John 19

The Crown of Thorns

1 Pilate then took Jesus and ¹scourged Him.

2 ²And the soldiers twisted together a crown of thorns and put it on His head, and put a purple robe on Him;

3 and they began to come up to Him and say, "³Hail, King of the Jews!" and to ⁴give Him slaps in the face.

4 Pilate ⁵came out again and said to them, "Behold, I am bringing Him out to you so that you may know that ⁶I find no guilt in Him."

5 Jesus then came out, ⁷wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe. Pilate said to them, "Behold, the Man!"

6 So when the chief priests and the ⁸officers saw Him, they cried out saying, "Crucify, crucify!" Pilate said to them, "Take Him yourselves and crucify Him, for ⁹I find no guilt in Him."

7 The Jews answered him, "¹⁰We have a law, and by that law He ought to die because He ¹¹made Himself out to be the Son of God."

8 Therefore when Pilate heard this statement, he was even more afraid;

9 and he ¹²entered into the Praetorium again and said to Jesus, "Where are You from?" But ¹³Jesus gave him no answer.

10 So Pilate said to Him, "You do not speak to me? Do You not know that I have authority to release You, and I have authority to crucify You?"

11 Jesus answered, "¹⁴You would have no * authority over Me, unless * it had been given you from above; for this reason ¹⁵he who delivered Me to you has the greater sin."

12 As a result of this Pilate made efforts to release Him, but the Jews cried out saying, "¹⁶If you release this Man, you are no friend of Caesar; everyone who makes himself out to be a king opposes Caesar."

13 Therefore when Pilate heard these words, he brought Jesus out, and ¹⁷sat down on the judgment seat at a place called The Pavement, but ¹⁸in Hebrew, Gabbatha.

14 Now it was ¹⁹the day of preparation for the Passover; it was about the ²⁰sixth hour. And he said to the Jews, "Behold, ²¹your King!"

15 So they cried out, "²²Away with Him, away with Him, crucify Him!" Pilate said to them, "Shall I crucify your King?" The chief priests answered, "We have no king but Caesar."

The Crucifixion

16 So he then ²³handed Him over to them to be crucified.

17 ²⁴They took Jesus, therefore, and He went out, ²⁵bearing His own cross, to the place called ²⁶the Place of a Skull, which is called ²⁷in Hebrew, Golgotha.

18 There they crucified Him, and with Him ²⁸two other men, one on either side, and Jesus in between.

19 Pilate also wrote an inscription and put it on the cross. It was written, "²⁹JESUS THE NAZARENE, ³⁰THE KING OF THE JEWS."

20 Therefore many of the Jews read this inscription, for the place where Jesus was crucified was near the city; and it was written ³¹in Hebrew, Latin and in Greek.

21 So the chief priests of the Jews were saying to Pilate, "Do not write, '³²The King of the Jews '; but that He said, 'I am ³³King of the Jews.' "

22 Pilate answered, "³⁴What I have written I have written."

23 Then ³⁵the soldiers, when they had crucified Jesus, took His outer garments and made ³⁶four parts, a part to every soldier and also the tunic; now the tunic was seamless, woven in one piece.

24 So they said to one another, "³⁷Let us not tear it, but cast lots for it, to decide whose it shall be"; ³⁸this was to fulfill the Scripture: "THEY ³⁹DIVIDED MY OUTER GARMENTS AMONG THEM, AND FOR MY CLOTHING THEY CAST LOTS."

25 Therefore the soldiers did these things. ⁴⁰But standing by the cross of Jesus were ⁴¹His mother, and His mother's sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and ⁴²Mary Magdalene.

26 When Jesus then saw His mother, and ⁴³the disciple whom He loved standing nearby, He said to His mother, "⁴⁴Woman, behold, your son!"

27 Then He said to the disciple, "Behold, your mother!" From that hour the disciple took her into ⁴⁵his own household.

28 After this, Jesus, ⁴⁶knowing that all things had already been accomplished, ⁴⁷to fulfill the Scripture, said, "⁴⁸I am thirsty."

29 A jar full of sour wine was standing there; so ⁴⁹they put a sponge full of the sour wine upon a branch of hyssop and brought it up to His mouth.

30 Therefore when Jesus had received the sour wine, He said, "⁵⁰It is finished!" And He bowed His head and ⁵¹gave up His spirit.

Care of the Body of Jesus

31 Then the Jews, because it was ⁵²the day of preparation, so that ⁵³the bodies would not remain on the cross on the Sabbath (for that Sabbath was a ⁵⁴high day ), asked Pilate that their legs might be broken, and that they might be taken away.

32 So the soldiers came, and broke the legs of the first man and of the other who was ⁵⁵crucified with Him;

33 but coming to Jesus, when they saw that He was already dead, they did not break His legs.

34 But one of the soldiers pierced His side with a spear, and immediately ⁵⁶blood and water came out.

35 And he who has seen has ⁵⁷testified, and his testimony is true; and he knows that he is telling the truth, so that you also may believe.

36 For these things came to pass ⁵⁸to fulfill the Scripture, "⁵⁹NOT A BONE OF HIM SHALL BE BROKEN."

37 And again another Scripture says, "⁶⁰THEY SHALL LOOK ON HIM WHOM THEY PIERCED."

38 ⁶¹After these things Joseph of Arimathea, being a disciple of Jesus, but a ⁶²secret one for ⁶³fear of the Jews, asked Pilate that he might take away the body of Jesus; and Pilate granted permission. So he came and took away His body.

