The Passage
John 19:17-37
So they took Jesus, 17 and he went out, bearing his own cross, to the place called The Place of a Skull, which in Aramaic is called Golgotha. 18 There they crucified him, and with him two others, one on either side, and Jesus between them. 19 Pilate also wrote an inscription and put it on the cross. It read, “Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews.” 20 Many of the Jews read this inscription, for the place where Jesus was crucified was near the city, and it was written in Aramaic, in Latin, and in Greek. 21 So the chief priests of the Jews said to Pilate, “Do not write, ‘The King of the Jews,’ but rather, ‘This man said, I am King of the Jews.’ ” 22 Pilate answered, “What I have written I have written.”
23 When the soldiers had crucified Jesus, they took his garments and divided them into four parts, one part for each soldier; also his tunic. But the tunic was seamless, woven in one piece from top to bottom, 24 so they said to one another, “Let us not tear it, but cast lots for it to see whose it shall be.” This was to fulfill the Scripture which says,
“They divided my garments among them,
and for my clothing they cast lots.”
So the soldiers did these things, 25 but standing by the cross of Jesus were his mother and his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. 26 When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby, he said to his mother, “Woman, behold, your son!” 27 Then he said to the disciple, “Behold, your mother!” And from that hour the disciple took her to his own home.
28 After this, Jesus, knowing that all was now finished, said (to fulfill the Scripture), “I thirst.” 29 A jar full of sour wine stood there, so they put a sponge full of the sour wine on a hyssop branch and held it to his mouth. 30 When Jesus had received the sour wine, he said, “It is finished,” and he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.
31 Since it was the day of Preparation, and so that the bodies would not remain on the cross on the Sabbath (for that Sabbath was a high day), the Jews asked Pilate that their legs might be broken and that they might be taken away. 32 So the soldiers came and broke the legs of the first, and of the other who had been crucified with him. 33 But when they came to Jesus and saw that he was already dead, they did not break his legs. 34 But one of the soldiers pierced his side with a spear, and at once there came out blood and water. 35 He who saw it has borne witness—his testimony is true, and he knows that he is telling the truth—that you also may believe. 36 For these things took place that the Scripture might be fulfilled: “Not one of his bones will be broken.” 37 And again another Scripture says, “They will look on him whom they have pierced.”
Word Work
Personalize the meaning. Respond as God speaks to you through the Scriptures. Ask: How could my life be different today as I respond to what I’m reading?
Word Thoughts:
John 19:17–27 Death by crucifixion is considered one of the most barbaric, torturous, and humiliating of deaths ever conceived by mankind. Yet Jesus’ heart of care and compassion shone through even in those awful moments. At a time when the pain of crucifixion would have driven most into a self-absorbed survival mode, Jesus gave focused attention and affection to a small group gathered at the foot of his cross—specifically Mary, his mother, and John, his beloved disciple.
Jesus invites us to see ourselves in this familial community of compassion. Earlier in his ministry, Jesus identified all who do the will of his Father as his “brother and sister and mother” (Matt. 12:46–50). Only the gospel can create this kind of mutually devoted community.
John 19:28–37 Along with the sovereignty and compassion of Jesus, John makes the substitutionary atonement of Jesus unambiguously central in his narration of the passion. Jesus didn’t just take Barabbas’s place on the cross (18:40), he substituted himself for all those he came to save.
Jesus’ thirst (19:28) was the thirst of the Messiah, anticipated in Psalm 22:15–18. But it was also our thirst. Jesus became thirsty for us so that we would never thirst again (cf. John 4:14). His bones remained unbroken because Jesus died as the Passover Lamb (Ex. 12.46; Num. 9:12). Jesus wasn’t just crucified between criminals, but for criminals as a criminal. God “made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God” (2 Cor. 5:21).
Because Jesus cried, “It is finished,” and gave up his spirit, we now shout, “Hallelujah!” and receive his Spirit. Everything promised—everything needful for our redemption and for the coming “new world” (Matt. 19:28), was accomplished. Nothing was left undone.
Jesus’ garments were not torn, because, unlike the first Israel, his kingdom will never be divided (1 Kings 11:29–31). “The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he shall reign forever and ever” (Rev. 11:15).
Word Reflection:
- What stood out?
- Why did the Chief Priest change the sign to read, “I am the King of the Jews”?
- Four times the word Scripture is used in the passage today, why? Why is John repeatedly using the word Scripture?
- When you read this section of Scripture what comes to your mind?
35 He who saw it has borne witness—his testimony is true, and he knows that he is telling the truth—that you also may believe.
End in Prayer
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