Shining Faith (20:11-18)
​Part 1 of 2

I think of Proverbs 8:17, “I love them that love me; and those that seek me early shall find me," when I see Mary Magdalene alone in the garden. The love of Mary for her Lord brought her early to the garden. When Mary went back to the tomb, Peter and John had gone home and did not tell her what conclusion they had come to based on the evidence they had seen. Mary still thought Jesus was dead. Another verse comes to mind, Psalm 30:5: “Weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning.”

Mary's weeping was the loud lamentation characteristic of the Jews in the expression of their sorrow (John 11:31, 33). There is surely nothing wrong with honest grief, for God created us to shed our tears, and weeping is good therapy for broken hearts. But the Christian's sorrow must be different from the hopeless sorrow of the world (1 Thess. 4:13-18), for we have been born again unto “a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead." (1 Peter 1:3). We do not cry because our believing loved ones have gone to heaven but because they have left us and we miss them.

Mary looked into the sepulchre and saw two angels in white. Their position at either end of the shelf on which the body had lain suggests the cherubim on the mercy seat (Ex. 25:17-19). It is as if God were saying, 'Now there is a new mercy seat! My Son has paid the price of sin and opened wide the way into the presence of God!' Mary was apparently not disturbed at seeing these men, and there is no evidence that she knew they were angels. The short talk didn’t dry her tears nor quiet her mind. She was going to find the body of Jesus.

Why did Mary turn round and not go on with her talk with the two strangers? Did she hear a sound behind her? Or did the angels stand and know the presence of their Lord? Either of these speculations may be true, or neither may be true. She knew the Lord’s body was not in the tomb, so why remain there any longer?

Why did she not see the One for whom she was so earnestly searching? Perhaps He hid Himself from her, as He would later do when He walked with the Emmaus disciples (Luke 24:13-32). It was still early; maybe it was dark in this part of the garden. However, her eyes were probably blinded by her tears.

Jesus asked her the same question the angels asked: “Why do you weep?” How sad that she was crying when she might have been praising had she known her Lord was living! And He said to them, “Whom are you seeking?” (He asked the mob the same question in the garden—John 18:4.) It is encouraging to us to know that “Jesus knows all about our sorrows." The Savior knew that Mary’s heart was broken and her mind confused. He did not rebuke her; He manifested Himself lovingly to her.

He had only to call her name, and Mary knew Him instantly. His sheep hear [know] His voice; and He calls His own sheep by name (John 10:3). Mary had evidently turned away from Jesus, and when He called her name, she had to turn again to look at Him. What a blessed surprise to behold! The face of her beloved Master!

She could only say, "Rabboni—My Master, My Teacher.” Elsewhere in the Gospels, the title "Rabboni" is found only once, in Mark 10:51 (in the Greek text, “Lord” is “Rabboni”). "Rabbi" and "Rabboni" were interchangeable terms of respect. The Jews in later years recognized three levels of teachers: 'rab' (the lowest), rabbi, and rabboni (the highest).

Mary talked to Him, yes, and she took hold of His feet and clung to Him. This was but natural.

Now that she had found Him, she did not want to lose Him. There was still so much for her and the other believers to learn of His new state of glory. They still wanted to relate to Him as they had in the years of His ministry before the cross.

Jesus did not forbid the other women to hold His feet (Matt. 28:9), and they did. Why did He say to Mary, “Do not touch me”? Partly it was that she would see Him again, for He had not yet ascended to the Father. After His resurrection He stayed on the earth for forty days and appeared to the believers to instruct them in spiritual truth (Acts 1:1-9). Mary did not have to panic; this was not her last and final meeting with the Lord.

Secondly, she had a job to do. To go and tell His brethren that He was alive and was going to ascend to the Father. He is not ashamed to call them brethren (Heb 2:11). "I will declare thy name unto my brethren" (Ps. 22:22). He had called His own servants (John 13:16) and friends (John 15:15), but now brethren. I believe this meant that they had shared in His resurrection power and glory.

