Bible Reading
Jesus Sentenced to Be Crucified
19 Then Pilate took Jesus and had him flogged. 2 The soldiers twisted together a crown of thorns and put it on his head. They clothed him in a purple robe 3 and went up to him again and again, saying, “Hail, king of the Jews!” And they slapped him in the face. 4 Once more Pilate came out and said to the Jews gathered there, “Look, I am bringing him out to you to let you know that I find no basis for a charge against him.” 5 When Jesus came out wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe, Pilate said to them, “Here is the man!” 6 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.” 7 The Jewish leaders insisted, “We have a law, and according to that law he must die, because he claimed to be the Son of God.” 8 When Pilate heard this, he was even more afraid, 9 and he went back inside the palace. “Where do you come from?” he asked Jesus, but Jesus gave him no answer. 10 “Do you refuse to speak to me?” Pilate said. “Don’t you realize I have power either to free you or to crucify you?” 11 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.” 12 From then on, Pilate tried to set Jesus free, but the Jewish leaders kept shouting, “If you let this man go, you are no friend of Caesar. Anyone who claims to be a king opposes Caesar.” 13 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). 14 It was the day of Preparation of the Passover; it was about noon. “Here is your king,” Pilate said to the Jews. 15 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. 16 Finally Pilate handed him over to them to be crucified.
The Crucifixion of Jesus
So the soldiers took charge of Jesus. 17 Carrying his own cross, he went out to the place of the Skull (which in Aramaic is called Golgotha). 18 There they crucified him, and with him two others—one on each side and Jesus in the middle. 19 Pilate had a notice prepared and fastened to the cross. It read: Jesus of nazareth, the king of the jews. 20 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. 21 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.” 22 Pilate answered, “What I have written, I have written.” 23 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. 24 “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 that said, “They divided my clothes among them and cast lots for my garment.” So this is what the soldiers did. 25 Near the cross of Jesus stood his mother, his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. 26 When Jesus saw his mother there, and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby, he said to her, “Woman, here is your son,” 27 and to the disciple, “Here is your mother.” From that time on, this disciple took her into his home.
The Death of Jesus
28 Later, knowing that everything had now been finished, and so that Scripture would be fulfilled, Jesus said, “I am thirsty.” 29 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. 30 When he had received the drink, Jesus said, “It is finished.” With that, he bowed his head and gave up his spirit. 31 Now it was the day of Preparation, and the next day was to be a special Sabbath. Because the Jewish leaders did not want the bodies left on the crosses during the Sabbath, they asked Pilate to have the legs broken and the bodies taken down. 32 The soldiers therefore came and broke the legs of the first man who had been crucified with Jesus, and then those of the other. 33 But when they came to Jesus and found that he was already dead, they did not break his legs. 34 Instead, one of the soldiers pierced Jesus’ side with a spear, bringing a sudden flow of blood and water. 35 The man who saw it has given testimony, and his testimony is true. He knows that he tells the truth, and he testifies so that you also may believe. 36 These things happened so that the scripture would be fulfilled: “Not one of his bones will be broken,” 37 and, as another scripture says, “They will look on the one they have pierced.”
The Burial of Jesus
38 Later, Joseph of Arimathea asked Pilate for the body of Jesus. Now Joseph was a disciple of Jesus, but secretly because he feared the Jewish leaders. With Pilate’s permission, he came and took the body away. 39 He was accompanied by Nicodemus, the man who earlier had visited Jesus at night. Nicodemus brought a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about seventy-five pounds. 40 Taking Jesus’ body, the two of them wrapped it, with the spices, in strips of linen. This was in accordance with Jewish burial customs. 41 At the place where Jesus was crucified, there was a garden, and in the garden a new tomb, in which no one had ever been laid. 42 Because it was the Jewish day of Preparation and since the tomb was nearby, they laid Jesus there.
19 Then Pilate took Jesus and had him flogged. 2 The soldiers twisted together a crown of thorns and put it on his head. They clothed him in a purple robe 3 and went up to him again and again, saying, “Hail, king of the Jews!” And they slapped him in the face. 4 Once more Pilate came out and said to the Jews gathered there, “Look, I am bringing him out to you to let you know that I find no basis for a charge against him.” 5 When Jesus came out wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe, Pilate said to them, “Here is the man!” 6 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.” 7 The Jewish leaders insisted, “We have a law, and according to that law he must die, because he claimed to be the Son of God.” 8 When Pilate heard this, he was even more afraid, 9 and he went back inside the palace. “Where do you come from?” he asked Jesus, but Jesus gave him no answer. 10 “Do you refuse to speak to me?” Pilate said. “Don’t you realize I have power either to free you or to crucify you?” 11 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.” 12 From then on, Pilate tried to set Jesus free, but the Jewish leaders kept shouting, “If you let this man go, you are no friend of Caesar. Anyone who claims to be a king opposes Caesar.” 13 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). 14 It was the day of Preparation of the Passover; it was about noon. “Here is your king,” Pilate said to the Jews. 15 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. 16 Finally Pilate handed him over to them to be crucified.
