Sunday, February 21, 2021
John 19:17-27
“The Call of the Cross”
Service Orientation: To Jesus, the cross was the place of love, sacrifice, and death. To those in Jesus it is the place of ultimate joy, life, and freedom!
Memory Verse for the Week: “For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.” 1 Corinthians 1:18 (NIV)
Background Information:
- The placard on the cross was the conventional announcement of the offense the victim had committed. The languages were intended to make the inscription plain to all: Aramaic for the local inhabitants; Latin for the officials; Greek, the lingua franca of the eastern Mediterranean world. Its content was Pilate’s psychological revenge on the Jewish hierarchy for forcing his decision. (Frank E. Gæbelein, The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, Vol. 9, 181)
- This mode of capital punishment was reserved for the lowest kind of criminals, particularly those who promoted insurrection. Today, we think of the cross as a symbol of glory and victory, but in Pilate’s day, the cross stood for the basest kind of rejection, shame, and suffering. It was Jesus who made the difference. (Warren Wiersbe, The Wiersbe Bible Commentary: New Testament, 305)
- The Gospels tell us very little about the crucifixion because everyone involved knew the details too well. Little is said about Jesus’ pitiful route to the cross because such processions were as common as funeral marches. Evidently Jesus was placed in the center of a quarternion, a company of four Roman soldiers. The crossbeam, or patibulum, of the cross was placed on his torn shoulders like an oar (normally it would weigh over 100 pounds). (Chrysostom remarked this was like Isaac’s carrying the wood for his sacrifice on Mt. Moriah.) As Christ stumbled along the route to Golgotha, an officer preceded him, carrying a placard describing Jesus’ crime. It read: “Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews” (v. 19). Customarily the man to be crucified was led to the site of his execution by the longest route possible, so everyone could see that crime does not pay and also to see if anyone might speak in his defense. As Christ tread the Via Dolorosa, he was so weakened that a bystander had to be drafted to carry his cross the rest of the way. (R. Kent Hughes, Preaching the Word: John, 399)
- John’s description of the actual crucifixion is amazingly brief. People in the ancient world would not need a description, since such executions were not rare. Although crucifixion could take a variety of forms, it was common to have the victim carry the crossbeam to the place of crucifixion where the upright was already in place. Occasionally the victim was tied to the crossbeam with leather thongs, but most often nails were used, as in the case of Jesus. The nails were five to seven inches long and were driven through the feet and wrists, not the hands. Crosses in the shape of an X or a T were used, but since the title was attached over Jesus’ head (Mt 27:37) we know the style used for Jesus’ cross was the shape we usually imagine, a t, which was also a common form. The person was laid on the ground and nailed to the crosspiece, which was then hoisted into place. Often the person was only a short distance off the ground, though the fact that a stick was needed in order to offer Jesus a drink (v. 29) suggests his head was higher than arm’s length above the people on the ground. The nail wounds would cause a great deal of bleeding, but death often took place through suffocation. (Whitacre, John, 457)
The question to be answered is…
Why death on a cross?
Answer…
Jesus humbled himself and became obedient to death on a cross so that the curse of sin and death could be broken for all who would turn to and trust in him.
The word of the day is… Cross
What did Jesus’ death on the cross provide, achieve, and establish?
- It provided the substitute and payment required.
(Isaiah 53:5; John 1:29; Romans 6:23; 2 Corinthians 5:21; Hebrews 2:9; 1 Peter 2:24; 3:18)
Love, not anger, brought Jesus to the cross. Golgotha came as a result of great desire to forgive, not his reluctance. Jesus knew that by vicarious suffering he could actually absorb all the evil of humanity and so heal it, forgive it, redeem it. (Richard Foster, Celebration of Discipline, 143)
We must never forget the reason Christ died. Unless we recognize the eternal tragedy that would have occurred to the human race without the Cross, we will not be able to see the Cross as our victory. At great personal cost, Jesus won eternal life for us. He paid the price for our sin with his own life. That he offers us life as a free gift ought to give us deep joy. We must be touched by Christ’s death, for he died in our place! (Bruce B. Barton, Life Application Bible Commentary: John, 373)
- It achieved victory over sin, Satan, and death.
(John 16:33; Rom. 8:37; 1 Cor. 15:57; Eph. 2:4–8; Col. 2:13–15; Heb. 2:8-15; 4:15)
How serious is sin? Serious enough that to provide a way to deal with it, God the Father ordained the death of His own beloved Son, a death far more profound than physical death. (Henry Blackaby, Experiencing the Cross, 15)
The cross stands as the final symbol that no evil exists that God cannot turn into a blessing. He is the living Alchemist who can take the dregs from the slag-heaps of life—disappointment, frustration, sorrow, disease, death, economic loss, heartache—and transform the dregs into gold. (Catherine Marshall, Beyond Our Selves, 168)
The other Gospels record that when Jesus hung on the cross, people mocked him saying, “He saved others, but he can’t save himself!” Yet the irony of that statement is that it was because he was saving others that he refrained from saving himself. (Laurie Polich, John, 117)
Our sin ruins us in two ways. It makes us guilty before God, so that we are under his just condemnation; and it makes us ugly in our behavior, so that we disfigure the image of God we were meant to display. It damns us with guilt, and it enslaves us to lovelessness. The blood of Jesus frees us from both miseries. It satisfies God’s righteousness so that our sins can be justly forgiven. (John Piper, The Passion of Jesus Christ, 76)
- It established a new kind of family and way of life for all who trust in and follow Jesus.
