John 19

Pilate scourged Jesus, the soldiers placed a twisted crown of thorns upon His head, and they put a purple robe on Him. They struck Him and said, "Hail, King of the Jews!"

Pilate told the Jewish leaders that he found no fault with Jesus, and he brought Him out to them and said, "Behold, the Man." But they cried out: "Crucify Him!" They told Pilate that Jesus made Himself the Son of God, which is worthy of death. This caused Pilate to be more afraid because the Romans were fearful of divine men with supernatural powers, and he just permitted the beating of someone who could bring a curse upon him. Pilate is suffering with much guilt.

Next, he questioned Jesus again, but Jesus would not speak. Pilate told Him that he had the power to crucify or release Him, but Jesus corrected Pilate and told him that he had no more power unless it was given to him from above, and that the one who delivered Him to Pilate had the greatest sin (which was probably Judas or the high priest because THEY saw the works that Jesus had done; Pilate had not.).

Afterward, Pilate sought all the more to release Jesus, but the Jews aligned themselves with Caesar and said that anyone who made himself king was no friend of Caesar; and THEY were! (Whose side are you on, Pilate?)

Pilate tried one more time to release Jesus: "Shall I crucify your King?" They answered: "We have no king but Caesar!" Then Pilate delivered Jesus to them to be crucified. 

Jesus bore His cross to Golgotha where the soldiers crucified Him, and Pilate had an inscription made (written in Hebrew, Greek, and Latin) to be placed above Jesus' head: JESUS OF NAZARETH, THE KING OF THE JEWS. Next, the soldiers divided Jesus' garments, that Scripture might be fulfilled. 

Jesus' mother was there by the cross with others, and Jesus commanded John to care for her. When all things were accomplished, Jesus proclaimed, "It is finished," and He gave up His spirit. And because it was Preparation Day before the Passover, the Jews asked for the bodies (there were two others crucified with Jesus) to be taken down from the crosses. The soldiers broke the legs of the two criminals, but Jesus was already dead, and they did not break His bones, that the Scriptures were fulfilled. However, a soldier pierced His side, which was also a fulfilment of Scripture. And one day the Jews will, "look on Him whom they pierced (and grieve)."

Finally, Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus, both secret followers of Jesus, came and took His body away to be prepared for burial. And they placed Him in a new tomb in the garden. 

COMMENTARY

"The trial of Jesus is one of the greatest miscarriages of Justice."

Pilate scourged Jesus only to pacify the Jews, but it did not work. He was hungry for power and he was intimidated by the religious Jews who indicated that they would report him to the authorities at Rome if he did not do what they wanted. 

In the end, Jesus was led away to be crucified. McGee takes a moment to demonstrate what the Cross means from different vantage points: 

From God: the cross is a propitiation, where God extends mercy to us; "Jesus bore our guilt, and God is satisfied."

From Jesus: the cross is a sacrifice. The Savior made Himself an offering for sin, an act of obedience.

From Believers: the cross is a substitution. He took our place -- the sinless One suffering for the sinner.

From Satan: the cross is triumph but also defeat. The head of Satan is yet to be crushed.

And From the world: the cross is nothing but the brutal murder of a man. This is injustice.

WHAT IS THE GOSPEL?

Paul tells us: 

For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; and that He was buried , and that He rose again the third day according to the scriptures" (1 Cor. 15:3-4). 

from Your Daily Verse