) le,gei( le,gw (vipa--3s) :Oyontai o`ra,w (vifd--3p; "They shall
look") eivj (pa) o]n o[j (rel. pro./am-s; "Him
whom") evxeke,nthsanÅ
evkkente,w (viaa--3p; "they pierced/stabbed deeply"; used 2x)
1. Our author John now provides
an interlude in the narrative to stress the veracity of the recorded account
presented in his gospel.
2. Keeping true to the
characteristic of John throughout his gospel not to refer to himself directly
by name, he states in vs.35a, “And he
who has seen has borne witness, and his witness is true”.
3. Though other acquaintances
of Jesus were present for the execution, John is the only disciple recorded in
the NT as being an immediate eyewitness to the events that he has just
described.
4. In fact, it is implied that he was the only one of the 11 that even
appeared for the crucifixion based on this silence and that Jesus’ appearance
to the remaining disciples is always referred to as being after the fact of His
resurrection. Mat.28:1ff; Mar.16:1ff;
Luk.24:1ff; Joh.20:1ff; Act.1:1-3; 1Cor.15:3-9
5. That John was physically
present and personally saw the activity surrounding Jesus on the cross and His
death makes his testimony of recorded accounts in this regard of the highest in
credibility.
6. Credible eyewitnesses are
the most effective means of establishing the
truth of any matter.
7. They are in fact the
preferred type of evidence in any legal proceeding.
8. While John does not claim to
have observed every detail of the life of Christ or even of His death, what he does claim, is that what he saw is exactly what occurred in
vs.35b, “and he knows that he is telling
the truth”.
9. Again, John uses an
indefinite pronoun “evkei/noj/ekeinos/that one”, to refer to himself.
10. The remote nature points to
the fact of John’s continuous reference to himself in the 3rd person
throughout the gospel and looking back to himself in time from the perspective
of the penning of the gospel.
11. He
appeals to his own conscience and knowledge of the facts and states that he is
consciously aware that he is
speaking the truth and nothing but the truth.
12. People consciously know when
they are lying or speaking the truth.
13. While there will be many
others that can testify to the resurrection of Jesus as eyewitnesses, John sees
the importance of his person as being at least one author of the NT as being an
actual eyewitness of Jesus’ death.
14. He takes upon himself the
personal responsibility to answer any critic that may try to disregard Jesus’
resurrection by stating that He did not really die on the cross.
15. While other eyewitnesses of
Jesus’ death are recorded such as the women, the Roman soldiers, Joseph of
Arimathea, Nicodemus, etc., John places the burden of integrity upon his own
person that this indeed happened.
16. His statement is taken in
light of his reputation as an Apostle as one of the highest in moral integrity
of speaking the truth in
matters. Cp. Joh.21:24 “…and we know that his (John’s) witness is true.”
17. John’s appeal is to all that
read his gospel to know that his recordings of events can be totally depended
upon historically and otherwise based on his reputation at the time as one that
was completely honest in presenting the facts.
18. Anyone that is objective and
analyzes the contents of this book will come to the conclusion that Jesus
indeed is the Christ, the Son of God.
19. People that dismiss the
gospel as unreliable history do so in light of the fact that it was written by
an eyewitness that has directly affirmed his credibility and honesty.
20. One must be negative or
highly prejudiced with some hidden agenda to evaluate the contents of this book
and conclude that John was in anyway inaccurate or wrong.
21. If one dismisses the direct
eyewitness account of John and declares his writings as to be historically
invalid, they must in consistency reject all classical and historical writings
as being equally unreliable.
22. The stated purpose in vs.35c
for John’s fastidious nature of recording only the truthful facts is “so that you also may believe”.
23. The textual question here
hinges on whether the verb “believe”
is an aorist or present subjunctive.
24. If it is an aorist, then he is stating that his intent of
recording is directed at Ph1 faith among unbelievers that would read
his account.
25. If it is a present
subjunctive, the intent is directed at the continuing faith of believers.
26. While the one letter
variance (sigma) will continue to be debated, there is no reason to assume that
John has restricted his writings to either class and did not have both purposes
in mind.
27. However, neither can it be
denied that the Gospel of John is definitely one book in the NT that is
recognized as premier in presenting the gospel Ph1, a definite
intent of it’s author. Cp. Joh.20:31
28. Certainly an unbeliever can
read and come to faith in Christ through this gospel, while a believer can
build upon and strengthen their existing faith in God’s plan.
