Author: Jeff Englund

When the soldiers crucified Jesus, they took his clothes, dividing them into four shares, one for each of them, with the undergarment remaining. This garment was seamless, woven in one piece from top to bottom.
“Let’s not tear it,” they said to one another. “Let’s decide by lot who will get it.”
This happened that the scripture might be fulfilled that said,
“They divided my clothes among them
    and cast lots for my garment.”
So this is what the soldiers did.

As Rich pointed out in yesterday’s comments, the soldiers stripped Jesus of the last vestige of decency; they took his clothes.

John doesn’t do this nearly as much as Matthew does. He references the Old Testament prophecy that is fulfilled when this happens.

Maybe this was one of the few “perks” of being an executioner? You get to have whatever is left on the prisoner when they are sent out to die.

The end result is the final humiliation of Jesus before he is nailed to the cross.

Application: As we think about the power of our resurrected Lord, it is useful to reflect on what he went through to pay the price for being able to redeem us from Satan’s grasp. It was not only a physically painful sacrifice but an emotionally painful one, too.

Food for Thought: How is it that scripture can accurately predict the soldiers casting lots for the clothing hundreds of years before it happens?

Please click “Continue Reading” for comments.

Continue reading “What the Soldiers Did – John 19: 23 – 24”

When the soldiers crucified Jesus, they took his clothes, dividing them into four shares, one for each of them, with the undergarment remaining.

As I read John’s gospel, my mind tries to form a picture of what is going on. Taking the text slowly, one or two verses at a time helps pull out details that I would otherwise miss. For example, In today’s passage, we learn how many soldiers were assigned to the crucifixion.

In the post, “Garbage”, we took note of how little attention was paid to our Lord’s crucifixion. At the time, it was not an earth-shaking event. (Oh wait, it was! See Matthew 27: 51-54) Finally, in verse 16, Pilate hands Jesus over to “the soldiers.” But we don’t know how many soldiers. This is the key event for Christians. In my imagination, I picture many soldiers. Maybe as many as twenty or more. After all, this is an important prisoner!

No. It wasn’t like that.

Four soldiers are assigned the grim duty of executing three men. Many details are missing from the story. Were they shackled? Chained together? Chained by the waist or by the ankle? How did four men keep track of three condemned men?

This is something that happened often. The soldiers had a routine. They had to deal with angry rebels, violent men, some of whom were likely very strong. All of them would want to get away. In Jesus’ case, he was flogged first. Were all of them flogged?

The fact that there are only four soldiers tells us an important detail about the picture John is painting for us.

Application: How do you picture the crucifixion? Does it matter? Do you understand what our Lord did to ensure your salvation? Details matter. Taking time to meditate on the details of scripture pays dividends. A deeper understanding of our Lord’s time on earth helps us respond to him more appropriately. It also equips us to better share His story with others.

Food for Thought: What other detail(s) of the crucifixion do we learn in this short passage?

Please click “Continue Reading” for comments.

Continue reading “Four Soldiers – John 19: 23a”

Pilate had a notice prepared and fastened to the cross. It read: Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews. Many of the Jews read this sign, for the place where Jesus was crucified was near the city, and the sign was written in Aramaic, Latin and Greek. The chief priests of the Jews protested to Pilate, ”Do not write ‘The King of the Jews,’ but that this man claimed to be king of the Jews.”
Pilate answered, “What I have written, I have written.”

The past three and a half weeks have largely been devoted to Pilate. During this time I feel like I have come to know him more as a person. The Pilate we see in the other gospels doesn’t always come off so human. John spends considerable time describing this man and the efforts he made to avoid killing a man he considered innocent.

From the first, when Jesus is brought to Pilate, until handing him over the soldiers several hours later, Pilate sought to release Jesus. Not until the Jews finally forced his hand did he relent. Today’s verse suggests he wasn’t happy about it.

