John 19:31-37

The Jews therefore, because it was the day of preparation, so that the bodies should not remain on the cross on the Sabbath (for that Sabbath was a high day), asked Pilate that their legs might be broken, and that they might be taken away. The soldiers therefore came, and broke the legs of the first man, and of the other man who was crucified with Him; but coming to Jesus, when they saw that He was already dead, they did not break His legs; but one of the soldiers pierced His side with a spear, and immediately there came out blood and water. And he who has seen has borne witness, and his witness is true; and he knows that he is telling the truth, so that you also may believe. For these things came to pass, that the Scripture might be fulfilled, "NOT A BONE OF HIM SHALL BE BROKEN." And again another Scripture says, "THEY SHALL LOOK ON HIM WHOM THEY PIERCED."

 

So we’ve seen that Jesus deliberately fulfilled the Scriptures by the way that He lived and died. Yes, it’s kind of strange that anyone who wasn’t the Messiah would try to fulfill the Scriptures by dying like the Messiah. But setting that aside for a moment, what if Jesus was just a man trying to make it look like He was the fulfillment of prophecies? How can we know that He was really God’s Messiah if all the prophecies about Him were fulfilled while He was alive – while He was able to “manipulate” the prophecies (by asking for a drink, for instance)?

 

That’s just it, though. Some of the prophecies that Jesus fulfilled came about after He died. No man can make it look as though He is fulfilling prophecies when He is dead, when He has no way to influence the outcome of events. That’s why this passage is especially helpful in showing us that we can really believe in Jesus.

 

It’s pretty straightforward. It was the Jewish day of Preparation for the Sabbath, and this was an important Sabbath because of the Passover week. So the Jews didn’t really want to have the crucified men hanging there on their special day of worship. They asked Pilate to have the legs of the men broken (to speed up their deaths – it kept men from pushing themselves up on the cross and led to death by asphyxiation), and then to have the bodies taken down from the crosses when the crucified men were dead.

 

So the legs of the criminals who were crucified with Jesus were broken, because those men were still alive. But Jesus was already dead. So the soldiers didn’t break His legs. There was no point. But perhaps to make sure that Jesus was dead, one of the soldiers pierced His side with a spear.

 

So what? So what if Jesus’ legs weren’t broken? So what if a soldier pierced His side with a spear?

 

John thinks it’s a big deal. He emphasizes that the testimony is true. The witness (John himself, almost certainly) saw this, he says, and his testimony is true. And the witness knows that he is telling the truth so that you also will believe. To John, it is vital that we see that Jesus’ legs were not broken and that His side was pierced. Why?

 

Because the Scriptures said this would happen. Jesus was no longer alive. He was not manipulating these events with words, or by withholding words, or anything. He was dead. But even when Jesus was dead, the words God had spoken through the prophets actually happened! God said, “Not a bone of Him shall be broken” (Exodus 12:46 – about the Passover lamb; Numbers 9:12 – about the Passover lamb; Psalm 34:19-20 – about a “righteous man”). And God had also said, “They shall look on him whom they pierced” (Zech. 12:10 – God actually says, “They will look on me, the one they have pierced…”). Faith in Jesus is a natural extension of trusting in the God of the Old Testament!

 

See? Jesus was no mere man. Even when Jesus wasn’t deliberately seeking to fulfill the Scriptures as He did in John 19:28-30 and elsewhere, He fulfilled them. Even when Jesus was dead, He fulfilled them. God’s testimony is true (You either believe this or you don’t). And Jesus claimed that He was the one God sent. And Jesus’ life and death fulfilled God’s testimony. So Jesus’ claim was true. He really was the one God sent! If we trust God’s Old Testament words (let alone the New Testament), then we have every reason to trust in Jesus!

 

Father, there are so many good reasons to trust in Jesus. Many of us don’t believe in Jesus, though, because we doubt that we really have heard Your words. Through the Old Testament. Through the New Testament. Forgive us. Forgive us for not believing You. And keep speaking to us. Reassure us. Convince us. Help us to see that You are trustworthy, because we are weak and we need Your help. And for those of us who do believe in Jesus, help us to realize that we need to believe all of Your words. You were faithful and true in teaching us to trust Jesus. You are faithful and true in everything You say. Your words are so precious. Help us to listen carefully, and incline our hearts to respond with trust and obedience. Thank You for loving us enough to speak to us and show us the way to life.

