Then Pilate took Jesus and had him flogged.
The soldiers twisted
together a crown of thorns, put it on Jesus’ head, and threw a purple robe
around him.Then they repeatedly insulted him: “Hail, king of the Jews!”
and they were slapping him in the face.
Pilate went outside again and spoke
to the Jewish leaders: “Look, I am bringing him outside to you, to let you know that I find
no grounds for charging him.”Then Jesus came out wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe. Pilate said to them, “Look, here is the man!”
When the
chief priests and their officers saw him, they shouted, “Crucify him!
Crucify him!” Pilate responded, “Take him and crucify him yourselves. I find no grounds for charging him.”The Jewish leaders replied, “We have a law, and
according to that law he must be put to death, because he claimed to be the
Son of God.”When Pilate heard this statement, he was more afraid than ever.He went
back into his residence and asked Jesus, “Where are you from?” But Jesus
did not give him an answer.
So Pilate said to him, “You are apparently not
willing to talk to me? Do you understand that I have authority to release you
and authority to crucify you?”Jesus answered him, “You would
have no authority over me at all, if it had not been granted you from above.
So the one who handed me over to you has the greater sin.”From
that moment on Pilate made every effort to release Jesus. But the Jewish leaders
shouted, “If you release this man, you are no friend of Caesar’s. Any self-appointed king opposes Caesar!”When Pilate heard these words, he brought Jesus outside. He sat down
on the judge’s bench at a place called the Stone Pavement (in Hebrew,
Gabbatha).
It was the preparation day
of Passover week, and it was
about noon. Then Pilate told the Jewish leaders, “Here is your king!”15 But they yelled, “Take him away! Remove him! Crucify him!” Pilate said to
them, “Should I really crucify your king?” The chief priests answered, “We
have no king except Caesar!”
16 So then Pilate handed Jesus over to them to be crucified.
17 They took Jesus away. Carrying his own cross, he went out to what is
known as Skull Place, which in Hebrew is called Golgotha. 18 There they
crucified him and two others with him, one on either side, with Jesus in the
middle.
19 Pilate also had a sign made and put on the cross. The inscription
read: “Jesus the Nazarene, the king of the Jews.” 20 Many of the Jews read this
sign, because the place where Jesus was crucified was near the city, and it
was written in Hebrew, Latin, and Greek. 21 So the Jewish chief priests said to
Pilate, “Do not write, ‘The king of the Jews,’ but that ‘He said, I am king of
the Jews.’” 22 Pilate replied, “What I have written, I have written.”
23 When the soldiers crucified Jesus, they took his clothes and divided them
into four parts, one part for each soldier. They also took his tunic, which was seamless, woven in one piece from the top. 24 They then said to one another,
“Let us not tear it, but toss for it to see who gets it.” This was to fulfill
the Scripture which says, “They divided my clothes among themselves and
cast lots for my clothing.” 25 And this is what the soldiers did. Standing close
to the cross of Jesus were his mother, his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of
Clopas, and Mary Magdalene.
26 When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple he loved standing there, he
said to his mother, “Woman, this is your son.” 27 Then he said to the disciple,
“This is your mother.” And from that moment the disciple took her to live in
his home. 28 After this, when Jesus knew that everything was now accomplished, in
accordance with the fulfillment of Scripture he said, “I am thirsty!” 29 A jar
full of sour wine was sitting there, so they put a sponge full of sour wine on a
hyssop branch and held it up to his mouth.
30 When Jesus had taken the sour
wine, he said, “It is finished!” Bowing his head, he expired.
31 Since it was the preparation day of Passover week,[732]
the Jewish leaders did not
want the bodies to remain on the cross on the Sabbath, as that Sabbath
day[733]
was a special Sabbath.[734]
They requested that Pilate have the men’s
legs broken and that their bodies be taken away. 32 So the soldiers came and
broke the legs of the first man and of the other one who had been crucified
with Jesus. 33 When they came to Jesus they did not break his legs since they
saw that he was already dead.
34 But one of the soldiers pierced his side with a
spear, and at once blood and water came out.
35 He who saw this happen has
witnessed to that fact. His purpose is that you also may believe. His
testimony is true, and he knows he is telling the truth. 36 For these events
happened so that the Scripture would be fulfilled: “Not one of his bones will
be broken.” 37 And another Scripture says: “They will look at the one they
have pierced.” 38 After this, Joseph of Arimathea, who was one of Jesus’ disciples — but
secretly, because of his fear of the Jewish leaders — asked Pilate that he might remove
Jesus’ body. Pilate gave him permission, so he came and took his body away. 39 Nicodemus, who previously had visited Jesus at night, came with him, bringing a
mixture of myrrh and aloes, weighing about 75 pounds. 40 Then they took
Jesus’ body and wrapped it in linen cloths with the aromatic spices, following
the burial custom of the Jews. 41 There was a garden at the place where he was crucified. A new tomb was in that garden; no one had yet been placed in it. 42 They laid Jesus there because it was the Jewish preparation day[735]
and the tomb was nearby.
Commentary
John
[731]
Friday, preparation day, of Passover week (see NIB, NIRV, GWN) not the preparation for the
Passover meal, which had taken place the evening before, when Jesus ate the meal at the same time as
the nation, introducing the Lord’s Supper (see Matthew, Mark and Luke for the clear evidence that
Jesus ate the meal at the time the nation was keeping the Passover. John does not in any way contradict
this).
[732]
All four gospels agree that Jesus died on Friday. Paraskeue and prosabbaton are words for
Friday. Other days were in NT times called first day, second day, third day, etc.
[733]
Saturday (sabbath).
[734]
As the Saturday (sabbath) of Passover week.
[735]
Friday of Passover week. The Jewish preparation day for the weekly sabbath.
John