29. John then explains in vss.36
and 37 the importance of why we should believe
his accounts, since they were the fulfillment of OT prophecy concerning
Messiah, “For these things came to pass,
that the Scripture might be fulfilled, ‘Not a bone of Him shall be broken’”. “And
again another Scripture says, ‘They shall look on Him whom they pierced’”.
30. John in essence is stating
that the events of the cross and thus his historical recording of them are
proven “hallmarks” of the veracity of history in view as they include the
authentication of Scripture itself.
31. He appeals to the prophecy
of God’s word as support and as a 2nd witness for the validity of
his eyewitness account.
32. In other words, through
prophecy, God gave indicators for authentication of Messiah and the very
validity of John’s account is seen in that it came to pass just as it is written.
33. It is the fulfillment of
prophecy that continually confirms the supernatural nature of the written
Bible.
34. Prophecy does not make
things happen, it only reveals God’s omniscience that He knows what will
happen.
35. There is no way uninspired
OT writers separated by centuries could have predicted accurately all these
prophecies about one Man.
36. If both or either one of
these prophecies had failed to be fulfilled, then Jesus would not have been the
Messiah.
37. Both of the prophecies now
in view were fulfilled by John’s eyewitness accounts of the actions of the
Roman soldiers.
38. Of course, they had no idea
that they were fulfilling the POG.
39. Again, we observe the fact
that Jesus could have and did, intentionally fulfill some of the prophecies
related to His Person and work, while others often fulfilled them totally apart
from any input or action on His part.
Joh.19:28 cp. 36-37
40. One can hardly accuse Jesus
of manipulating events to make it look as if He was the Messiah after He was
dead.
41. The first prophecy is found
in several places in the OT. Exo.12:46;
Num.9:12; cp. Psa.34:20
42. The prophecies of Exodus and
Numbers is seen in the typology of the sacrificial lamb in the Passover ritual.
43. Typologically, the lamb
represents Christ and the fact that none of the bones of the lamb were to be broken pointed to the fact that none
of Christ’s bones would be broken.
44. In addition, broken bones in Scripture are used to
illustrate the concept of Divine discipline upon those engaged in sin. Psa.51:7-9 RB Psalm of David after operation Bathsheba.
45. The typology of the lamb in
concert with no broken bones is used to communicate the truth that the humanity of Christ had no sin and had no Divine
wrath upon His person due to His own failure.
46. All wrath and discipline
that Christ endured on the cross was substitutionary and came due to the fact
that He who knew no sin was made sin on
our behalf. 2Cor.5:21
47. Jesus is declared by this
somewhat obscure prophecy to have been a perfectly righteous man before
God. Psa.34:19-20
48. The two criminals, one of
whom had become a believer, were both the objects of Divine wrath and
discipline due to their STA activity.
49. The second prophecy of vs.37
is found in Zec.12:10.
50. This prophecy has a dual
fulfillment:
51. While two prophecies are now
cited as fulfilled, it has been cited by commentaries referencing Josh McDowell
in his book “Evidence that Demands a Verdict”, that there are no less than 61
specific prophecies that are fulfilled in the life of Christ.
52. This is out of over 300
predictions overall regarding Messiah as cited in Pierson’s “God’s Living
Oracles”.
53. Any objection that Jesus
deliberately fulfilled all these prophecies in an attempt to make Himself the
Messiah is refuted by the fact that many of these things were beyond His
control:
54. Some may suggest that you
can find some of these prophecies fulfilled in other men, which is true.
55. However, you cannot find all
61 recorded prophecies fulfilled in any one man, except Jesus Christ.
56. Further, the odds of finding
even 8 prophecies fulfilled in any one individual is astronomical.
57. Another book cited by
commentaries is Peter Stoner’s “Science Speaks” stating that the coincidence of
merely 8 prophecies being fulfilled in one individual is an astonishing 1 in 1017
/100,000,000,000,000,000 or 100 quadrillions (this is the same power of
distance in meters from the earth to the sun; almost a million, million,
millions or 1018).
58. In order to grasp the
staggering odds of this happening, Stoner illustrates as follows:
59. Further, Stoner states that
the odds of fulfilling 48 out of 61 is increased to an incomprehensible 1 in 10157.