Faith Dawning (20:3-10)

John 20:3 says that Peter went out first to run to the tomb, but John 20:4 says that John got there first. Why? Maybe John was a younger, fitter man, or maybe John was just a better runner. It is tempting to “spiritualize” this foot race and connect it to Isaiah 40:31 and Hebrews 12:1–2. It is difficult to run the race of faith when a believer is out of fellowship with the Lord. However, both men deserve credit for the courage to run into enemy territory without knowing what lay ahead. The whole thing may have been a clever trap to catch the disciples.

When John came to the tomb, he stood outside looking in cautiously. Perhaps he wanted Peter to come with him into the burial chamber. What did John look at? The grave clothes lay on the shelf of stone, and there was no sign of violence or crime. But the grave clothes contained no evidence of a corpse! They sat there like an empty cocoon, still in the form of Jesus' body.

Peter came up and went into the tomb on impulse, as we should expect him to do. He also saw the linen clothes lying there empty, and the cloth for the head carefully rolled and lying by itself. Grave robbers don’t carefully unwrap the corpse and leave the graveclothes behind. Indeed, with the spices in the folds of the clothes, it would be almost impossible to unwrap a corpse without damaging the wrappings. Only Jesus passing through them as He rose from the dead could have left those linen clothes in that condition.

Then John went into the tomb and saw the evidence. He saw, and he believed.

In writing this account, John chose three different Greek words for seeing. In John 20:5 the verb simply means “to look in" or "to peer into.” It means “to look carefully, to observe” (John 20:6). The word "saw" in John 20:8 means "to perceive with intelligent comprehension. Now their resurrection faith was dawning!

It is hard to believe that the disciples of Jesus did not expect Him to leave the tomb alive. He had told them many times that after all, He would be raised from the dead. Early in His ministry He had said, "Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up" (John 2:19). The disciples remembered that He had said this after His resurrection (John 2:22), but His enemies did too (Matt. 27:40, 63–64).

He likened Himself to Jonah (Matt. 12:40) and twice expressly foretold His resurrection after three days (Matt. 16:21; 20:19). On Thursday of His last week of ministry He again promised to be raised up and meet them in Galilee (Matt. 26:32; see Luke 24:6-7).

What kind of faith did Peter and John possess at this point in their spiritual experience? They had the evidence. They had faith. They could see the graveclothes. They knew Jesus’ body was not there. But evidence, good as it is to convince the mind, can never change the life. For those of us who live centuries later cannot examine the evidence, for the material evidence (the tomb, the graveclothes) is not open to us to examine.

But we have the record in the Word of God (John 20:9), and that record is true (John 19:35; 21:24). In fact, it was faith in the Word that the Lord really wanted to develop in His disciples (John 2:22; 12:16; 14:26). Peter said that our faith must be based on the Word of God, not on personal experience (1 Peter 1:12–21).

The disciples had nothing but the Old Testament Scriptures, so that is what is meant in John 20:9. The early church used the Old Testament to prove to both Jews and Gentiles that Jesus is the Christ, that He died for sinners, and that He arose again (Acts 9:22; 13:16ff.; 17:1-4; etc.). The gospel includes “and that He was raised again the third day according to the Scriptures” (1 Cor. 15:4). What Scriptures Did Paul and John Refer To?

Paul placed the resurrection in Psalm 2:7 (Acts 13:33). Peter saw it in Psalm 16:8-11 (Acts 2:23-36, and see 13:35). Peter also cited Psalm 110:1 (Acts 2:34–35). The phrase “he shall prolong his days” in Isaiah 53:10 has also been taken as a prophecy of Christ’s resurrection. Jesus Himself used the prophet Jonah to illustrate his own death, burial, and resurrection (Matt. 12:38-40), and this would include the “three days” part of the message. Paul saw in the Feast of Firstfruits a picture of the resurrection (Lev. 23:9–14; 1 Cor. 15:20–23), and this would include “the third day” again. Some students see the resurrection and “the third day” in Hos. 6:2.

The Lord did not reveal Himself to everyone after His resurrection, but only to certain witnesses who would tell others the good news (Acts 10:39–43). Now this witness is found in the Scripture, the New Testament, and the Old and New Testaments agree in their witness. The law, the psalms, the prophets, and the apostles all testify that Jesus Christ is alive!

Peter and John “saw and believed” the evidence. The Holy Spirit confirmed their faith through the Old Testament Scriptures. That night they were to meet the Master Himself! The faith that was clouded over is beginning to dawn, and the light will get brighter.