 

John 19:28-30

John 19:28-30

 

Later, knowing that all was now completed, and so that the Scripture would be fulfilled, Jesus said, "I am thirsty." A jar of wine vinegar was there, so they soaked a sponge in it, put the sponge on a stalk of the hyssop plant, and lifted it to Jesus' lips. When he had received the drink, Jesus said, "It is finished." With that, he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.

 

Have you ever wondered whether Jesus really chose His death? Have you ever wondered whether God really knows the future? Whether He really has a plan? Whether He really is in complete control?

 

Throughout the last three chapters and even before, we’ve seen repeated indications that Jesus knew exactly what He was doing. He knew His Father’s plan, and He meant to do His Father’s will. And now, Jesus knew that “all was now completed.”

 

But He had one more thing to do. He knew this because of the Scriptures. He knew that in the Psalms it says, “They put gall in my food and gave me vinegar for my thirst” (69:21). So Jesus said, “I am thirsty.” He said it so that the Scripture would be fulfilled. Everything Jesus did was fulfilling what the Father had promised beforehand. Deliberately. Jesus found His instructions in the Scriptures. And He followed them.

 

Because Jesus said that He was thirsty, they lifted a sponge soaked in wine vinegar to Jesus’ lips so that He received the drink foretold long before.

 

And then Jesus knew that everything was done. The plan was complete. There was only one thing left to do. So Jesus bowed His head. And Jesus gave up His spirit. He died. He chose to die. Because God knew and foretold the future. To follow God’s plan. Jesus died in complete control of His circumstances.

 

Father, thank You! Jesus, thank You! The more I hear from Your word, the more plain it is that You, King Jesus, really are God. I used to feel as though You were a victim. I used to feel as though You were, in a sense, my victim. I felt as though I had put You on the cross. And while You died for my sins and the sins of everyone else in the world, I now see that there is not a single person on this earth who could have forced You onto that cross – in fact, all of us combined could not put You to death! Yes, You died for our sins. But we could never put You on the cross. You chose to die because You and the Father loved us. You followed Your own plan, when You could have chosen to let us die in our sins. Thank You for the choice You made. Thank You for fulfilling Your plan. Thank You for Your love.

 

 

John 19:25-28

John 19:25-28

 

Near the cross of Jesus stood his mother, his mother's sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. When Jesus saw his mother there, and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby, he said to his mother, "Dear woman, here is your son," and to the disciple, "Here is your mother." From that time on, this disciple took her into his home.

 

Did Jesus care about family? Here at the end of His life, Jesus took care of His mother. She was standing there as He died on the cross, watching with Jesus’ aunt, Mary the wife of Clopas and Mary Magdalene. And Jesus saw the disciple whom He loved – probably John – standing there, too. So Jesus spoke to His mother and to His disciple: “Woman, here is your son. … Here is your mother.” He joined them as family, making sure that His mother would be well-provided for.

 

One question that arises is Why? Jesus had brothers (John 2:12), and they should have been next in line to care for their mother. So why did Jesus commit her into the care of His disciple? The text does not say why, though perhaps Jesus’ brothers ridiculed their mother for following Jesus, since they did not believe in Him (John 7:5). Perhaps Jesus did this to make sure that His mother remained among those who believed in Him.

 

Regardless of why, the fact is that in His last minutes Jesus took care of His mother. The disciple to whom Jesus entrusted her took her in and cared for her from that time on as his own mother.

 

Sometimes we think that doing great spiritual work is so incredibly important that we no longer need to take care of our earthly responsibilities. We think that God is so happy with us for our spiritual achievements that He no longer cares about the normal stuff of life. But Jesus did the two together. Even while He was accomplishing the redemption of the world, He took care of His mother. Jesus was perfect in His goodness – He did it all, extraordinary and normal, amazing and bland. So we can know that faithfully serving God when all He has given us to do seems normal and bland is worthwhile, because Jesus Himself thought that normal, bland, everyday good deeds were worth doing.

 

Father, forgive us for thinking that we must always be seeking to do something amazing. Forgive us for looking down on our normal responsibilities and treating them with contempt, wishing we no longer had to do them because we view them as unimportant. Thank You that Jesus showed us that He cared about every detail of His life, and that He was responsible to care for His mother even while He was dying on the cross. Thank You that He honored normal life, normal goodness. Help me to be faithful in the small things, and to love my family well.

 

John 19:23-24

When the soldiers crucified Jesus, they took his clothes, dividing them into four shares, one for each of them, with the undergarment remaining. This garment was seamless, woven in one piece from top to bottom.

 

"Let's not tear it," they said to one another. "Let's decide by lot who will get it." This happened that the scripture might be fulfilled which said, "They divided my garments among them and cast lots for my clothing."