60. The purpose of these
prophecies and their fulfillment, documented by eyewitness confirmation, is to
assure any honest person that Jesus Christ is exactly who He says He is.
GNT John 19:38 Meta. de. tau/ta hvrw,thsen to.n
Pila/ton VIwsh.f avpo. ~Arimaqai,aj( w'n maqhth.j tou/ VIhsou/ kekrumme,noj de.
dia. to.n fo,bon tw/n VIoudai,wn( i[na a;rh| to. sw/ma tou/ VIhsou/\ kai.
evpe,treyen o` Pila/tojÅ h=lqen ou=n kai. h=ren to. sw/ma auvtou/Å
NAS John
19:38 And after
these things Joseph of Arimathea, de, (cc; "And/Now") Meta, (pa; "after" in time
and sequence) tau/ta ou-toj
(near dem.
pro./an-p; "these things"; following Jesus' physical death) VIwsh,f (n-nm-s) avpo, (pAbl; "from/of") ~Arimaqai,aj( ~Arimaqai,a (n-Ablf-s;
"Arimathea"; Greek for the Hebrew hm'r" - lit. "height"; a
town 20 miles NW of Jerusalem; cited by Eusebius and Jerome as the same town of
Samuel's birth, 1Sam.1:1; used 4x) being a
disciple of Jesus, but a secret one, for fear of the Jews, w'n eivmi, (circ. ptc./p/a/nm-s) maqhth,j (n-nm-s) tou/ o` VIhsou/ VIhsou/j (d.a. + n-gm-s) de, (cs) kekrumme,noj kru,ptw (adj. ptc./PF/p/nm-s;
"having been secretive/clandestine/hidden/a secret one"; same as
8:59; 12:36) dia, (pa; "for/because
of") to.n o`
fo,bon fo,boj (d.a. + n-am-s; "the fear"; same as 7:13) tw/n o` VIoudai,wn( VIoudai/oj (d.a. + ap-gm-p) asked Pilate that he might take away the body of Jesus; and Pilate
granted permission. hvrw,thsen
evrwta,w (viaa--3s; "asked/requested")
to.n o` Pila/ton Pila/toj (d.a. + n-am-s) i[na (cc; purpose)
a;rh| ai;rw (vsaa--3s; "he might remove/take
away") to. sw/ma (d.a. + n-an-s; "the
body") tou/ o`
VIhsou/\ VIhsou/j (d.a. + n-gm-s) kai, (ch) o` Pila/toj (d.a. + n-nm-s) evpe,treyen evpitre,pw (viaa--3s; "allowed/granted
permission"; used 18x) He came therefore, and took
away His body. h=lqen
e;rcomai (viaa--3s) ou=n (infer. conj.) kai, (cc) h=ren ai;rw (viaa--3s; "lifted
up/picked up/took away") auvtou/Å
auvto,j (npgm3s; ref. Jesus) to, sw/ma (d.a. + n-an-s; "body")
GNT John 19:39 h=lqen de. kai. Niko,dhmoj( o`
evlqw.n pro.j auvto.n nukto.j to. prw/ton( fe,rwn mi,gma smu,rnhj kai. avlo,hj
w`j li,traj e`kato,nÅ
NAS John
19:39 And
Nicodemus came also, who had first come to Him by night; de, (cc) Niko,dhmoj( (n-nm-s) h=lqen e;rcomai (viaa--3s) kai, (adjunct.) o` evlqw.n e;rcomai (adj. ptc./a/a/nm-s; "who
had come") pro,j (pa) auvto.n
auvto,j (npam3s; ref. Jesus) to, prw/ton(
prw/toj (d.a. + ord. adj./an-s; "at the first/earlier") nukto.j nu,x (n-gf-s; "of or at
night") bringing a mixture of myrrh and
aloes, about a hundred pounds weight. fe,rwn fe,rw (circ. ptc./p/a/nm-s;
"bearing/carrying/bringing") mi,gma (n-an-s; "to mix/a
mixture/compound"; hapax) smu,rnhj
smu,rna (n-gf-s; "of myrrh/Smyrna"; a resinous gum oozing from a kind
of balsam tree made into a costly perfume; used 4x) kai, (cc) avlo,hj avlo,h (n-gf-s; "aloes"; an
aromatic dried sap of the aloe plant used for the embalming the dead;
hapax) w`j (comp. adv.;
"about/approximately") e`kato,nÅ (card. adj./af-p; "one