While the soldiers are forcing Jesus to carry his cross on the long walk to Golgotha, Pilate is busy. He has a sign made to have mounted on Jesus’ cross. He does not have long before Jesus reaches the place of crucifixion. Even so, he takes the time to have the message written in three languages: Aramaic, Latin, and Greek. The message says:

JESUS OF NAZARETH, THE KING OF THE JEWS

JESUS NAZARENUS, REX IUDÆORUM

Ο ΙΗΣΟΥΣ ΤΗΣ ΝΑΖΑΡΕΤΗ, Ο ΔΗΜΟΣΙΟΝΟΜΟΣ ΤΩΝ ΙΑΒΩΝ

We don’t know how much Pilate knew about the Jewish religion, but he knew that calling Jesus the “king of the Jews” irritated the Jewish leaders. He would have the last word. To use an old expression, he “got his digs in.” It may be, in some strange way, he also wanted to honor the unusual man he had condemned to death. The man who was king, but not of a kingdom on earth.

The Jews, of course, were incensed. Writing those words on a sign seemed to be an accusation. Like they had done something wrong instead of cleansing the world of a horrible blasphemer. They appeal to Pilate to change the sign. Pilate’s answer is classic, “What I have written, I have written.”

Application: Pilate is outflanked by the Jews politically and forced to do something against his better judgment. But he doesn’t have to like it. He is not above voicing his protest. Perhaps the application here is that we, too, should remember that even when we are powerless to change events, we are always able to speak the truth.

Food for Thought: Why did Pilate write the sign in three languages if he was just trying to provoke the Jews?

Please click “Continue Reading” for comments.

Continue reading “The Dig – John 19: 19-22”

There they crucified him, and with him two others—one on each side and Jesus in the middle.

As a Christian I think of Jesus as the most important person in history. He is, after all, the critical link between God, man’s creator, and man, the creation. Jesus is the Son of God. He was present at the creation of the world and was the means of creation. We owe everything that exists to this one Being.

It would seem appropriate that if the Son of God were to be crucified, it would be a Big Deal. The eyes of all the world would be focused on that moment. Mankind, in all its glory, is now going to crucify its’ creator.

Uh… no.

It wasn’t like that.

There was nothing special going on that day. Just another crucifixion. Two other men were crucified that day as well.

It was more like taking out the garbage.

The “garbage” was hung on a pole alongside the road for all to see. A warning to other would-be ne’er-do-wells. People walking along that road might turn their heads away in disgust. Others might be attracted to the sight, looking and jeering. After all, they didn’t have TV back in Jesus’ day. Watching someone die might be considered entertaining.

But Jesus was not treated any different than any other criminal that had died along that road. He was just another body on just another cross slowly dying in the heat of the desert sun.

Application: In this verse we get a sense of the depth of abandonment Jesus experienced. He was less than special. He was completely ignored by the world. Just another body on a pole, being put to death for who-knows-what bad thing he did. Ignored by all but a very few who actually knew who he was. When our efforts to do good in this world seem ignored and unnoticed, it is helpful to remember that the most amazingly good thing that was ever done for you and me was done in total ignominy.

Food for Thought: Take a few minutes and read through the entire Gospel of John. At what point in the story do you ever think it will end up like this? How does this scene add to your understanding of Christ’s humility?

Please click “Continue Reading” for comments.

Continue reading “Garbage – John 19: 18”

Carrying his own cross, he went out to the place of the Skull (which in Aramaic is called Golgotha).

There are any number of ways that a prisoner could be conveyed from the governor’s palace to the place of execution. They could be carried on a cart, tied to a horse, dragged, or made to walk. In Jesus’ case, he had to carry his cross.

Was he carrying the whole cross or only the top crossbar?

I don’t know. I don’t imagine that it matters. Having been flogged across the back and shoulders there would be nothing left to safely lean a piece of wood on. Any pressure would hurt. Rough wood on a torn back would be excruciatingly painful.

The soldiers would be obligated to make the process as painful as possible. The humiliation of the “criminal” was paramount. The pain would be blinding. The noise and jeers of the soldiers painful to hear. The shame of being treated like a criminal dehumanizing. In fact, the whole process de-humanized a person.

