John 19

John 19:16-42

Outline – Here is a proposed outline:

1. Jesus is Crucified — John 19:16-222. Fifth Scripture Fulfilled – Cast Lots for Garment — John 19:23-243. Jesus’ Mother at the Cross — John 19:25-274. Jesus’ Death — John 19:28-305. Sixth Scripture Fulfilled – No bones broken — John 19:31-366. Seventh Scripture Fulfilled – His side pierced — John 19:377. Jesus’ Burial — John 19:38-42

John 19:23-24

Fifth Scripture Fulfilled: Cast Lots for Garment - In John 19:23-24 John the apostle records the fifth Old Testament prophecy fulfilled during Jesus’ Passion, which tells of the casting of lots for His garments.John 19:23 Then the soldiers, when they had crucified Jesus, took his garments, and made four parts, to every soldier a part; and also his coat: now the coat was without seam, woven from the top throughout. John 19:23 — Comments – The ancient practice of casting lots was not restricted to the Jewish culture under the Mosaic Law. The books Joel, Obadiah, Jonah, and Nahum provide us with references in the Old Testament Scriptures to the custom of casting of lots by someone other than the people of Israel, being practiced among the Babylonians (Obadiah 1:11), the Ninevites (Nahum 3:10), and among the sailors (Jonah 1:7), which Adam Clarke suggests to be Phoenicians based on Ezekiel 27:12.[281] [281] Adam Clarke, The Book of the Prophet Jonah, in Adam Clarke’s Commentary, Electronic Database (Seattle, WA: Hendrickson Publishers Inc., 1996), in P.C. Study Bible, v. 3.1 [CD-ROM] (Seattle, WA: Biblesoft Inc., 1993-2000), notes on Jonah 1:3.Joe 3:3, “And they have cast lots for my people; and have given a boy for an harlot, and sold a girl for wine, that they might drink.” Obadiah 1:11, “In the day that thou stoodest on the other side, in the day that the strangers carried away captive his forces, and foreigners entered into his gates, and cast lots upon Jerusalem, even thou wast as one of them.” Nahum 3:10, “Yet was she carried away, she went into captivity: her young children also were dashed in pieces at the top of all the streets: and they cast lots for her honourable men, and all her great men were bound in chains.” Jonah 1:7, “And they said every one to his fellow, Come, and let us cast lots, that we may know for whose cause this evil is upon us. So they cast lots, and the lot fell upon Jonah.” Ezekiel 27:12, “Tarshish was thy merchant by reason of the multitude of all kind of riches; with silver, iron, tin, and lead, they traded in thy fairs.” The Roman soldiers who crucified Jesus Christ cast lots at the foot of the Cross (Matthew 27:35, Mark 15:24, Luke 23:34, John 19:24). The Roman statesman Cicero (106-43 B.C.) makes numerous references to the widespread practice of casting lots among the ancient cultures in his work de divination.[282] The Jewish historian Josephus (A.D. 37-100) mentions the practice of casting lots among the Roman soldiers who had encompassed the city of Jerusalem under Titus.[283] The Roman historian Suetonius (A.D. 70-130) mentions this ancient practice among Roman leaders by appointing men to tasks by casting lots, as well as casting lots as a form of divination.[284] [282] For example, Cicero writes, “But what nation is there, or what state, which is not influenced by the omens derived from the entrails of victims, or by the predictions of those who interpret prodigies, or strange lights, or of augurs, or astrologers, or by those who expound lots (for these are about what come under the head of art); or, again, by the prophecies derived from dreams, or soothsayers (for these two are considered natural kinds of divination)?” (de divination 1.6) Cicero also writes, “What, now, is a lot? Much the same as the game of mora, or dice, l and other games of chance, in which luck and fortune are all in all, and reason and skill avail nothing. These games are full of trick and deceit, invented for the object of gain, superstition, or error.” (de divination 2.41) See Cicero, The Treatises of M. T. Cicero on the Nature of the Gods; on Divination; on Fate; on the Republic; on the Laws; and on Standing for the Consulship, trans. C.

