After arresting, and binding, and beating Jesus all night; the religious leaders led Him to Pilate, (the governor) early in the morning.
Pilate asked Jesus some pointed and powerful questions:
Are You the King of the Jews? John 18:33.
Am I a Jew? John 18:35; Romans 2:28-29.
What have You done? John 18:35.
He basically asked what we all must ask, to reveal the answer
to our Eternity.
Who are You to me, Jesus? Who am I to You, Jesus? What have
You done, Jesus?
Pilate had a little talk with Jesus, and just like that, he
stepped outside and spoke the Truth.
I FIND NO FAULT IN HIM AT ALL.
Unfortunately, the religiously manipulated mob rejected Jesus,
the Truth, and requested Barabbas, one who steals, kills and destroys.
In an effort to appease the people Pilate had Jesus scourged.
Appeasement never works.
Pilate brought Jesus back out to the people and said:
BEHOLD THE MAN.
Did I mention, appeasement never works?
Like blood to sharks they attacked; CRUCIFY HIM! CRUCIFY HIM!
Pilate tried to reason with them. But there’s no reasoning with
the unreasonable. So, he tossed out appeasement, brought Jesus back out and once
again spoke the Truth.
BEHOLD YOUR KING.
This is the grand finale of what began a few years earlier
when John the Baptist pointed at Jesus and said:
BEHOLD THE LAMB of God that takes away the
sins of the world. John 1:29.
The chief priests (aka: hypocrites) said “We have no king but
Caesar.” In so doing they followed the footsteps of Judas past the point of no
return and sold their souls to the devil, just to appease their hatred of one
Man.
Pilate let them have their own way, but wanted no part in it
and washed his hands of their wicked deed.
The LORD does this too. There comes a time when a person’s
heart becomes so hard toward God, that He gives them over to a strong delusion,
a reprobate and debased mind to do things that are absolutely insane, immoral,
perverse, self-destructive. Romans 1:28.
And so, they led Jesus away to be crucified. John
19:16.
John 19:17
And He, bearing His cross, went out to a place called the
Place of a Skull, which is called in Hebrew, Golgotha,
And He, bearing His cross…
The horizontal crossbeam of the cross is called the patibulum;
it weighed about 75-100 pounds.
The vertical member is called the stipes (pronounced sty; peez);
it weighed about 200 pounds.
Thus, the entire cross would be about 300 pounds.
Tradition says part of the very cross Jesus was crucified on is
in the Basilica of the Holy Cross, in Rome, Italy, and also at the foot of
Golgotha in the Church of the Holy Sepulcher.
Contrary to most movie depictions, many say Jesus carried the
patibulum (cross beam); not the entire cross.
Golgotha in Latin is Calvarium;
where we get our word Calvary.
The Romans would make the convicted carry their cross on a
long and winding route. A morbid parade to show the people what happens to
those who defy Rome.
The route is called the Via Dolorosa; the way of sorrows. It’s
just over a third of a mile, (656 yards).
Some claim Golgotha came from the name of the giant, Goliath,
from Gath. Gol (Goliath) goth (Gath). David
slew Goliath and took his head to Jerusalem and, so the story goes, he buried
his head on Golgotha.
However, a more powerful message about Golgotha is that it is Mount Moriah, the place where Abraham offered his son, Isaac.
It is the first place
in the Bible where the word “love” is mentioned. In Genesis 22:2, God tells
Abraham: “Take your son, your only son, Isaac, whom you love, and
go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there.”
Isaac, carried the wood for the offering. Jesus carried the
wooden cross.
Father Abraham willingly offered his son; Father God willingly
offered His only begotten Son.
Isaac, the son, willingly offered his life; however, God
provided a substitute to take his place.
Jesus, the Son, willingly offered His Life, and became the
Sacrifice, to take our place.
Hallelujah!
18 where they crucified Him,
and two others with Him, one on either side, and Jesus in the center
Jesus in the center, is a
perfect picture of where He wants to be. He loves people, and being right in
the midst of them.
Jesus between two thieves, for He came to seek and to save
that which was lost.
Jesus hung between heaven and hell, bridging the gap created
by my sin, and yours.
Jesus stood between God and man; making the Way, to be reunited
with Him, again.
