Bible Study

I know it’s been a while since I’ve shared my devotions, sorry about that, I’ve been in a bit of a slump since Christmas.  Anyways, last time we met we talked about how Pilate tried to release Jesus but the Jewish leadership would have none of it.   Today we will look at John 19:16-27.

So they took Jesus, 17 and he went out, bearing his own cross, to the place called The Place of a Skull, which in Aramaic is called Golgotha. 18 There they crucified him, and with him two others, one on either side, and Jesus between them. 19 Pilate also wrote an inscription and put it on the cross. It read, “Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews.” 20 Many of the Jews read this inscription, for the place where Jesus was crucified was near the city, and it was written in Aramaic, in Latin, and in Greek. 21 So the chief priests of the Jews said to Pilate, “Do not write, ‘The King of the Jews,’ but rather, ‘This man said, I am King of the Jews.’” 22 Pilate answered, “What I have written I have written.”
23 When the soldiers had crucified Jesus, they took his garments and divided them into four parts, one part for each soldier; also his tunic. But the tunic was seamless, woven in one piece from top to bottom, 24 so they said to one another, “Let us not tear it, but cast lots for it to see whose it shall be.” This was to fulfill the Scripture which says,
“They divided my garments among them,
and for my clothing they cast lots.”
So the soldiers did these things, 25 but standing by the cross of Jesus were his mother and his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. 26 When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby, he said to his mother, “Woman, behold, your son!” 27 Then he said to the disciple, “Behold, your mother!” And from that hour the disciple took her to his own home.

Jesus Was Taken

So they took Jesus,

Four simple words eh?   And tonight I read them and my heart sank.  Jesus, the only human who did no wrong, he was taken.   We know what is going to happen, because … they took him. 

The Crucifixion

They made Jesus carry his own cross.  This wasn’t a special to Jesus thing, it was the normal practice for prisoners.   Carry your cross to where you will die.   So Jesus carried his cross to The Pace of a Skull (also known as Golgotha).   Jesus was crucified along with two others. 

Pilate had an inscription written saying  “Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews.”  It was written in Aramaic, Latin and Greek so anyone passing by could read it.  The Jewish leadership wanted Pilate to change it, lots of Jews were able to read it, but he said  “What I have written I have written.”

Scripture Fulfilled

Jesus is on the cross, which means he has no use for his clothes.  Soldiers do what they do eh?  Who needs what?  Four soldiers, four articles of clothing, so each took their bit.  One small problem… the tunic was seamless and they didn’t want to wreck it.  They did what soldiers often do… they gambled for it. 

“Let us not tear it, but cast lots for it to see whose it shall be.”

What is significant about this is that it was just another detail that God had covered. He knew this would happen: They divided my garments among them, and for my clothing they cast lots.”

Mom

So the soldiers did was soldiers do, but juxtapositioned against them were Jesus’ relatives.  The three Mary’s… his mom, his aunt (Mary the wife of Clopas) and Mary Magdalene. 

Jesus saw them standing there with the disciple that he loved (most likely John) and said “Woman, behold, your son!” And to that disciples “Behold, your mother!” From that point onward, Jesus’ mom had a home. 

Do you see how John was unselfish?   The soldiers well, let’s just say they weren’t.  Casting lots for items of a dead man.

Pondering

I don’t know what to say about this passage and how it reflects on me in my life.

I know that I am so pleased with Pilate for not changing what he wrote, not bowing to that pressure from the leadership. 

Delight fills me when I see how God orchestrated even the details of Jesus’ clothing.  That attention to detail shows his love for his boy.  And makes me consider all the more the attention to detail he gives to my life.  

The care that “the disciple Jesus loved” took in providing for Jesus’ mom.   Under the pain of losing Jesus, the disciple followed through on Jesus’ last request to him. 

All these things flood my brain and I don’t know what all to do with them.   I never thought I’d be pleased with Pilate for standing his ground.  I always thought of him as the bad, wishy-washy, let’s push you around guy.  But here, he stood his ground.   So perhaps there’s hope for me too eh?  Hope for me too. 

Pilate Questioned Jesus the last time we met, today we start John 19:1-16.

 Then Pilate took Jesus and flogged him. ² And the soldiers twisted together a crown of thorns and put it on his head and arrayed him in a purple robe. ³ They came up to him, saying, “Hail, King of the Jews!” and struck him with their hands. ⁴ Pilate went out again and said to them, “See, I am bringing him out to you that you may know that I find no guilt in him.” ⁵ So Jesus came out, wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe. Pilate said to them, “Behold the man!” ⁶ When the chief priests and the officers saw him, they cried out, “Crucify him, crucify him!” Pilate said to them, “Take him yourselves and crucify him, for I find no guilt in him.” ⁷ The Jews answered him, “We have a law, and according to that law he ought to die because he has made himself the Son of God.”