hundred") li,traj
li,tra (n-af-p;
"Roman pounds"; a weight of 12 ounces or 75 lbs by our measurement;
same as 12:3)
GNT John 19:40 e;labon ou=n to. sw/ma tou/ VIhsou/
kai. e;dhsan auvto. ovqoni,oij meta. tw/n avrwma,twn( kaqw.j e;qoj evsti.n
toi/j VIoudai,oij evntafia,zeinÅ
NAS John
19:40 And so they
took the body of Jesus, and bound it in linen wrappings with the spices, as is
the burial custom of the Jews. ou=n (infer. conj.) e;labon lamba,nw (viaa--3p; "they
took/received") to, sw/ma (d.a. + n-an-s; "the body") tou/ o` VIhsou/ VIhsou/j (d.a. + n-gm-s) kai, (cc) e;dhsan de,w (viaa--3p; "bound/wrapped
up"; the custom burial procedure cp. 11:44) auvto. auvto,j (npan3s; "it"; ref. to
the body) ovqoni,oij
ovqo,nion(n-In-p; "strips of linen cloth/linen wrappings"; used 5x) meta, (pg; "with") tw/n to, avrwma,twn( a;rwma (d.a. + n-gn-p;
"spices/aromatic perfumes"; used 4x)
kaqw,j (compar. conj.; "just as")
evsti.n eivmi, (vipa--3s) evntafia,zeinÅ
evntafia,zw (inf. purpose/pa-; "to prepare for burial/for the purpose of the
burial”; indicates the purpose of the "custom" to follow; used
2x) e;qoj (n-nn-s;
"custom/ritual/habit"; based on fixed or traditional law; used
12x) toi/j o` VIoudai,oij VIoudai/oj (d.a. + ap-dm-p)
GNT John 19:41 h=n de. evn tw/| to,pw| o[pou evstaurw,qh
kh/poj( kai. evn tw/| kh,pw| mnhmei/on kaino.n evn w-| ouvde,pw ouvdei.j h=n
teqeime,noj\
NAS John
19:41 Now in
the place where He was crucified there was a garden; de, (cs) evn (pL; of location; "in or
at") tw/| o`
to,pw| to,poj (d.a. + n-Lm-s; "the place/area") o[pou (conj.; "where") evstaurw,qh stauro,w (viap--3s; "He had been
crucified"; area of Golgotha) h=n eivmi, (viIPFa--3s) kh/poj( (n-nm-s; "a
garden/grove") and in the garden a new tomb,
in which no one had yet been laid. kai, (cc) evn (pL; of sphere) tw/| o` kh,pw| kh/poj (d.a. + n-Lm-s; "of the
garden") kaino.n
kaino,j (a--nn-s; "a new/unused/fresh"; same as 13:34) mnhmei/on (n-nn-s;
"memorial/tomb") evn (pL) w-| o[j (rel. pro./Ln-s;
"which"; ref. the tomb) ouvde,pw (adv.; "not yet") ouvdei,j (card. adj./nm-s; "no
one/not even one") h=n eivmi, (viIPFa--3s; periphrastic
+) teqeime,noj\ ti,qhmi ( + circ. ptc./PF/p/nm-s;
"had been laid/placed")
GNT John 19:42 evkei/ ou=n dia. th.n paraskeuh.n
tw/n VIoudai,wn( o[ti evggu.j h=n to. mnhmei/on( e;qhkan to.n VIhsou/nÅ
NAS John
19:42 Therefore on
account of the Jewish day of preparation, because the tomb was nearby, they
laid Jesus there. ou=n (infer. conj.) dia, (pa; "because/on account
of") tw/n o`
VIoudai,wn( VIoudai/oj (d.a. + adj-gm-p; "the Jewish") th.n h` paraskeuh.n paraskeuh, (d.a. + n-af-s; "day of
preparation") o[ti (causal conj.) to, mnhmei/on( (d.a. + n-nn-s; "the
tomb") h=n eivmi, (viIPFa--3s) evggu,j (adv.; "nearby/close by/in
the neighborhood") e;qhkan
ti,qhmi (viaa--3p) to.n o`
VIhsou/nÅ VIhsou/j (d.a. + n-am-s) evkei/ (adv.; "there/in that
place")
1. The events of verses 38 – 42
deal with what might appear to be nothing more than the mundane events that
surrounded the burial of Christ.
