The Crucifixion - John 19:16-27

©October 24th, 2021 by Rev. Rick Goettsche SERIES: John

Certain events drastically alter the world in which we live. Air travel was forever changed after the 9/11 attacks. Presidential protection was drastically different after the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. And the world was forever changed by the crucifixion of Jesus. Even though Jesus’ crucifixion was a tragedy on a much grander scale than even 9/11 or the Kennedy assassination, the changes it made in our world brought about a greater good than anyone involved (except Jesus) could have possibly understood.

The story of the crucifixion is familiar to most people. We tell it each year around Easter, and it has been depicted in many popular movies, such as The Passion of the Christ. But the danger we face with something well-known is that we assume we understand everything about it. This becomes a real danger as we study the crucifixion—we must not simply gloss over the story, but must come to it with fresh eyes, in the hope of gaining an understanding we may not have had before. That is going to be our focus this morning. We want to examine the crucifixion story and deepen our understanding because there has been no more significant event in human history.

Crucifixion

Our text begins with a brief mention of Jesus being led away to be crucified,

16 Then Pilate turned Jesus over to them to be crucified. So they took Jesus away. 17 Carrying the cross by himself, he went to the place called Place of the Skull (in Hebrew, Golgotha). 18 There they nailed him to the cross. Two others were crucified with him, one on either side, with Jesus between them. 19 And Pilate posted a sign on the cross that read, “Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews.” 20 The 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. (John 19:16-20, NLT)

John’s gospel doesn’t go into many of the details of the crucifixion, simply telling us that Jesus was handed over to be crucified, then he was led to the place outside the city where it was to happen and nailed to the cross, with one criminal being crucified next to him on either side. I suspect John doesn’t go into detail because crucifixion was well-known to his original audience. We, however, are far removed from this form of torture and execution, so for us to understand what went on, we need to understand a bit about what crucifixion was like and what Jesus endured.

Crucifixion was a gruesome and torturous way to kill someone. It was not only intended to be a punishment for a person, but also to be a spectacle to the rest of the people—a reminder of what happens to those who stand against Rome. Crucifixion was so brutal that it was not allowed to be carried out on a Roman citizen. But Jesus was not a citizen of Rome, so it was permitted.

Crucifixion usually began with scourging, which John mentioned briefly last week. The condemned would be beaten with a whip that had multiple tails and bits of metal or bone attached to the tips. The whip would dig in and tear the person’s flesh with each strike. This process was referred to by some as the “half death”, because at the end of it, the person would be nearly dead. They would be unrecognizable, with deep wounds all over their bodies. This scourging was a punishment, but it also made death come more quickly to the person being crucified. Jesus was subjected to such scourging and was then beaten by the officers charged with guarding him.

The condemned would then be led through the city on a circuitous route to the crucifixion site outside the city. Four guards would be assigned to lead him to the place of execution. One guard would carry a sign indicating the crime of the person. The condemned would be forced to carry the cross beam to which they would be nailed. This heavy block of wood usually weighed around 100 pounds. The other gospels tell us that Jesus was unable to carry it the whole way there and someone else had to carry it the rest of the way for him.

Once they arrived at the site, his hands (or wrists) would be nailed to the cross beam and this would be attached to an upright beam. The feet would be nailed to the upright beam as well. Then they would simply wait for the person to die.

Death by crucifixion could take days. The whole time was agony for the person. Each breath required the person to push their body up, putting pressure on the nails in their feet. As they did, the raw skin of their back would drag across the rough wood. Eventually, the person would succumb to exhaustion, their body would shut down, and they would suffocate. This was the fate that lay before Jesus.

The physical agony of the cross was tremendous, but that should not be our primary focus as we look at the crucifixion. John doesn’t go into detail because the details of the crucifixion were not as important as why Jesus was crucified and what it accomplished. But understanding Jesus’ experience on the cross gives us a better appreciation of everything Jesus did while being crucified.

Pilate and the Jewish Leaders

John tells us the sign nailed to the cross indicating Jesus’ crime said, “Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews.” And it was written in Hebrew, Latin, and Greek, the three predominant languages in that region. The Jewish leaders were not happy that this was what Jesus’ sign read, and they protested,

21 Then 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.’ ” 22 Pilate replied, “No, what I have written, I have written.” (John 19:21-22, NLT)

The Jewish leaders were not happy that Pilate had written that Jesus was the King of the Jews. They said the sign should read that Jesus claimed to be the King of the Jews. Pilate, however, stood firm on this point and refused to change it.