19 Now Pilate wrote a title
and put it on the cross. And the writing was:
JESUS OF NAZARETH, THE KING OF THE JEWS.
It was customary for a sign to show the name of the criminal
and their crime.
But Jesus committed no crime, so what could they write?
Pilate took it upon himself to state the Truth, the best he
knew:
JESUS OF NAZARETH, THE
KING OF THE JEWS
20 Then many
of the Jews read this title, for the place where Jesus was crucified was near
the city; and it was written in Hebrew, Greek, and Latin.
Interesting how it was written in:
Hebrew, representing religion.
Greek, representing culture and education.
Latin, representing law and order, the language of Rome.
Jesus didn’t come to just be King of the Jews, but King and
LORD, of all.
And if
you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the
promise. Galatians 3:29.
21 Therefore
the chief priests of the Jews said to Pilate, “Do not write, ‘The King of the
Jews,’ but, ‘He said, “I am the King of the Jews.” ’ ”
The original text is structured in the, imperfect tense,
implying they asked and kept on asking.
Persistence is powerful.
22 Pilate answered, “What I
have written, I have written.”
The persistence of the ungodly can never alter the Truth.
What Pilate said was in the, perfect tense, implying he took a
stand, and said without wavering, what I’ve written stands, and will always
stand.
23 Then the soldiers, when
they had crucified Jesus, took His garments and made four parts, to each
soldier a part, and also the tunic. Now the tunic was without seam, woven from
the top in one piece. 24 They said therefore among themselves, “Let
us not tear it, but cast lots for it, whose it shall be,” that the Scripture
might be fulfilled which says:
“They divided My garments among them,
And for My clothing they cast lots.”
Therefore the soldiers did these things.
This was predicted about a thousand years prior, even before
crucifixion was invented. Of course, God knew about it, and had David write
about it. Psalm 22.
NOTE: Just because God knows something will happen—doesn’t
mean He makes it happen.
God did not force
the soldiers to do what they did, however God knew what they would do, and
prophesied it; so, we’d believe.
25 Now there stood by the
cross of Jesus His mother, and His mother’s sister, Mary
the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene.
Four women, and also standing there is one guy; John.
Where’s the rest of the guys? The other disciples?
Multitudes flocked to Him for miracles, and food, and free
medical care (healings), but now? Just mom, and aunt and a couple friends.
Mary was a pretty popular name, then, and now.
FYI: His mother’s sister, is probably Salome (Mark 15:40), mother
to the sons of Zebedee; James and John (Matthew 27:56). Which means, James and
John are His cousins.
Cleopas, short for Clopas, may be the man mentioned in Luke 24:18,
on the road to Emmaus.
Mary Magdalene, is the lady whom the LORD cast out seven
demons.
26 When Jesus therefore saw
His mother, and the disciple whom He loved standing by, He said to His
mother, “Woman, behold your son!” 27 Then He said to
the disciple, “Behold your mother!” And from that hour that disciple
took her to his own home.
Even in excruciating pain, Jesus is honoring mom, thinking of others.
With those simple words, John took the hint, and took Mary
under his wing and cared for her from that moment on.
The LORD doesn’t bark orders, He drops hints. If we see a need
in our heart, it may just be His still, small, voice, calling you into His
ministry.
The ministry of Christ, is way more than pulpits
and preaching—it’s people. It’s messy. It’s sweat, and sleepless nights and sawdust
and slivers.
28 After this,
Jesus, knowing that all things were now accomplished, that the
Scripture might be fulfilled, said, “I thirst!”
One result of crucifixion is intense thirst; Psalm 22:15.
Knowing He has one more important announcement to make, and fulfilling
His perfect plan as spelled out in Scripture, He says, “I thirst.”
29 Now a
vessel full of sour wine was sitting there; and they filled a sponge with
sour wine, put it on hyssop, and put it to His mouth.
NOTE: This is not the pain-numbing
drink offered Jesus some hours earlier; Mark 15:23. For this labor
of Love, Jesus refused any type of pain-relieving epidural. He experienced the undiluted
agony of crucifixion; He carried the full weight of the wages of our sin.