 

So this is what the soldiers did.

 

Again we are faced with the truth that Jesus knew exactly what would happen to Him as He endured the crucifixion. The Scriptures are the words of the Father and the words of Jesus – the words of God. And the Scriptures said, “They divided my garments among them and cast lots for my clothing.”

 

These words are found in Psalm 22, and we know that Jesus was thinking about this Psalm as He hung on the cross. Its opening words are the familiar words Jesus cried out as He died: “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” (Matthew 27:46). And the mockery it describes in verse 8 is precisely the mockery cast upon Jesus by the chief priests, teachers of the law, and elders who were there : “He trusts in God. Let God rescue him now if he wants him” (see Matthew 27:39-44). This Psalm portrayed Jesus’ crucifixion, and He knew it.

 

Just another proof that our King knew all the details of His mission. Jesus was not surprised to be captured, beaten, judged, and put on a cross. He had even foretold long before that His clothes would be divided up and that men would cast lots for His clothing. This was all part of God’s detailed, foreknown plan.

 

Heavenly Father and Lord Jesus, I know I can trust You! You know all things, including all that is yet to come. Every detail of life is in Your hands. Even in planning our redemption by Jesus’ death, You were in complete control! Thank You for holding every detail in Your hands, for guiding our lives surely towards the good things You intend for us. Thank You that we can see how completely in control You are so that, even when we feel as if life is chaos and pain, we can look to You knowing that You will fulfill Your promises. You will not leave us forever in this painful world, but You will come again and restore all things! And You have left us Your Holy Spirit to comfort and guide us in the meantime. Thank You for demonstrating again how thoroughly trustworthy You are.

 

John 19:17-22

Carrying his own cross, he went out to the place of the Skull (which in Aramaic is called Golgotha). Here they crucified him, and with him two others--one on each side and Jesus in the middle.

 

Pilate had a notice prepared and fastened to the cross. It read: JESUS OF NAZARETH, THE KING OF THE JEWS. Many of the Jews read this sign, for the place where Jesus was crucified was near the city, and the sign was written in Aramaic, Latin and Greek. The chief priests of the Jews protested to Pilate, "Do not write `The King of the Jews,' but that this man claimed to be king of the Jews."

 

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

 

So Jesus achieved His goal. He went to the place of the Skull, Golgotha, and He carried His own cross there. I think John lets us know that Jesus carried His own cross not because it was such an outrage or so very uncommon, but because this was Jesus’ intention all along. Jesus did not shrink back from the cross. The Father would glorify Him through the cross, and Jesus took it up willingly. Carrying His own cross, Jesus went to the place of the Skull. Our King did not shrink back from facing danger and death for His people. He did not shrink back from being crucified in the midst of thieves.

 

And He was killed because of who He was. He was killed as the King of the Jews. Though the Jews rejected Jesus’ reign, Pilate publicly announced that Jesus was being killed for being the King of the Jews. He announced it in a public language, and he announced it in many languages. Pilate wanted everyone to know that Jesus was being killed because He was the King of the Jews. The Jews’ leaders did not like this and asked Pilate to change the sign. But Pilate said that the sign was going to stay. The final word on Jesus as He died was this: “Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews.”

 

Jesus, the King, did what every king should do. He went willingly into battle to defend His people, to protect His kingdom. He went willingly to die, knowing that by dying His kingdom would be established. Although others looked on and despised Jesus, Jesus lived the part of a King to the fullest and fulfilled His own purposes. And though many people doubted that Jesus was truly a king, His reign was proclaimed to everyone in many languages, even while He died.

 

Jesus, thank You for being such a good king. Thank You for making it plain that You are king. Thank You that You gave Your life to expand Your kingdom and defend Your people from their oppressor.

 

 

John 19:6-16

As soon as the chief priests and their officials saw him, they shouted, "Crucify! Crucify!"

But Pilate answered, "You take him and crucify him. As for me, I find no basis for a charge against him."

 

The Jews insisted, "We have a law, and according to that law he must die, because he claimed to be the Son of God."

 

When Pilate heard this, he was even more afraid, and he went back inside the palace. "Where do you come from?" he asked Jesus, but Jesus gave him no answer. "Do you refuse to speak to me?" Pilate said. "Don't you realize I have power either to free you or to crucify you?"

 

Jesus answered, "You would have no power over me if it were not given to you from above. Therefore the one who handed me over to you is guilty of a greater sin."

 

From then on, Pilate tried to set Jesus free, but the Jews kept shouting, "If you let this man go, you are no friend of Caesar. Anyone who claims to be a king opposes Caesar."

