| Back to Home Page | Back to
Book Index |
John Chapter
Nineteen
I. Content of the Chapter
The Son of God the Savior
Who Had Been Judged, Dead and Buried
A. He Was Judged by Pilate:
1. Pilate judged Jesus the second time ----
he found no
fault in Jesus and attempted
to finish the trial by scourging Him (v.1-8).
2. Pilate judged Jesus the third time ----
he sought to
release Jesus, but the Jews said it was against Caesar
(v.9-12).
3. The decision in Gabbatha ---- he delivered Jesus to them to crucify Him (v.13-16).
B. He Was Crucified:
1. The name of the cross ---- the King of the Jews
(v.17-22).
2. The division under the cross ---- he divided His garments (v.23-24).
3. The gathering under the cross ---- the mother
and the son (v.25-27).
4. The accomplished declaration on the cross ---- It is finished! (v.28-30)
5. The death of the cross could not destroy His
risen life ---- “Not
one of His bones shall be broken
(v.31-33).”
6. The dual effect of the cross ---- blood and water came out (v.34-37).
C. His Noble Burial
(v.38-42)
II. Verse by Verse commentary
John. 19:1 “So then Pilate took Jesus
and scourged Him.”
YLT:
“Then, therefore, did Pilate
take Jesus and scourge,”
The Background: the whips that the Romans used to scourge sinners
were made of straps. The whips, beset with small bones or metals, could make a
man be badly bruised from flogging.
Literal
Meaning: “scourged”, it was the former part of death penalty. However at this time Pilate
had not put the Lord Jesus to death, but was unwilling to do so. Instead, he attempted to satisfy
the Jews with a lighter penalty (see Luke 23:16, 22) ---- flogging ---- so that
he could release the Lord Jesus (see v.12).
Enlightenment
in the Word: thanks the Lord, for with his
“stripes” we are healed (see Is 53:5). What a great salvation!
John. 19:2 “And the soldiers twisted a
crown of thorns and put it on His head, and they put on Him a purple robe.”
YLT: “and the
soldiers having plaited a crown of thorns, did place on his head, and a purple
garment they put around him,”
Literal Meaning: “the soldiers twisted a crown of thorns”, “thorns” referred to any plant with stingers. The soldiers
substituted the crown of thorns for the crown of the King.
“They put on Him a purple robe.” ---- “Purple”, it was the color of the
robe of a king.
They dressed up the Lord Jesus as the
king of the Jews in order to mock Him and treated Him shamefully.
Spiritual Meaning: “the soldiers twisted a crown of thorns and put it on His
head”, “thorns” were the sign of curse (see Gen
3:17-18). When the crown
of thorns was put on the head
of the Lord, it symbolized that He was cursed on the cross by God.
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) “The soldiers twisted a crown of thorns
and put it on His head.” ---- The Lord Jesus had become a curse for us on the
cross (Gal 3:13).
2) The crown of thorns and the purple
robe are signs of king. However, here they became the mark of the shame of the
cross. Because of the shame that the Lord had suffered, we are exalted! Oh, to the Lord the cross is shame, but to us it
is glory!
3) Having put on the crown of
thorns on the cross, the Lord had become a curse for us so as to deliver us
from the curse. Today, He is crowned with glory and honour in the heaven and
will bring us to glory (see Heb 2:9-10).
John. 19:3 “Then they said, "Hail,
King of the Jews!" And they struck Him with their hands.”
YLT: “and said,
`Hail! the king of the Jews;' and they were giving him slaps.”
Literal
Meaning: “then”, in the original, it meant “coming to Him continually”. The soldiers mocked Him again and again.
John. 19:4 “Pilate then went out again,
and said to them, "Behold, I am bringing Him out to you, that you may know
that I find no fault in Him.”
YLT: “Pilate, therefore, again went
forth without, and saith to them, `Lo, I do bring him to you without, that ye
may know that in him I find no fault;'”
Literal Meaning: “I
find no fault in Him”. ---- Pilate
declared that Jesus had not committed any political sin.
Enlightenment
in the Word: the Lord Jesus is
the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world (John 1:29). Therefore,
such a high priest was fitting for us, who is holy, harmless, undefiled,
separate from sinners, and has become higher than the heavens (Heb 7:26).
John. 19:5 “Then Jesus came out,
wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe. And Pilate said to them,
"Behold the Man!"”
YLT: “Jesus, therefore, came forth
without, bearing the thorny crown and the purple garment; and he saith to them,
`Lo, the man!'”
Literal Meaning: “behold the Man!”
---- this is a confusing word, with both sympathy and contempt. Pilate might
want to draw the attention of all to notice Jesus, who was wearing the crown of
thorns and was bruised
from flogging and with many shedding blood, that they might show compassion for
Jesus.
Enlightenment in the Word: “behold the Man!”
---- Jesus
Christ has been portrayed, crucified
before our eyes (Gal 3:1). Whenever we are assembled to break bread, in remembrance of the Lord, we should see the crucified Christ,
praising with
grace in our hearts to God (see
John. 19:6 “Therefore, when the chief
priests and officers saw Him, they cried out, saying, "Crucify Him,
crucify Him!" Pilate said to them, "You take Him and crucify Him, for
I find no fault in Him."”
