Verses 1-3 Then Pilate therefore took Jesus, and scourged him. 2 And the soldiers platted a crown of thorns, and put it on his head, and they put on him a purple robe, 3 And said, Hail, King of the Jews! and they smote him with their hands.
Scourging under Jewish law usually involved whipping a man’s back 39 save one times so that 40 lashes was not received. Deuteronomy 25:3 states, “Forty stripes he may give him, and not exceed: lest, if he should exceed, and beat him above these with many stripes, then thy brother should seem vile unto thee.” It was a matter of seeming to punish too severely. Since Jesus was beaten under Roman law, it is not really known how many lashes He received. But then when His back was torn and bleeding the Roman soldiers put a robe on Him that would have caused more pain and pushed a thorny man-made “crown” on His head that would have punctured the skin and caused bleeding and more pain. Then to finish the torture, they slapped His wounded body with their hands. It seems evident that the soldiers must have known that the Jews had accused Jesus of claiming to be their king, and so they were making fun of both Jesus and of the situation.
Verse 4 Pilate therefore went forth again, and saith unto them, Behold, I bring him forth to you, that ye may know that I find no fault in him.
Pilot was not a vicious man, and his treatment of Jesus was not out of malice as he exonerated Jesus seven times during this episode of rebellion and violence. Pilot did not want to pronounce a death sentence on Jesus and thought that if he punished him enough and then showed him to the mob a beaten and bloodied man, they would have compassion and accept that enough punishment had been handed out. That is why Pilot gave the command recorded in the verse below.
Verse 5 Then came Jesus forth, wearing the crown of thorns, and the purple robe. And Pilate saith unto them, Behold the man!
Pilot demanded that the mob look as Jesus. But the mob was infested with devil possessed people and the devils did not want to look at the One who they knew was God, very God, manifesting in the flesh.
Verse 6 When the chief priests therefore and officers saw him, they cried out, saying, Crucify him, crucify him. Pilate saith unto them, Take ye him, and crucify him: for I find no fault in him.
Pilot was wrong as the mob had no compassion for the One who had performed miracles of healing on everyone that had asked for help. As the frenzy escalated, Pilot gave up and released Jesus to the Jews who were following in the ways of their ancestors who killed the prophets of God.
Verses 7-9 The Jews answered him, We have a law, and by our law he ought to die, because he made himself the Son of God. 8 When Pilate therefore heard that saying, he was the more afraid; 9 And went again into the judgment hall, and saith unto Jesus, Whence art thou? But Jesus gave him no answer.
Pilot was Roman and Romans were very superstitious. Apparently Pilot was fearful at the days events and now his fear was increased as he now understood that Jesus was claiming to be God. Because the Romans had many gods and goddesses that they worshipped, this idea that perhaps a god was standing in his judgment hall and had been beaten and mistreated on his order was a bit unsettling to Pilot. As a result, Pilot wanted to know where Jesus came from. Why did Jesus not answer him? Because He wasn’t from anywhere as mankind understands location. He was not from Bethlehem or Nazareth, but from Heaven. He was/is God inhabiting a body of flesh that was created by Him. Pilot would not have understood that Jesus, as God, had no beginning and no ending and was omnipresent when not confining himself to a body.
Verses 10-11 Then saith Pilate unto him, Speakest thou not unto me? knowest thou not that I have power to crucify thee, and have power to release thee? 11 Jesus answered, Thou couldest have no power at all against me, except it were given thee from above: therefore he that delivered me unto thee hath the greater sin.
Jesus in one sentence showed Pilot that he may have position in the Roman government, but he had no power unless it was given to him by the LORD God Almighty. And Jesus let him know that he was engaged in sin but that the Jewish mob and the ruling elite had a greater sin because they delivered Him unlawfully to Pilot.
Verses 12-14 And from thenceforth Pilate sought to release him: but the Jews cried out, saying, If thou let this man go, thou art not Caesar’s friend: whosoever maketh himself a king speaketh against Caesar. 13 When Pilate therefore heard that saying, he brought Jesus forth, and sat down in the judgment seat in a place that is called the Pavement, but in the Hebrew, Gabbatha. 14 And it was the preparation of the passover, and about the sixth hour: and he saith unto the Jews, Behold your King!
When Pilot was accused of not being patriotic he had to make a decision. So he tried one more time to reason with the devils operating in the people but to no avail.