(John 1:12-13; Acts 20:28; Rom. 8:16-18; 2 Cor. 5:17; Eph. 2; Col. 2:13–15, Heb.10:19-25)
Jesus loves sinners. He only loves sinners. He has never turned anyone away who came to Him for forgiveness, and He died on the cross for sinners, not for respectable people. (Corrie ten Boom, I Stand at the Door and Knock, 20)
Here at the very end we see Jesus still exercising love and care (cf. 13:1). This loving concern is the glory that his death itself reveals most powerfully, since love is the laying down of one’s life (cf. 1 Jn 3:16). In the course of his ministry Jesus was forming a new community around himself, and in the farewell discourse (13:31—17:26) he described how that community is to share in his own relation with the Father and to participate in the divine life, which is characterized by love. Now he has completed the formation of this community, at least for the stage prior to the sending of the Spirit and his own dwelling with them in a new way. This community is the fruit of his death, for it will be the locus of the divine life on earth. The divine life is characterized by love and therefore requires a community to express itself. The life of the community derives from Jesus’ own giving of himself, and in turn such self-giving is to typify the community itself. Jesus’ death is both a revelation of the love of God and an example of such self-giving love. (Rodney A. Whitacre, The IVP New Testament Commentary Series: John, 461-462)
Conclusion…
What is the call of the cross to those trusting in Jesus?
A. To forgive as you have been forgiven.
(Mat. 6:14-15; 18:21-22; Luke 17:3-4; Rom. 12:20; Eph. 1:7; 4:31-32; Col. 3:13)
We have sinned against an infinitely righteous God. The debt we’ve incurred is one we could never pay. We have fallen short of the glory of God—completely, consistently, willingly. We deserve God’s just punishment. Yet God designed a way to place our punishment on his Son. Perfect justice and perfect mercy kissed at the cross. We, the guilty ones, now stand forgiven through Christ’s blood. How can we not forgive those who have sinned against us? (Bob Kauflin, Worship Matters, 134)
B. To love as you have been loved.
(John 13:34-35; 15:13; 1 Corinthians 13:4-7; Colossians 3:14; 1 Peter 4:8; 1 John 4:8, 19)
It was not nails that held Jesus to that wretched cross; it was his unqualified resolution, out of love for his Father, to do his Father’s will – and, within that framework, it was his love for sinners like me. He really could not save himself. (D. A. Carson, Scandalous, 30)
The death of Christ is not only the demonstration of God’s love (John 3:16), it is also the supreme expression of Christ’s own love for all who receive it as their treasure. Christians are called to die, not kill, in order to show the world how they are loved by Christ. (John Piper, Fifty Reasons Why Jesus Came to Die, 30)
The benefits of the cross are infinite. The believing heart, like that of the believing thief, has its sins lifted by the cross and is destined to grow from glory to glory. The demands of the cross are expansive. “Love so amazing, so divine demands my soul, my life, my all.” (R. Kent Hughes, Preaching the Word: John, 403)
C. To take up your cross and follow.
(Matthew 10:38; Mark 8:34; Luke 14:27; 1 Cor. 1:18; Galatians 2:20; 6:14; Heb. 12:1-3)
“Cross to bear” is an expression that is used when a challenging situation or responsibility has been put on us against our will. The phrase “cross to bear” gets used for everything from dealing with a learning disability to really slow internet speed. But the idea is that through no choice of your own you have to deal with an especially difficult and challenging situation. But for a follower of Christ a cross is not forced upon us, it is taken up. We don’t bear a cross-we willingly pick it up and carry it. Jesus sets this example. In John 10:13 Jesus says, “No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord.” (Kyle Idleman, Not A Fan, 168)
A cheap Christianity, without a cross, will prove in the end a useless Christianity, without a crown. (J. C. Ryle, Holiness, 76)
Gospel Application…
The good news of the cross is that on it, the one, all-sufficient sacrifice for sin was complete. Jesus’ body was broken and his blood was shed for all who would turn to and trust in him.
(Ps. 34:22; Matthew 26:28; Romans 3:25; 5:9; 8:1; Ephesians 1:7; 2:14; Hebrews 9:12-14)
God granted us his grace because of the cross of Christ. It was a gift, given to us with a card attached, the message written in the blood of God’s own Son. It is a gift that makes us righteous—and it has not come cheap. Nevertheless, it must be “cheap” to us—free, actually—or it would never be ours. (Steve Brown, A Scandalous Freedom, 87)
The gospel of Christ is the good news that at the cost of his Son’s life, God has done everything necessary to enthrall us with what will make us eternally and ever-increasingly happy, namely, himself. (John Piper, The Passion of Jesus Christ, 63)
The cross will cut into our lives where it hurts worst, sparing neither us nor our carefully cultivated reputations. It will defeat us and bring our selfish lives to an end. Only then can we rise in fullness of life to establish a pattern of living wholly new and free and full of good works. (A. W. Tozer, The Radical Cross, 5)
Spiritual Challenge Questions…
Reflect on these questions in your time with the Lord this week, or discuss with a Christian family member or Life Group.