Why did Pilate write this? Had he become convinced of Jesus’ claims? I don’t think so. If Pilate had truly been convinced of Jesus’ claims, he would have spared him. Pilate’s heart was too hard to believe Jesus. Instead, I think this was Pilate’s chance to take a swipe at the Jewish leaders. They forced his hand and he caved to them, ultimately condemning a man he knew to be innocent. I think this was his attempt to exert a little bit of control and assert his dominance over the Jews once more.

Of course, what Pilate had written was actually true! Jesus was the one true King. He was King not just of the Jews, but of everyone. Pilate may not have intended to speak profound theological truth, but God used his hard heart to identify Jesus as who He truly was.

This reminds us that God is working behind the scenes and superintending all things to accomplish His good purposes. Pilate was evil, yet God used Pilate’s evil motives to bring about His will. The hearts of the Jewish leaders were evil, yet God allowed this great evil of crucifixion to happen because He was using it to accomplish a far greater good. This should give believers confidence as we face a world that seems wholly overtaken by evil. No matter what we face, God is still working behind the scenes. God can (and will) use even the evil intentions of corrupt people to accomplish His good purposes.

The Soldiers at the Cross

John tells us that once Jesus was hung on the cross the soldiers guarding him began to divide up his clothes.

23 When the soldiers had crucified Jesus, they divided his clothes among the four of them. They also took his robe, but it was seamless, woven in one piece from top to bottom. 24 So they said, “Rather than tearing it apart, let’s throw dice for it.” This fulfilled the Scripture that says, “They divided my garments among themselves and threw dice for my clothing.” So that is what they did. (John 19:23-24, NLT)

Part of the pay for the soldiers tasked with execution was that they were entitled to divide up the belongings of the accused for themselves. Clothing was not as plentiful or as cheap as it is in our day, so being able to divide up a person’s clothing was a significant perk of the job.

At that time, there were 5 primary pieces of clothing a person would wear. Sandals, a girdle (clothing that covered the lower half of the body), an inner coat, an outer coat, and a turban, or head covering. These are the pieces the soldiers would have been dividing up. Since there were four soldiers guarding Jesus, they were likely casting lots to decide who got which pieces. We are told that when they got to his inner robe, they realized it was a seamless piece, so they didn’t want to divide it, and cast lots specifically for that piece.

Some have speculated that this piece of clothing might have been made by Jesus’ mother and given to him, as it was common in those days for a man’s mother to make such a garment for him and give it as a gift. If so, you can imagine how this spectacle would have added to Mary’s pain.

We see here the brazen nature of the guards. They are standing in front of the man who is dying and dividing up his possessions. It is one more way in which they dehumanized and degraded Jesus.

John, however, points out that this fulfilled a scriptural prophecy. He includes this detail to show us that Jesus’ crucifixion was something God had planned from the beginning. Everything was happening was exactly the way God said it would long ago.

So again, we see God working through evil to accomplish His good purpose. Everything we see happening to Jesus is evil—but none of it was a surprise to God. God was working through these evil men to bring about a greater good than they could know.

John and Mary

John also tells us about one of the statements Jesus made from the cross. The gospels record 7 statements Jesus made from the cross. We’re not going to go into detail on all these statements, but each one gives us some insight into what was in Jesus’ mind as he endured the crucifixion.

1. Jesus asks God to forgive his executioners because they don’t know what they are doing (Luke 23:34)

2. He assures the criminal next to him that today he would be with Jesus in paradise (Luke 23:43)

3. He asked John to care for his mother (vv. 25-27)

4. He cries out to God asking why He has forsaken him (Matthew 27:46, Mark 15:34)

5. He says he is thirsty (John 19:28)

6. It is finished (John 19:30)

7. Jesus commits his spirit into the Father’s hands (Luke 23:46)

Each of these statements is significant. They show Jesus was focused on the people around him and on fulfilling scripture. In our text this morning we see Jesus make arrangements for his mother.

25 Standing near the cross were Jesus’ mother, and his mother’s sister, Mary (the wife of Clopas), and Mary Magdalene. 26 When Jesus saw his mother standing there beside the disciple he loved, he said to her, “Dear woman, here is your son.” 27 And he said to this disciple, “Here is your mother.” And from then on this disciple took her into his home. (John 19:25-27, NLT)

John lists four women standing at the cross. Jesus’ mother Mary was there along with her sister. If we combine the gospel accounts, we conclude that Mary’s sister was named Salome, and was the mother of James and John. This means John would have been Jesus’ cousin. There were also two other women, Mary, the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene, a woman we know Jesus healed of demon possession.

