With Dale Ratzlaff
John 19:16-22
16 So he then handed Him over to them to be crucified.
“To them” should be understood in two ways. It was the Jewish leaders who cried out for his crucifixion. As mentioned before, they could not crucify. Therefore, the Romans carried out the sentence. After three times saying that Jesus was innocent, Pilate cannot charge Jesus with a crime. All he can do is to turn Jesus over to the cries of the Jewish mob who blindly followed their “chief priests.” God, who works all things together for good to those who love Him, saw to it that His Son was sent to the cross without even a false charge levied against Him. Mark states that Pilate washed his hands, indicating he was free of culpability. However, as the person who sits at the judgment seat, he cannot remove his guilt. To this day, Pilate is seen as one who made a terrible decision. In the year 36 AD Pilate was deposed, sent to Rome to face charges, and then seems to have been banished and finally to have committed suicide ( R.C.H. Lenski, Commentary on the New Testament, John, p. 1277).
17 They took Jesus, therefore, and He went out, bearing His own cross, to the place called the Place of a Skull, which is called in Hebrew, Golgotha.
John states that Jesus went out “bearing His own cross.” The Synoptics state that Simon of Cyrene was pressed into service to carry the cross. Jesus, as weak and battered as He was, was able to carry the cross or for some distance until his physical weakness caused Simon to be compelled to take over.
That Jesus was bearing His own cross gives insight into His teaching.
And he who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me (Mt. 10:38).
Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me. For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it; but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it (Mt. 16:24-25).
John, in recording that Jesus carried His own the cross may have had in mind the record of Isaac, a prototype of Jesus.
Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering and laid it on Isaac his son, and he took in his hand the fire and the knife. So the two of them walked on together (Gen. 22:6).
The place where Jesus was crucified was called “the skull.” John, seeking to record the exact spot, gives the name in both Greek and Aramaic. Executions took place outside the city. This was the practice of both the Romans and the Jews. When the man was caught gathering sticks on the Sabbath, God instructed the Israelites to take him outside the camp and stone him (Num. 15.32). The same was true in the case of Stephen, the first Christian martyr.
But being full of the Holy Spirit, he [Stephen] gazed intently into heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God; and he said, “Behold, I see the heavens opened up and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God.” But they cried out with a loud voice, and covered their ears and rushed at him with one impulse. When they had driven him out of the city, they began stoning him; and the witnesses laid aside their robes at the feet of a young man named Saul. They went on stoning Stephen as he called on the Lord and said, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit!” (Acts 7:55-59).
The writer of Hebrews builds on this custom as he encourages his readers to go “outside the camp.”
Therefore Jesus also, that He might sanctify the people through His own blood, suffered outside the gate. So, let us go out to Him outside the camp, bearing His reproach (Heb. 13:12-13).
This was an encouragement to early Christians to left Judaism and found fellowship with other Christians “outside the camp.”
18 There they crucified Him, and with Him two other men, one on either side, and Jesus in between.
Astonishingly, John describes the central events of the gospel with just a word. One word for scourging, one word for crucifixion, and one word for resurrection. There is not an attempt to dwell on the anguish Jesus suffered or to build up an emotional reaction. In fact, none of the Gospels do this. Both Catholics and Protestants, tend to make a great deal of the sufferings of Jesus. While nothing may be wrong with these descriptions, the Gospel writers are content to record the pertinent facts. It is the facts upon which the true gospel is centered ( See 1 Cor. 15:1-8).
John makes it clear that Jesus was crucified in the center between two men, both sinners. We can only speculate who it was that decided to arrange the executions so that Jesus’ cross was central. Nevertheless, unknowingly the Romans soldiers and the Jewish chief priests were fulfilling Old Testament prophecy.
Therefore, I will allot Him a portion with the great, And He will divide the booty with the strong; Because He poured out Himself to death, And was numbered with the transgressors; Yet He Himself bore the sin of many, And interceded for the transgressors (Isa. 53:12).
19 Pilate also wrote an inscription and put it on the cross. It was written, “JESUS THE NAZARENE, THE KING OF THE JEWS.”
The “title” was a little poster which listed the crimes the person had done. Pilate doubtless chose this title to cast dispersion on the Jews. By doing this he again proclaims more than which he is aware.
20 Therefore many of the Jews read this inscription, for the place where Jesus was crucified was near the city; and it was written in Hebrew, Latin and in Greek.
The fact that Jesus was crucified near the city and the writing on the placard proclaimed Jesus to be “King of the Jews” was written in three languages indicates that many, if not most, of the people of Jerusalem witnessed this event and understood that the “crime” of Jesus was simply that He was “King of the Jews.”
21 So the chief priests of the Jews were saying to Pilate, “Do not write, ‘The King of the Jews’; but that He said, ‘I am King of the Jews.’”
Here is the reinforcement of the denial of Jesus by the Jewish leaders. Seeing the sign that stated, Jesus is “the King of the Jews” only added to their level of loathing.
22 Pilate answered, “What I have written I have written.”
Perhaps thinking that he had already gone too far in placating the wishes of the Jews leaders, Palate hunkered down and would not be pushed any further and answered with a word of finality. “What I have written, I have written.”
Yes, Jesus of Nazareth was not only the “King of the Jews,” but John tells us that He is the Savior of the World.
Application
- Pilate was unjust in the way he dealt with Jesus. This must have haunted him in the months and years that followed. Guilt, especially the guilt condemning “The King of the Jews”—the Messiah and Savior of the world was never removed by repentance. However one interprets the warning found Hebrews 6, the point is clear. We are not to turn our back on the truth.
For in the case of those who have once been enlightened and have tasted of the heavenly gift and have been made partakers of the Holy Spirit, and have tasted the good word of God and the powers of the age to come, and then have fallen away, it is impossible to renew them again to repentance, since they again crucify to themselves the Son of God and put Him to open shame (Heb. 6:4-6).
- Those of us who voluntarily left, or were forced out, of our former church fellowship can take courage that we can find fellowship and communion with Christ “outside the camp”.
- Realizing what a torture it must have been for Jesus to carry His own cross, we can take courage that He did this for us. We, in turn, can face with courage the daily trials which we encounter as we carry our cross in memory of His work for us.
Prayer
Father, Thank you for carrying the cross of torture and shame for me. Help me to always follow the truth of your Word. Thank you that even though I was forced to leave my church fellowship years ago, you have given me many more friends “outside the camp.” †
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