 

When Pilate heard this, he brought Jesus out and sat down on the judge's seat at a place known as the Stone Pavement (which in Aramaic is Gabbatha). It was the day of Preparation of Passover Week, about the sixth hour. "Here is your king," Pilate said to the Jews.

 

But they shouted, "Take him away! Take him away! Crucify him!"

 "Shall I crucify your king?" Pilate asked.

 "We have no king but Caesar," the chief priests answered.

 

Finally Pilate handed him over to them to be crucified. (NIV) They took Jesus, therefore. (NASB, v 17a)

 

Pilate had presented Jesus to the Jews as a battered and innocent man, a man who did not deserve death. But the Jews’ response was still, “Crucify! Crucify!” They really wanted Jesus dead, even though Pilate continued to insist on Jesus’ innocence. Pilate told them to crucify Jesus themselves – that is, without his authority – because Pilate found no basis for a charge against him.

 

But the Jews couldn’t crucify Jesus on their own authority. So finally they told Pilate why they hated Jesus so much. He deserved to die, according to their law, because Jesus claimed to be the Son of God.

 

This scared Pilate. Badly. He asked Jesus, “Where are you from?” Pilate seems to have begun to believe that Jesus might truly be a heavenly king, that he might truly have been the Son of God. It frustrated him that Jesus wouldn’t answer his question. In one question, Pilate both pleaded with Jesus and threatened him: “Don’t you know that I have the authority to release you and I have authority to crucify you?” The threat was that, if Jesus didn’t speak up, Pilate would have to crucify Him. But more than a threat, this question was Pilate’s plea for help. Pilate didn’t want to crucify Jesus; he was scared. But it was Pilate’s call, and he needed Jesus to speak up and prove his innocence so that he wouldn’t have to crucify the one he was scared to crucify.

 

Here Jesus spoke. Jesus understood authority, and He therefore told Pilate, “You would have no authority over me if it were not given to you from above.” In other words, Pilate’s authority was not his own. Jesus understood that Pilate had been appointed to this position of authority “from above” – humanly by Caesar’s authority, but ultimately by God’s. Pilate was therefore the one who had to make the call and decide whether to release Jesus or crucify Him. Jesus’ conclusion was, “Because of this, the one who handed me over to you has greater sin.” Jesus was speaking words of mercy to Pilate, words of understanding. Jesus was not helping Pilate to set Him free; Pilate would have to crucify Him. But Jesus knew that Pilate had not made himself Jesus’ enemy. Pilate was appointed to make this decision – appointed from above, by Someone else.

 

Pilate kept trying to set Jesus free, but the Jews kept insisting on Jesus’ crucifixion. They twisted Pilate’s political arm, saying, “If you let this man go, you are no friend of Caesar. Anyone who claims to be a king opposes Caesar.”

 

So Pilate made one last effort. On the Preparation Day for Passover, Pilate prepared Jesus, the ultimate Passover lamb. Pilate said to the Jews, “Here is your king.” And they rejected their king, pledging allegiance to their oppressor: “We have no king but Caesar.”

 

So Pilate handed Jesus over to be crucified. And they took Him.

 

Father, I don’t know Pilate’s final fate. But it is so very interesting to see that Pilate took the possibility that Jesus was Your Son seriously and, recognizing Jesus’ innocence, kept trying to defend Him. He did not acknowledge Jesus as his king, but called Him the king of the Jews. Still, Jesus spoke comforting and understanding words to Pilate. Jesus understood that Pilate was making the judgment against Jesus not because he wanted to (though he chose to), but because he had been appointed to his position and had to. If nothing else, this gives me comfort. I see that You and Jesus, Father, know our circumstances. You know not only what we do, but the reasons we do what we do. And when we do things that harm You, You take the reasons into account. We can trust Your ultimate judgment to be completely right, whatever it is. The Jews rejected their own king. Pilate merely rejected someone else’s king. And he did so reluctantly because he had to as a representative of Caesar. And it was all part of Your plan. Jesus kept moving toward the cross. Thank You for Your good plan. Thank You for Your understanding of people’s motivations, not just of our actions. And thank You for Your mercy to cover our sins, given by sending Jesus to be our Passover Lamb.

 

John 19:1-5

Then Pilate took Jesus and had him flogged. The soldiers twisted together a crown of thorns and put it on his head. They clothed him in a purple robe and went up to him again and again, saying, "Hail, king of the Jews!" And they struck him in the face.