YLT: “When,
therefore, the chief priests and the officers did see him, they cried out,
saying, `Crucify, crucify;' Pilate saith to them, `Take ye him -- ye, and
crucify; for I find no fault in him;'”
The Background: “crucifixion” was a cruel torture that the
Literal Meaning: “crucify Him”
it was fulfilled what the Lord had early prophesied (see Matt 20:19; 26:2).
“You take Him and crucify Him”, actually the Jews
had no right to execute the penalty of cross, and they said it only angrily.
“For I find no fault in Him.” ---- This was the third time that Pilate
announced the Lord’s innocence (see
18:38; 19:4). Obviously, Pilate thought the Lord Jesus was an “innocent man” all the time (see Matt 27:24; Luke 23:4,
14-15, 22).
John. 19:7 “The Jews answered him,
"We have a law, and according to our law He ought to die, because He made
Himself the Son of God."”
YLT: “the
Jews answered him, `We have a law, and according to our law he ought to die,
for he made himself Son of God.'”
Literal
Meaning: “we have a law”, the Jews at last poured out the truth ----
Jesus was brought here for disobeying their explanations for the law, not sins.
“And according to our law He ought to die”, the one who blasphemes the name of Jehovah
shall certainly be put to death (see Lev 24:16).
“Because He made Himself the Son of God”, the Jews raised this sin to prevent Pilate
from releasing the Lord Jesus. Instead of altering His sins, they attempted to aggravate
the sin of His blaspheming that “He
was the king of the Jews”
(see 18:33).
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) The blind quotation
of the written law may be against the testimony of the Son of God, even murder
the full witness of the Son of God.
2) Today, everyone has
the law of sin as well as the law of death (see Rom 7:23; 8:2b) ---- the former
makes men sin, and the latter causes men die. If men live in these two laws, he
has refused to let the Lord live in him.
John. 19:8 “Therefore, when Pilate
heard that saying, he was the more afraid,”
YLT: “When, therefore, Pilate heard
this word, he was the more afraid,”
Literal Meaning: “was the
more afraid”, his fear
was out of superstition, not believing the Son of
God really. It was also
because he saw the Jews were fierce in a threatening manner and did not give up
putting Jesus to death, and he
was afraid
that this case had other
inside information.
John. 19:9 “and
went again into the Praetorium, and said to Jesus, "Where are You
from?" But Jesus gave him no answer.”
YLT: “and entered again
to the praetorium, and saith to Jesus, `Whence art thou?' and Jesus gave him no
answer.”
The Background: according to the Roman law at that time, if the defendant
did not defend himself, he would be surely condemned.
Literal
Meaning: “Where are You from?” ---- Pilate did not ask where He came from,
but His background, namely, “Who
are you?”
“But Jesus gave him no answer.” ---- It had fulfilled what was written in
the Book of Isaiah (53:7). Who, reviled, reviled not again. Suffering,
threatened not. But gave over into the hands of him who judges righteously (see
2Pet 2:23) ---- this was the example of the Lord for us.
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) The Lord did not
defend Himself when being treated unjustly ---- “Jesus gave him no answer.” For He knew that men could not hurt Him
unless it had been permitted by the Father (see v.11). We should also know this
point so that we will look steadfastly on the protection of God in any trouble or
grief instead of protecting by our own strength.
2) Once the Lord
ignores somebody (gave him no answer) or even gives him up, it will be most
terrible (see Rom 1:26, 28).
3) He reviled, reviled
not again. Suffering, threatened not. But gave over into the hands of him who
judges righteously (see 1Peter 2:23). This was the example of the Lord.
4) He who knows
clearly the will and guidance of God and commits himself to God will rest in
God and not defend for himself in any hard condition.
5) Believers should bridle
the tongues instead of talking about meaningless matters, as it becomes saints.
John. 19:10 “Then Pilate said to Him,
"Are You not speaking to me? Do You not know that I have power to crucify
You, and power to release You?"”
YLT: “Pilate,
therefore, saith to him, `To me dost thou not speak? hast thou not known that I
have authority to crucify thee, and I have authority to release thee?'”
Literal Meaning: the authority of the potentates on the earth is granted by God (see Rom
13:1-5). When Pilate saw the Lord Jesus had
no answer, he used his authority, without knowing that the one who was before
him was the origin of all the authority on the earth.
John. 19:11 “Jesus answered, "You
could have no power at all against Me unless it had been given you from above.
Therefore the one who delivered Me to you has the greater sin."”
YLT: “Jesus answered,
`Thou wouldst have no authority against me, if it were not having been given
thee from above; because of this, he who is delivering me up to thee hath
greater sin.'”
Literal Meaning: “You could have no power
at all against Me unless it had been given you from above.” ---- The Lord Jesus
conversely judged Pilate who considered he had authority of himself.
“The one who delivered Me to you”, “the
one”, someone inferred that it might refer to Judas. However, here, it referred to the one who delivered Jesus to Pilate, so it might be the high priest Caiaphas. However, “the one” could also be interpreted as a group, which referred to
all the Jewish leaders that against Him, including Caiaphas and Judas.
