John 19: Jesus Is Sentenced To Be Crucified

John 19 Covers the trial, death, and Burial of Jesus. Looking at this chapter from the future, we can cheer God on. We get to see how Jesus conquered sin, death, and the grave. His resurrection gives us eternal life and reconnects us to God.

However, for the disciples, it was horrible. They saw the destruction of their dreams and probably thought God’s plan had failed.

Everything Jesus was warning his disciples about was coming true, even in their worst nightmares they didn’t think it was going to end this badly.

I wonder if they thought he’d come off the cross and call a legion of angels to fight for him.

Whatever they thought was going to happen, it definitely wasn’t this, and they were all shaken to the core.

Everyone except Judas clung to Jesus in their grief, they watched him die and then stayed together. The former committed suicide and the latter transformed the world as we know it.

The moral of the story, you can try to understand God’s plan, but you will still be surprised by a twist. It happens to everyone. We need to trust God’s plan and stick together.

John 19: Jesus Sentenced to Death

19 Then Pilate had Jesus flogged with a lead-tipped whip. ² The soldiers wove a crown of thorns and put it on his head, and they put a purple robe on him. ³ “Hail! King of the Jews!” they mocked, as they slapped him across the face.

⁴ Pilate went outside again and said to the people, “I am going to bring him out to you now, but understand clearly that I find him not guilty.” ⁵ Then Jesus came out wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe. And Pilate said, “Look, here is the man!”

⁶ When they saw him, the leading priests and Temple guards began shouting, “Crucify him! Crucify him!”

“Take him yourselves and crucify him,” Pilate said. “I find him not guilty.”

⁷ The Jewish leaders replied, “By our law, he ought to die because he called himself the Son of God.”

John 19:1-7

John 19: Jesus Was Beaten And Mocked, Knowing We Would Keep On Sinning

These verses are only the beginning of Jesus’ pain. He came to die, and it was the only way. The Jewish leaders stirred the crowds into a frenzy. The same people 6 days ago called him Hosanna and waved palm branches, now called for his death.

It shows how quickly opinions can change and people can believe lies.

This also shows that we need stronger roots to avoid these lies. They saw the Son of God, their messiah entering Jerusalem, and they proclaimed it out loud. Then only 6 days later many of these people were demanding his death.

What drove that?

• Fear
• Ignorance
• Blind Trust Of Authority

And probably a few other things I haven’t even thought of yet.

This issue we see in John 19 is still in effect today. How many people trust Governments or people in authority blindly? It’s sad to say that this teaching has infiltrated the church as well.

I’ve been shocked over the last decade when I find people who are blindly trusting what they are told, and the “truth” they’re hearing is easily dispelled.

I think people care more about the package their “truth” comes in than what is Truth.

In effect, it’s just like Pilate asking Jesus the same question, but the truth is usually the difficult route, and the masses usually don’t go down that path.

John 19: Pilate Is Frightened And Asks What Is Truth:

⁸ When Pilate heard this, he was more frightened than ever. ⁹ He took Jesus back into the headquarters again and asked him, “Where are you from?” But Jesus gave no answer. ¹⁰ “Why don’t you talk to me?” Pilate demanded. “Don’t you realize that I have the power to release you or crucify you?”

¹¹ Then Jesus said, “You would have no power over me at all unless it were given to you from above. So the one who handed me over to you has the greater sin.”

¹² Then Pilate tried to release him, but the Jewish leaders shouted, “If you release this man, you are no ‘friend of Caesar.’ Anyone who declares himself a king is a rebel against Caesar.”

¹³ When they said this, Pilate brought Jesus out to them again. Then Pilate sat down on the judgment seat on the platform that is called the Stone Pavement (in Hebrew, Gabbatha). ¹⁴ It was now about noon on the day of preparation for the Passover. And Pilate said to the people, “Look, here is your king!”

John 19: 8-14

John 19: Pilate Becomes Frightened After Learning Who Jesus Is:

Pilate became more frightened than ever, once he heard Jesus was the Son of God. And I love his question in John 18 when he asked “what is truth”?

Truth be told the Son of God was staring him right in the face. He knew what was happening and he let people pressure him into sentencing Jesus to death.

I know that would’ve halted the crucifixion of Jesus, and stopped God’s plan for a minute. But if he’d listened to his heart. I think we’d have a different path. Yes, I know Jesus would’ve still been crucified, but there’d be a different story on how it happened.

The moral of the story is that God is moving on your heart. Don’t let other people redirect you. Shut out the different voices and see where God is leading. Perhaps Pilate would be seen now as the one who set Jesus free and Herod would’ve crucified him. That’d be an interesting alternate John 19 to read.

Pointless speculation is just that, and we’ll never know. What I do know, is he died for you and me. John 3:16 says he loved the whole world so much that he was sent to die.

I’d like to meet the man who died in my place, say thank you, and follow him. He didn’t have to save me, he chose to because he loved me.

John 19: The Trial Is Finished And Jesus Is Sent To Be Crucified:

¹⁵ “Away with him,” they yelled. “Away with him! Crucify him!”

“What? Crucify your king?” Pilate asked.

“We have no king but Caesar,” the leading priests shouted back.

¹⁶ Then Pilate turned Jesus over to them to be crucified.

John 19: 15-16

Here in John 19, the leading priests proclaim who they follow, and it isn’t God. They have no king but Caesar, which means they’ve sold their allegiance from God to man.

It should be obvious already in John 19 that they aren’t followers of God. The priests of the day had the appearance of Godliness but denied the power thereof.

They really wanted him dead.