 

Once more Pilate came out and said to the Jews, "Look, I am bringing him out to you to let you know that I find no basis for a charge against him." When Jesus came out wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe, Pilate said to them, "Here is the man!"

 

John presents this next scene as Pilate’s attempt at least to get Jesus off the cross. So while Pilate rejected Jesus’ kingship, Pilate still recognized Jesus’ innocence.

 

In response to the Jews’ demand to release Barabbas rather than Jesus, Pilate took Jesus back into the Praetorium and had the soldiers flog Him. They did much more than that, though. They took out their disdain for the Jews on Jesus as if He were actually the king of the Jews. In essence, they were belittling the Jews by belittling their king.

 

Imagine being king of the Jews and then being subjected to this. Rather than receiving the proper respect, and after being flogged, soldiers from the country that has invaded yours give you a crown of thorns to replace the crown you rightfully wear. They dress you in a purple robe, but merely for the purpose of mockery. On a battered and beaten and seemingly-defeated king, the purple robe received no respect. Rather, the soldiers repeatedly say, “Hail, king of the Jews,” and strike you in the face.

 

And after imagining the offense of these things if you were king of the Jews, realize that Jesus actually was the king of the Jews. And of the Romans. He had created them all. He is king of kings! But Jesus chose – knowingly, He chose – to be subjected to this humiliation out of obedience to His Father and love for us. To Jesus, this was glory, and through all this glorious suffering, including the cross, Jesus would glorify His Father (John 17:1).

 

But Pilate seemingly had Jesus flogged and allowed all the painful mockery, strangely, in Jesus’ defense. Pilate went out again to the Jews and said, “Look, I am bringing him out to you to let you know that I find no basis for a charge against him.” Pilate’s saying, “He’s innocent. And I want you to see Him.” And then Pilate brings out this battered Jesus and says, “Look at the man.” The way the story goes, it’s as though Pilate wanted to induce some pity among the Jews for Jesus. He wanted them to recognize that Jesus was an innocent man, and that their anger had led to His battered condition, and that this ought to be enough for them.

 

But it is not enough to recognize Jesus’ innocence. Pilate should have also treated Jesus as the king He is. Pilate’s denial of Jesus’ kingship led Pilate to flog Jesus and to let the soldiers mock His kingship. Yes, it was an attempt to get Jesus off the cross, but the attempt was not because Pilate saw Jesus as king. Pilate tried to get Jesus off the cross merely because he could see that Jesus was an innocent man, while the Jews were seeking to free the certainly criminal Barabbas.

 

Father, there are so many people who look at Jesus this way – as an innocent man, but not a king. Not the king. Not their king. Not our king. Father, help us who know You not merely to talk about how good and innocent Jesus was. Help us to tell people that He is the king of all! That this king chose to give His life for theirs, but that He now demands that all people everywhere listen to Him, give their allegiance to Him, obey Him – for He is coming again (Acts 17:30-31)! Help me to live this way, in humble and complete allegiance to my King, proclaiming exactly what He tells me to say, doing what He commands.

 

John 18:36-40

John 18:36-40

 

Jesus said, "My kingdom is not of this world. If it were, my servants would fight to prevent my arrest by the Jews. But now my kingdom is from another place."

 

"You are a king, then!" said Pilate.

 

Jesus answered, "You are right in saying I am a king. In fact, for this reason I was born, and for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone on the side of truth listens to me."

 

"What is truth?" Pilate asked. With this he went out again to the Jews and said, "I find no basis for a charge against him. But it is your custom for me to release to you one prisoner at the time of the Passover. Do you want me to release `the king of the Jews'?"

 

They shouted back, "No, not him! Give us Barabbas!" Now Barabbas had taken part in a rebellion.

 

When Pilate asked Jesus what He had done to make the Jews so angry, Jesus just kept talking about His kingdom. And Pilate picked up on it. Jesus said that His kingdom was not of this world, or His servants would fight to keep Him from being handed over like this. And Pilate recognized that, even if Jesus was claiming an other-worldly kingdom, Jesus was not denying that He was a king. Jesus was certainly claiming to be king. So Pilate asked, “Are you not, therefore, a king?” According to your own testimony, Jesus, you must be a king!

 

Jesus affirms it. “You are saying that I am a king. This is why I was born, and this is why I came into the world, to testify to the truth.” At the beginning of the conversation, Jesus asked Pilate whether it was his own idea that Jesus was a king, or whether it had come from others. Pilate had merely heard from the Jews that Jesus claimed to be a king, but now Pilate is saying it himself: Jesus’ testimony is that Jesus is king. And Jesus says that this is the truth. This is what Jesus came to testify about. This is why He was born. Jesus is King! Jesus concludes by saying, “Everyone who is of the truth hears my voice.”