D. Yonge (London: Henry G. Bohn, 1853), 146-147, 235. [283] Josephus writes, “They also cast lots among themselves who should be upon the watch in the nighttime, and who should go all night long round the spaces that were interposed between the garrisons.” (Wars 5.12.2) [284] For example, Suetonius writes, “When later, on his way to Illyricum, he [Tiberius] visited the oracle of Geryon near Patavium, and drew a lot which advised him to seek an answer to his inquiries by throwing golden dice into the fount of Aponus, it came to pass that the dice which he threw showed the highest possible number and even to-day those very dice may be seen under the water.” (Lives of the Twelve Caesars: Tiberius) Suetonius, The Lives of the Twelve Caesars by Suetonius, trans. Joseph Gavorse (New York: Modern Library, 1931), 130-131.John 19:24 — “that the scripture might be fulfilled, which saith, They parted my raiment among them, and for my vesture they did cast lots” – Old Testament Quotes in the New Testament - This verse is quoted from Psalms 22:18. Psalms 22:18, “They part my garments among them, and cast lots upon my vesture.”

John 19:25-30

John 19:25 — Comments – Scholars generally agree that the prophecy of Simeon in the Temple was fulfilled when Mary stood at the cross of Jesus watching her son die. A. T. Robertson says that this is the time when Luke 2:35 was fulfilled. Luke 2:35, “(Yea, a sword shall pierce through thy own soul also,) that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed.” God always prepares us for difficulties that will take place in the future by giving us words to strengthen us and to prepare us for that time and season. Thus, God gave Mary words that would one day serve to strengthen her during the most difficult moment in her life, which was the crucifixion of her beloved Son on Calvary. In the same way, Jesus gave Peter a prophecy about his future suffering and death in order to strengthen him. John 21:18-19, “Verily, verily, I say unto thee, When thou wast young, thou girdedst thyself, and walkedst whither thou wouldest: but when thou shalt be old, thou shalt stretch forth thy hands, and another shall gird thee, and carry thee whither thou wouldest not. This spake he, signifying by what death he should glorify God. And when he had spoken this, he saith unto him, Follow me.” John 19:25-27 — Jesus’ Mother at the Cross – In John 19:25-27 we have the record of Jesus handing over the care of His mother to John the apostle. John 19:26 When Jesus therefore saw his mother, and the disciple standing by, whom he loved, he saith unto his mother, Woman, behold thy son! John 19:26 — Comments – One Catholic tradition tells us that John the apostle remained in Jerusalem and cared for the mother of our Lord Jesus Christ until her death about fifteen years after the Crucifixion of Jesus. Adam Clarke says: “John was banished by the Roman emperor, Domitian, to the isle of Patmos, in the Aegean Sea: but his successor Nerva having recalled all the exiles banished by Domitian, John returned to Ephesus, where he died, aged upward of one hundred years. The holy Virgin is said to have lived with him till her death, which took place about fifteen years after the crucifixion.”[285] [285] Adam Clarke, The Preacher’s Manual: Including Clavis Biblica, and A Letter to a Methodist Preacher (New York: G. Lane and P. P. Sandford, 1842), 37.John 19:26-27 — Comments – In many cultures, especially the African culture and even the Asian culture, the terms for “father, mother, brother, and sister” are used loosely, and often refer to distant relatives. This is in contrast to the modern American culture where these words are used exclusively for the immediate family members. Most likely, these terms were also used loosely in the Jewish culture of Jesus’ day. Note also in the biography of John the apostle that he was very likely a close relative of Jesus. Therefore, it was appropriate for Jesus to give John oversight of his mother, using the terms “son and mother” just as they would have been used in his Jewish culture for extended family members. John 19:28-30 — Jesus’ Death – In John 19:28-30 we have the account of the death of the Lord Jesus Christ. John 19:28 — Comments – The author of the Gospel of John records seven events during the Passion of Jesus Christ that are a direct fulfillment of Old Testament Scripture (John 12:13-15; John 12:38-40; John 13:18; John 15:25; John 19:24; John 19:36-37). John 19:30 — “It is finished” – Comments - Billy Brim said that Jesus’ death was not an event, but rather an accomplishment.[286] This was what Jesus Christ was born into this world to do. Note reference verses: [286] Billye Brim, interviewed by Gloria Copeland, Believer’s Voice of Victory (Kenneth Copeland Ministries, Fort Worth, Texas), on Trinity Broadcasting Network (Santa Ana, California), television program.Matthew 5:17, “Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil.” John 4:34, “Jesus saith unto them, My meat is to do the will of him that sent me, and to finish his work.” John 5:36, “But I have greater witness than that of John: for the works which the Father hath given me to finish, the same works that I do, bear witness of me, that the Father hath sent me.” John 17:4, “I have glorified thee on the earth: I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do.” Romans 10:4, “For Christ is the end (ôåëïò) of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth.” Galatians 3:24, “Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith.” Hebrews 10:1-10 especially verse 9, “He taketh away the first, that He may establish the second”. Kenneth Hagin says that the new covenant finished when Jesus ascended on High.[287] [287] Kenneth Hagin, Zoe: The God-Kind of Life (Tulsa, Oklahoma: Faith Library Publications, c1981, 1982), 43.

