John 19.docx

JOHN 19 vv. 17-18  The Roman custom required the man to be crucified to carry his cross from the hall of judgement to the place of execution. The criminal is forced to carry it in a public procession to draw attention to the condemned, his crime, and his fate. It is a mark of guilt.  Crucifixion is said to have originated from the Persians but it was the Romans that made special use of it. No Roman citizen was given this punishment but the Romans freely carried it out in the provinces it occupied. This mode of punishment is reserved for the worst criminals and lowest classes. Crucifixion was designed to make the victim die publicly, slowly, with great pain and humiliation.  This was the form of death God ordained for Jesus to die, and the death that He submitted to in the will of God. In the past, it meant rejection, shame, and suffering for the Romans. Because of Jesus, believers now see it as a symbol of glory and victory  There were practices that God used to prepare people to understand the significance of Jesus’ crucifixion  ! There are concepts about why Jesus was in the middle. It fulfilled Isaiah 53:12, that He was treated like a common criminal. vv. 19-22  It was customary for the person to be crucified to wear a placard around his neck with his name and the nature of his crime. Later on, the sign would be nailed to the cross. This served to warn the people of the price of disobedience.  Jesus was recognized as a King. Earthly kings gained their thrones through the death of others but Jesus was proclaimed King through His own death. What was written on the sign also revealed His innocence; He was not guilty of any crime because the description is true.  Why was Jesus’ title written in three languages? Aramaic was the daily language of Jews in Judea and of the O.T., Latin was the language of civil law and strong government, and Greek was the language of most Jews living outside Israel and philosophy. This reveals that the place Jesus was crucified was a place where nations met. Pilate did this so all could understand but God’s purpose behind it was for all people to recognize Jesus’ glory. This points to the universal scope of the gospel. What Jesus did on the cross, He did for the whole world. When God fulfills His plans, He will unite everything under Christ as King.  The religious leaders protested for they felt that what was written was false. That Jesus wasn’t King of the Jews but claimed to be so. They disowned their own King and considered it blasphemy.  Pilate refused as a means of repaying the leaders for their stubbornness that put him in a dilemma. vv. 23-24  Roman soldiers guarded the crucifixion to maintain order and ensure the criminal’s death.  Jesus Christ accomplished our salvation as he let go of everything – even His clothing – becoming completely poor for us that we could become completely rich in Him.  The tunic (seamless garment) relates how Jesus is our High Priest (Exo. 28:31-32)  Why did the soldiers take Jesus’ clothing and gambled for it? It was considered a privilege for the soldiers to share the personal belongings of the victims. Clothing was all that Jesus owned. This fulfilled Psalm 22:18. vv. 25-27  The love of John and the four women for the Lord drove out fear of the Roman soldiers and Jewish leaders  The four women were Mary (wife of Clopas); Jesus’ aunt (Mary’s sister) Salome who once asked Jesus to give her sons the highest positions in His kingdom; Mary Magdalene who was once possessed by seven demons; and Jesus’ mother Mary who painfully learned her precious Son not only belonged to her but the whole world. At the time, perhaps Mary realized what Simeon meant (Luke 2:35).

 Even on the cross, Jesus’ concern was directed to others and not to Himself. He cared for His mother and entrusted her to His beloved disciple, John.

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vv. 28-30 Jesus took care to fulfill every detail the Scriptures foretold so His final triumph would be complete Jesus was enduring physical suffering and He asked for His thirst to be quenched that He may consciously end and finish all the work God gave Him. This fulfilled Psalm 22:15 The hyssop plant was used as part of the first night of Passover. On the first Passover, the plant was used to apply the lamb’s blood to the door of the Israelites. Moses also used the plant to sprinkle the people of God with blood to confirm God’s covenant with Israel. David also used it to speak of the sacrifice for sin. The use of hyssop displayed the fact that Jesus is the great Passover Lamb of God. Jesus shouted in triumph and His words applied to the battle against sin, death, and Satan Jesus’ life was not taken from Him. He had the complete authority to lay it down and take it up again (John 10:1718). Knowing that God had accepted His sacrifice, Jesus yielded Himself to death in obedience to the Father vv. 31-34 Because it was high day, those crucified was ordered to be removed from the cross to prevent profanity The legs were broken to hasten the victim’s death since the victim would not be able to support himself to breathe Jesus’ bones were not broken as that of the Passover Lamb (Exo. 12:46) and His side was to be pierced (Zech. 12:10) The blood and water coming from Jesus showed that He had a real physical body and experienced a real death Jesus’ blood symbolizes our justification while the water for our sanctification and cleansing The water also represents the new spiritual life received by all who believe and receive Jesus. The water flowing within represents the Holy Spirit (John 7:38-39)

vv. 35-37  Who has seen? John gave an assurance that he was present during the crucifixion and stated the purpose of his testimony which was that the readers may believe.  The things unknowingly done by the Roman soldiers shows the exact fulfillment of the Scripture and the providence and guidance of God which shall lead us to believe as well vv. 38-39  Jesus’ could no longer touch Him  Normally, the bodies of the criminals were allowed to rot or be eaten by animals unless any relative or friend requested for it  God raised to previously secret disciples of Christ to give Him the best possible burial during the short time before Sabbath  What was the significance of the burial for the two Jewish leaders? Joseph was a part of the Sanhedrin, he was the “good and upright man” who did not consent to Jesus’ death. Nicodemus was also a member of the Jewish ruling council. The burial gave Joseph and Nicodemus a way to proclaim a new relationship with Christ and it called them out of their state of secret discipleship vv. 40-42  The Scriptures revealed how the two Jewish leaders were wealthy and appreciated Christ  This also fulfills the Scripture (Isa 53:9) and (Ps. 16:10)  The fall of the first Adam took place in a garden; and it was in a garden that the second Adam redeemed mankind from the consequences of Adam’s transgression.