Belief Overshadowed (20:1–2)

Mary Magdalene and some other women decided to go to the tomb early on the first day of the week to demonstrate their love for Christ by completing the preparations for the burial. Circumstances had hurriedly prepared His body for Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus, and the women wished to complete the work. Their great worry was, how do we get into the tomb? Perhaps the Roman soldiers will pity them and give them some help.

What they didn't know was that an earthquake had taken place and the stone had been rolled back by an angel! It seems that it was Mary Magdalene who was the first of the women to go to the tomb. When she saw the stone rolled away from the door of the tomb, she thought that somebody had broken into the tomb and stolen the body of her Lord. We can criticize Mary for jumping to conclusions, but given the circumstances it is hard to see how she could have come to any other conclusion. It was dark, she was alone, and, like the other followers of Jesus, she did not believe He would come back from the dead.

She ran and told the news to Peter and John, who must have been living together at a house known to the other believers. Perhaps it was in the Upper Room where they had gathered with Jesus. Mary’s use of the pronoun “we” is particularly striking, for it included the other women who at that moment were discovering that Jesus was alive (see Mark 16:1-8; Luke 24:1-8)! The women left the tomb to tell the other disciples the message of the angels.

The first witnesses of the resurrection of Christ were believing women. The testimony of women was not highly regarded among the Jews of that day. "It is better," said the rabbis, "that the words of the law be burned than be delivered to a woman." But these Christian women had a message greater than the law, for they knew their Savior was alive.
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Mary's faith hadn't been snuffed out, just eclipsed. The light was still there, but it was obscured. Peter and John were in the same spiritual condition, but soon all three of them would emerge from the shadows into the light.

THE COMING OF A NEW DAY

If the Gospel of John were a normal biography, there would be no chapter 20. Most biographies end with the death and burial of the subject. I have not yet read one that describes the resurrection of the subject from the dead! The fact that John continued his account and shared the excitement of the resurrection miracle is proof that Jesus Christ is not like any other man. Truly He is the Son of God.

The resurrection is a crucial component of the gospel message (1 Cor. 15:1-8) and a core belief of the Christian faith. This proves that Jesus Christ is the Son of God (Acts 2:32–36; Rom. 1:4) and that His atoning work on the cross has been completed and is effective (Rom. 4:24–25). The empty cross and the empty tomb are God’s “receipts” that the debt has been paid. Jesus Christ is not only the Savior; He is the Sanctifier (Rom. 6:4–10) and the Intercessor (Rom. 8:34). One day He will return as Judge (Acts 17:30-31).

From the beginning the Lord’s enemies have sought to deny the historic fact of the resurrection. The Jewish leaders said that the body of the Lord had been stolen from the tomb. This is a ridiculous statement, for if the body was stolen by his followers, how did they do it? Roman soldiers were stationed at the tomb, and the stone was sealed with an official Roman seal. His disciples did not believe He should be raised from the dead; it was His enemies who remembered His words (Matt. 27:62–66). Of course, they would not have taken the body! The last thing they wanted was anyone thinking that Jesus really had risen from the dead. His friends could not steal the body. His enemies would not steal the body. Who took the body?

Perhaps the disciples had “visions” of the risen Lord and mistook them for evidence of the resurrection. But they did not expect to see Him. That is not the land of psychological preparation out of which hallucinations are made. Then, think about how over five hundred people all hallucinate at the same time (1 Cor. 15:6).

Did the followers of our Lord maybe go to the wrong tomb? Not likely. They carefully observed where He was buried (Matt. 27:61; Mark 15:47; Luke 23:55-57). They loved the Master and were not apt to get confused about where he lay. Indeed, as they approached the tomb, the women knew what to expect, worrying about who would push back the heavy stone (Mark 16:1–3).

But little need be said of the foolish argument that Jesus did not die, but only swooned and was revived later. Many witnesses testified that Jesus was dead when His body was taken down from the cross. Later, He was seen alive by reliable witnesses. The only rational conclusion is that he kept his promise and rose from the dead.