From the cross Jesus tells his mother that John is her son and tells John that Mary is his mother. The significance of this is straightforward. Jesus was making arrangements for his mother after he died. Most people believe Jesus’ earthly father, Joseph, had probably already died. Though Jesus had siblings, at this point they still were not believers. So he gives John the task of caring for his mother. Jesus trusted John, and it’s possible John was also his cousin, so he entrusts his mother to him.

This would have been both a blessing and burden to both John and Mary. The blessings are numerous. They would be able to care for and comfort one another. They would be able to share stories about Jesus, some that the other probably had never heard before. And as they tried to make sense of what happened, they could learn and grow together.

But there would have been burdens as well. John was now responsible for Mary. This responsibility probably kept him from being able to do some of the things other disciples were free to do. While Paul was able to travel freely without concern for a family, John had to worry about Mary. While he may have still traveled, he likely took her with him. Eventually, of course, Mary became too old to travel and John was tasked with caring for her (likely as he cared for his own biological parents).

And this might have been somewhat of a burden to Mary as well. She was now given a measure of responsibility for John even as she had watched her own son die. And while I’m sure John was a great guy, you have to remember, Mary’s first child was Jesus! John had a tough act to follow. She also had to live with the constant fear that John too would be executed.

What I am most struck by, however, is not the details of John and Mary’s relationship—it is Jesus’ focus as he is hanging on the cross, struggling to breathe, and slowly dying. He is not focusing on the physical agony he was feeling. He was focusing on his mission.

As you look at the things Jesus said from the cross, it becomes apparent that His focus was on fulfilling the prophecies made about his crucifixion, but also on reaching out to those He was going to save. Through it all, he was focused on us. He was focused on the people he loved. Jesus was allowing himself to be crucified because that was how he could save the world He had created. As we look at the cross, we see an instrument of torture, but we must also see the greatest expression of love mankind has ever seen.

Conclusion

The account of the crucifixion is well-known. Even people who are not believers have at least a passing familiarity with the story. I hope today you can take another look at this familiar story and be reminded of important truths and maybe see it with a fresh perspective. I see several lessons we can glean from this account.

First, the cross was God’s plan from the beginning. Jesus was railroaded by the Jewish leaders and Pilate. It was an incredible miscarriage of justice. But God was still in control. All of history was leading up to this. Scores of prophecies had been made about this exact moment hundreds of years in advance. All of this reminds us of the power of our God. He has a perfect plan, and (to quote a song) “No power of hell, no scheme of man” can thwart that plan. That should be a great confidence to us as we face the storms of our lives. God is in control and accomplishes everythinghe plans.

Second, the cross was for you and me. As we look at the crucifixion, we must remember the reason Jesus went through all of this. The reason is because we are sinners, and our sin demands payment. Jesus went to the cross to pay the penalty for our sin. The penalty was not the physical agony of the cross. The penalty he paid was far greater. Jesus bore the wrath of God for us. This spiritual agony was far greater than the physical pain of the cross. Jesus bore the punishment we deserved. Our sin made the crucifixion necessary.

Third, the cross is the ultimate picture of God’s love for us. As we look at the crucifixion account, we should be struck by God’s love for us. We see what Jesus was willing to endure to save us. Even as Jesus was experiencing tremendous physical suffering, his thoughts were on the people around him, and what He was to accomplish for them. I wonder if Jesus thought about the specific people he was saving as he hung on the cross. I wonder if He thought of you and me. Jesus went to the cross to save those He loved. And we must keep that at the center of our thinking. If you ever doubt whether God loves you—simply look at the cross and remember that Jesus went there for you and for me. It’s the greatest picture of His love for us.

Finally, the cross demands a response. The cross reminds us that we deserve condemnation before God. Jesus has made it possible for us to be forgiven, because He has paid the penalty we have incurred. But that gift of forgiveness is only applied to those who trust and follow Jesus. We are faced with a choice—will we believe and follow Him or will we reject Him? Those are the only two options. It is not enough to believe the crucifixion and resurrection happened; we must trust in Jesus rather than ourselves. We must stop relying on our strength and our judgment and lean instead on His. If we will, we will be forgiven. If we will not, we still stand condemned. The cross demands we make a choice. I hope today as you look at the cross of Christ, you examine for yourself where you stand—Jesus died to give you that choice.

As we look at the cross we should be reminded of two important truths. First, the cross was necessary because of our sin; and second, Jesus endured the cross because He loved us. Because of what Jesus did, we have the opportunity to be forgiven—and it’s an opportunity we shouldn’t waste. The cross changed everything—the big question is how will it change you?

©October 24th, 2021 by Rev. Rick Goettsche SERIES: John