- Why do you think Jesus told his mother to receive John as a son? (v. 26) What (if anything) does that tell you about his relationship with her?
- Have you ever watched someone suffer? If so, when? How did it make you feel? How does it make you feel to know that Jesus suffered in your place?
- How can or should Jesus’ death on the cross influence how you see and navigate life?
- If we are called to take up our own cross and follow, what does that look like for your walk with the Lord?
Quotes to note…
Becoming a Christian means death to sin. The old self that loved sin died with Jesus. Sin is like a prostitute that no longer looks beautiful. She is the murderer of my King and myself. Therefore, the believer is dead to sin, no longer dominated by her attractions. Sin, the prostitute who killed my friend, has no appeal. She has become an enemy. (John Piper, The Passion of Jesus Christ, 79)
In every Christian’s heart there is a cross and a throne, and the Christian is on the throne till he puts himself on the cross; if he refuses the cross he remains on the throne. (A. W. Tozer, The Radical Cross, 100)
Too many of God’s people are going through life missing most of what their Father in heaven intends for them to experience, and an inadequate grasp of the cross lies at the heart of this tragedy. (Henry Blackaby, Experiencing the Cross, 8)
In the Cross is salvation; in the Cross is life; in the Cross is protection against our enemies; in the Cross is infusion of heavenly sweetness; in the Cross is strength of mind; in the Cross is joy of spirit; in the Cross is excellence of virtue; in the Cross is perfection of holiness. There is no salvation of soul, nor hope of eternal life, save in the Cross. (Thomas a’ Kempis, The Inner Life, 15th century)
Reminding ourselves of the gospel is the most important daily habit we can establish. If the gospel is the most vital news in the world, and if salvation by grace is the defining truth of our existence, we should create ways to immerse ourselves in these truths every day. No days off allowed. (C. J. Mahaney, Living the Cross Centered Life, 106)
Great must be the love of the Lord Jesus to sinners, when He could voluntarily endure such sufferings for their salvation. Great must be the sinfulness of sin, when such an amount of vicarious suffering was needed in order to provide redemption. (J.C. Ryle, Expository Thoughts on John Vol.2, 189)
It is too easy to become desensitized to the reality. We hear repeated readings of the crucifixion account. We daily view scenes of real violence as we pass the potatoes and gravy. As Christians we must steel ourselves against desensitization. Christ’s passion was real. True, we should not be overcome by a morbid preoccupation with the gore of the cross. Still, Christ’s agony must never become a matter of dispassionate interest. (Hughes, Preaching the Word: John, 398)
Christ was stripped of his garments, that he might clothe us with righteousness; that his naked body was exposed to the insults of men, that we may appear in glory before the judgment-seat of God. (John Calvin, John Vol2, 198)
We must recognize that forms of torture more brutal than crucifixion have likely been practiced from time to time in human history. Even if crucifixion were to win the prize as the most brutal, we must immediately note that hundreds of other unfortunate souls were also executed by this means. The uniqueness of Jesus’ death, then, stems not from the claim of unparalleled physical agony, but from the fact of His unique identity as the Son of God. (Joseph Dongell, John: A Bible Commentary in the Wesleyan Tradition, 226)
Jesus now reaches out in His hour of death and cares for His mother as she cared for Him in His boyhood years. How tenderly the “word made flesh” in family life is revealed here. When Jesus calls her ‘woman ” He is not using a cold, formal word, but a warm term of respect. It is to John the disciple, and his mother’s nephew, that He gives the responsibility for her care. This act may also be saying that God’s chosen people must find their home with those who have come to believe through the ministry of Jesus, that the true destiny of Israel is to be found in the fellowship of the church. (Fredrikson, Commentary: John, 275)
Christians are called to die, not kill, in order to show the world how they are loved by Christ. (John Piper, Fifty Reasons Why Jesus Came to Die, 14)
The way Christ defeated death and disease was by taking them on himself and carrying them with him to the grave. God’s judgment on the sin that brought disease was endured by Jesus when he suffered and died. (John Piper, The Passion of Jesus Christ, 55)
We have died to law-keeping so that we might live to fruit-bearing. (John Piper, The Passion of Jesus Christ, 81)
When God’s justice confronts an unprotected sinner that justice sentences him to die. And all of God concurs in the sentence! But when Christ, who is God, went onto the tree and died there in infinite agony, in a plethora of suffering, this great God suffered more than they suffer in hell. He suffered all that they could suffer in hell. He suffered with the agony of God, for everything that God does, He does with all that He is. When God suffered for you, my friend, God suffered to change your moral situation. (A. W. Tozer, The Radical Cross, 8)
The faith of Christ does not parallel the world, it intersects it. In coming to Christ we do not bring our old life up onto a higher place; we leave it at the cross. The kernel of wheat must fall into the ground and die. (A. W. Tozer, The Radical Cross, 55)
We all start out dead. But life can come, through belief in Jesus. And this is not just a belief that He existed or still exists (because even the demons know that, James 2:19), but it is placing your faith in His work on the cross, where He was lifted up in the middle of the camp to save us. This is what it means to be “born again.” (Noel Jesse Heikkinen, Wretched Saints, 158)
Christ’s work on the cross is the focus of worship in heaven. (Bob Kauflin, Worship Matters, 77)