Even His closest followers did not immediately comprehend the glorious truth of the resurrection. These mourning people began to find out that their Master was not dead but alive! What a difference it made when the full realization of His resurrection came upon them! For Mary Magdalene it meant moving from tears to joy (John 20:1–18); for the ten disciples it meant going from fear to courage (John 20:19–23); and for Thomas it meant moving from doubt to assurance (John 20:24–31). Love is emphasized with Mary, hope with the ten, and faith with Thomas.
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As we reflect on the experience of Mary Magdalene that morning of the Lord’s Day, we may identify three stages in her coming to terms with the truth of the resurrection. Peter and John share this experience as well.

And They Burried Him (John 19:31-42) - Part 2 of 2

John tells us that Joseph was a “secret disciple for fear of the Jews.” The Greek word translated “secretly” is a perfect passive participle and could be understood as having been secreted. The same verb form is translated “have been kept secret” in Matt. 13:35. In other words, Joseph was God's "secret agent" in the Sanhedrin! From the human perspective, Joseph remained “under cover” because he was afraid of the Jews (John 7:13; 9:22; 12:42), but from the divine perspective, he was being protected so that he could be available to bury the body of Jesus.

We have already met Nicodemus in our study of John 1–12. Note that whenever he is named, he is identified as the man who came to Jesus by night (John 3:1ff; 7:50-53). But he who began in confusion at night (John 3) finished in open confession in the daylight! Nicodemus came out of the darkness into the light and was not ashamed to publicly identify with Jesus Christ and Joseph. Of course, the two men defiled themselves by touching His dead body and could not take part in Passover. But what difference did it make? They had found the Lamb of God!

Joseph and Nicodemus had evidently made careful arrangements for their activities at Calvary. They certainly could not get a last-minute tomb, nor could they buy sixty-five pounds of expensive spices so quickly during Passover, when many merchants would not be open for business. Joseph went at once to Pilate and asked permission to take the body away as soon as Jesus died. Nicodemus remained at the cross to see that the body of his Lord was not disturbed. The spices and the wrappings may have been there in the new tomb with the two men, waiting for the time when the Savior would lay down His life.

Speed was essential, and the men worked fast. They could not give Jesus' body the full ministry of washing and anointing that was traditional, but they did the best they could. It was important to get the body away from the Romans and the Jewish leaders safely. Mary of Bethany had, of course, already anointed His body for burial (Mark 14:8; John 12:1–8). Some of the other women saw the two men ministering to Jesus and saw His burial (Matt. 27:61; Mark 15:47). They would return after the Sabbath and finish the burial procedures (Luke 23:55—24:1).

All this brings up the question, “How did Joseph and Nicodemus know to prepare for His burial?” I'm just guessing here, but it sounds reasonable to me.

When Nicodemus came to Jesus, he was amazed at His miracles and His teachings, but he did not understand what it meant to be born again. Certainly after that interview Nicodemus searched the Scriptures and prayed to God about these important spiritual matters.

At the crucial council meeting recorded in John 7:45–53, Nicodemus boldly stood up and defended the Savior! His colleagues scoffed at him that out of Galilee could come a prophet! “Search and see!” they said. And that is what Nicodemus did. It is likely that Joseph quietly accompanied him and revealed the fact that he was also more and more convinced that Jesus of Nazareth was truly Israel’s Messiah, the Son of God.

And as Nicodemus and Joseph read the Old Testament, they would find the messianic prophecies and see that many of them were fulfilled in Jesus Christ. Of course they would know him as the “Lamb of God” and would assume that he would die at Passover. Jesus had already told Nicodemus He would be "lifted up" (John 3:14), which meant crucifixion. The two men knew approximately the exact time when God's Lamb would die on the cross, for the Passover lambs were killed at around 3 p.m.

They would surely read Isaiah 53 and see verse 9— “And he made his grave with the wicked and with the rich in his death.” Jesus would be buried in a rich man’s tomb! Joseph arranged to have the tomb hewn out, and the men gathered the cloths and spices necessary for burial. They might have been hiding in the tomb all during the six hours' agony of our Lord on the cross.

When they heard, “It is finished! Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit!” They knew He was dead, and they went to work. They boldly identified themselves with Jesus Christ when He seemed a failure and His cause a hopeless defeat. As far as we know, John stayed with them at the cross of all the disciples. The Sabbath was coming on. The work of the “new creation” (2 Cor. 5:17) was finished. Jesus would now rest.