Verse 15 But they cried out, Away with him, away with him, crucify him. Pilate saith unto them, Shall I crucify your King? The chief priests answered, We have no king but Caesar.
Because the Jewish religion based on the Babylonian Talmud teaches that the Jews are superior and that they can attain godhood themselves and should therefore be ruling the world, they could reject the one true God. But to accomplish their goal, they had to declare that their king was Caesar. Now they hated being ruled by Rome, and different Jewish factions were constantly rebelling against this rule and causing trouble for the Romans in authority. But they were, at this point in time, willing to claim Caesar who they hated as their king in order to destroy the One who threatened their hold on the Jewish people and their corrupt religious practices and way of life. So God in 70 AD obliged them and had the Roman army destroy what was left of their nation and exile them throughout the known world that was controlled by the Roman one-world government. They then had no choice but to live under the kingship of a Roman Caesar.
Verses 16-18 Then delivered he him therefore unto them to be crucified. And they took Jesus, and led him away. 17 And he bearing his cross went forth into a place called the place of a skull, which is called in the Hebrew Golgotha: 18 Where they crucified him, and two other with him, on either side one, and Jesus in the midst.
Pilot, as governor of the region, was in a difficult position as the Jewish mob was rioting and threatening to report him to Caesar and at the same time he was fearful of pronouncing the death sentence on a man that he thought may be a god of some kind. Rather than risk rioting that would displease his superiors as it was his job to keep the peace in Judaea, he caved to the demands of the religious Jews and delivered Jesus, the Son of God, to devil filled Jews. Golgotha was a place outside of Jerusalem that was so named because its shape resembled a skull and therefore it was a fitting place of execution.
Verses 19-20 And Pilate wrote a title, and put it on the cross. And the writing was, JESUS OF NAZARETH THE KING OF THE JEWS. 20 This title then read many of the Jews: for the place where Jesus was crucified was nigh to the city: and it was written in Hebrew, and Greek, and Latin.
It was the custom to place a notice of some kind on the cross naming the crime for which an individual was being punished and executed. The two men crucified on either side of Jesus would have had a sign stating they were thieves. In Jesus’ case, Pilot himself prepared the sign showing why He was being executed publicly, probably because he did not want the Jews to minimize what they had done that day. And to be sure the public knew Jesus’ “crime”, Pilot wrote it in the three major languages of the day. The Romans usually crucified people along side major highways where people would be traveling and been sure to see the victims dead and dying. This was to deter the crime rate in the nation as it had a chilling effect on the people observing these executions as they traveled from one town to another. Being near Jerusalem, many people would pass by this scene of cruelty.
Verses 21-22 Then said the chief priests of the Jews to Pilate, Write not, The King of the Jews; but that he said, I am King of the Jews. 22 Pilate answered, What I have written I have written.
The priests were not happy that Pilot had called Jesus the King of the Jews. They knew that Jesus fulfilled prophecy and that He was the Messiah, but their earthly goals were more important to them than spiritual life. They were serving Satan and they knew it. Jesus had accused them of serving their father the Devil, and they knew that too. But they were cruel and vengeful and envious of the power and character of Jesus, and so the only way to remove this irritant from their lives was to kill their Messiah.
Verses 23-24 Then the soldiers, when they had crucified Jesus, took his garments, and made four parts, to every soldier a part; and also his coat: now the coat was without seam, woven from the top throughout. 24 They said therefore among themselves, Let us not rend it, but cast lots for it, whose it shall be: that the scripture might be fulfilled, which saith, They parted my raiment among them, and for my vesture they did cast lots. These things therefore the soldiers did.
