The Gospel of John, Chapter 19

¹ Then Pilate therefore took Jesus, and scourged him.

Pilate was a Roman Magistrate and did things according to the Roman way of doing things. I’ve heard that Jesus was scourged 39 times with a 9-tailed scourge, but I don’t find where this is the actual case here. The Jewish people were not the ones delivering the scourging, the Romans were. The Jews followed the Law that a man would only receive 39 lashes… “Deuteronomy 25:3 Forty stripes he may give him, and not exceed: lest, if he should exceed, and beat him above these with many stripes, then thy brother should seem vile unto thee.” Paul in his ministry was scourged 5 times receiving 39 lashes each time… “2 Corinthians 11:24 ²⁴ Of the Jews five times received I forty stripes save one.” The scourging by the Jews was a punishment… but when the Romans did it as they did to Jesus, it was a beating that came before crucifixion. The person was beaten severely, almost to death. They were not limited to how many the lashes they gave either, unlike the Jews who could give no more than 39 lashes, the Romans would beat a condemned person until they nearly died, then stop so they would be alive when they were crucified. Their scourges were created to deliver the most punishment possible… and would rip the flesh off the person, exposing the muscle. Had Paul been scourged in this way 5 different times, I don’t think he would have lived to write about it…. so the scourging was different.
As a young Christian, I had heard these stories about Jesus being beaten with a 9-tailed scourge that struck him 39 times and that this was the number of all the major illnesses, and it sounded like it was truth, but after reading about the Roman’s practice of scourging verses the Jewish practice of scourging, I think this was someone’s assumption. Jesus wasn’t scourged by the Jews, he was scourged by the Romans… the Jews has restraints put in place by the Law… where the Romans had none. The Jews were restrained by the Law, which is what led them to deliver Jesus to the Roman Magistrate, who, by law, could put Jesus to death and scourge him in the way he was scourged. In fact, scourging was part of the crucifixion process… a person sentenced to be crucified was scourged in this manner first.

² And the soldiers platted a crown of thorns, and put it on his head, and they put on him a purple robe,

³ And said, Hail, King of the Jews! and they smote him with their hands.

The accusations of the Chief Priest were that Jesus was trying to overthrow the government and be King… he also accused Jesus of claiming to be the Son of God… which Jesus actually is, but to the Priest who didn’t understand this, he accused Jesus of a serious sin. The Romans weren’t bothered by the religious infractions as much as they were about the overthrowing of the government, which is exactly why the Chief Priest accused Jesus of undermining the government. He knew this would get Pilates attention. They mocked Jesus based on these claims by Caiaphas.

⁴ Pilate therefore went forth again, and saith unto them, Behold, I bring him forth to you, that ye may know that I find no fault in him.

Pilate didn’t find Jesus guilty of the crimes he was accused of. It was almost as if Pilate was trying to get them to stop demanding Jesus be put to death and show some compassion. I know Pilate was an evil dude based on the slaughter of the Jews who he had killed while they were doing their sacrifies’s to God “Luke 13:1 There were present at that season some that told him of the Galilaeans, whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices”. But here it seems like he was trying to not be involved in this. Of course, this is just my personal impression.

⁵ Then came Jesus forth, wearing the crown of thorns, and the purple robe. And Pilate saith unto them, Behold the man!

⁶ When the chief priests therefore and officers saw him, they cried out, saying, Crucify him, crucify him. Pilate saith unto them, Take ye him, and crucify him: for I find no fault in him.

⁷ The Jews answered him, We have a law, and by our law he ought to die, because he made himself the Son of God.

⁸ When Pilate therefore heard that saying, he was the more afraid;

Pilates wife warned him to not get involved with this. “Matthew 27:19 ¹⁹ When he was set down on the judgment seat, his wife sent unto him, saying, Have thou nothing to do with that just man: for I have suffered many things this day in a dream because of him.” Whatever she told him, he took to heart and was shaken by it.

⁹ And went again into the judgment hall, and saith unto Jesus, Whence art thou? But Jesus gave him no answer.