“Has the greater sin”, it indicated that
Pilate also sinned, though lighter than that of Caiaphas.
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) All the authority on the
earth is out of God in the final analysis.
2) Apparently, Christ
was only a prisoner, and the authority was held in the hand of the governor.
However, in light of the spiritual reality, the true authority is in the hand
of Christ, who is the king. Therefore, our Lord could declare before the
arbitrary power: “you could have no power at
all against Me unless it had been given you from above.”
3) The Jews confessed
that “it is not lawful for us to
put anyone to death”
(see 18:31), so they delivered the Lord to Pilate. Actually, Pilate also had no
authority to put anyone to death, for the great power of giving or taking life
was held in the hand of Christ Himself. Just as what He had said before: “No one takes it from Me,
but I lay it down of Myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to
take it again. This command I have received from My Father (see 10:18)."” Here, the surpassing status of the Son of
God had been more manifested. Truly, He is the Lord of life (Acts 3:15)!
John. 19:12 “From then on Pilate sought
to release Him, but the Jews cried out, saying, "If you let this Man go,
you are not Caesar's friend. Whoever makes himself a king speaks against
Caesar." ”
YLT: “From this was
Pilate seeking to release him, and the Jews were crying out, saying, `If this
one thou mayest release, thou art not a friend of Caesar; every one making
himself a king, doth speak against Caesar.'”
Literal Meaning: “Pilate sought to release
Him”. ---- Pilate only dealt with the political offender, but the Lord Jesus
had never committed any political offence. Therefore, Pilate sought to release
Him.
“You are not Caesar's friend”, it meant
he had not maintained the profit of Caesar faithfully. This verse hid a threat
---- if Pilate released the Lord Jesus, the Jews would accuse him before
Caesar. Pilate could not totally ignore the intimidation of the Jews concerning
his past political records.
“Whoever makes himself a king speaks
against Caesar.” ---- It indicated that since the Lord declared that He was “the
king of the Jews”, He had put Himself in the opposing position against Caesar.
John. 19:13 “When Pilate therefore heard
that saying, he brought Jesus out and sat down in the judgment seat in a place
that is called The Pavement, but in Hebrew, Gabbatha. ”
YLT: “Pilate,
therefore, having heard this word, brought Jesus without -- and he sat down
upon the tribunal -- to a place called, `Pavement,' and in Hebrew, Gabbatha;”
Meaning of Words: “Gabbatha”: lift up, the
knoll, high place;
Literal Meaning: “in a place that is called
The Pavement”, it referred to the place in the northwest corner of the
“And sat down in the judgment seat”,
they had officially opened the court for trial.
John. 19:14 “Now it was the Preparation
Day of the Passover, and about the sixth hour. And he said to the Jews,
"Behold your King!" ”
YLT: “and it was the
preparation of the passover, and as it were the sixth hour, and he saith to the
Jews, `Lo, your king!'”
Meaning of Words: “the sixth hour” ---- it
was 12 o’clock in the middle of the day according to the Jewish chronometry,
and 6 o’clock in the morning according to the Roman chronometry.
Literal Meaning: “now it was the
Preparation Day of the Passover”, it was not the day of slaying the Lamb of the
Passover (see Mark 14:12), but the Friday among the week of the Passover,
namely, the previous day of the Sabbath. The Jews had to make preparation, for
they could not causally act or work on the day of Sabbath. They called the
previous day of the Sabbath was “the Preparation Day (see v.42)”.
“And about the sixth hour”, according to
the record of the Book of Mark, the Lord Jesus was crucified at 9 o’clock a.m.
(see Mark 15:25 “the third hour”). The difference between them might because:
(1) the Book of John was recorded according to the Roman chronometry (see the
commentary of chapter one, verse 39), but the Book of Mark was
recorded in the light of the Jewish chronometry. (2) It was 6 o’clock a.m. The
Lord had not been crucified, which coincided perfectly with the saying that the synagogue of the Jews led Jesus
to the Praetorium in the early morning (see 18:28). (3) It was approximately
three hours from Pilate’s sitting down in the judgment seat to the Lord’s being
brought to the cross in
“Behold your King!” ---- It might be unintentional words
from the mouth of Pilate. However, John purposed to emphasize the
royal power of the Lord Jesus here, so he did not miss
this part (see 18:33, 37, 39; 19:3, 15, 19).
Enlightenment in the Word: Pilate “used” the
authority according to the arrangement of men’s organization, but Christ “is”
the authority according to the reality of His life ---- “You say rightly that I
am a king, and for this cause I was born (see 18:37)”. When they met together,
the one who “used” the authority finally had to obey and confess the one who “is”
the authority ---- “Behold your King!”
John. 19:15 “But they cried out,
"Away 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!" ”
YLT: “and they cried
out, `Take away, take away, crucify him;' Pilate saith to them, `Your king
shall I crucify?' the chief priests answered, `We have no king except Caesar.'”