The place of the Skull is not known for certain today but we know it was close to the city and outside of the city walls. It was near a main road so that people could see what happens to those who deserve punishment. (Golgotha comes from the Aramaic word for “skull” and Calvary is derived from the Latin word for the same thing.)

Carrying his cross, Jesus walked… (Did they even let him wear sandals or was he barefoot?)

Carrying his cross, Jesus walked for what must have seemed like an eternity. Taunted, whipped, prodded by Roman soldiers, surrounded by jeering, spitting Jews. Laughter ringing in his ears.

I am reminded of what Jesus said in his Sermon on the Mount:

“You have heard that it was said, ‘Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.’ But I tell you, do not resist an evil person. If anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to them the other cheek also. And if anyone wants to sue you and take your shirt, hand over your coat as well. If anyone forces you to go one mile, go with them two miles. Give to the one who asks you, and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you.“

(Matthew 5: 38-42)

Application: Jesus didn’t just die on the cross for us, he also carried our cross for us. He taught us to endure evil people. This is perhaps the hardest lesson of all.

Food for Thought: Sometimes crosses can be big, sometimes they can be small. How would you define the word “cross” the way I just used it?

Please click “Continue Reading” for comments.

Continue reading “The Skull – John 19: 17”

So the soldiers took charge of Jesus.

At this point in John’s gospel, the story races along. With just a few words, John tells us about the crucifixion. As I ponder this, I have to wonder what John might have been feeling as he wrote his gospel. After all, he was there, watching it all happen.

It may be that John loses track of Jesus for a while. Another possibility is that the memories are too painful to recall in detail. When Pilate is debating Jesus’ fate with the Jewish leaders, Jesus is there in plain sight for all to see. But now, Pilate has washed his hands of the whole situation and allowed the Jews to have their way. He turns Jesus over the soldiers.

The “soldiers” John refers to are not strangers to meting out punishment. This is their job. If I imagine the kind of people they were, it is easy to see the faces of myself and others I know as the faces of these soldiers. They are not scholars or deep thinkers. They are just doing a job. Like any job, a person tries to make the best of it. With them, the crucifixion wouldn’t be personal. It is just another day.

What they see before them when Jesus is handed over is not a man, but a body that doesn’t know it is dead yet. Their job is to inflict pain. Their function in society is to help maintain order. People see what happens to those who break the law. The idea is that the work the soldiers do discourages others from making the same mistake.

These men do not know Jesus is innocent. All they know is that like yesterday and the day before and the week before that the men they are told to crucify get crucified.

Application: Sometimes people who do mean things are just doing their job. The nurse that administers the injection, the dentist that pulls the tooth, the doctor that amputates a limb all do things that hurt us in the short term. In the long term, they are doing their best to help. It is doubtful that any of the soldiers wanted the job that they had. We live in a broken world. In their broken way, they were trying to do what was right. Sometimes our ways of doing things fall into that category, too.

Food for Thought: As our Lord is handed off to the executioners, how do we get our heads around the incredible sacrifice he made to redeem us from sin?

Please click “Continue Reading” for comments.

Continue reading “Just a Job – John 19: 16b”

When Pilate heard this, he brought Jesus out and sat down on the judge’s seat at a place known as the Stone Pavement (which in Aramaic is Gabbatha). It was the day of Preparation of the Passover; it was about noon.
“Here is your king,” Pilate said to the Jews.
But they shouted, “Take him away! Take him away! Crucify him!”
“Shall I crucify your king?” Pilate asked.
“We have no king but Caesar,” the chief priests answered.
Finally Pilate handed him over to them to be crucified.

I consider this passage to be the nadir of Jewish history. Early in their history Israel offended God when they demanded to have a human king like all the other nations. (1 Samuel 10: 19) Then, throughout the time of the kings, Israel fell away time and again. They denied God and they spurned his prophets. Throughout their history, God has always been their real king. Now they deny God altogether.

“We have no king but Caesar.”