¹⁰ Then saith Pilate unto him, Speakest thou not unto me? knowest thou not that I have power to crucify thee, and have power to release thee?

¹¹ Jesus answered, Thou couldest have no power at all against me, except it were given thee from above: therefore he that delivered me unto thee hath the greater sin.

Jesus said this to Pilate while wearing a horrible crown of thorns that dug into his flesh, his beard had been ripped from his face, his skin had been torn off exposing his muscles, he was bruised and marred more than any person had ever been marred, he was about to be crucified….and here he says to Pilate that he has no power to stop this from happening unless God gave it to him. He was telling Pilate that this is going to happen, Pilate was afraid. I wonder if Pilate knew in his heart that he was a party to putting the Son of God to death….whatever was going on in Pilates heart had him shook so much he started trying harder to get Jesus released.

¹² And from thenceforth Pilate sought to release him: but the Jews cried out, saying, If thou let this man go, thou art not Caesar’s friend: whosoever maketh himself a king speaketh against Caesar.

The Chief Priest manipulated everything…. he riled up the crowds so that when Pilate tried to get Jesus released they accused Pilate of being against Caesar…. basically they were saying if Pilate doesn’t put Jesus to death, he is against Caesar himself.

¹³ When Pilate therefore heard that saying, he brought Jesus forth, and sat down in the judgment seat in a place that is called the Pavement, but in the Hebrew, Gabbatha.

¹⁴ And it was the preparation of the passover, and about the sixth hour: and he saith unto the Jews, Behold your King!

¹⁵ But they cried out, Away with him, away with him, crucify him. Pilate saith unto them, Shall I crucify your King? The chief priests answered, We have no king but Caesar.

For a long time I thought Pilate was mocking Jesus with these words…. but now based on the fact that the word tells me Pilate was afraid and sought to have Jesus released I think Pilate was looking for the people to show compassion and to cry out for Jesus’s release. Caiaphas had already riled up the crowd… he was determined to have Jesus crucified…. so the crowd, in the frenzy… cried out for Jesus to be crucified. Matthew 27:24 When Pilate saw that he could prevail nothing, but that rather a tumult was made, he took water, and washed his hands before the multitude, saying, I am innocent of the blood of this just person: see ye to it.

¹⁶ Then delivered he him therefore unto them to be crucified. And they took Jesus, and led him away.

Pilate passed judgment and the led Jesus away to be crucified.

¹⁷ And he bearing his cross went forth into a place called the place of a skull, which is called in the Hebrew Golgotha:

¹⁸ Where they crucified him, and two other with him, on either side one, and Jesus in the midst.

Isaiah 53:12 Therefore will I divide him a portion with the great, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong; because he hath poured out his soul unto death: and he was numbered with the transgressors; and he bare the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.

¹⁹ And Pilate wrote a title, and put it on the cross. And the writing was Jesus Of Nazareth The King Of The Jews.

²⁰ This title then read many of the Jews: for the place where Jesus was crucified was nigh to the city: and it was written in Hebrew, and Greek, and Latin.

²¹ Then said the chief priests of the Jews to Pilate, Write not, The King of the Jews; but that he said, I am King of the Jews.

It wasn’t enough to put Jesus to death, Caiaphas now sought to control the narrative. Even after having Jesus crucified I think he was still worried about Jesus’s followers.

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

Pilate knew Jesus was innocent of what he was accused of.

²³ Then the soldiers, when they had crucified Jesus, took his garments, and made four parts, to every soldier a part; and also his coat: now the coat was without seam, woven from the top throughout.

²⁴ They said therefore among themselves, Let us not rend it, but cast lots for it, whose it shall be: that the scripture might be fulfilled, which saith, They parted my raiment among them, and for my vesture they did cast lots. These things therefore the soldiers did.

Psalms 22:18 They part my garments among them, and cast lots upon my vesture.

²⁵ Now there stood by the cross of Jesus his mother, and his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Cleophas, and Mary Magdalene.