Literal Meaning: “We have no king but
Caesar!” ---- This is a sarcastic word. The leaders of the Jews refused to
admit any word that accused them of revolting the Roman government. Contrarily, it disclosed their spiritual
reality. The leaders of the Jews denied not only the Lord Jesus but also God
(see Judge 8:23; 1Sam 8:7). Therefore,
they had actually committed the
most serious sin of blasphemy.
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) The slogan of the cross
was “away with Him!” The cross was a removal for the Lord, so is
it for us. The cross is the greatest “removal”, removing the entire old creature, so that
the new creation will have more portions in us.
2) The principle aim
of the cross is to “remove” all the constitutions condemned to death by
God in us. The salvation of God is to bring men to zero, thus making their life
be increasingly abundant.
John. 19:16 “Then he delivered Him to
them to be crucified. Then they took Jesus and led Him away. ”
YLT: “Then,
therefore, he delivered him up to them, that he may be crucified, and they took
Jesus and led away,”
Literal Meaning: that Pilate delivered Him
to be crucified had fulfilled not only the saying which He spoke, signifying by
what death He would die, but also the
prophecies in the Old Testament (see Deut 21:23; Num 21:8-9; Gal
3:13).
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) What had Pilate
done was a typical representative of the world (especial the politicians) ---- who called black white and disregard the truth, only for the sake
of fawning over the people.
2) In order to please
the people, many leaders in the Christianity even sacrifice the principle of
the truth and adopt the expedient measure, but it finally does evil to our Lord.
3) In order to please
the people, Pilate went against his conscience and sacrificed the Lord Jesus.
This was a great example! We should never go against our conscience and
sacrifice the Lord Jesus whom we
believe for the purpose of pleasing the world.
4) If we want to be
strong till the end to bear witness of Christ, we may usually be unable to
please everyone. For if I were yet pleasing men, I were not Christ's bondman
(Gal 1:10).
5) Thanks the Lord!
Because of His “being delivered”, the condemned prisoners
of death can “be released”. What a great salvation!
John. 19:17 “And He, bearing His cross,
went out to a place called the Place of a Skull, which is called in Hebrew,
YLT: “and bearing his
cross, he went forth to the place called of a Skull, which is called in Hebrew
Golgotha;”
Meaning of Words: “
Literal Meaning: “bore His cross, went out to a
place called the Place of a Skull”, when the Lord Jesus was brought to be crucified, he bore
His cross by Himself at first and then a man of Cyrene, Simon by name bore the
cross for Him later (see Matt 27:32; Mark 15:21; Luke 23:26).
“A place called the Place
of a Skull, which is called in Hebrew,
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) The cross that the Lord had bore
was publicly for us, but the Scripture mentioned that He bore His cross Himself
---- “Jesus bore His cross and went out”. It showed the boundless love of the Lord
made Him be willing to bear our crosses and pay the cost of our sins without
any grievance. Oh, what great love! How can we not be indebted to Him forever?
2) Our natural brain
and the old concept are “the
skull”, which should be
crucified on the
John. 19:18 “where they crucified Him,
and two others with Him, one on either side, and Jesus in the center.”
YLT: “where they
crucified him, and with him two others, on this side, and on that side, and
Jesus in the midst.”
The Background: “they crucified Him”, it
was said that when the Jews in the old times slew the lamb of the Passover,
they firstly tied its four limbs up to a wood shelf shaped like the cross and let its blood shed unto death. Therefore, the Crucifixion of the Lord has fulfilled the typification that He is the lamb of the Passover (see
Is 53:7-8; 1Cor 5:7; John 1:29).
The cruel torture of crucifixion was
only adopted around the short period when the Lord Jesus was on the earth in
the history of the Roman history ---- which seemed that God especially prepared
this torture for the fulfillment of the prophecies and typifications in the Old
Testament (see Num 21:8-9; Deut 21:23; Act 13:29; Gal 3:13).
Literal Meaning: “and two others with Him”,
these two men crucified with Jesus together were robbers (see Matt 27:38). This
indicated that:
1.
It
fulfilled the prophecy that “he was reckoned with lawless (see Luke 22:37)”.
2.
He
was hanged on the tree in the position of a sinner, so He had bore
our sins in his body (see 1Peter 2:24).
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) As
the center of men and all things, the crucified Christ will draw all to Him
(see 12:32).
2) The portion of men
is totally determined by the crucified Christ ---- he who receives Him will
obtain eternal life, and he who refuses Him will perish and enter the eternal
fire.
3) Through His death
on the cross, He might annul the devil who has the might of death and might release
those who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage (see
Heb 2:14-15).
John. 19:19 “Now Pilate wrote a title
and put it on the cross. And the writing was: JESUS OF NAZARETH, THE KING OF
THE JEWS. ”
YLT: “And Pilate also
wrote a title, and put on the cross, and it was written, `Jesus the Nazarene,
the king of the Jews;'”
Literal Meaning: “wrote a title”, it
referred to the title of the sins of the prisoner, which would be nailed on the cross.
“JESUS OF NAZARETH, THE KING OF THE JEWS”,
the title was apparently ironic to the Lord as well as to the Jews (see v.21). It also
indicated that He was crucified exactly for this cause.
Enlightenment in the Word:
1)
The life of king can be manifested through the death of the cross only.