18 Apart from this simple statement, the writer makes no attempt to describe the process of crucifixion, probably because it was well known to the readers and he did not want to dwell on the physical horror of the Cross. (Frank E. Gæbelein, The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, Vol. 9, 180)
An ossuary unearthed near Jerusalem in Giv’at ha-Mivtar revealed the only known instance of the skeleton of a man who had been crucified. It showed that the feet had been nailed sideways to the cross whereas the body had been facing forward. Such a position would create a twist of about ninety degrees at the waist. The unnatural position, growing thirst, exposure to the weather, some loss of blood, and impaired breathing contributed to bring about a lingering and painful death. The tension on the arms prevented normal breathing, which caused the lungs to slowly fill with moisture. The victim drowned slowly by internal accumulation of fluid. The action of the heart was seriously affected. Frequently a crucified man might live as long as thirty-six hours, or even longer in an increasing agony, unless by exhaustion or dementia he finally lapsed into unconsciousness. Crucifixion was probably the most diabolical form of death ever invented. Paul, in writing of the humiliation of Christ, says, “He humbled himself and became obedient to [the point of] death-even death on a cross” (Phil 2:8, italics mine). Paul’s statement reveals the feeling toward death by this method. Death for Jesus was unbelievable, but crucifixion was unthinkable. (Frank E. Gæbelein, The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, Vol. 9, 181)
Psalm 22 is a startling picture of the Crucifixion, which begins with Christ’s fourth word from the cross: “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” (Matt 27:46; Mark 15:34). If Pilate’s inscription shows that he exploited Jesus’ crucifixion as a means of psychological vengeance, the gambling of the legionnaires shows their callous and mercenary attitude. (Frank E. Gæbelein, The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, Vol. 9, 182)
The anguish and terror of Jesus’ mother at the Crucifixion must have been indescribable. His tender concern for her in the hour of his mortal agony illustrates his true
humanity and compassion. (Frank E. Gæbelein, The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, Vol. 9, 182)
Two places have been claimed as the site of the Crucifixion. One is at the present site of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, which was built in honor of Helen, the mother of Constantine, in the fourth century, after an attempt to identify the original site. The devastation of the city after the first and second revolts destroyed all landmarks or buried them so deeply under rubble that they cannot now be identified. The second place is Gordon’s Calvary, located outside the present wall, north of the Damascus Gate on the Nablus Road. It is now a Muslim cemetery on the brow of a ridge that encircles the northern wall. While the rocky eminence and the adjacent garden containing an ancient tomb seem to fit the description of the Gospels, it is doubtful whether either would have been used before A.D. 70. Until the location of the “Second Wall” that bounded the northwest side of the city in Jesus’ time can be settled, the exact location of Calvary will be debatable. The data of the Gospels are not specific; all that can be known is that the Crucifixion took place outside the city walls, not far from one of the main roads. (Frank E. Gæbelein, The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, Vol. 9, 182)
The process of crucifixion has been vividly illustrated by the discovery of the remains of a man executed in this manner. In 1968 a number of ossuaries were found in burial caves during a building project at Giv’at ha-Mivtar in northeast Jerusalem, slightly to the northwest of Mount Scopus. A full report on “Anthropological Observations on the Skeletal Remains from Giv’at ha-Mivtar” was published in IEJ, vol. 20, nos. 1, 2 (1970). The analysis of the remains of the crucified man is on pp. 49-59 of the report. The body had been affixed to a cross by nails through the wrists between the ulna and the radius; the feet had been transfixed by a single spike through a wooden cleat, the right side of the right heel and the right side of the left heel, and then into the upright stem of the cross. The latter was made of olive wood that was so hard that the tip of the spike was bent and could not be extracted from the bones through which it had been driven. The resultant position of the body was such that the knees were bent to the left while the torso was fixed at a ninety-degree angle to the thigh bones. The lower legs had been shattered by a single blow that had crushed the right leg and cracked the left leg against the edge of the upright of the cross. The body had been supported by a peg or cleat in the cross under the left hip. The identity of the victim is unknown. Apparently he died at the time of the Fall of Jerusalem in A.D. 70, or possibly earlier. This is the only known archaeological evidence of the practice of crucifixion. (Frank E. Gæbelein, The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, Vol. 9, 182-183)
The Apostle’s Creed states it without embellishment: “He was crucified, dead, and buried.” These three events are described in John 19:17–42, momentous events that we should understand not only from the historical point of view but also from the doctrinal. What happened is important; why it happened is also important, if you hope to go to heaven. (Warren Wiersbe, The Wiersbe Bible Commentary: New Testament, 305)
“It was the most cruel and shameful of all punishments,” said the Roman statesman-philosopher Cicero. “Let it never come near the body of a Roman citizen; nay, not even near his thoughts or eyes or ears.” (Warren Wiersbe, The Wiersbe Bible Commentary: New Testament, 305)