²⁶ When Jesus therefore saw his mother, and the disciple standing by, whom he loved, he saith unto his mother, Woman, behold thy son!

²⁷ Then saith he to the disciple, Behold thy mother! And from that hour that disciple took her unto his own home.

Even as Jesus was suffering and dying he looked after his mother. He bound her to John the Beloved, the author of this gospel for her care.

²⁸ After this, Jesus knowing that all things were now accomplished, that the scripture might be fulfilled, saith, I thirst.

²⁹ Now there was set a vessel full of vinegar: and they filled a spunge with vinegar, and put it upon hyssop, and put it to his mouth.

³⁰ When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, he said, It is finished: and he bowed his head, and gave up the ghost.

There are a few thoughts about this vinegar given to Jesus. It was actually sour wine and the Romans commonly drank it and offered it to people who were crucified. I’ve heard it was an act of kindness and I’ve heard that it was a bitter torment for the condemned…. while pondering this I thought of this verse “John 18:11 Then said Jesus unto Peter, Put up thy sword into the sheath: the cup which my Father hath given me, shall I not drink it?“…which is true either way…this was all the plan of God to redeem mankind, this act of love where Jesus takes our place and receives the punishment we all deserved for our sins… so that he could impart to us his righteousness.

³¹ The Jews therefore, because it was the preparation, that the bodies should not remain upon the cross on the sabbath day, (for that sabbath day was an high day,) besought Pilate that their legs might be broken, and that they might be taken away.

Breaking the legs of a person who is crucified makes it too hard for them to breath….and they die quicker as a result.

³² Then came the soldiers, and brake the legs of the first, and of the other which was crucified with him.

³³ But when they came to Jesus, and saw that he was dead already, they brake not his legs:

³⁴ But one of the soldiers with a spear pierced his side, and forthwith came there out blood and water.

³⁵ And he that saw it bare record, and his record is true: and he knoweth that he saith true, that ye might believe.

³⁶ For these things were done, that the scripture should be fulfilled, A bone of him shall not be broken.

Psalms 34:20 ²⁰ He keepeth all his bones: not one of them is broken.

³⁷ And again another scripture saith, They shall look on him whom they pierced.

Zechariah 12:10 And I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of supplications: and they shall look upon me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for him, as one mourneth for his only son, and shall be in bitterness for him, as one that is in bitterness for his firstborn.

³⁸ And after this Joseph of Arimathaea, being a disciple of Jesus, but secretly for fear of the Jews, besought Pilate that he might take away the body of Jesus: and Pilate gave him leave. He came therefore, and took the body of Jesus.

³⁹ And there came also Nicodemus, which at the first came to Jesus by night, and brought a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about an hundred pound weight.

⁴⁰ Then took they the body of Jesus, and wound it in linen clothes with the spices, as the manner of the Jews is to bury.

Nicodemus was a Pharisee and a member of the Sanhedrin and he was also the one who came to Jesus by night in John 3…. the one Jesus spoke with and told the often used salvation verse John 3 :16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
The Passover was upon them and here Joseph of Arimathaea and Nicodemus have elected to prepare Jesus for burial, which based on Jewish Law made them ceremonially unclean and so they could not eat the passover. This act shows their conversion to Jesus and their departure from following the Law.
I have a lot on my heart right now…. I see these two men doing the last acts of human kindness for this man Jesus who gave them so much. I think we forget how truly loving Jesus was (is)… they knew him as he walked to earth teaching and healing the sick. I’ve had 2 pastors who were filled with love… and their effect on me has been lasting…. when we encounter a loving person it stays with us…and here these two men had known the author of love… so, in their love for Jesus they prepared him to be buried. Jesus was so beaten… his body was marred more than any mans…they wrapped him with the spices prepared his body to be laid to rest…no doubt they wept.

⁴¹ Now in the place where he was crucified there was a garden; and in the garden a new sepulchre, wherein was never man yet laid.

⁴² There laid they Jesus therefore because of the Jews’ preparation day; for the sepulchre was nigh at hand.

The Sabbath, a day of rest was at hand where no one could work.