John 19:31-36

Sixth Scripture Fulfilled: No Bones Broken - In John 19:31-36 John the apostle records the sixth Old Testament prophecy fulfilled during Jesus’ Passion, which says that none of His bones would be broken.John 19:31 — Comments – With the breaking of the legs, the weight of the victim’s body rested entirely upon the arms and hands, making it difficult to breath, thus dying from both loss of blood and asphyxia.[288] [288] George R. Beasley-Murray, John, in Word Biblical Commentary: 58 Volumes on CD-Rom, vol. 36 (second edition), eds. Bruce M. Metzger, David A. Hubbard and Glenn W. Barker (Dallas: Word Inc., 2002), in Libronix Digital Library System, v. 3.0b [CD-ROM] (Bellingham, WA: Libronix Corp., 2004), notes on John 19:31.John 19:34 — “But one of the soldiers with a spear pierced his side” - Comments - The Shroud of Turin is believed to be the actual burial cloth of the Lord Jesus Christ. In this cloth is the image of a man that has been crucified. The image in this cloth shows someone whose side has been pierced.[289] [289] Grant R. Jeffery, “The Mysterious Shroud of Turin,” [on-line]; accessed 1 September 2009; available from Internet.John 19:34 — “and forthwith came there out blood and water” - Comments - The separate of blood and water in the body of a person takes place after death. Therefore, this was a sign that Jesus had been dead for a while. John 19:36 — Old Testament Quotes in the New Testament - The Old Testament Scripture quoted in John 19:36 is from Psalms 34:20. Psalms 34:20, “He keepeth all his bones: not one of them is broken.” According to the Law, the Passover lamb was not to have any of its bones broken. Therefore, Jesus qualified as this sacrificial lamb. Exodus 12:46, “In one house shall it be eaten; thou shalt not carry forth ought of the flesh abroad out of the house; neither shall ye break a bone thereof.” Numbers 9:12, “They shall leave none of it unto the morning, nor break any bone of it: according to all the ordinances of the passover they shall keep it.” The Shroud of Turin is believed to be the actual burial cloth of the Lord Jesus Christ. In this cloth is the image of a man that has been crucified. This cloth indicates that the legs of this man have not been broken.[290] [290] Grant R. Jeffery, “The Mysterious Shroud of Turin,” [on-line]; accessed 1 September 2009; available from Internet.

John 19:37

Seventh Scripture Fulfilled: His Side Pierced - In John 19:37 John the apostle records the seventh Old Testament prophecy fulfilled during Jesus’ Passion, which says His side would be pierced.John 19:37 — Old Testament Quotes in the New Testament - This is taken from Zechariah 12:10. Zechariah 12:10, “And I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of supplications: and they shall look upon me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for him, as one mourneth for his only son, and shall be in bitterness for him, as one that is in bitterness for his firstborn.” Note also a reference to Jesus’ pierced side in John 20:24-27 and Revelation 1:7 : John 20:24-27, “But Thomas, one of the twelve, called Didymus, was not with them when Jesus came. The other disciples therefore said unto him, We have seen the Lord. But he said unto them, Except I shall see in his hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and thrust my hand into his side, I will not believe. And after eight days again his disciples were within, and Thomas with them: then came Jesus, the doors being shut, and stood in the midst, and said, Peace be unto you. Then saith he to Thomas, Reach hither thy finger, and behold my hands; and reach hither thy hand, and thrust it into my side: and be not faithless, but believing.” Revelation 1:7, “Behold, he cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see him, and they also which pierced him: and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him. Even so, Amen.”

John 19:38-42

Jesus’ Burial – In John 19:38-42 we have the account of the burial of Jesus Christ. John 19:38-40 — Comments – Our Identification with Christ - One preacher noted that when Joseph of Arimathaea and Nicodemus took the body of Jesus Christ and buried it they were performing their own burial service. This is because the Lord gave Paul the apostle the revelation of our identification with Christ Jesus in His crucifixion, death, burial, resurrection, exaltation and authority. Note these passages on our identification with Christ in His crucifixion and burial. Romans 6:6-122 Co 5:14-17 Galatians 2:20, “I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.” Colossians 3:3, “For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God.”