The fact that this title was written in Hebrew John 19 (Aramaic), Greek, and Latin is significant. For one thing, it shows that our Lord was crucified in a place where many peoples and nations met, a cosmopolitan place. Hebrew is the language of religion, Greek of philosophy, and Latin of law, and all three combined to crucify the Son of God. But what He did on the cross, He did for the whole world! In this gospel, John emphasizes the worldwide dimensions of the work of Christ. Without realizing it, Pilate wrote a “gospel tract” when he prepared this title, for one of the thieves discovered that Jesus was King, and he asked entrance into His kingdom. (Warren Wiersbe, The Wiersbe Bible Commentary: New Testament, 305-306)
That Jesus was crucified with two notorious thieves only added to the shame. But it also fulfilled Isaiah 53:12: “He was numbered with the transgressors.” (Warren Wiersbe, The Wiersbe Bible Commentary: New Testament, 306)
To wear material crosses as an ornament, to place material crosses on churches and tombs, all this is cheap and easy work, and entails no trouble. But to have Christ’s cross in our hearts, to carry Christ’s cross in our daily walk, to know the fellowship of His sufferings, to be made conformable to His death, to have crucified affections, and live crucified lives–all this needs self-denial; and Christians of this stamp are few and far between. Yet, this, we may be sure, is the only cross-bearing and cross-carrying that does good in the world. The times require less of the cross outwardly and more of the cross within. (J.C. Ryle, Expository Thoughts on John Vol.2, 190)
Let us take care that we ourselves know Christ as our King, and that His kingdom is set up within our hearts. They only will find Him their Savior at the last day, who have obeyed Him as King in this world. (J.C. Ryle, Expository Thoughts on John Vol.2, 190)
Jesus never forgets any who love Him, and even in their worst estate remembers their need. (J.C. Ryle, Expository Thoughts on John Vol.2, 191)
His physical sufferings have always been, and will remain, a window through which we see his greater agony as he bore the world’s sin. (R. Kent Hughes, Preaching the Word: John, 398)
[The agony of the cross] was just a shadow of the misery he experienced when our sins were poured upon him, and as a result, the infinitely greater horror of separation from the Father. This was so horrible that he who never complained or reviled throughout the whole ordeal cried out, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” Physical agony was nothing compared with the spiritual horror. In undergoing this, Christ expressed how much he loved us. (R. Kent Hughes, Preaching the Word: John, 400)
The buzzing cloud of flies about the cross, the flayed back pressed against the uneven stake, the nails driven through the medial nerves, the repeated torture of back and arms as it is time after time, for breath’s sake, hitched up. If I may dare the biological image, God is a “host” who deliberately creates his own parasites; causes us to be that we may exploit and “take advantage of” him. Herein is love. This is the diagram of Love himself, the inventor of all loves. C. S. Lewis, The Four Loves (New York: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, 1960), p. 176.)
John is careful to tell us that two others were crucified with the Savior. “There they crucified him, and with him two others, one on either side, and Jesus between them” (v. 18). If the cross is a diagram of his love, the positioning of the crosses is a diagram of how his love is dispensed to the world. The Lord’s enemies intended the positioning of the crosses to be his final disgrace—Christ between two convicted robbers as if he were the worst. Instead of being a disgrace, however, that arrangement was a fulfillment of Isaiah 53:12 —“Numbered with the transgressors; yet he bore the sin of many, and makes intercession for the transgressors.” (R. Kent Hughes, Preaching the Word: John, 400)
We see the diagram of love and its cost—the Son of God hanging by his arms, his muscles unable to respond. He fights to raise himself just to get one short breath. Finally carbon dioxide builds up in the lungs and the bloodstream, and the cramps partially subside. Spasmodically he pushes himself upward to exhale and gain a little more oxygen. This is the diagram of love. Yet, the true depth and cost of his love resides in his willingness to bear our sins and to suffer separation from his beloved Father. Oh, how Christ loves us! (R. Kent Hughes, Preaching the Word: John, 401)
the details of the cross were well known to the people of that day. Take up the cross was a colloquialism for dying to yourself, which everyone understood. (R. Kent Hughes, Preaching the Word: John, 402)
We must not forget that the cross was real. The whip and the nails were real, as was each anguished breath. And above all, his love was (and is) real. May God deliver us from ever seeing these things too casually or with cold hearts. (R. Kent Hughes, Preaching the Word: John, 403)
Love is the Son of God hanging by his arms, his muscles paralyzed and unable to respond. Love is God’s Son fighting to raise himself in order to get just one short breath. Love is carbon dioxide mounting in the lungs, cramps partially subsiding, allowing our Lord to push himself spasmodically upward for life-giving oxygen. This is a picture of God’s love. Still, it is only suggestive of his deeper love, his willingness to bear our sin and suffer separation from his beloved Father. (R. Kent Hughes, Preaching the Word: John, 404)
Jesus was in limitless pain. Hour after hour he desperately strained for another breath, strained tendons like violin strings, experienced joint-rending cramps and intermittent asphyxiation, “searing pain as tissue was torn from his lacerated back as he moved up and down against rough timber; then another agony began. A deep crushing pain . . . in the chest as the pericardium slowly filled with serum and began to compress the heart.” (R. Kent Hughes, Preaching the Word: John, 407)