Christ Died (19:28-30)

Our Lord knew what was happening. He was in total command as He obeyed the Father’s will. He had rejected the wine, which was always given to those about to be crucified to deaden the pain (Matt. 27:34). He said, “I thirst” to fulfill the Scriptures (Ps. 69:21). He was in real physical pain, for He had a real human body. He had just endured three hours of darkness when He experienced the wrath of God and the separation from God (Matthew 27:45–49). There were physical reasons for His thirst (Ps. 22:15), but there were spiritual reasons as well (Ps. 42:1–2).

One of the soldiers took pity on Jesus and wetted His lips with the cheap vinegar wine the soldiers drank. Let us not picture Jesus hanging many feet up in the air, almost out of reach. His feet were perhaps three or four feet above the ground, so it would be simple for the man to put a sponge on the end of a reed and give Jesus a drink. Today we can “give Jesus a drink” by sharing what we have with those in need (Matt. 25:34-40).

There are strong messianic overtones to Psa 69. cf. Ps 69:3 “My throat is dried up." In John 15:25 Jesus refers to Psalm 69:4, and Psalm 69:8 should be related to John 7:3–5. Psalm 69:9 is quoted in John 2:17, and Psalm 69:21 is alluded to in John 19:28–29. Note the emphasis on “reproach” (Psa 69:7–10, 19–20) and the image of the “deep waters” (Psa 69:14–15; and see Luke 12:50).

During His time on the cross, our Lord made seven statements; they are called “the seven words from the cross.” First, He thought of others: the ones who crucified Him (Luke 23:34), the believing thief (Luke 23:39–43), and His mother (John 19:25–27). The central word He spoke connected with His relation to the Father (Matt. 27:45–49), and the last three statements were concerning Himself: His body (John 19:28–29), His soul (John 19:30; cf. Isa. 53:10), and His spirit (Luke 23:46).

But the vinegar drink did not quite satisfy His thirst, and yet it gave Him the power to utter that shout of triumph in a loud voice: “It is finished!” "Tetelestai" is in the Greek text, which means "It is finished"; it stands finished, and it always will. It is true that our Lord's sufferings were now completed, but much more is implied in this dramatic word. Now many of the Old Testament types and prophecies were fulfilled, and the once-for-all sacrifice for sin was complete.

The word "tetelestai" is unfamiliar to us, but it was used in daily life by various people at that time. A servant would use it when reporting to his or her master, “I have finished the work you gave me to do” (see John 17:4). If a priest examined a sacrifice of an animal and found it perfect, this word would apply. Jesus, of course, is the perfect lamb of God without spot or blemish. When an artist finishes a picture, or a writer a manuscript, he or she might say, “It is finished!” The crucifixion of Jesus “completes the painting” that God had been painting, the story He had been writing for centuries. The cross provides us with the key to the ceremonies and prophecies of the Old Testament.

One of the most meaningful senses of "tetelestai" was the one used by the merchants: “The debt is paid in full!” Jesus, in giving Himself on the cross, met the righteous demands of a holy law fully and paid our debt in full. The Old Testament sacrifices did not take away sins; they only covered them with the blood of the sacrifice. But the Lamb of God did shed His blood, and that blood can take away the sins of the world (John 1:29; Heb. 9:24-28).

The death of Jesus Christ is a major theme of the Gospel of John (John 1:29, 35–36). Even before Jesus officially began His ministry, John the Baptist announced it. Our Lord is first mentioned in John 3:14, where there is certainly that image of crucifixion (see also John 8:28; 12:32). Jesus often spoke of “taking up the cross” (Matt. 10:38; 16:24). Peter’s confession of faith was followed by Jesus’ clear prediction of His death (Matt. 16:21), and later Jesus told the disciples He would be crucified (Matt. 20:17–19).

In John’s gospel, we have a number of pictures of the Lord’s death. The slaying of the lamb (John 1:29), the destroying of the temple (John 2:19), the lifting up of the serpent (John 3:14), the shepherd laying down his life for the sheep (John 10:11–18), and the planting of the seed in the ground (John 12:20–25). These pictures tell us that Jesus’ death was not an accident; it was a divine appointment. He was not murdered in the strictest sense of the word: He gave His life willingly for us. His death was an atonement, not an example. He actually did the work of redemption on the cross.