⁸ When Pilate heard this statement, he was even more afraid. ⁹ He entered his headquarters again and said to Jesus, “Where are you from?” But Jesus gave him no answer. ¹⁰ So Pilate said to him, “You will not speak to me? Do you not know that I have authority to release you and authority to crucify you?” ¹¹ Jesus answered him, “You would have no authority over me at all unless it had been given you from above. Therefore he who delivered me over to you has the greater sin.”

¹² From then on Pilate sought to release him, but the Jews cried out, “If you release this man, you are not Caesar’s friend. Everyone who makes himself a king opposes Caesar.” ¹³ So when Pilate heard these words, he brought Jesus out and sat down on the judgment seat at a place called The Stone Pavement, and in Aramaic Gabbatha. ¹⁴ Now it was the day of Preparation of the Passover. It was about the sixth hour. He said to the Jews, “Behold your King!” ¹⁵ They cried out, “Away with him, away with him, crucify him!” Pilate said to them, “Shall I crucify your King?” The chief priests answered, “We have no king but Caesar.” ¹⁶ So he delivered him over to them to be crucified.

The Jewish leaders refused to let Pilate set Jesus free even though Pilate found no fault with him.  Pilate’s response was to take Jesus and have him flogged.   Not only that the soldiers twisted together a crown of thorns and put it on his head and arrayed him in a purple robe. ³ They came up to him, saying, “Hail, King of the Jews!” and struck him with their hands.

Once that was done, Pilate again brought Jesus out, saying “See, I am bringing him out to you that you may know that I find no guilt in him.”  And Jesus was brought out wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe.

This was the third thing Pilate did in regards to Jesus.  First, he told them I find no fault with him.  The second one, whom shall I release Barabas or Jesus?

The Jewish leaders would have nothing to do with it though.  So Pilate let Jesus be flogged and mocked.  This still didn’t appease them though.

Behold the man

Additionally, Pilate said to them, “Behold the man!”

All this did was cause the chief priests and the officers to cry out, “Crucify him, crucify him!” That’s all they wanted.  Pilate hadn’t found any guilt is Jesus though, so how could he justify doing so?  Ergo his response:  “Take him yourselves and crucify him, for I find no guilt in him.”

The position Pilate was in eh?   This position was made more clear when the Jews told him, “We have a law, and according to that law he ought to die because he has made himself the Son of God.”

Now what!?!?!   The fear in Pilate is palpable at this point don’t you think?   We find the Jewish leadership telling Pilate that Jesus has violated a law so important to them that he must die.  Their law says death.

I certainly understand why Jesus was again questioned by Pilate.  “Where are you from?” comes the question, but Jesus gave him no answer.

I am imagining this whole situation perplexed him.  Jesus didn’t tell him much of anything.  He didn’t really respond to Pilate’s questions in any straight-forward manner.  Even when Pilate reminds Jesus of the authority he has.  Jesus’ only response was “You would have no authority over me at all unless it had been given you from above. Therefore he who delivered me over to you has the greater sin.”

Pilate’s Determination

Can’t you just see it?   Pilate’s determination, even when he was afraid, he was determined to release Jesus.  From then on Pilate sought to release him.

The Jewish leaders pulled out the big guns then.  “If you release this man, you are not Caesar’s friend. Everyone who makes himself a king opposes Caesar.”  What could Pilate do in the face of that?  Who wants to make an enemy of the most powerful person in the land?

I know, I know… he could have called them out.  He could have released Jesus.  But we know that’s not how God ordained things to be.  We know that Jesus came to die for our sins and that this was the time and manner for it to happen.

So when Pilate heard these words, he brought Jesus out and sat down on the judgment seat at a place called The Stone Pavement, and in Aramaic Gabbatha.

He is defeated.   The Jewish leaders are bold in their determination.  Jesus will die even if they have to threaten Pilate.  Pilate brought Jesus out saying,  “Behold your King!”

All they cried was for Jesus to be taken away and be crucified and Pilate handed him over.  He double-checked before doing so, are you sure you want me to crucify your King?  Jesus’ kingship was denied. In fact, they claimed Caesar was their king!  Jesus was given over to be crucified.

Ponderings and Thoughts

When I read this you know what I see?   A man who tried.  Pilate tried to release Jesus.  He told the Jewish leaders he found no fault with Jesus.  He asked whom he should release.  Jesus was even flogged and mocked.  Pilate told them he found no guilt in Jesus.

But the crowd defied him.  The Jewish Leaders defied.  They threatened him.  Nothing Pilate did in defence of Jesus worked.  Even Jesus didn’t help his own cause, putting up no defence.