John 19: 17-27 The Crucifixion Of Jesus Saved Humanity

So they took Jesus away. ¹⁷ Carrying the cross by himself, he went to the place called Place of the Skull (in Hebrew, Golgotha). ¹⁸ There they nailed Him to the cross. Two others were crucified with him, one on either side, with Jesus between them. 

¹⁹ And Pilate posted a sign on the cross that read, “Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews.” 20 The place where Jesus was crucified was near the city, and the sign was written in Hebrew, Latin, and Greek so that many people could read it.

²¹ Then the leading priests objected and said to Pilate, “Change it from ‘The King of the Jews to ‘He said, I am King of the Jews.’”

²² Pilate replied, “No, what I have written, I have written.”

²³ When the soldiers had crucified Jesus, they divided his clothes among the four of them. They also took his robe, but it was seamless, woven in one piece from top to bottom. ²⁴ So they said, “Rather than tearing it apart, let’s throw dice for it.” This fulfilled the Scripture that says, “They divided my garments among themselves and threw dice for my clothing.” So that is what they did.

²⁵ Standing near the cross were Jesus’ mother, and his mother’s sister, Mary (the wife of Clopas), and Mary Magdalene. ²⁶ When Jesus saw his mother standing there beside the disciple he loved, he said to her, “Dear woman, here is your son.” ²⁷ And he said to this disciple, “Here is your mother.” And from then on this disciple took her into his home.

John 19:16-27

John 19 Golgotha: The Place Of The Skull:

I’m going to go into a little random history that is still being verified, but there’s enough evidence that it interests me.

1,000 years before Jesus, a shepherd boy killed a giant named Goliath. This shepherd would eventually become one of the greatest Kings of Israel, also he’s the ancestor of Jesus.

Golgotha is called the place of the skull. I’ve heard a couple of explanations for that. The first one is that the mountain looks like a skull, and the second is that Golgotha originally meant Goliath. Words can change after 1000 years.

The people who say goliath say the head of Goliath was buried on the same hill that Jesus died on. That’d be pretty interesting. (And a nice tie into his ancestor). However, I don’t know of any theological reason for it, I just think it’s kinda cool.

The sign Pilate wrote says a lot about his understanding. He knew Jesus was the King of the Jews, and he stated it, but he wouldn’t stop the crucifixion from happening. He did stand up a little bit by saying he wouldn’t change it, but that wasn’t enough.

In John 19 Jesus cared for his mother even in death. He asked John to watch over her. In Jewish culture, I think it was the oldest son who took care of his mother. Jesus knew he was dying so he asked one of his best friends to take over his duties for him.

John 19: Jesus Dies On the Cross, And Takes Our Sin With Him.

²⁸ Jesus knew that his mission was now finished, and to fulfill Scripture he said, “I am thirsty.” ²⁹ A jar of sour wine was sitting there, so they soaked a sponge in it, put it on a hyssop branch, and held it up to his lips. ³⁰ When Jesus had tasted it, he said, “It is finished!” Then he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.

³¹ It was the day of preparation, and the Jewish leaders didn’t want the bodies hanging there the next day, which was the Sabbath (and a very special Sabbath, because it was Passover week). So they asked Pilate to hasten their deaths by ordering that their legs be broken. Then their bodies could be taken down. ³² So the soldiers came and broke the legs of the two men crucified with Jesus. 

³³ But when they came to Jesus, they saw that he was already dead, so they didn’t break his legs. ³⁴ One of the soldiers, however, pierced his side with a spear, and immediately blood and water flowed out. 

³⁵ (This report is from an eyewitness giving an accurate account. He speaks the truth so that you also may continue to believe.  ³⁶ These things happened in fulfillment of the Scriptures that say, “Not one of his bones will be broken,” ³⁷ and “They will look on the one they pierced.”

John 19:28-37

Jesus Says It Is Finished:

In John 19 When Jesus said it is finished. He completed his mission here on earth. When he died he took our sins from us and at that moment we were rescued from our sins.

Everything that comes from God leaves an impact, and he also gives us something to do with it.

Our job isn’t to sit be holy and wait for Jesus to return. Instead, we have a mission, it’s called the great commission. Our duty is to live as Christ taught us and share with others about him. Doesn’t matter if you’re a missionary to the middle of nowhere, or a high-powered executive on Wall Street.

If Jesus is your King, your duty is to tell others about him. And by telling I mean to act out your faith, let your actions speak, and use your words as well.

Don’t be creepy though, you know what I mean 🙂

John 19: The Burial of Jesus

³⁸ Afterward Joseph of Arimathea, who had been a secret disciple of Jesus (because he feared the Jewish leaders), asked Pilate for permission to take down Jesus’ body. When Pilate gave permission, Joseph came and took the body away. ³⁹ With him came Nicodemus, the man who had come to Jesus at night. He brought about seventy-five pounds of perfumed ointment made from myrrh and aloes. 

⁴⁰ Following Jewish burial customs, they wrapped Jesus’ body with the spices in long sheets of linen cloth. ⁴¹ The place of crucifixion was near a garden, where there was a new tomb, never used before. ⁴² And so, because it was the day of preparation for the Jewish Passover and since the tomb was close at hand, they laid Jesus there.

John 19: 38-42

John 19 isn’t clear on what happened during the 3 days that Jesus was in the tomb. There’s an obscure sentence in the book of peter about him going down to hell and taking the keys back and maybe 2-3 other sentences that can be piled together. But nothing with any good information.

John 19 is a sad chapter of the bible, but don’t worry. Chapter 20 is just around the corner. Jesus didn’t stay dead for long.

Live For Him. you have to turn away from your sin. But when you fail there is grace for you.

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