2) Men in the world become the king
by attacking cities or seizing lands, but
believers reign in life (see Rom 5:17) by the death of the cross.
John. 19:20 “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.”
YLT: “this title,
therefore, read many of the Jews, because the place was nigh to the city where
Jesus was crucified, and it was having been written in Hebrew, in Greek, in
Roman.”
Spiritual Meaning: Hebrew stood for religion,
and
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) The title of the
cross was written by three words, which revealed that the traditional religion
---- “Hebrew”, the earthly regime ---- “
2) On the other hand,
it also shows that Christ has already overcome them all, so that He has become
the king and the Lord who exists over all. Oh, how surpassing! How perfect!
John. 19:21 “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.""' ”
YLT: “The chief
priests of the Jews said, therefore, to Pilate, `Write not -- The king of the
Jews, but that one said, I am king of the Jews;'”
John. 19:22 “Pilate answered, "What
I have written, I have written." ”
YLT: “Pilate
answered, `What I have written, I have written.'”
Literal Meaning: Pilate had to present sufficient
reasons before putting someone to death. Pilate refused the
Jews ---- on one hand, he wanted to humiliate the Jews by this chance. On the
other hand, it showed that what he had written was not out of him, but in the
hand of the sovereign authority of God, so he could not change the title at will. Moreover, it proves a fact that the sovereign authority
of the Lord abides forever and never changes.
Enlightenment in the Word: even though we do not seek
the guidance of God, every action of us is still in the hand of God and is
governed by God.
John. 19:23 “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. ”
YLT: “The soldiers,
therefore, when they did crucify Jesus, took his garments, and made four parts,
to each soldier a part, also the coat, and the coat was seamless, from the top
woven throughout,”
Literal Meaning: “and also the tunic”, “tunic”, a
kind of undergarments covering from
one’s neck to knees or ankle bones.
Spiritual Meaning: the Lord’s garments could be
divided, but His undergarments could never be torn (see v.24), for was without seam, woven from
the top in one piece. However, His nature is full
and perfect and complete, even the cross can not divide it.
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) The world usually
respects the good works of the Lord
Jesus (divided His garments), but refuses to receive the life of Christ (“they
had crucified Jesus”).
2) Believers may
usually sacrifice the substance for the shadow and are zealous in searching the
scriptures, but will not come to the Lord that they might have life (see
5:39-40).
John. 19:24 “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. ”
YLT: “they said,
therefore, to one another, `We may not rend it, but cast a lot for it, whose it
shall be;' that the Writing might be fulfilled, that is saying, `They divided
my garments to themselves, and upon my raiment they did cast a lot;' the soldiers,
therefore, indeed, did these things.”
The Background: according to the Roman traditions,
all the objects taken with the one who would be put to death should be
delivered to executioner.
Literal Meaning: “they divided My garments among them, and for My
clothing they cast lots.” ----
It was quoted from the Book of Psalms (22:18). It still proved that the death
of the Lord Jesus was not out of men’s hand, but the sovereign dominance of
God.
John. 19:25 “Now there stood by the
cross of Jesus His mother, and His mother's sister, Mary the wife of Clopas,
and Mary Magdalene. ”
YLT: “And there stood
by the cross of Jesus his mother, and his mother's sister, Mary of Cleopas, and
Mary the Magdalene;”
Meaning of Words: “Clopas”: an honorable father.
Literal Meaning: “His mother”, Mary who was
the mother of James and Joseph (see Matt 13:55; 27:56).
“And
His mother's sister”, it was said that she was the mother of the sons of
Zebedee (see Matt 27:56), whose name was Salome (see Mark 16:1).
“Mary
the wife of Clopas”, “Clopas” had been mentioned only once in the Four Gospels.
It was said that he was the Apostle James’s father, who was also known as Alphaeus
(see Mark 3:18). His wife was also called Mary (see Mark 16:1).
There
was some the Bible exegetes who believed that this “Clopas” was that “Cleopas” who
walked with the risen Lord on the way of Emmaus (see Luke 24:13-18).
Enlightenment in the Word: these women stood for the unremarkable, infirm believers, who followed and served the
Lord in the ordinary days. When other disciples denied the Lord and escaped
(see Mark 14:50), they still followed the Lord till the cross, namely, unto
death. Therefore, they could bear witness of the Lord’s death and resurrection
(see Acts 3:15). If we want to be the witnesses of the Lord, we should follow the
Lord till the death.
John. 19:26 “When Jesus therefore saw
His mother, and the disciple whom He loved standing by, He said to His mother,
"Woman, behold your son!" ”
YLT: “Jesus,
therefore, having seen mother, and the disciple standing by, whom he was
loving, he saith to his mother, `Woman, lo, thy son;'”
Literal Meaning: “the disciple whom He
loved”, it was the Apostle John (see 13:23; 21:20). It was said that the mother
of John was Mary’s sister, Salome (see v.25; Matt 27:56; Mark 16:1). Therefore,
the physical mother of Jesus was the aunt of John, and John was her nephew.