Christ’s care for us may come in the form of responsibility. We would like to think that the more we love God, the less he will ask of us, and the lighter our burdens will become. But that is not necessarily so. If we love Jesus, he will make use of our love. Jesus’ care for John came in the form of a burden, but that burden was a blessing. Not all the pressures we bear come because we love. Many are simply due to our own sin and stupidity. Unique responsibilities, however, are placed on those who possess great love for the Lord. Some of our burdens are, in fact, blessings. (R. Kent Hughes, Preaching the Word: John, 408)
Mary, and those with her at the foot of the cross, found their comfort in his atoning work for them. In the ensuing days they would experience the continual refreshment of his having borne their sins, a growing sense of grace and freedom, and an increasing awareness of Heaven. This is the ground of our comfort as well. In this fallen world Christ still offers loving care and provision for his own. His love for us is so deep that he experienced untold agony for us and meets our deepest needs.(R. Kent Hughes, Preaching the Word: John, 408)
there is no experience so painful in the world or universe as separation from God. Jesus cried in the darkness, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” (Matthew 27:46; cf. Psalm 22:1). No human has ever known such terror. A billion crucifixions cannot equal the pain of the curse Christ experienced for you and me. (R. Kent Hughes, Preaching the Word: John, 409)
It was written in Latin – For the majesty of the Roman empire; in Hebrew – Because it was the language of the nation; and in Greek – For the information of the Hellenists, who spoke that language, and came in great numbers to the feast. (John Wesley, Wesley’s Notes on the Bible, 265)
It did not, indeed, occur to Pilate to celebrate Christ as the Author of salvation, and the Nazarene of God, and the King of a chosen people; but God dictated to him this commendation of the Gospel, though he knew not the meaning of what he wrote. It was the same secret guidance of the Spirit that caused the title to be published in three languages; for it is not probable that this was an ordinary practice, but the Lord showed, by this preparatory arrangement, that the time was now at hand, when the name of his Son should be made known throughout the whole earth. (John Calvin, John Vol2, 197)
“Where they crucified him, and two others with him, on either side one, and Jesus in the midst” (John 19:18). This one verse records the fulfillment of at least three Old Testament prophecies. First, the manner in which the Savior was to die had been clearly foretold. A thousand years before this He had cried, by the Spirit of prophecy, “they pierced my hands and my feet” (Ps. 22:16); this is indeed most striking. The Jewish form of capital punishment was stoning. But no word of God can fall to the ground, therefore did Pilate give orders that Christ should be crucified, which was the Roman form of execution, reserved only for the vilest criminals. Second, Isaiah had declared, “He was numbered with the transgressors” (Isa. 53:12). The Jews’ object was to add a final indignity and insult to the Lord; it was a public declaration that He was counted no better than the scum of the earth. Little did they realize that this expression of their malice was but a means for the carrying out of Messianic prediction! Third, it had been written that He should be “with the wicked at his death” (Isa. 53:9—literal translation). But why did God permit His Beloved to be so outrageously treated? To show us the place which His Son had taken. It was the place which was due us because of our sins—the place of shame, condemnation, punishment. (Arthur W. Pink, Exposition of the Gospel of John, 877)
“And it was written in Hebrew, and Greek, and Latin” (John 19:20). Note that the Holy Spirit has placed “Hebrew” first! Hebrew was the language of the Jews; Greek of the educated world; Latin of the Romans; hence all who were gathered around the cross could read the title in his own language. Remember that the confusion of tongues was the sign of Babel’s curse (Gen. 11). Significantly are we reminded of this here, when Christ was being made a curse for us! Hebrew was the language of religion; Greek of science, culture and philosophy; Latin of law. In each of these realms Christ is “king.” (Arthur W. Pink, Exposition of the Gospel of John, 878)
His decisive reply evidences his contempt for the Jews: Trouble me no further; what I have written must stand; I shall not alter it to please you. “It, therefore, stands written forever. (Arthur W. Pink, Exposition of the Gospel of John, 879)
in the weakest moment of His life Jesus portrayed His redemptive mission clear enough that a brigand could detect a kingdom that could not be destroyed by men and prayed for consideration! The reassurance that Jesus proferred that man still staggers us! Augustine’s comment on this scene is majestic and prophetic: ” One dying thief was saved so that no one would despair; but only one so that no one would presume.” (Samuel Young, Beacon Bible Expositions, 154)
Hebrew was the national language of the Jews; Latin was the language of the government; and Greek was the cultural language of the Mediterranean area. Everyone would be able to read it. (Samuel Young, Beacon Bible Expositions, 155)
The scourging had taken its toll and the much fasting and prayer may have weakened His normal physical reserves. But the real load was the deeper burden of our sins-yours and mine-all alone, at Calvary. (Samuel Young, Beacon Bible Expositions, 155)
According to Roman custom in these matters, Jesus carried his own cross (John 19:17), which consisted not of the entire structure on which He would die, but only the horizontal beam. That beam would be attached to an upright structure separately set up at the crucifixion site. The figure of Jesus consenting to carry the instrument of His own death may have reminded the writer yet again that Jesus, in obedience to the Father, willingly laid down His life. (Joseph Dongell, John: A Bible Commentary in the Wesleyan Tradition, 225)