This was the soldier’s stash of cheap watered-down wine to
quench their thirst during the long, dry, dusty, hours of duty.
Hyssop. On the
very first Passover, hyssop was used to paint lamb’s blood over the door
posts, to deliver from death. Exodus 12:22.
It’s appropriate that hyssop was used on this Passover, to wet
the lips and clear the throat, of The Passover Lamb, so He could announce loud
and clear the culmination of all Passovers.
30 So when
Jesus had received the sour wine, He said, “It is finished!” And
bowing His head, He gave up His spirit.
It is finished, in the
original text was just one word: Tetelestai.
A word of victory. A word of completion.
Tetelestai was said when:
A servant completed his master’s task.
When a priest finished examining a Passover lamb and found it
to be blameless, without broken bone, spot, or blemish.
When an artist finished his work of art.
When merchants declared a debt, paid in full.
And bowing His head, is not a
motion of resignation or shame or defeat, but a bowing of reverence and peace;
it is complete. Well done.
He gave up His Spirit; no one
took it from Him. He said, I lay down My Life, no one takes it from Me. John 10:18.
31 Therefore, because it was
the Preparation Day, that the bodies should not remain on the cross
on the Sabbath (for that Sabbath was a high day), the Jews asked Pilate
that their legs might be broken, and that they might be taken away.
The hypocrites just spit on their Savior, and shed the blameless,
undefiled, blood of The Lamb of God; yet they were concerned about defiling the
land.
You see, Deuteronomy 21:22-23, says that a man hung on a tree
should not remain overnight lest the land be defiled.
The religious hypocrites wanted to celebrate the Passover
without evidence of their evil hanging in their face; they wanted to put on spotless
robes and smiling faces and look all holier than thou.
32 Then the soldiers came
and broke the legs of the first and of the other who was crucified with
Him.
Sometimes the crucified could live for days, so they asked for
their legs to be broken.
On the cross they hung in such a way that they needed to push
down on the spike through their feet, and pull on the nails in their hands, to
open the airway enough to take a breath.
If the legs were broken, they couldn’t push down to relieve
the pressure, and thus, their crucifixion would quickly lead to death by
suffocation.
33 But when they came to Jesus
and saw that He was already dead, they did not break His legs.
The soldiers fulfilled Scripture without even knowing it.
The Passover Lamb, could have no broken bones, and must be
without spot or blemish.
Jesus, the Perfect Lamb of God.
34 But one
of the soldiers pierced His side with a spear, and immediately blood and
water came out.
Blood and water flowed.
Only hours earlier, when they left the Upper Room, they
stepped across the brook Kidron (John 18:1) which flowed with the blood of
Passover lambs that poured from the side of the temple.
In the Garden blood and water (sweat) flowed from Jesus. Luke
22:44.
Some say this was an on-the-spot autopsy indicating Jesus died
of a broken heart. The weight of the sins of the world and separation from His
Father, was more than a human heart could bear.
Do you wonder if at this moment, Mary remembered the day
Simeon held Baby Jesus, and said this Child shall cause the rise and fall of
many, and then looking at Mary saying, “and a sword will pierce your very soul.”
Luke 2:35.
35 And he who has seen has
testified, and his testimony is true; and he knows that he is telling the
truth, so that you may believe.
John confirms his words are True, saying he was an eye witness
of these things.
36 For these things were done
that the Scripture should be fulfilled, “Not one of His bones
shall be broken.” 37 And again another Scripture says, “They
shall look on Him whom they pierced.”
All of these things were foretold for them, and are retold for us, to believe what happened; and also what will happen. This is not only talking
about HIStory past; but also, HIStory future.
One day in our not-so-distant future, after the rapture, after
the seven-year tribulation, Jesus will appear, and Israel will recognize Him
whom they pierced…
Psalm 34:20
Zechariah 12:10
Revelation 1:7.
Let’s pray.
Heavenly Father, Holy LORD Jesus, Awesome Holy Spirit, thank You.
What else can we say?
What else can we do, but humbly bow, and say have Your own
way.
We love You, forever.
Amen.
Prayer Requests:
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Watch online:
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The Cross, John 19:17-37
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John 19:17-37
This was feed for you to read; now it’s Seed for
you to sow.
Thank you for sharing.
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