Some unbelievers have suggested that Jesus did not actually die but only “swooned” on the cross and revived in the “cool tomb.” But there are too many witnesses that Jesus Christ did die. The centurion (Mark 15:44–45). All the gospel writers. The angels (Matt. 28:5, 7). The Jews (Acts 5:28). Christ Himself (Luke 24:46; Rev. 1:18). The worshiping hosts in heaven (Rev. 5:9, 12). Naturally, the death of Christ appears in the letters of Paul, Peter, and John.

He didn’t die by accident: He yielded His spirit freely (John 19:30; see also 10:17-18). He ‘gave himself’ (Gal. 2:20). He gave Himself as a ransom (Mark 10:45), a sacrifice to God (Eph. 5:2), and a propitiation for sin (1 John 2:2). In Luke 9:31 His death is called "decease," which is "exodus" in the Greek, suggesting the Passover lamb and deliverance from bondage. It will take an eternity to tell all that happened when Jesus Christ died on the cross.

The Crucifixion (19:17-27)

Pilate delivered Jesus to the chief priests, and the chief priests led Jesus away to crucifixion, with the help of the Roman soldiers. “It was the most shameful and cruel of all punishments,” said the Roman statesman-philosopher Cicero. Furthermore, he added, “Let it never come near the body of a Roman citizen; nay, not even near his thoughts or eyes or ears.”

Crucifixion probably originated among Persians and Phoenicians. But it was the Romans who made special use of it. Roman citizens could not be crucified, but there were exceptions. This form of capital punishment was reserved for the lowest type of criminals. Today we consider the cross to be a symbol of glory and victory, but in Pilate’s day, the cross was a symbol of the vilest form of rejection, shame, and suffering. It was Jesus that made the difference.

The criminal carried his cross, or at least the cross-beam, from the hall of judgment to the place of execution. It was the custom. Jesus began the mile-long walk carrying His cross, but Roman soldiers “drafted” Simon of Cyrene to take over the job and give Him a break. We do not know why Jesus was relieved of this burden; the Scriptures are silent. Was He too faint to bear the burden of the scourgings? Was it weakness that made the procession stop when the Jews were eager to get it done so they could enjoy their Passover Sabbath? One thing is certain: the bearing of the cross was a mark of guilt, and Jesus was not guilty (see Mark 15:20-21; Rom. 16:13).

The criminal was also required to wear a placard stating his crime. The only announcement recorded in the Gospels is the one Pilate wrote: “This is Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews.” The chief priests objected to the wording, but Pilate would not change it. This was his last shot at the Jewish religious establishment. He knew that the priests and elders were envious of Jesus and that they sought to kill Him (Matt. 27:18). A cunning politician such as Pilate knew well the ways of the Jewish religious establishment. He knew his placard would insult and humiliate them, and that was just what he wanted.

The importance of this title is that it was written in Hebrew (Aramaic), Greek, and Latin. For one thing, it shows that our Lord was crucified in a cosmopolitan place, a place where many peoples and nations met. Hebrew was the language of religion, Greek of philosophy, and Latin of law, and all three conspired to crucify the Son of God. But what He did on the cross, He did for the whole world! In this gospel John stresses the universal scope of Christ’s work. When he prepared this title, Pilate unconsciously wrote a "gospel tract" for one of the thieves who found out that Jesus was king and asked for entrance into His kingdom.

Jesus was crucified outside the city (Heb. 13:11–13) between two other victims, possibly associates of Barabbas. We don’t know where our Savior’s cross was. Since the destruction of the city by Titus and the Romans in AD 70, the topography of Jerusalem has undergone so many changes that it is impossible to determine with accuracy either the route of our Lord to the cross or the place where the cross stood. Pilgrims to the Holy Land today are shown both the Church of the Holy Sepulcher and “Gordon’s Calvary” near the garden tomb.