The Roman soldiers were paid in salt money and by taking the possessions of the vanquished and the executed. So the clothing of those executed belonged to them and they shared it amongst themselves. However, the coat of Jesus was the coat of a priest and without seam, so it would have been hard to split it into usable parts. So they cast lots to see who would take it. Under Mosaic law, the robe of the high priest was specially made without seam and it could not be torn or rent. To do so would end the priesthood. “And he made the robe of the ephod of woven work, all of blue. And there was an hole in the midst of the robe, as the hole of an habergeon, with a band round about the hole, that it should not rend.” Exodus 39:22-23 Remember that during Jesus’ mock trial the high priest tore his garment in a dramatic fashion, and so the coat or robe was ruined and no longer functional and neither was the priesthood. But the one true High Priest, the LORD Jesus Christ, did not have His robe or coat torn, signifying that His priesthood was/is still in effect. “Now of the things which we have spoken this is the sum: We have such an high priest, who is set on the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens;” Hebrews 8:1 “Seeing then that we have a great high priest, that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession. For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.” Hebrews 4:14-15
Application: Bible prophecy does and always will come to pass. King David was a prophet and he wrote in Psalms 22:18, “They part my garments among them, and cast lots upon my vesture.” This was centuries before the birth of the LORD Jesus Christ, yet God had David write these prophetic words which were fulfilled at Calvary. If prophecy is improperly interpreted, the Christian believer will be led astray. Bible explains Bible, or in other words, passages that are sometimes difficult to understand can and will be made clear through other passages in Scripture and not through the teachings of fallible men and women. Simply ask the LORD to reveal what the interpretation of His word is and He will. Do not become carried away with fables and false teaching, particularly the false teaching of Cyrus Scofield. God says what He means and means what He says and no man or woman has the right or authority to change the meaning of His words.
Verses 25-27 Now there stood by the cross of Jesus his mother, and his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Cleophas, and Mary Magdalene. 26 When Jesus therefore saw his mother, and the disciple standing by, whom he loved, he saith unto his mother, Woman, behold thy son! 27 Then saith he to the disciple, Behold thy mother! And from that hour that disciple took her unto his own home.
Jesus, being in unimaginable pain and suffering with each breath He took, was concerned for the welfare of His mother. Apparently His custodial father, Joseph, had died and although Mary had other children, Jesus wanted His disciple, the Apostle John, to care for her until she died.
Application: Often, converted Christian believers read the story of the crucifixion of Jesus Christ enough that they tend to become calloused as to the extent of the suffering that occurred that day. They may focus of the suffering of the Son of God, but there were others in attendance that were also suffering. Mary had birthed and raised Jesus and now she was watching the cruelty of the corrupt governmental system killing the man she had cared for and loved as only a mother can love. And Jesus’ disciples who had lived with and traveled with Jesus for 3 1/2 years were watching the man they had come to love and worship as the Messiah die a hideous death. They were confused, scared, and traumatized and they were experiencing a tremendous sense of loss as occurs with any death of a loved one. So Mary and the Apostle John were put together by Jesus and one can only imagine how their lives were changed and enriched. Jesus’ actions while on the cross demonstrate His intense love for those who follow and obey Him and who love Him with their whole heart. And His actions while on the cross also demonstrate His intense love for fallen mankind as He forgave His persecutors.
Verses 28-30 After this, Jesus knowing that all things were now accomplished, that the scripture might be fulfilled, saith, I thirst. 29 Now there was set a vessel full of vinegar: and they filled a spunge with vinegar, and put it upon hyssop, and put it to his mouth. 30 When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, he said, It is finished: and he bowed his head, and gave up the ghost.
What were all the things that Jesus knew were accomplished? What did He say about His coming to the Earth? “For I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me.” John 6:38
“I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.” Luke 5:32
“I am the living bread which came down from heaven: if any man eat of this bread, he shall live for ever: and the bread that I will give is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.” John 5:1
“And if any man hear my words, and believe not, i judge him not: for I came not to judge the world, but to save the world.” John 12:47
“For this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.” Matthew 26:28
“Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same; that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil; And deliver them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage. For verily he took not on him the nature of angels; but he took on him the seed of Abraham. Wherefore in all things it behoved him to be made like unto his brethren, that he might be a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make reconciliation for the sins of the people. For in that he himself hath suffered being tempted, he is able to succour them that are tempted.” Hebrews 2:14-18
Application: There was no end to the cruelty by the followers of Satan as instead of giving the LORD water to drink, they gave him vinegar. This writer drinks 1 tablespoon of vinegar in 8 ounces of water with stevia as a sweetener each morning and can hardly drink it down. It is bitter. Jesus took on the bitterness of mankind’s sins and paid the price so that each man or woman can be saved from sin, death, and Hell simply by accepting what He did, repenting from past sins, obeying His command to be baptized, and following Him.