 

What does that mean? Does it mean that everyone who recognizes that Jesus claims to be king hears Jesus’ voice, and is therefore of the truth? Probably not. Pilate and the Jews both understand that Jesus claimed to be king. They heard the message. But watch their responses.

 

Pilate asks, “What is truth?” He distances himself from being among those who hear Jesus’ voice. And then he turns, heads outside to the Jews, and announces that he has found no guilt in Jesus. Pilate is not worried about Jesus’ claim to be king because Jesus Himself has testified that His kingdom is “not of this world” and that his servants are not fighting to protect Him as a result. There are no other major charges against Jesus, so Pilate finds no guilt in Him.

 

But rather than release Jesus, Pilate then says, “But…” That is, “I find no guilt in Him, but…” But what? But Pilate did not intend to release Him so easily. “But it is your custom for me to release to you one prisoner at the time of the Passover. Do you want me to release the ‘king of the Jews’?” What was Pilate thinking? He knew the Jews wanted Jesus dead! They had already said so (John 18:31). Why would you put an innocent man’s fate in the hands of a mob that wanted Him dead? Pilate had heard Jesus’ testimony, but Pilate didn’t care that Jesus was king. Pilate was not aligned with the truth.

 

Neither were the Jews. When given this option, the Jews rejected Jesus, their king. They chose instead to free Barabbas, a criminal.

 

Father, forgive men. Forgive me. It is so tempting to hear Jesus’ words – His testimony that He is king – and then to turn away. It is difficult to accept Jesus as king, because we humans want to rule ourselves. But those who are of the truth hear His words. Help me to live with the truth. To love the truth. To embrace Jesus as my king, kneel before Him, praise Him, obey Him, do His work and advance His kingdom, testifying to everyone that Jesus really is the king. May I not distance myself. May I not allow the rejection of others to go unchallenged. May my allegiance be clear. Thank You that Jesus made His claim so clear. May I listen.

 

John 18:33-35

Pilate summoned Jesus into the Praetorium to question Him, since the Jews wanted Jesus dead. This was Pilate’s question: “Are you the king of the Jews?” Apparently this is the accusation the Jews finally brought against Jesus.

 

But Jesus asked Pilate whether this question had come from Pilate or from others. I think that Jesus was trying to point out that Pilate was not really seeking the truth. Pilate was merely seeking to know the claim. Had the question originated with Pilate, it would have been significant for a Roman to be truly trying to discern whether Jesus was the king of the Jews. But Pilate was merely acting as a judge. He did not care whether Jesus was truly the King of the Jews or not. He cared merely whether Jesus claimed to be king of the Jews.

 

So Pilate answered, “I’m not a Jew, am I?” In other words, Why would I care about this? Why would I come up with this idea? I don’t care who the king of the Jews is! He continued, “Your own nation and the chief priests handed you over to me. What have you done?” Pilate’s concern was to finish up this process of judging Jesus. Whether or not Jesus is the king of the Jews does not matter to Pilate; what he cares about is finding a basis for judging Jesus or setting Him free. And Pilate is probably confused about why the Jews would hand over a man who claimed to be their king – why would they betray one of their own unless he had done something terrible?

 

But Jesus has not done something terrible. All the Jews have brought to Pilate, according to Pilate’s own words, is that Jesus claims to be their king. To Pilate, it was obvious that this man was innocent of all charges. Why? Because the Jews would never hand over their own true king, so He couldn’t really be their King. And there had been no other significant charges, so Jesus must be a decent man.

 

Father, thank You for sending the Innocent One for us. Thank You for making it plain by the way that people responded to Jesus that He really was innocent. Thank You that Jesus, the Innocent One, was willing to die in my place and the place of other guilty ones – even in the place of those who denied Him, accused Him, condemned Him, and killed Him. Thank You that You have that kind of love, and that Jesus has that kind of love. Only someone with the innocence of God could display the love of God this way.

 

John 18:28-32

 “They led Jesus therefore from Caiaphas into the Praetorium, and it was early; and they themselves did not enter into the Praetorium in order that they might not be defiled, but might eat the Passover. Pilate therefore went out to them, and said, "What accusation do you bring against this Man?" They answered and said to him, "If this Man were not an evildoer, we would not have delivered Him up to you." Pilate therefore said to them, "Take Him yourselves, and judge Him according to your law." The Jews said to him, "We are not permitted to put anyone to death," that the word of Jesus might be fulfilled, which He spoke, signifying by what kind of death He was about to die.”