The Hebrew word Golgotha means "cranium, skull"; Calvary is the Latin equivalent. We are not told the reason for its odd name. Certainly Jews would not permit unclean skulls to be left at a public place of execution. By the way, the bodies were usually buried (if the victims had friends) or thrown on the public dump, heads and all. It is true that “Gordon’s Calvary” does look like a skull, but did the terrain look like this two thousand years ago?

The shame was only increased by the fact that Jesus was crucified with two notorious thieves. But it was also to fulfill Isaiah 53:12, “He was numbered with the transgressors.” He got the treatment of an ordinary criminal!

Modern executions are usually conducted in near-clinical secrecy, but Jesus was nailed to a cross and left on display for all to see. It was the Passover season, and the city was swarming with thousands of visitors. The place of execution was away from the city where many people would pass. Jesus was a well-liked man, and His arrest and condemnation would be the talk of the town. It was natural for people to come and watch the grim scene.

Of course the soldiers had to be there; that was their job. In most Roman executions a centurion was given four soldiers to help him. Jesus was a well-known teacher with many followers, so perhaps Pilate had put extra guards on duty at Golgotha. The soldiers had the privilege of dividing up whatever personal belongings the victims had, so they divided up all that Jesus owned—His personal clothing. He would have worn a turban, a pair of sandals, an undergarment (the seamless robe), an outer garment, and a girdle. Each of the four men took a piece of clothing, and then they gambled for the seamless robe. And so they fulfilled Psalm 22:18.

John does not record it, but the other gospel writers tell us that some of the people passing by reviled Jesus, no doubt at the instigation of the chief priests and scribes (Mark 15:29-32). In Psalm 22, you can see how David used the image of animals to describe the people who persecuted our Lord: bulls (Ps. 22:12), lions (Ps. 22:13, 21), and dogs (Ps. 22:16, 20). When men refuse their Lord, they turn into beasts.

There was a group of women standing near the cross and the apostle John. Later they would travel on further to join other friends of Jesus [Matt. 27:55–56; Mark 15:40–41]. John mentions four women: Mary, the mother of Jesus; His mother’s sister, Salome, the mother of James and John; Mary, the wife of Clopas (Cleophas); and Mary Magdalene. It took courage to be there amid so much hatred and ridicule, but their presence must have cheered our Lord.

The first time we meet Mary in the gospel of John, she is at a wedding (John 2:1–11), and now she is preparing for a burial. The hour had come! She was going through "the sword," which was foretold years ago (Luke 2:35). Her silence is significant, for if anyone could have saved Jesus, it was His mother. She only had to say that His claims were false— But she said nothing! What a testimony to the Godhead of Christ.

Jesus assured her of His love and gave her His choice disciple, who rested on His bosom, to be her adopted son and to care for her. We do not know if John carried Mary off the scene and took her home at that moment. What we do know is that he loved her, and she was among the group of believers in the Upper Room as they awaited Pentecost (Acts 1:14). Even through the profound work of redemption, Jesus was faithful to his responsibilities as a son. And how he must have felt, taking the place of his Lord in Mary’s life!

Don’t confuse Mary Magdalene with the “sinful woman” in Luke 7:36ff. Jesus had delivered Mary Magdalene from demons (Mark 16:9; Luke 8:2), and she had used her resources to assist Jesus in His ministry. Salome had asked Jesus for thrones for her two sons (Matt. 20:20–29), and He had refused her request. You wonder what she was thinking as she stood there and watched Jesus die on the cross. The scene must have rebuked her selfishness.

Where Are You From?” (19:8–16)

The Romans and Greeks had many myths of gods coming down to earth as men (see Acts 14:8-13), so it is likely that Pilate thought of these myths when he heard the phrase “Son of God.” The governor already was impressed by the words and demeanor of our Lord; he had never met a prisoner like Him before. Was He really a god who had come to earth? Did He possess miraculous powers? No wonder Pilate was getting frightened! Then Pilate's wife had sent him a strange message that he was to have nothing to do with Jesus (Matt. 27:19). Even in her nightmares Jesus had come to her!

Why didn’t Jesus answer Pilate’s question? Because He had already answered it (John 18:36-37). It is a basic spiritual law that God will not provide us new truth if we do not act on the truth we already know. Moreover, Pilate had already proved that he was not personally interested in spiritual truth. His only concern was to maintain the peace in Jerusalem as he attempted to expedite the trial of Jesus of Nazareth. Pilate deserved no answer!