Application: Jesus gave up His Spirit or the Holy Ghost. A ghost is a spirit that inhabited a body of flesh. Otherwise a spirit remains a spirit. Jesus’ Holy Ghost/Spirit is the promised comforter Who inhabits believers at the time of conversion. “And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever. But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.” John 14:16 and 26 “But when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father, he shall testify of me.” John 15:26 “Nevertheless I tell you the truth; it is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you.” John 16:7 So the devil possessed Jews and Satan lost the battle at Calvary as the physical death of Jesus allowed the Holy Ghost/Spirit to be sent to all the people from every nation and tongue that name the name of Jesus and follow after Him.
Verse 31 The Jews therefore, because it was the preparation, that the bodies should not remain upon the cross on the sabbath day, (for that sabbath day was an high day,) besought Pilate that their legs might be broken, and that they might be taken away.
There were two celebrations that week, Passover, and another sabbath and so the Jews did not want the condemned slowly dying and being on display. They wanted them dead and buried, especially the LORD Jesus Christ.
Application: Most organized evangelical establishment churches today teach that Jesus was murdered on a Friday and rose from the grave on Sunday. This is just another example of how Satan has infiltrated the churches with false doctrine. Jesus was in the grave for three days and three nights like the prophet Jonah had been in the belly of the fish, not a day and a half. So He was arrested on a Tuesday evening, crucified on a Wednesday morning after the Tuesday Passover celebration, buried on Wednesday eve and rose Saturday eve with the discovery of His absent body on Sunday morning.
Verses 32-37 Then came the soldiers, and brake the legs of the first, and of the other which was crucified with him. 33 But when they came to Jesus, and saw that he was dead already, they brake not his legs: 34 But one of the soldiers with a spear pierced his side, and forthwith came there out blood and water. 35 And he that saw it bare record, and his record is true: and he knoweth that he saith true, that ye might believe. 36 For these things were done, that the scripture should be fulfilled, A bone of him shall not be broken. 37 And again another scripture saith, They shall look on him whom they pierced.
Crucifixion caused the victim to be unable to breathe properly, and so the victim had to constantly push up with his nailed feet to raise his body up for a period of time in order to breathe. By braking the legs, the victim could no longer push against the wood with his nailed feet and raise up his body so the victim would suffocate. The soldiers knew that the body of Jesus was dead, but just to be sure, they stabbed him with a spear. If His heart was still beating, the blood would have gushed out of the wound, but the blood that came out was already separating into red cells and plasma along with any lymphatic fluid. So the soldiers knew for sure that there was no longer any life in Jesus’ body.
Verse 38 And after this Joseph of Arimathaea, being a disciple of Jesus, but secretly for fear of the Jews, besought Pilate that he might take away the body of Jesus: and Pilate gave him leave. He came therefore, and took the body of Jesus.
Joseph of Arimathaea, a member of the Sanhedrin, was a secret follower of Jesus and he was the brother of Nicodemus who was also a member of the Sanhedrin and a secret follower of Jesus. It is said that Joseph was a very rich man as he had a shipping company, so he would have had the influence to approach Pilate and the financial means to bury the body of Jesus.
Verses 39-40 And there came also Nicodemus, which at the first came to Jesus by night, and brought a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about an hundred pound weight. 40 Then took they the body of Jesus, and wound it in linen clothes with the spices, as the manner of the Jews is to bury.
The anointing of a dead body with spices and wrapping it in linen may have been learned by the Hebrews when living in Egypt as the Egyptians mummified people of importance, using spices and material wrappings. Poor people whose families and friends could not afford the spices were not anointed.
Verses 41-42 Now in the place where he was crucified there was a garden; and in the garden a new sepulchre, wherein was never man yet laid. 42 There laid they Jesus therefore because of the Jews’ preparation day; for the sepulchre was nigh at hand. (John 19)
It takes time to quarry out a tomb in rock, so it may be assumed that sepulchres were being constructed fairly regularly to accommodate those that were going to die, much as today it is the manner in the western world to purchase a cemetery plot and pay for a casket in preparation of one’s death and burial.
Application: Jesus was betrayed in a garden and then was buried in a garden. Metaphorically, gardens are representative of one’s life cycle: one is born, one is nurtured and grows into maturity, one lives for a while and hopefully is productive, and then one begins to die back and finally ceases to exist in physical form. Gardens are hopeful as in them new life springs forth each year to replace that which is pruned back, cut down or pulled out of the soil. So the death of the LORD Jesus Christ meant that He would rise again and hope in His resurrection is the basis of the Christian faith.