2. However, when comparing the
information in the synoptics, we find out that we have more information about
the burial of Jesus than we have about the burial of any ancient Pharaoh,
Caesar or King.
3. We know who took His body
from the cross, how He was prepared for burial, the tomb into which His body
was placed and the name of the man that owned it.
4. In addition, John has
established the importance of prophecy as validation for his accounts of
Christ’s death and for those that are serious and want to continue to document
John’s records in this regard, another prophecy will now be fulfilled, though
John leaves it to the reader to figure it out.
5. Vs.38 picks up the narrative
within the remaining couple of hours left before Passover is to begin and introduces
the one that determined the burial arrangements for Jesus, “And 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”.
6. Aside from this incident, we
know nothing of this individual.
7. Facts that can be gleaned
include:
A.
He was from Arimathea,
perhaps the same place where Samuel was born.
1Sam.1:1
B.
He was a member of the Sanhedrin.
Mar.15:43; Luk.23:50ab
C.
He did not agree with the murder plot and execution of Jesus. Luk.23:51a
D.
He was a secret believer in Christ.
Mat.27:57b; Joh.19:38
E.
He operated predominately under STA fear of the Jews and kept his faith to himself. Joh.19:38
F.
He was rich. Mat.27:57a
G.
He was an establishment-oriented believer. Luk.23:50c
H.
He was also maladjusted to the advents and was looking for the
Messianic kingdom. Mar.15:43b;
Luk.23:51c
8. John emphasizes only that Joseph was a believer and that he was a
“secret agent” believer out of fear.
9. Though this man had obvious
influence and power within the religious hierarchy disagreeing with their
murder scheme, the only time that we see any real application is now, after the
fact of the trial and death of Jesus.
10. This does not mean that he
was totally silent in the matter (cp. Joh.7:50-52; 9:16), only that because he
was afraid, any force or defense or real influence that he might have had
truly, was severely hamstrung.
11. Sin fear robs believers of application before others in their witness
of the life.
12. Obviously Joseph was more concerned about his own
life, position and wealth than the life of Christ.
13. However, whatever his
demeanor before, his commitment to Jesus
seems to have finally overpowered his fear
of his peers and he makes a bold step by approaching Pilate and asking him for Jesus’ body.
14. Perhaps his conscience could
take no more as he finally saw the end result culminating in Jesus’ death and
his fear turned to righteous
indignation spurring him on.
15. That Joseph knows that Jesus
is dead gives strong implications that he was present at the cross.
16. No matter the exact
reasoning, one thing is now for certain and that is that Joseph has finally come out of the closet as his request is sure to
result in some uncomfortable questions in the future from the Jews.
17. Pilate
after hearing the request granted Joseph
permission.
18. Pilate
was surprised that Jesus was dead by
this time, although it was approaching evening.
Mar.15:42,44
19. He asks the centurion in
charge of the crucifixion detail if Jesus
was in fact dead.
20. He knew how long it took men
to die from crucifixion and even with the breaking of the legs he wondered if
sufficient time had elapsed for Jesus’ death.
21. That permission was ultimately granted
by the Roman governor unequivocally states that Jesus was true humanity and He was in fact dead.
22. Once Pilate is assured of His death, he releases the body and Joseph came therefore, and took away His body.
23. John then informs us in
vs.39 that Joseph did not act alone
in this endeavor, “And Nicodemus came
also, who had first come to Him by night; bringing a mixture of myrrh and
aloes, about a hundred pounds weight”.
24. It is the same Nicodemus, a Pharisaic ruler in the
Sanhedrin that appeared to Jesus
recorded in Joh.3:1ff.
25. As that passage implied and
John is subtly reminded us here, he too operated out of fear with respect to his belief in Jesus as he only would approach Him covertly under darkness.
26. He too now makes a stand and
together with Joseph assists in the burial preparation making a
contribution of his own.
27. Although normally the
relatives of the crucified man were responsible for the body and this is somewhat unusual, it is not without precedence and
unheard of for another to take care of these matters.