John. 19:27 “Then He said to the
disciple, "Behold your mother!" And from that hour that disciple took
her to his own home. ”
YLT: “afterward he
saith to the disciple, `Lo, thy mother;' and from that hour the disciple took
her to his own .”
Literal Meaning: “And from that hour that
disciple took her to his own home.” ---- It meant that the disciple took the responsibility
of taking care of Mary’s daily life from then on. The family circumstances of
John was better than that of the Lord Jesus (see Mark 1:20; the commentary of
chapter 18 of this book v.15)
Spiritual Meaning: the death of the Lord opened a brand-new
relation between His mother and His beloved disciples. It unveiled that His
death had given the divine life to those who looked upon Him under the cross,
thus making them (i.e. those who believed Him) be united into one in life.
Controversial Clarification: someone criticized the Lord Jesus for
dishonoring His physical mother and speaking to her without proper respect (see
2:4; Matt 12:46-50; Mark 3:31-35; Luke 2:48-49), thus holding that He failed in
showing filial devotion to His mother. However, this was the thought of those
who did not know the Scripture. In fact, He obeyed His parents from His
childhood (see Luke 2:50-51). When He was grown up, since His father was reportedly
dead earlier, He began to inherit His father’s work and became personally a carpenter
(see Mark 6:3) and looked after the life of His mother, brothers and sisters. He
did not come out to preach until He was thirty years old (see Luke 3:23). Of
course, when He journeyed round to deliver sermons publicly during that three
year and a half, He could not take the responsibility of looking after His
mother, and He might entrust the responsibility of taking care of His brothers
to His brothers (James, Joses and etc.). Before His death, He made proper
arrangement for His mother’s life from then on. His filial obedience was
totally manifested!
Enlightenment
in the Word:
1) In the suffering of the
chastisement of the cross, the Lord Jesus did not forget His mother, but
entrusted her to the disciple whom He loved most, namely, John. It showed us
what a perfect Lord! He was fully faithful to the Father and had filial piety
to His physical mother ---- what a perfect savior for both God and men!
2) The close
fellowship among all the believers is produced by the risen life of the Lord.
3) The meaning of the
Christ’s cross was always
making oneself be divided ---- the Lord’s garments were divided (see v.23), and
making others be jointed ---- Mary and John had entered a new relationship
under the cross.
John. 19:28 “After this, Jesus, knowing
that all things were now accomplished, that the Scripture might be fulfilled,
said, "I thirst!" ”
YLT: “After this,
Jesus knowing that all things now have been finished, that the Writing may be
fulfilled, saith, `I thirst;'”
Literal Meaning: “I
thirst!” ---- It was quoted
from the Book of Psalm (69:21), indicating that He was bearing the torture of
the death, for thirst was the taste of the death (see Luke 16:24; Rev 21:8). It
indicated though He is God, He was also a man in His humanity who has the
physical feeling (see Heb 4:15; 5:2, 7).
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) The Lord had tasted the death
for us on the cross (see Heb 2:9).
2) All that the Lord
had done on the cross, even a word ---- “I thirst! (It was only one word in the
original)” ---- was for the
purpose of fulfilling the word of God.
3) Even the most
trivial thing in one’s
life is predominated by God.
John. 19:29 “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. ”
YLT: “a vessel,
therefore, was placed full of vinegar, and they having filled a sponge with
vinegar, and having put around a hyssop stalk, did put to his mouth;”
Literal Meaning: they put the sour wine to His mouth ---- it implicated
a sense of mocking (see Luke 23:36). Did they know that such action was for the
purpose of fulfilling the prophecy in the Old Testament (see Ps 69:21). Just
before the Lord had expired, the Lord Jesus was still mocked and despised by
men. Therefore, the word and action are all in the foreknowledge and
predestination of God.
John. 19:30 “So when Jesus had received
the sour wine, He said, "It is finished!" And bowing His head, He
gave up His spirit. ”
YLT: “when,
therefore, Jesus received the vinegar, he said, `It hath been finished;' and
having bowed the head, gave up the spirit.”
Literal Meaning: “It
is finished!” ---- It meant that
the great work of salvation had been finished.
“Bowing His head”, “bow” in the original
meant “inclining to the pillow and lying on the bed”. It suggested that when the
Lord Jesus had expired, He did not lower His head forward, but leaned backwards.
This action showed that had perfectly fulfilled His works.
“He gave up His spirit.” ---- Note that
the Four Gospels never mentioned the Lord Jesus “was dead”, but “gave His
spirit to God” or “expired” (see Matt 27:50; Luke 23:46). It indicated that His
death was not caused by any natural reason or the consumption of strength, but
gave His spirit to God voluntarily.
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) “It is finished!” ---- The great salvation for us had been
completely finished through the death of Christ on the cross. He did not leave
any trouble for us to resolve by ourselves.
2) “It is finished!”
---- This was the greatest triumphal song of the Lord Himself as well as the
best glad tidings for sinners all over the world. The great work of the Lord
Jesus on the cross had destroyed the power of Satan and redeemed men’s sins and
accomplished the will of God. Oh, what a great “it is finished”!
3) The Lord’s life could not be seized by men, but lay
down His life for the sheep of Himself (see John 10:15, 18).