39 ⁶⁴Nicodemus, who had first come to Him by night, also came, ⁶⁵bringing a mixture of ⁶⁶myrrh and aloes, about a ⁶⁷hundred pounds weight.

40 So they took the body of Jesus and ⁶⁸bound it in ⁶⁹linen wrappings with the spices, as is the burial custom of the Jews.

41 Now in the place where He was crucified there was a garden, and in the garden a ⁷⁰new tomb ⁷¹in which no one had yet been laid.

42 Therefore because of the Jewish day of ⁷²preparation, since the tomb was ⁷³nearby, they laid Jesus there.

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John 19 Commentary

Chapter 19

Christ condemned and crucified. (1-18) Christ on the cross. (19-30) His side pierced. (31-37) The burial of Jesus. (38-42)

Verses 1-18 Little did Pilate think with what holy regard these sufferings of Christ would, in after-ages, be thought upon and spoken of by the best and greatest of men. Our Lord Jesus came forth, willing to be exposed to their scorn. It is good for every one with faith, to behold Christ Jesus in his sufferings. Behold him, and love him; be still looking unto Jesus. Did their hatred sharpen their endeavours against him? and shall not our love for him quicken our endeavours for him and his kingdom? Pilate seems to have thought that Jesus might be some person above the common order. Even natural conscience makes men afraid of being found fighting against God. As our Lord suffered for the sins both of Jews and Gentiles, it was a special part of the counsel of Divine Wisdom, that the Jews should first purpose his death, and the Gentiles carry that purpose into effect. Had not Christ been thus rejected of men, we had been for ever rejected of God. Now was the Son of man delivered into the hands of wicked and unreasonable men. He was led forth for us, that we might escape. He was nailed to the cross, as a Sacrifice bound to the altar. The Scripture was fulfilled; he did not die at the altar among the sacrifices, but among criminals sacrificed to public justice. And now let us pause, and with faith look upon Jesus. Was ever sorrow like unto his sorrow? See him bleeding, see him dying, see him and love him! love him, and live to him!

Verses 19-30 Here are some remarkable circumstances of Jesus' death, more fully related than before. Pilate would not gratify the chief priests by allowing the writing to be altered; which was doubtless owing to a secret power of God upon his heart, that this statement of our Lord's character and authority might continue. Many things done by the Roman soldiers were fulfilments of the prophecies of the Old Testament. All things therein written shall be fulfilled. Christ tenderly provided for his mother at his death. Sometimes, when God removes one comfort from us, he raises up another for us, where we looked not for it. Christ's example teaches all men to honour their parents in life and death; to provide for their wants, and to promote their comfort by every means in their power. Especially observe the dying word wherewith Jesus breathed out his soul. It is finished; that is, the counsels of the Father concerning his sufferings were now fulfilled. It is finished; all the types and prophecies of the Old Testament, which pointed at the sufferings of the Messiah, were accomplished. It is finished; the ceremonial law is abolished; the substance is now come, and all the shadows are done away. It is finished; an end is made of transgression by bringing in an everlasting righteousness. His sufferings were now finished, both those of his soul, and those of his body. It is finished; the work of man's redemption and salvation is now completed. His life was not taken from him by force, but freely given up.

Verses 31-37 A trial was made whether Jesus was dead. He died in less time than persons crucified commonly did. It showed that he had laid down his life of himself. The spear broke up the very fountains of life; no human body could survive such a wound. But its being so solemnly attested, shows there was something peculiar in it. The blood and water that flowed out, signified those two great benefits which all believers partake of through Christ, justification and sanctification; blood for atonement, water for purification. They both flow from the pierced side of our Redeemer. To Christ crucified we owe merit for our justification, and Spirit and grace for our sanctification. Let this silence the fears of weak Christians, and encourage their hopes; there came both water and blood out of Jesus' pierced side, both to justify and sanctify them. The Scripture was fulfilled, in Pilate's not allowing his legs to be broken, Ps. 34:20 . There was a type of this in the paschal lamb, Ex. 12:46 . May we ever look to Him, whom, by our sins, we have ignorantly and heedlessly pierced, nay, sometimes against convictions and mercies; and who shed from his wounded side both water and blood, that we might be justified and sanctified in his name.

Verses 38-42 Joseph of Arimathea was a disciple of Christ in secret. Disciples should openly own themselves; yet some, who in lesser trials have been fearful, in greater have been courageous. When God has work to do, he can find out such as are proper to do it. The embalming was done by Nicodemus, a secret friend to Christ, though not his constant follower. That grace which at first is like a bruised reed, may afterward resemble a strong cedar. Hereby these two rich men showed the value they had for Christ's person and doctrine, and that it was not lessened by the reproach of the cross. We must do our duty as the present day and opportunity are, and leave it to God to fulfil his promises in his own way and his own time. The grave of Jesus was appointed with the wicked, as was the case of those who suffered as criminals; but he was with the rich in his death, as prophesied, ( Isaiah 53:9 ) ; these two circumstances it was very unlikely should ever be united in the same person. He was buried in a new sepulchre; therefore it could not be said that it was not he, but some other that rose. We also are here taught not to be particular as to the place of our burial. He was buried in the sepulchre next at hand. Here is the Sun of Righteousness set for a while, to rise again in greater glory, and then to set no more.