By using Aramaic, Greek and Latin in the notice (19:20b), Pilate succeeded only in proclaiming the truth of Jesus’ kingship ever more widely, anticipating the worldwide offer of salvation through the Cross: “But I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all men to myself’ (12:32). All of the mockery, though designed to humiliate Jesus and ridicule His claim to kingship, served instead as the grand coronation ceremony by which Jesus publicly received His royal throne! (Joseph Dongell, John: A Bible Commentary in the Wesleyan Tradition, 226)
Jesus, “bearing His cross, went out, ” as Isaac bore the wood for the burnt offering (Gen. 22:6). We catch here again the initiative of the Lamb of God as He moves out to offer Himself as the sacrifice for the sins of the world. He went to “the Place ‘I—this is His moni that we may be made secure in Him— “of a Skull, which is called in Hebrew, Golgotha. ” Our word “calvary” is from the Latin calveria, which also means “skull. “5 (Roger L. Fredrikson, The Communicator’s Commentary: John, 274)
It was the custom that the soldiers involved in a crucifixion would get the garments of the one put to death. John is very specific in pointing out that each soldier involved got one of Jesus’ four garments and that lots were then cast for His seamless tunic. Even in this gambling, Scripture is fulfilled. This tunic was a priestly garment worn next to the body like that which Aaron had been instructed to wear when he went into the holy place to make sacrifice (Lev. 16:4). The early Christians were quick to point out that there was rich symbolism in John’s statement, “Now the tunic was without seam, woven from the top in one piece. ” This seemed to mean that “Jesus’ death will not destroy the unity of the people whom He has gathered together “6 (Roger L. Fredrikson, The Communicator’s Commentary: John, 274)
So here we have another irony: the man who does not have a clue at the truth (18:38) proclaims, unwittingly, the truth about Jesus. And we have the tragedy of the representatives of the one true God, who should have recognized the truth, continuing to reject it. (Rodney A. Whitacre, The IVP New Testament Commentary Series: John, 459)
It is this undergarment (chiton, the garment worn next to the skin) that is of most interest to John. It is seamless, and therefore to prevent its being torn the soldiers decide to draw lots for it (v. 24). The fact that it is seamless probably does not indicate that it was unusual or an item of luxury (Brown 1970:903). John’s focus on this feature has led many to find symbolism in this garment (cf. Brown 1994:2:955-58). The two main proposals for John’s detail have been that it is a symbol either of Jesus as high priest, since the high priest’s chitön was seamless, according to Josephus (Antiquities of the Jews 3.161), or of the unity of the church (for example, Cyprian On the Unity Of the Church 7), that is, the community as brought together by the death of Christ (Barrett 1978:550, 552). (Rodney A. Whitacre, The IVP New Testament Commentary Series: John, 459)
Such thoughts are true and edifying, but they are not John’s primary focus. The significance of the garment’s being seamless is that the soldiers are led to draw of lots for it, which in turn echoes Psalm 22:18 (v. 24). This is the first of four Old Testament passages cited as being fulfilled in Jesus’ Passion, all of which refer to particular details of what takes place (vv. 28, 36-37). John marshals these texts around this most central, and most scandalous, event in order to show that the death of God’s Son was in fact the will of God the Father. Behind the idea of fulfillment is the notion of God’s sovereign control, which weaves repeating patterns: Scripture expresses God’s will, and Jesus is submissive to God’s will, so his activity fulfills the Scripture because it flows from the same source and is controlled by the same Father. (Rodney A. Whitacre, The IVP New Testament Commentary Series: John, 459-460)
Psalm 22 is a psalm of King David in his role as a righteous sufferer. The title above Jesus’ head is proclaiming him to be king of the Jews, and John sees Jesus as replicating a pattern of the greatest king in Israel’s past. Thus, this reference is not a gratuitous proof text, but a link with a type. Fulfillment of Scripture, in this sense, is the replication of a pattern, and Jesus is the ultimate fulfillment, the center of all the patterns. The Synoptics also allude to this connection regarding the garments (Mt 27:35 par. Mk 15:24 par. Lk 23:34) as well as the connection through Jesus’ cry from the cross, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me” (Mt 27:46 par. Mk 15:34), which is Psalm 22:1. The figure of the righteous king who suffers is embodied in Jesus par excellence. If the opponents understood King David better they might have recognized King Jesus. (Rodney A. Whitacre, The IVP New Testament Commentary Series: John, 460)
The notice itself is full of irony. The chief priests are furious with Pilate. He doesn’t believe Jesus is the King of the Jews any more than they do, and they don’t want him making fun of them in this way. Pilate, of course, is getting his own back. It’s a calculated snub. ‘You wanted him crucified, didn’t you?’ we can feel him thinking. ‘Well, I’ve done it. And I reserve the right to say what I want on the public notice. As far as I’m concerned, he really is “The King of the Jews” — the only sort of king you crazy people deserve! This is what I’ve done to him, and this is what I’d be happy to do to the whole lot of you!’ (N.T. Wright, John for Everyone: Part 2, 125-126)
John doesn’t need to do more than give the briefest description of the gambling at the foot of the cross, and to draw our attention to the psalm in question. He leaves us to think through the implication. Jesus is the fulfilment of prophecy and sacred song. He is the righteous sufferer. He is the true King. He is the one through whose shameful death the weight Of Israel’s sin, and behind that the sin of the whole world, is being dealt with. The King of the Jews is God’s chosen representative, not merely to rule the world but to redeem it. (N.T. Wright, John for Everyone: Part 2, 127)