28. It is obvious that both Joseph and Nicodemus were men of
substantial financial means and they now choose to make application in burying
the Son of God.
29. Obviously this does not mean
that they totally have their spiritual acts together regarding Christ and the
necessity of His death and burial.
30. But it does at least
strongly suggest that they believed Him to be Messiah to the degree that no
matter their “religious” orientation, they now wish to honor Him in that
respect.
31. That these two men come
together also informs us that both were privy to one another’s faith in Christ.
32. Nicodemus donates some 75 lbs of expensive embalming ingredients and as we saw
in Joh.12:3-5, the best perfumes of the time had a current value today of about
$10,000 a pound.
33. The mixture was probably still in powdered form, and the grave clothes
and the body alike, would be
impregnated with them, and so they took
the body of Jesus, and bound it in linen wrappings with the spices, as is the
burial custom of the Jews.
34. John then tells us that the
execution site was close to a garden
and that a new tomb was available
for use in vs.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”.
35. Matthew alone tells us that the tomb belonged to Joseph.
Mat.27:60a
36. The tomb was not excavated downward, as our graves predominately are,
but was cut horizontally into the side of a rock. Mat.27:60b; Mar.15:46b; Luk.23:53b
37. Such tombs were expensive
and would generally be used over and over again, but this tomb had never been occupied.
38. That Joseph chose to utilize his own grave for Jesus’ burial once again
fulfills prophecy in that Jesus
would be buried in a rich man’s tomb
(Isa.53:9), something which He obviously had no control over.
39. As John had previously
announced clearly of the fulfillment of prophetic events on the cross, he now
leaves it to only those that have any real desire to confirm his truths of
accounts regarding Christ to continue and seek answers through their own
studies and comparisons.
40. Because this was occurring
late Friday afternoon with the High Sabbath fast approaching, time was of the
essence as vs.42 reveals, “Therefore on
account of the Jewish day of preparation, because the tomb was nearby, they
laid Jesus there”.
41. At this point all work would
cease and so a hasty burial ensued.
42. The implication of this
verse is that the convenience of Joseph’s own tomb in relation to the time constraints they were under was a
deciding factor in his offering of its use.
43. Some have suggested that
this was not designed to be the final work on Jesus’ burial (Cp. Luk.24:1), however the sealing of the grave with a
large stone indicated that the work was for all intents and purposes
essentially complete. Mat.27:60;
Mar.15:46
44. Matthew and Mark both state
that there were two other witnesses to the burial
spot and the proceeding, Mary Magdalene and Mary, the mother of James and
Joseph. Mat.27:61: Mar.15:47
45. Luke tells us that the women
also prepared spices to further
enhance preparation of the body as a
post-burial application. Luk.23:55-56a cp. 24:1
46. These spices and perfumes would be applied externally outside the wrappings as a further deterrent of any
decomposing odors.
47. Sundown quickly comes and
all the events of that fateful Friday are completed.
48. Matthew alone records the
fact that the leaders of the Jews
went to Pilate on the Sabbath
(Saturday) and made a request for a guard detail to watch the tomb of Jesus. Mat.27:62-66
49. From this account there can
be no doubt that the enemies of Jesus
knew precisely where He was buried.
50. Furthermore it would mean
that the religious leaders made sure the body
was still in place in the tomb
before it was sealed and placed with guards.
51. Some critics assert that
Matthew invented this to provide witnesses to the resurrection and to provide
evidence that the body was not stolen.
52. If Matthew was trying to be
deceitful in this regard, then why does he not have the guards posted
immediately, instead of waiting until the next day?
53. Some object to his account
because they say it implies that the Jewish leadership believed in Messiah’s
resurrection, something that the disciples still haven’t come to believe.
54. Matthew is not saying that;
what He is saying is that the Jews
simply are afraid of a fraud regarding previous predictions made by Jesus.
55. During this interlude, the
disciples are shattered and demoralized by the turn of these events and in fear of the Jews (Joh.20:19), and cower
together not trusting their own judgments and understanding of things excepting
for the terrible fact that their King had been crucified.
56. In the meantime, even the
wax seal on the tomb and the Roman guards
placed there cannot stop the POG and Messiah’s glorification and triumph of
resurrection.
57. Review Doctrine of Fear.