The Crucifixion of Jesus
So the soldiers took charge of Jesus. 17 Carrying his own cross, he went out to the place of the Skull (which in Aramaic is called Golgotha). 18 There they crucified him, and with him two others—one on each side and Jesus in the middle. 19 Pilate had a notice prepared and fastened to the cross. It read: Jesus of nazareth, the king of the jews. 20 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. 21 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.” 22 Pilate answered, “What I have written, I have written.” 23 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. 24 “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 that said, “They divided my clothes among them and cast lots for my garment.” So this is what the soldiers did. 25 Near the cross of Jesus stood his mother, his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. 26 When Jesus saw his mother there, and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby, he said to her, “Woman, here is your son,” 27 and to the disciple, “Here is your mother.” From that time on, this disciple took her into his home.
The Death of Jesus
28 Later, knowing that everything had now been finished, and so that Scripture would be fulfilled, Jesus said, “I am thirsty.” 29 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. 30 When he had received the drink, Jesus said, “It is finished.” With that, he bowed his head and gave up his spirit. 31 Now it was the day of Preparation, and the next day was to be a special Sabbath. Because the Jewish leaders did not want the bodies left on the crosses during the Sabbath, they asked Pilate to have the legs broken and the bodies taken down. 32 The soldiers therefore came and broke the legs of the first man who had been crucified with Jesus, and then those of the other. 33 But when they came to Jesus and found that he was already dead, they did not break his legs. 34 Instead, one of the soldiers pierced Jesus’ side with a spear, bringing a sudden flow of blood and water. 35 The man who saw it has given testimony, and his testimony is true. He knows that he tells the truth, and he testifies so that you also may believe. 36 These things happened so that the scripture would be fulfilled: “Not one of his bones will be broken,” 37 and, as another scripture says, “They will look on the one they have pierced.”
The Burial of Jesus
38 Later, Joseph of Arimathea asked Pilate for the body of Jesus. Now Joseph was a disciple of Jesus, but secretly because he feared the Jewish leaders. With Pilate’s permission, he came and took the body away. 39 He was accompanied by Nicodemus, the man who earlier had visited Jesus at night. Nicodemus brought a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about seventy-five pounds. 40 Taking Jesus’ body, the two of them wrapped it, with the spices, in strips of linen. This was in accordance with Jewish burial customs. 41 At the place where Jesus was crucified, there was a garden, and in the garden a new tomb, in which no one had ever been laid. 42 Because it was the Jewish day of Preparation and since the tomb was nearby, they laid Jesus there.
Devotional
The events that occurred starting on Thursday evening in the Upper Room and culminating on Friday afternoon at Golgotha all happened within a twenty-four hour period of time. There was a Last Supper, a garden drama, a theatrical trial, and a monumental crucifixion. It was a long day! It was especially long, not because each of those twenty-four hours were longer than normal, but because all of history pointed to and led up to that day. The cross of Jesus Christ stands as the climax of human history!
Who put Jesus on the cross? Theologically speaking, it must first be said that God put Jesus on the cross; God killed Himself. “But the Lord was pleased to crush Him, putting Him to grief; if He would render Himself as a guilt offering, He will see His offspring, He will prolong His days, and the good pleasure of the Lord will prosper in His hand” (Isaiah 53:10). It was God who first pointed to this “long day” because it was His plan all along (Acts 2:23). It was God’s payment to Himself (Romans 3:25). God handed Himself over to the torturers; “He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him over for us all….” (Romans 8:32).
Who put Jesus on the cross? Theologically speaking, it may also be said that you and I put Jesus on the cross; my sin and your sin killed Jesus. “But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8). Historically speaking, it may be said that the Jews and the Romans put Jesus on the cross. It is clearly the Jews who cried out in the midst of the trial, “Away with Him, away with Him, crucify Him!” (John 19:15). It is just as clearly Pontius Pilate, the ruling Roman governor of Judea, who “then handed Him over to them to be crucified” (John 19:16).
Question: “Who put Jesus on the cross?” Answer: “God, my sin and your sin, the Jews, and the Romans. In any case, the emphatic question at the trial of Jesus was not one that was framed in this way: “Who put Jesus on the cross? Who or what killed Jesus?” Instead, it was framed in the way that was more in keeping with the particular cultural situation in which the various players found themselves. That situation is best summed up in one word: “authority.” To all involved, it was, more than anything else, an issue of authority.
As Jesus is being tried, the issue of “authority” is placed before Him. His response to Pilate is, “You would have no authority over Me, unless it had been given you from above” (John 19:11). This trial is a trial over who is in charge. Jesus explains, in a variety of ways, that God is in charge. Yes, the sovereign God who sits on the throne is the same God who will lie on the cross. He will hang Himself there by putting upon Himself all the sin of the world (2 Corinthians 5:21). Most fundamentally, God killed Himself because most overwhelmingly God has first and final authority. It is an issue of authority. “Or do you think that I cannot appeal to My Father, and He will at once put at My disposal more than twelve legions of angels?” (Matthew 26:53). It is an issue of the will. “Father, if You are willing, remove this cup from Me; yet not My will, but Yours be done” (Luke 22:42-43).