From the standpoint of God, the cross is a propitiation. It is the mercy seat where God can extend mercy to you and to me. It is the place where full satisfaction was made, so that a holy, righteous God can reach down and save sinners. The very throne of God, the place of judgment, is transformed into the place of mercy where you and I can find mercy instead of the judgment we deserve. Jesus Christ bore our guilt, and God is satisfied. (J. Vernon McGee, Thru The Bible Commentary Series, John, 317)
You will recall that every bit of the sin offering was taken outside the camp into a clean place (Leviticus 4:12). Just as the Lord Jesus fulfilled prophecy concerning Him, so He also fulfills the types in the Old Testament. Our sin offering, the Lord Jesus Christ, was taken outside the city. The writer to the Hebrews emphasizes the fact that our Lord suffered without the gate (Hebrews 13:12). (J. Vernon McGee, Thru The Bible Commentary Series, John, 318)
It was written in Hebrew, the language of religion. It was written in Greek, the language of culture and education. It was written in Latin, the language of law and order. Thus, it was written for the whole world to see that He died for all. This is the Gospel that is to be preached to the world. This is the hope of the world. (J. Vernon McGee, Thru The Bible Commentary Series, John, 318)
As the drama of the cross unfolds, John’s writing captures the simple ironies of the tragedy. The soldiers who escorted Jesus to Calvary didn’t know who he was, they were just doing their duty. Pilate knew that Jesus wasn’t guilty of death, but he still didn’t understand who Jesus was. The people, roused to a fever pitch by the religious leaders, didn’t take the time to care about who Jesus was (even though they had hailed him as their king a few days earlier. (Bruce B. Barton, Life Application Bible Commentary: John, 373)
There they crucified him, and with him two others, one on either side, with Jesus between them. NRSV The others were criminals (see Matthew 27:38•, Mark 15:27; Luke 23:32). This again fulfilled prophecy: “He poured out his life unto death, and was numbered with the transgressors” (Isaiah 53: 12 NIV). Luke records that one of the criminals insulted Jesus, while the other turned to Jesus and said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom” (Luke 23:42 NIV). To which Jesus replied, “Today you will be with me in paradise” (Luke 23:43 NIV). (Bruce B. Barton, Life Application Bible Commentary: John, 374)
the irony that Pilate hoped would not be lost on the Jews pales before the irony that God wanted to communicate to the world. The dying King was actually taking control of his kingdom. His death and resurrection would strike the death blow to Satan’s rule and would establish Jesus’ eternal authority over the earth. Few people reading the sign that bleak afternoon understood its real meaning, but the sign was absolutely true. Jesus was King of the Jews as well as the Gentiles, the universe, and you. This sign became a universal proclamation, an unconscious prophecy, that Jesus is the royal Messiah. (Bruce B. Barton, Life Application Bible Commentary: John, 375)
Both the Greeks and the Romans used crucifixion to execute victims and criminals. Alexander the Great crucified 2,000 prisoners of war at one time. For the Romans, it was a slave’s punishment; it was not used against freeborn citizens. It was a death for the worst criminals and terrorists. Before the crucifixion, the prisoner was flogged; the blood loss hastened the death. The prisoner was then nailed to the crosspiece by the wrists and to the stake by the ankles. He died completely naked to complete the humiliation. The death was slow and painful; the person died of shock or suffocation when the lungs collapsed. For Jesus to die this way was hideous; Deuteronomy 21:23 says that anyone who is hung on a tree is cursed. But Jesus’ crucifixion was the path to his exaltation; he was “lifted up on the cross” and then exalted into glory for his ultimate act of sacrifice on our behalf. (Bruce B. Barton, Life Application Bible Commentary: John, 375)
The chief priests wanted Jesus’ crime posted as a false claim to kingship, but no persuasion from the chief priests could induce Pilate to change his mind. He dismissed them by saying, “What I have written, I have written.” Again, if this whole scenario weren’t so tragic, it would be quite humorous to see Pilate’s “last laugh” against the chief priests. Pilate had given in long enough; he was determined to have the final word. (Bruce B. Barton, Life Application Bible Commentary: John, 375)
Out of the greatest evil people could commit, God brought immeasurable good. No matter how bleak our outlook may be or how terrible our circumstances, we must remember the results of our Lord’s suffering. He suffered beyond anything we could ever endure, yet triumphed through it. His courage should motivate us and his power enable us to persevere. (Bruce B. Barton, Life Application Bible Commentary: John, 376)
Surely one must recognize in this a picture of the sinner being clothed with the spotless righteousness of Christ. “For he [God] hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him” (2 Cor 5:21) . One wonders whether that Roman, who won his game of dice and carried off the seamless coat, did not someday hear Paul preaching this imputed righteousness, and read the type in his own possession, till he cried out with Isaiah: “I will greatly rejoice in the LORD, my soul shall be joyful in my God; for he hath clothed me with the garments of salvation, he hath covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decketh himself with ornaments, and as a bride adorneth herself with her jewels” (Isa 61: 10) . Are we so clothed now? (J.C. Macaulay, Expository Commentary on John, 246)
