John 19
COMMENTARY:
: 4 Pilate therefore went forth again, and say unto them, Behold, I bring him forth to you that you may know that I find no fault in him. (156 “fault” [aitia] means cause, case, reason, crime, accusation, guilt, wrong, or blame)
DEVOTION: Pilate was the man in the middle. The religious leaders wanted HIM crucified. They didn’t want to just judge HIM by their laws because they didn’t have the right to put someone to death. They didn’t care when it came to Stephen later on and to others who were followers of Jesus but at this time they wanted to be able to blame the government for HIS death.
Twice Pilate came to them stating that he didn’t find any reason to put HIM to death but the people led by the religious leaders just shouted “Crucify HIM.” The leaders had convinced the common people that it was in their best interest to crucify Jesus.
Finally, Pilate gave up. He said it was going to be on their shoulders that Jesus was crucified. They agreed. They didn’t fully understand what they had agreed to but they did it anyway because the religious leaders told them to.
We need to hold our leaders to the standard of the Word of God. This is especially true of our church leaders. So many leaders are leading people away from the Word of God.
There are television programs about the Bible that are not true to the Scriptures that many are telling people to watch. I watched some of the latest documentary and they are not staying true to the Word of God and people will believe them because anything that is on television must be true. Wrong. Check out what you hear and see and read with what the Bible really teaches.
Religious leaders need to lead people rightly in what is taught in the Word of God. They will have their judgment if they lead in the wrong direction. Church members need to go home each Sunday and check the references used, in the worship service, with what the Bible says to be true.
CHALLENGE: We can ill afford to follow our religious and community leaders into wrong thinking and wrong actions. Otherwise we will be crying out “Crucify HIM.”
: 11 Jesus answered, You could have no power at all against ME, except it were given you from above: therefore he that delivered ME to you has the greater sin. (1849 “power” [exousia] means authority, right, ability, capability, permission, freedom of choice, efficacy, dominion, license, freedom of choice.)
DEVOTION: Power is only given by the LORD. We might think that we have power but in reality the LORD gives and takes away power. It has been stated many times in the Word of God that kings are set up by God and taken down by God.
We might not like the present power struggle we are going through in our nation. We have many who hate Christians who stand for the rights of the unborn child and who think that marriage should only be between one man and one woman. Those are God’s rules and HE will deal with those who go against HIS rules at some time in the future.
Jesus is relating to Pilate that he really doesn’t have power of HIS future. The LORD is the only one who has that power. The Father requires a payment for the sins of the world. The payment is a perfect sacrifice. There was no other sacrifice but Jesus who could meet HIS standard. On the basis of the death of Christ all those who become followers of Christ are forgiven for eternity.
Jesus is also conveying the truth that those religious leaders who took HIM to the cross will face judgment for their actions. They are presently waiting in a place of torment until the day of the final judgment at the Great White Throne.
CHALLENGE: We receive power from the LORD to do the work that HE has given us to do for HIS glory today. Use the power available to reach all those who are in your world.
: 17 And HE bearing HIS cross, went forth into a place called the place of the skull, which is called in the Hebrew Golgotha. (941 “bearing” [bastazo] means to take up with the hands, to take in order to carry, to put upon one’s self to carry, to sustain, support or uphold.)
DEVOTION: Jesus had taught the disciples that they were to take up their cross daily and follow HIM. This was done while they were in training with HIM.
On the way to be crucified Jesus carried his cross a short distance. The reason for this was that HE had been physically abused all night. HIS physical strength was gone. Remember HE had a human body just like us.
The Bible tells us that the soldiers made a man by the name of Simon carry the cross most of the way. There is a movie out that shows Jesus carrying the cross and then Simon and then Jesus again. The Bible doesn’t say one way or the other. We know that Jesus was given sever treatment by the soldiers before HE began carrying the cross. HE had to be weakened by this treatment. As we read in the Bible, all the things done to him before he died on the cross, as well as, the torment of the cross – do we appreciate what he did for us?
Do we understand all that he did for us? Are we taking up our cross daily and serving him? We each have a cross to carry in our physical lives here on this earth. Part of the ministry of carrying the cross means that there will be suffering while we are here on this earth. Jesus told the disciples that they would be persecuted for following HIM. The disciples were all killed by the Romans. John was the last one to be killed. He went through exile, boiling in oil and other treatments before he died according to tradition. Also, Peter was crucified upside down because he didn’t think he should be killed the same way as Jesus, according to tradition.
Jesus told his disciples that they had to take up their cross daily. We have to do the same. What is our cross to carry? Each of us has a different cross to carry. Why? Because each of us is called to a different ministry. Do we sometimes think that our cross is so much harder than others have to carry? We are given different gifts to use for HIS glory. While we are carrying it today, please remember all that Jesus went through to carry his cross for us.
CHALLENGE: We need to thank him for our little crosses that we are carrying. HE carried the sins of the world on HIS cross. We have him to help us support our burdens. Praise HIS name.
: 38 And after this Joseph of Arimathaea, being a disciple of Jesus, but secretly for fear of the Jews, besought Pilate that he might take away the body of Jesus: and Pilate gave him leave. He came therefore, and took the body of Jesus. (2065 “besought” [erotao] means ask, beseech, pray, desire, entreat, request, urge, or question.)
DEVOTION: We find that Joseph was a rich man. He was a counselor which waited for the kingdom of God. He was a just and good man. He was the only one who had not consented with the Sanhedrin to crucify Jesus. He was a man of principle. He bought a sepulcher that was close to the place where Jesus was crucified.
Nicodemus was there to help him with the burial of Jesus. Remember he was the member of the Sanhedrin that came to Jesus by night to find out how he might enter the kingdom of heaven. Jesus told him that he had to be “born again.” He didn’t seem to understand the concept. He had to have a spiritual birth, not only a physical birth.
These two men wound the body of Jesus in linen clothes with spices. This was the normal way that Jewish bodies were buried. HIS body was placed in the sepulcher. The tomb was sealed.
Both Joseph and Nicodemus were brave at this point because they did something that the rest of the religious leaders would not do. They were believers and they stood with Jesus rather than against HIM.
When the chips are down will you stand up for Jesus no matter what others might think.
CHALLENGE: Would you give up a prestigious position to follow Jesus? It would only happen if we were challenged. It might come to that before we go to meet the LORD in the sky.
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