4) If we are
undergoing afflictions or troubles, we should commit everything unto God, and
then we will enjoy the rest in spirit.
John. 19:31 “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. ”
YLT: “The Jews,
therefore, that the bodies might not remain on the cross on the sabbath, since
it was the preparation, (for that Sabbath day was a great one,) asked of Pilate
that their legs may be broken, and they taken away.”
Literal Meaning: “the
Jews asked Pilate that their legs might be broken”, they intended to accelerate His death. For when
one’s legs were broken, he could not bear the weight of the whole body, thus
falling into the
shortness of breath.
John. 19:32 “Then the soldiers came and
broke the legs of the first and of the other who was crucified with Him. ”
YLT: “The soldiers,
therefore, came, and of the first indeed they did break the legs, and of the
other who was crucified with him,”
John. 19:33 “But when they came to Jesus
and saw that He was already dead, they did not break His legs. ”
YLT: “and having come
to Jesus, when they saw him already having been dead, they did not break his
legs;”
Literal Meaning: “but
when they came to Jesus and saw that He was already dead”. ---- When a man was crucified, he might
expire after two or three days. Why the Lord Jesus died so quickly, there might
be reasons as follows:
1.
The
Lord was very infirm in His flesh, for indeed he has been crucified in weakness
(see 2Cor 53:6).
2.
The
judgment of God on Him was especially heavy, for God had laid upon Him the
iniquity of us all (see Is 53:6).
3.
The
power of death had attacked Him much fiercely, for His death was the final decisive
battle against the devil that had the might of death. Nevertheless, He still
overcame the final enemy, namely, death (see Heb 2:14; 1Cor 15:26).
“They
did not break His legs”, it indicated that:
1.
The Lord’s death was not caused by man’s
hand, but He lay down His life of soul of Himself.
2.
In the sovereign authority of God, the
prophecy that “not one of His
bones shall be broken” was fulfilled (see v.36).
John. 19:34 “But one of the soldiers
pierced His side with a spear, and immediately blood and water came out. ”
YLT: “but one of the
soldiers with a spear did pierce his side, and immediately there came forth
blood and water;”
Literal Meaning: “one
of the soldiers pierced His side with a spear”, probably, he wanted to make sure that He was
really dead.
“And immediately blood and water came
out”, according to the modern medical general
knowledge, the reason of the Lord’s death was concluded to be the cardiac
rupture, so there were blood clots (blood) and blood sera (water) in the thoracic
cavity.
Spiritual Meaning: “one
of the soldiers pierced His side with a
spear”, it was exactly fulfilled the typification that when the side of Adam
was split, God took one of Adam’s ribs to build it into Eve (see Gen 2:21-22). That
the side of the Lord Jesus was pierced by a sphere typified the birth of the
church.
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) There are two functions of the death of
Christ: (1) “blood” ---- removes our sins in the negative
aspect; (2) water ---- gives the divine life to us in the positive aspect.
2) The salvation of
blood is purposed to give life in water. If we are only redeemed by the blood,
but are not reborn, our situations may still be wretched.
3) The shedding of the
Lord’s “blood” showed that He washed away men’s sins and made men come to God. Moreover,
the shedding of the Lord’s
“water” symbolized that He came into men to be men’s life. This is the complete salvation of
two sides of Christ’s
salvation.
John. 19:35 “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. ”
YLT: “and he who hath
seen hath testified, and his testimony is true, and that one hath known that
true things he speaketh, that ye also may believe.”
Literal Meaning: “he
who has seen”, probably it
referred to the Apostle John.
The emphasis of this verse was the two
words “truth” and “believe”.
John. 19:36 “For these things were done
that the Scripture should be fulfilled, "Not one of His bones shall be
broken." ”
YLT: “For these
things came to pass, that the Writing may be fulfilled, `A bone of him shall
not be broken;'”
Spiritual Meaning: “Not
one of His bones shall be broken.”
---- “Bones” symbolize the risen life (see Gen 2:21-33), which can never be
injured or destroyed by death.
This also proves that the Lord is a
perfectly righteous man before God (see Ps 34:20), and He has become the Lamb
of the Passover (see Ex 12:46).
Enlightenment in the Word: just like Eve was out of a rib of Adam, the church
is also out of the risen life of Christ. This life is a life which can never be
broken or corrupted.
John. 19:37 “And again another Scripture
says, "They shall look on Him whom they pierced." ”
YLT: “and again
another Writing saith, `They shall look to him whom they did pierce.'”
Literal Meaning: “They
shall look on Him whom they
pierced.” ---- It was quoted from the Book of Zechariah (12:10).
John. 19:38 “After this, Joseph of
Arimathea, being a disciple of Jesus, but secretly, for fear of the Jews, asked
Pilate that he might take away the body of Jesus; and Pilate gave him
permission. So he came and took the body of Jesus. ”
YLT: “And after these
things did Joseph of Arimathea -- being a disciple of Jesus, but concealed,
through the fear of the Jews -- ask of Pilate, that he may take away the body
of Jesus, and Pilate gave leave; he came, therefore, and took away the body of
Jesus,”
Literal Meaning: “Joseph
of Arimathea”, “Arimathea”, was a small town in the land of the Perizzites,
which was located in the northwest of
“Asked Pilate that he might take away
the body of Jesus”, Joseph, like Nicodemus, was the disciple of the Lord in
private. However, he was bold to manifest his position at this time for being touched by the Lord’s love on the cross.