 

All that John tells us of what took place while Jesus was before Caiaphas is that Peter denied Jesus twice more, fulfilling Jesus’ prediction. Immediately after Peter fulfills Jesus’ prediction, so do the Jews. They take Jesus from Caiaphas to the Praetorium. They don’t enter because the Praetorium is a Roman (Gentile) establishment and they want to avoid being defiled so that they can eat the Passover. Ironically enough, while they seek to be pure enough to eat the traditional Passover, they are defiling themselves by their sin against Jesus, the true Passover lamb. But His death is intended to cover their sins and the sins of the whole world if they will believe in Him – this is all known to Jesus and to the Father, all a part of their plan.

 

Since the Jews will not enter the Praetorium, Pilate comes out to them and asks them what accusation they have against Jesus. John has not written about a single accusation yet. None before Annas. None before Caiaphas. And none now. The Jews offer up a generic accusation, more a justification for their own actions than an accusation against Jesus, “If this man were not an evildoer, we would not have delivered Him up to you.” Really? Is that the best accusation you can come up with? He’s an evildoer? You’re before the Roman judge, and you don’t have any specific evil deeds to tell Pilate about? Anyone can call anyone else an evildoer. A judge needs to know what kind of evil is being done. Is the accused person slandering someone else? Mocking them? Beating them? Robbing them? Raping them? Killing them? A judge needs specifics. What has Jesus done? The Jews merely say, “He’s an evildoer.”

 

Without a specific accusation, Pilate finds no reason to spend his time on this case, so he tells the Jews to take Jesus and judge Him according to their own laws. Without an accusation, Pilate cannot be a judge; he cannot make a legitimate judgment.

 

But the Jews do not want to judge Jesus merely according to their own law. Why not? Because the Romans have not given them the right to execute their convicts. And now Pilate can see their true intentions. They want Jesus dead, but they want killing Jesus to seem justified. They want Jesus legally condemned so that none of them has to answer for murdering Him. They want to appear to be righteous while they make Jesus out to be unrighteous.

 

When they said this, they verified Jesus’ predictions about His own death. Jesus had predicted that He would be executed by the Romans (John 12:32-33), and this is exactly what the Jews are asking for.

 

Again, Jesus went knowingly through all the events surrounding His death. None of what happened surprised Him. He knew it all. He chose it all. He walked willingly through it all. It was His plan to die to save people from their sins. He was not a victim.

 

Father, thank You again for such an unexpected, marvelous plan. Thank You for sending Your glorious Son to do Your will exactly, willingly, lovingly. Thank You that we have testimony showing that He predicted His own death and the events surrounding it, and that His predictions came true. Thank You for this testimony because my faith is strengthened through it. I can believe that Jesus really is God. Just look at what He did! Just look at what He taught! How could a man make such specific predictions without You? And if a man made such predictions because of You, how can I not also believe His claims to be Your Son, to have come from heaven, to have been sent by You and to be returning to You? Father, thank You for the testimony You have given us through Your servant John.

 

John 18:25-27

“Now Simon Peter was standing and warming himself. They said therefore to him, "You are not also one of His disciples, are you?" He denied it, and said, "I am not." One of the slaves of the high priest, being a relative of the one whose ear Peter cut off, said, "Did I not see you in the garden with Him?" Peter therefore denied it again; and immediately a cock crowed.”

 

While Jesus has been moving Himself closer to the cross, Peter is trying to avoid it. Those with him at the fire asked whether Peter was one of Jesus’ disciples, just as the girl at the door had asked, but Peter denied it a second time.

 

When Peter denied it, one of those who had gone to the garden, a servant of the high priest related to the man whose ear Peter had cut off, challenged him again, asking essentially, “So you’re saying I didn’t see you in the garden with Jesus?”

 

If I had been Peter, that would have scared me to death, having someone challenge my denial who had been in the garden and had witnessed my sword-wielding defense of Jesus. Predictably, Peter denied a third time that he was one of Jesus’ disciples. And then a rooster crowed, fulfilling Jesus’ words that Peter would deny Him three times before the rooster crowed (John 13:37-38).

