NLT Study Bible - Gospel of John - Flipbook - Page 51
John 19:18
1812
ebrew, Golgotha). 18There they nailed
H
him to the cross. Two others were crucified
with him, one on either side, with Jesus be
tween them. 19And Pilate posted a sign on
the cross that read, “Jesus of Nazareth, the
King of the Jews.” 20The place where Jesus
was crucified was near the city, and the sign
was written in Hebrew, Latin, and Greek, so
that many people could read it.
21Then the leading priests objected and
said to Pilate, “Change it from ‘The King
of the Jews’ to ‘He said, I am King of the
Jews.’ ”
22Pilate replied, “No, what I have written,
I have written.”
23When the soldiers had crucified Jesus,
they div ided his clothes among the four of
them. They also took his robe, but it was
seamless, woven in one piece from top to
bottom. 24So they said, “Rather than tear
ing it apart, let’s throw dice for it.” This
fulfilled the Scripture that says, “They di
vided my garments among themselves and
threw dice for my clothing.” So that is what
they did.
25Standing near the cross were Jesus’
mother, and his mother’s sister, Mary (the
wife of Clopas), and Mary Magdalene.
26When Jesus saw his mother standing
there beside the disciple he loved, he said to
her, “Dear woman, here is your son.” 27And
he said to this disciple, “Here is your mother.”
And from then on this disciple took her into
his home.
19:24
*Ps 22:18
19:25
Matt 27:55-56
Mark 15:40-41
Luke 8:2; 23:49
19:26
John 2:4; 13:23; 20:2;
21:7, 20
The Cross and Passover (19:17-36)
John 1:29, 36
Exod 12:1–13:16;
29:38-46
Num 9:1-14
Deut 16:1-8
2 Kgs 23:21-23
2 Chr 30:1-27
Ezra 6:19-21
Isa 53:7
Ezek 45:21-22
Matt 26:2, 17-19
Mark 14:17-31
Luke 22:14-30
Acts 8:32-35; 12:3-4
1 Cor 5:7-8
Heb 11:28
Rev 5:5-14
At the beginning of John’s Gospel, John the Baptist introduced Jesus by calling him the “Lamb
of God” (1:29, 36). This odd phrase might refer to the sacrificial lamb that was killed daily in
the Temple (Exod 29:38-46) or to the sacrificial lamb of Isa 53:7 (cp. Acts 8:32-35; Rev 5:5-14).
Both rituals of sacrifice spoke of rescue and forgiveness from sin.
However, this was not all that John had in mind. John presented Jesus as the Passover
lamb whose death marks the central event of the Passover season (see Exod 12:46; Luke 22:7;
1 Cor 5:7). In the first century, Jews made a pilgrimage to Jerusalem each spring to celebrate
the Passover and to reread the story of the Exodus (see Exod 12–15). When Israel was being
rescued from Egypt, the blood of a lamb was sprinkled on the doorposts of each Jewish
home in Egypt and saved those inside from death (Exod 12). Jews who came to Jerusalem to
celebrate the Passover needed to supply a perfect young lamb for sacrifice. The animal could
not be diseased or have broken bones.
Jesus used his final Passover meal to show that his sacrificial death would give new meaning to the festival (Mark 14:17-31). In John, the cross became an altar where Christ, the Passover lamb, was slain. Jesus’ legs were not broken (19:33), fulfilling a Passover rule (19:36; Exod
12:46). Blood ran freely from his wound (19:34), showing that his life was being exchanged for
others. Just as a lamb died to save the lives of Jewish families at the Passover in Egypt, so, too,
this one death of the Son of God on the cross serves to bring salvation to the world.
19:18 None of the Gospel writers dwell on the details of being
nailed . . . to the cross because they
were well known and horrific. The
soldiers used the cross as a means
of torture; they wanted victims to
survive for a while, in some cases
for days. Because the Sabbath would
begin at dusk (19:31), they expedited
Jesus’ crucifixion. Jesus had been
thoroughly beaten with stone- or
metal-tipped whips, so his back was
thoroughly lacerated, and he was
bleeding profusely.
19:19-22 Pilate posted a sign on
the cross: It was customary for the
Roman soldiers to provide a written
public notice of the criminal’s name
and crimes. Perhaps as a final act
of revenge against the Jewish high
council, Pilate ordered that the sign
should identify Jesus of Nazareth (or
Jesus the Nazarene) as the King of the
Jews. Jesus’ kingship was posted in
three languages for the whole world
to understand.
19:23-24 As was their common
practice, the Roman soldiers divided
his clothes. The soldiers gambled for
his valuable robe, which was seamless,
rather than dividing it up. throw
dice: Literally cast lots. “They divided my garments among themselves
and threw dice for my clothing”: See
Ps 22:18.
19:25-26 This is the only reference to
Jesus’ mother’s sister in the NT. She
might have been the wife of Zebedee
and the mother of James and John
(cp. Matt 27:56), which would make
Jesus and John cousins. If so, it would
help explain why Jesus assigned the
disciple he loved (John) to care for
Mary (John’s aunt). Mary (the wife
of Clopas) is only mentioned here.
She might be the same person as
Mary the mother of James and Joseph
(cp. Matt 27:56). Jesus had healed
Mary Magdalene, a woman from the
village of Magdala (Mark 16:9; Luke
8:2). Dear woman was a formal and
polite form of address (see 2:4).
19:27 Here is your mother: Jesus
employed a Jewish family law that
assigned the care of one person to
another. The scene had an additional
significance: The people who were
present represented the new community of the church that was born at
the cross. Jesus wanted them to care
for each other in obedience to his
command to love one another (13:34;
15:12, 17).
19:28-29 I am thirsty: See Ps 22:15;
69:21. The hyssop bush had been