I’m reminded of a situation I ran into this week.  A gal who doesn’t love God and I looked to defend him.   Didn’t matter what I said, rejection of that defence was right there.

Isn’t that the way it is though?  If people are determined to deny the Lord Jesus, if they are determined to have him ‘dead’, it doesn’t matter what we say or do. I think it’s important for us to remember that.  It’s not us, or position, or words so much that they are rejecting or denying.  Rather it’s a statement of their determination and attitude towards (or rather against) God.  It’s hard not to take it personally but we aught not.  Remember that it is not about us.  It’s about THEM and their relationship, their refusal to have a relationship with God.  

God is in the details was the lesson we learned last time we met.  Today in John 18:33-40 we see Pilate in action.

³³ So Pilate entered his headquarters again and called Jesus and said to him, “Are you the King of the Jews?” ³⁴ Jesus answered, “Do you say this of your own accord, or did others say it to you about me?” ³⁵ Pilate answered, “Am I a Jew? Your own nation and the chief priests have delivered you over to me. What have you done?” ³⁶ Jesus answered, “My kingdom is not of this world. If my kingdom were of this world, my servants would have been fighting, that I might not be delivered over to the Jews. But my kingdom is not from the world.” ³⁷ Then Pilate said to him, “So you are a king?” Jesus answered, “You say that I am a king. For this purpose I was born and for this purpose I have come into the world—to bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth listens to my voice.” ³⁸ Pilate said to him, “What is truth?”

After he had said this, he went back outside to the Jews and told them, “I find no guilt in him. ³⁹ But you have a custom that I should release one man for you at the Passover. So do you want me to release to you the King of the Jews?” ⁴⁰ They cried out again, “Not this man, but Barabbas!” Now Barabbas was a robber.

Question and Answer

Remember how the Jewish leaders couldn’t enter Pilate’s house so he needed to come out to them.  Well, he didn’t stay outside but rather went to his headquarters calling to Jesus.  “Are you the King of the Jews?”

I wonder why Jesus answered this question with a question.  What point was he trying to make?  His response was “Do you say this of your own accord, or did others say it to you about me?”  I suppose I could see it as a point of clarification.  Was Pilate truly interested in Jesus or was he just dealing with information he’s been spoon fed.  It’s a good way to make sure Pilate IS thinking through decisions to be made.

More questions

We find Pilate answering Jesus saying, “Am I a Jew? Your own nation and the chief priests have delivered you over to me. What have you done?”

I have to admit, I think Pilate is confounded.  He’s been told by the Jewish leaders, Jesus is a bad man, but not much more detail than that. But really, what has Jesus done?  Jesus answered him though, “My kingdom is not of this world. If my kingdom were of this world, my servants would have been fighting, that I might not be delivered over to the Jews. But my kingdom is not from the world.”

Jesus a King?

Ah, something Pilate could sink his teeth into.  Jesus has just announced he’s from a different kingdom.  That must mean that he’s a king!  That just begs the question: “So you are a king?”

Jesus answered, “You say that I am a king. For this purpose I was born and for this purpose I have come into the world—to bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth listens to my voice.”  Do you note that Jesus doesn’t really answer Pilate’s question?  He doesn’t say “Yes, I am a king.”  He just acknowledges that Pilate says he is a king.  Then he says what his purpose is: to bear witness to the truth.  Truth seekers listen to his voice. 

I love that Pilate asks this question, “What is truth?”  I wish though we could have heard Jesus’ response, instead, we are told that he went out to the Jews and said “I find no guilt in him.  But you have a custom that I should release one man for you at the Passover. So do you want me to release to you the King of the Jews?”  He finds no guilt and yet he keeps him.  He asks the Jews whom they wish released.  They wanted Barrabbas, a robber.

My Connections

First off, for some strange reason, I had this thought in my head that Barrabas was a murderer and a thief.   I guess I was right with the last part eh?  He was a robber (in my mind that means thief) but we aren’t told that he was a murderer.

Second, I can’t understand it.  I KNOW it was ordained. I get that.  But at the same time, I can’t understand why Pilate, finding no reason to hold Jesus, didn’t just simply let him go.  Instead he said, the tradition is that I let one person go at Passover, who would you rather have, Jesus or Barrabas?  I wonder if by bringing Jesus to Pilate for questioning, he, therefore, became a prisoner and subject to the release policy.

Third, do you notice that one of the proofs that Jesus was not of this world is that he allowed himself to be taken by the Jews?  If he was of the world the disciples would have battled.  But they didn’t, in fact, Jesus healed the ear of the one fellow struck with a sword. Proof that Jesus is not of this world (at least his kingdom is not).