God killed Himself because of His authority and His will. This is the real question that is being posed at the trial. Pilate struggles with the question and ends up trying to do away with it: “So when the chief priests and the officers saw Him, they cried out saying, ‘Crucify, crucify!’ Pilate said to them, ‘Take Him yourselves and crucify Him’” (John 19:6). At that point in the trial, after Jesus clearly reestablishes the issue as being that of His authority, the Jews respond with their own attempt to pass on the question of authority to another, “If you release this Man, you are no friend of Caesar; everyone who makes himself out to be a king opposes Caesar…we have no king but Caesar” (John 19:12, 15).
Who killed Jesus? Who had the authority to do so? This was the real issue that was put on trial. It is the same issue that is the underlying question at each one of our trials: “Who do people say that I am?” (Mark 8:27). Who is the authority? Who is Lord? Who is Jesus? Is He your God, or not? As it was with that early morning Good Friday trial, there must be a verdict. “So when the Chief Priests and the officers saw Him, they cried out saying, ‘Crucify, crucify!’ Pilate said to them, ‘Take Him yourselves and crucify Him, for I find no guilt in Him.’ The Jews answered him, ‘We have a law, and by that law He ought to die because He made Himself out to be the Son of God’” (John 19:6-7).
This was the ultimate issue. Jesus was killed because He claimed to be who He truly was. He died to gain victory over sin’s desire to kidnap that divine claim for itself. Jesus is the ransom that rescues us from ourselves and our false claims. He is the authority. He is God!
Who put Jesus on the cross? Theologically speaking, it must first be said that God put Jesus on the cross; God killed Himself. “But the Lord was pleased to crush Him, putting Him to grief; if He would render Himself as a guilt offering, He will see His offspring, He will prolong His days, and the good pleasure of the Lord will prosper in His hand” (Isaiah 53:10). It was God who first pointed to this “long day” because it was His plan all along (Acts 2:23). It was God’s payment to Himself (Romans 3:25). God handed Himself over to the torturers; “He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him over for us all….” (Romans 8:32).
Who put Jesus on the cross? Theologically speaking, it may also be said that you and I put Jesus on the cross; my sin and your sin killed Jesus. “But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8). Historically speaking, it may be said that the Jews and the Romans put Jesus on the cross. It is clearly the Jews who cried out in the midst of the trial, “Away with Him, away with Him, crucify Him!” (John 19:15). It is just as clearly Pontius Pilate, the ruling Roman governor of Judea, who “then handed Him over to them to be crucified” (John 19:16).
Question: “Who put Jesus on the cross?” Answer: “God, my sin and your sin, the Jews, and the Romans. In any case, the emphatic question at the trial of Jesus was not one that was framed in this way: “Who put Jesus on the cross? Who or what killed Jesus?” Instead, it was framed in the way that was more in keeping with the particular cultural situation in which the various players found themselves. That situation is best summed up in one word: “authority.” To all involved, it was, more than anything else, an issue of authority.
As Jesus is being tried, the issue of “authority” is placed before Him. His response to Pilate is, “You would have no authority over Me, unless it had been given you from above” (John 19:11). This trial is a trial over who is in charge. Jesus explains, in a variety of ways, that God is in charge. Yes, the sovereign God who sits on the throne is the same God who will lie on the cross. He will hang Himself there by putting upon Himself all the sin of the world (2 Corinthians 5:21). Most fundamentally, God killed Himself because most overwhelmingly God has first and final authority. It is an issue of authority. “Or do you think that I cannot appeal to My Father, and He will at once put at My disposal more than twelve legions of angels?” (Matthew 26:53). It is an issue of the will. “Father, if You are willing, remove this cup from Me; yet not My will, but Yours be done” (Luke 22:42-43).
God killed Himself because of His authority and His will. This is the real question that is being posed at the trial. Pilate struggles with the question and ends up trying to do away with it: “So when the chief priests and the officers saw Him, they cried out saying, ‘Crucify, crucify!’ Pilate said to them, ‘Take Him yourselves and crucify Him’” (John 19:6). At that point in the trial, after Jesus clearly reestablishes the issue as being that of His authority, the Jews respond with their own attempt to pass on the question of authority to another, “If you release this Man, you are no friend of Caesar; everyone who makes himself out to be a king opposes Caesar…we have no king but Caesar” (John 19:12, 15).
Who killed Jesus? Who had the authority to do so? This was the real issue that was put on trial. It is the same issue that is the underlying question at each one of our trials: “Who do people say that I am?” (Mark 8:27). Who is the authority? Who is Lord? Who is Jesus? Is He your God, or not? As it was with that early morning Good Friday trial, there must be a verdict. “So when the Chief Priests and the officers saw Him, they cried out saying, ‘Crucify, crucify!’ Pilate said to them, ‘Take Him yourselves and crucify Him, for I find no guilt in Him.’ The Jews answered him, ‘We have a law, and by that law He ought to die because He made Himself out to be the Son of God’” (John 19:6-7).
This was the ultimate issue. Jesus was killed because He claimed to be who He truly was. He died to gain victory over sin’s desire to kidnap that divine claim for itself. Jesus is the ransom that rescues us from ourselves and our false claims. He is the authority. He is God!