Fear and anger are often closely linked. When we feel weak because of fear, we often overcompensate by trying to appear strong. This is what Pilate did, reminding Jesus of his Roman power. But his statement didn’t prove his power. It proved his weakness. For if he had authority to release Jesus, why did he not? He condemned himself in his own boastful words.
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Our Lord’s silence before both Herod and Pilate was a fulfillment of Isaiah 53:7. Later Peter used this passage as an example for suffering Christians to follow (1 Peter 2:18–23).

The last words of our Lord to Pilate are recorded in John 19:11, and they testify to His faith in the Father and submission to His will (cf. 1 Peter 2:23; 4:19). Every authority is of God (Romans 13:1ff.). Jesus could surrender to Rome and the Jews because, first of all, He was yielded to God. Pilate was boasting about his power (John 19:10), but Jesus reminded him that his so-called power was only delegated to him by God. One day God would hold him accountable for how he had used his privileges and responsibilities.

"He that delivered Me up unto thee"—who was Jesus referring to? God, certainly not, for God cannot and does not sin. Jesus was speaking about Caiaphas, the corrupt high priest who had long ago decided Jesus must die (John 11:47–54). Caiaphas knew the Scriptures and had had every opportunity to examine the evidence. He had shut his eyes on purpose and hardened his heart. He had made sure Jesus did not get a fair trial. It was his friends who were saying to the mob, 'Let Him be crucified!' Pilate was a spiritually blind pagan, but Caiaphas was a Jew who had knowledge. Thus, it was Caiaphas, not Pilate, who bore the greater sin.

What a predicament Pilate was in! How would he go about investigating the claim that Jesus was "the Son of God"? Furthermore, there wasn’t any evidence that He was a trouble-maker or a seditionist. Then, in a last effort at courage, Pilate tried to release Jesus. John does not tell us what steps Pilate took (the Greek text indicates that “he kept seeking to release Him”), but all failed. In fact the crowd started calling Pilate a traitor to Caesar! This pressure was too much for the governor. He passed his official judgment and handed Jesus over to be crucified. Pilate washed his hands before the crowd, as Matthew tells us (Matt. 27:24), but it did not cleanse his heart. Alas, it was Pilate who was on trial, not Jesus!

John probably used Roman time, so “the sixth hour” would have been 6 a.m. Mark tells us that Jesus was crucified “the third hour,” which in Jewish reckoning would have been 9 a.m. John wrote "about the sixth hour," so we don't need to try to figure out why it took three hours to bring Jesus from Pilate's hall to Calvary.

The “preparation” refers to the preparation for the Sabbath (see John 19:31), which would begin at sundown that day (Friday). It was the Sabbath of the Passover, a most holy day. The religious leaders were more concerned about their traditions than about finding the truth and doing God's will. They crucified their Messiah on a high and holy day, Jesus the Son of God!

“We have no king but Caesar!” The mob had the last word. “We will not have this man to reign over us” (Luke 19:14). An observant student of Scripture will note that the crowd that cried "Hosanna!" on Palm Sunday turned right around and cried on Good Friday, “Crucify Him!” However, these events represented two different crowds. The crowd that had gathered for Palm Sunday was largely from Galilee, where Jesus was very popular. The crowd at Pilate's hall was from Judea and Jerusalem, where the religious leaders had much more control. The Galilean disciples would have risen in revolt to deliver Jesus had they had their way!

The trial of Jesus was the greatest crime and tragedy in history from the human perspective. From the divine point of view, it fulfilled prophecy and accomplished God's will. But the fact that God had planned it did not absolve the participants of their responsibility. In fact, Peter combined the two ideas in one statement at Pentecost (Acts 2:23).

When Israel asked for a king, and God gave them Saul, the nation rejected God the Father (1 Sam. 8:5–7). They called for Barabbas and refused God the Son. Today they are rejecting the plea of God the Holy Spirit (Acts 7:51; Rom. 10:21). The day shall come when they shall look upon their King and believe and be saved (Zech. 12:10-11; Matt. 24:30; Rev. 1:7).

The nation was on trial, and the governor was on trial, and both failed badly. Let's not fail.