 

Peter’s story proves two things. First, Peter was not really willing to die for Jesus, despite his best intentions. Second, Jesus truly knew all that would take place on His way to the cross and was going there deliberately. While Peter was not really willing to die for Jesus, Jesus was really willing to die for Peter. Jesus had known that He was heading to the cross, and He had known that Peter’s denials would take place because Jesus was heading to the cross. To prevent both, Jesus could have led His disciples to flee. Then Jesus wouldn’t have died and Peter wouldn’t have denied Him. But Jesus meant to die. And since Peter’s denials would come in the context of Jesus’ trials, Jesus’ walk toward the cross meant that Peter would deny Jesus. It was inevitable. Jesus was in control. He knew all that would happen, and He chose to walk to the cross. Peter’s denial doesn’t just prove that Jesus knew Peter would deny Him; it proves that Jesus knew exactly what He, His disciples, the high priests, the Romans, and the Jews would do as He went to the cross. Jesus knew it all (John 18:4).

 

Jesus foresaw that Judas would bring a crowd to arrest Him (John 18:1-4), that Peter would strike Malchus with a sword (John 18:10), that He would be taken to Annas (18:12-13), that Peter and another disciple would follow and enter into the courtyard (18:15-16), that the doorkeeper, those warming themselves, and Malchus’ relative would ask Peter whether he was Jesus’ disciple (18:17, 25-26), that Peter would deny it each time (18:17, 25, 27), that Annas would question Him (18:19), how He would answer (18:20-21), that the officer would strike Him (18:22), how He would answer the officer (18:23), that Annas would send Him on to Caiaphas (18:24, 28), and all the rest of the events and statements that would be made as Jesus headed first to the cross and on to His resurrection. Jesus knew it all. And He chose to walk this road of pain because He received it from the Father as glory, and knew that it would glorify the Father (John 17:1-5).

 

Father, if I never saw before how perfectly in control You and Your Son are, if I never realized before that Jesus gave His life over – that it was not taken from Him, but He chose to give it up – may I see it now. Jesus knew all that would happen to Him, and He accepted it from Your hand as glory, using it to glorify You! Father, may I accept whatever comes upon me as Your hand, Your plan, Your way of glorifying me so that I may glorify You. And may I recognize my own weakness and lack of understanding because I am weak like Peter. Strengthen me despite my lack of foresight and courage to obey You in whatever circumstances You send my way.

 

John 18:19-24

 “The high priest therefore questioned Jesus about His disciples, and about His teaching. Jesus answered him, "I have spoken openly to the world; I always taught in synagogues, and in the temple, where all the Jews come together; and I spoke nothing in secret. "Why do you question Me? Question those who have heard what I spoke to them; behold, these know what I said." And when He had said this, one of the officers standing by gave Jesus a blow, saying, "Is that the way You answer the high priest?" Jesus answered him, "If I have spoken wrongly, bear witness of the wrong; but if rightly, why do you strike Me?" Annas therefore sent Him bound to Caiaphas the high priest.”

 

This was kind of the preliminary round for Jesus as He aimed for the cross. He was being tried before Annas, the high priest’s father-in-law. Annas asked Jesus about His disciples and His teaching.

 

Jesus’ answer was straightforward. Essentially, Jesus felt no need to say anything about His disciples or His teachings while on trial. His point was that His entire ministry had been public, so it ought to be well-known. If anything that Jesus taught was false, surely there ought to be some witnesses willing to testify against Him.

 

One of the officers standing there struck Jesus for this response. He thought Jesus was being disrespectful to the “high priest”. But Jesus did not apologize. Instead he challenged the man to explain how He had answered wrongly. There is no record of such an answer.

 

But this was enough for Annas. Rather than continuing to question Jesus or seeking witnesses to testify against Jesus, Annas sent Jesus to the actual high priest, Caiaphas. Without anyone having testified against Him, Jesus managed to make progress toward the cross simply by refusing to answer what should have been common knowledge. He was going to a “higher court” without having been convicted of anything in a lower court – and without having tried to defend Himself. It is this sort of thing that shows that Jesus was fully in charge of His destiny. Jesus intended to suffer and die on the cross, and He knew what to do to achieve His purpose.

 

Father, on the one hand, this is a sad testimony to men’s corruption. Without testimony or evidence, the courts had already decided that Jesus needed to be condemned. The religious leaders moved Jesus toward the cross even without having an obvious basis for doing so. I’m sure this upsets You much more than it upsets even me. But at the same time, it didn’t surprise You. It didn’t surprise Jesus. You had sent Jesus on a mission, and Jesus was doing what You had commanded Him to do. At the same time as men were proving their corruption, Your Son was proving His worth and glory. He was taking advantage of the sinfulness of humanity to accomplish Your glorious redemption and overcome sin – the ultimate case of using an opponent’s strengths against him. Thank You for sending Your Son to do Your will. Thank You that He knew exactly what to do, and that He loved You enough to do Your will, no matter what pain He would encounter.