John. 19:39 “And Nicodemus, who at first
came to Jesus by night, also came, bringing a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about
a hundred pounds. ”
YLT: “and Nicodemus
also came -- who came unto Jesus by night at the first -- bearing a mixture of
myrrh and aloes, as it were, a hundred pounds.”
Literal Meaning: “a
hundred pounds”, according to the Roman
weights and measures, every pound equals to twelve ounce, about 30 kilograms.
John. 19:40 “Then they took the body of
Jesus, and bound it in strips of linen with the spices, as the custom of the
Jews is to bury.”
YLT: “They took,
therefore, the body of Jesus, and bound it with linen clothes with the spices,
according as it was the custom of the Jews to prepare for burial;”
The
Background:
according to the funeral custom of the Jews, the corpse should be bound up in
linen with the spices, and the head should be wrapped by napkin (see 11:44).
Enlightenment in the Word: “bound
it in strips of linen with the spices”, the behaviors of believers should be
clean, holy, soft and even. But not let sin reign in
your mortal body (see Rom 6:12).
John. 19:41 “Now in the place where He
was crucified there was a garden, and in the garden a new tomb in which no one
had yet been laid.”
YLT: “and there was
in the place where he was crucified a garden, and in the garden a new tomb, in
which no one was yet laid;”
Spiritual Meaning: “and
in the garden a new tomb in which no one had yet been laid”, “the tomb in which the Lord had yet been laid was hewn by Joseph for
himself (see Matt 27:60). This typified that the old men of believers had been
crucified with the Lord and buried with him by baptism unto death (see Rom 6:3-6;
Enlightenment in the Word: the Lord was a poor and humble man in
John. 19:42 “So there they laid Jesus,
because of the Jews' Preparation Day, for the tomb was nearby.”
YLT: “there,
therefore, because of the preparation of the Jews, because the tomb was nigh,
they laid Jesus.”
Literal Meaning: “because
of the Jews' Preparation Day”, since the Jews
could not act or work at will on the Sabbath, they could make some preparation
in the previous day, which was called “the Preparation Day”.
Enlightenment in the Word: because of the boldness and devotion of love
of Joseph and Nicodemus, the Lord Jesus could have a new tomb to
rest ---- the Lord rested in those who loved Him and exalted Him.
III. Outlines of the Spiritual
Lessons
I. The Significance of the
Cross ---- He Who Does not Know Sin Has Been Made Sin for Sinners
A. Pilate declared that he did not find any
fault in Jesus for three times (v.4, 6; see 18:38).
B. Since He called Himself the Son of God, the
Jews cried out: “Crucify Him” (v.6-7).
C. The power that crucified Him seemed to be of
Pilate, but it was given from above (v.10
D. All of us had delivered the Lord to the
cross, so our sins were much serious (v.11b).
E. The Lord was even reckoned with the
transgressors because of our sins (v.18).
II.The Slogan of the Cross ---- Away
with Him
A. They cried out, "Away
with Him, away with Him! Crucify Him!" (v.15).
B. Jesus bore His cross
and went out (v
C. The place where Jesus was
crucified was called
“the Place of a Skull” (v.17b) ---- which meant putting Him to death.
III.
The Title of the Cross ---- the King of the
Jews
A.
He was mocked
because of the status of “the king of the Jews” (v.2-5).
B.
This king was against Caesar (v.12b) ---- who was also against the king
of the world.
C.
“Behold your King! (v.14)”.
D.
The title of the
cross was: “THE
KING OF THE JEWS” (v.19).
E.
It was written in Hebrew,
Greek, and Latin (v.20) ---- which
resembled religion, politics and culture.
F.
Pilate refused to
change what he had written, though the Jews rejected him (v.21-22) ---- it was
out of the sovereign authority of God.
G.
He was buried nobly
(v.38-42) ---- the honorable treatment of a king.
IV. The Effects of the
Cross
A.
His
garments were divided under the
cross, but His tunic could not be torn (v.23-24) ---- Christ can
meet the need of all kinds of men because of the fullness and perfectness His
inner being.
B.
Those who were of
Him had established a new relation (v.26-27) ---- they were jointed into one by
partaking in His life.
C.
“I thirst!” (v.28) ---- since He had drunk the cup of the
wrath of God, we could enjoy His cup of blessings.
D.
“It is finished!” (v.30) ---- He had left nothing for man to
make up.
E.
“Not one of His bones shall
be broken (v.31-33; 36).”
---- Death could not overcome His risen life.
F.
Blood
and water came out from His side
(v.34) ---- blood was for remission, and water was for giving life.
G.
Everything the cross
has accomplished has its testimonies. These testimonies are “true”, which can
make us believe (v.35).
──
Caleb Huang《Christian Digest Bible
Commentary Series》
Translated by Mary Zhou