Scripture says, “For God is the King of all the earth; sing to him a psalm of praise.” (Psalm 47:7) What must God have thought when he heard that? What did Jesus think? The statement has the effect of pledging allegiance to Caesar and at the same time denying allegiance to God.

“We have no king but Caesar.”

Really?

Application: It pays to know who you owe allegiance to. In the large scheme of things we have only two choices; God or Satan. Satan, of course, is by his nature deceptive and so he cloaks his reign in the lie that a person who serves him is somehow serving their self-interest. God, who by his nature is truthful, offers us fulfillment and peace if we serve Him because that is what we were created for. Choose wisely.

Food for Thought: In this passage we see Pilate give in to the Jews. To make that happen we see the Jews deny their God and pledge themselves to Caesar. What does the Jews’ behavior say about them? How would Pilate see the Jews in this light?

Please click “Continue Reading” for comments.

Continue reading “Allegience – John 19: 13-16”

…but the Jewish leaders kept shouting, “If you let this man go, you are no friend of Caesar. Anyone who claims to be a king opposes Caesar.”

The response to Pilate trying to set Jesus free is immediate and blunt. No more “Mr. Nice Guy.” The Jewish leaders start making threats and bullying. They know Pilate’s Achille’s heel. His power depends on doing a good job governing. Doing a good job governing is measured by how well he keeps the peace. The crowd threatens to tear the town up if Pilate doesn’t give them what they want.

What kind of people do this? What kind of people resort to threats, bullying, and intimidation to get what they want?

I suppose as kids we all experimented with different ways to get our wants filled. Some of us found that bullying got us into trouble. Others found that they could get away with it. Then, we all grew up.

What happens growing up today isn’t all that different than what happened two thousand years ago. Some people grew up being bullies. Some of those bullies became Jewish leaders. Some of those leaders wanted Jesus out of the way and they knew how to put the squeeze on Pilate to get what they wanted.

Application: The world wasn’t fair two thousand years ago and it is not fair today. There are still bullies in the world and they know how to pressure people to get what they want. Sometimes it can be frightening to have a child-like bully in an adult body come after you. It takes courage to stand up to the bully. It takes faith to believe that no matter what happens, God has our back.

Food for Thought: How does submitting to Christ impact our human desire to bully people to get our way?

Please click “Continue Reading” for comments.

Continue reading “Squeezed – John 19: 12b”

From then on, Pilate tried to set Jesus free…

Pilate had just told Jesus, “…I have the power … to free you…” At the time he said that he was trying to coerce Jesus into answering his question about where he was from. As it turns out, Pilate did not have the power to free Jesus. If he had today’s verse would have read, “Then Pilate set Jesus free.” But it doesn’t say that. Pilate didn’t set Jesus free. Not because he did not want to, but because he could not.

Why?

What was the power that the Jews had over Pilate? How was it that the governed were able to govern the governor?

Perhaps Pilate’s success as governor depended in part on his relationship with the chief priests and Pharisees. If that were the case, then his “power” would be partially dependent on the leaders of the Jews. If he were to free Jesus in opposition to the will of the Jews they would turn the power they had against him. The result might be that he would lose his position, his wealth, and his livelihood if not his own life.

Jesus wasn’t impressed by Pilate’s claim to power because he knew exactly how much power Pilate actually had. It wasn’t much.

Application: One of Satan’s most effective tools is the lie that we are more important or powerful than we are. Woe to the person who thinks that they are indispensable and when they leave or retire they find out that things go on just as before without them. Paul puts it this way: “Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the faith God has distributed to each of you.” (Romans 12: 3b)

Food for Thought: What would have happened if Pilate had set Jesus free?

Please click “Continue Reading” for comments.

Continue reading “Power-Faux – John 19: 12a”

Therefore the one who handed me over to you is guilty of a greater sin.

Looking at life through God’s eyes offers a lot of interesting insights. Jesus is talking with the man who has just had him flogged and humiliated. The pain is fresh and intense. Most people after being whipped and humiliated would either be completely cowed or indignant and enraged. Jesus was neither.

Pilate begins to wonder who Jesus really is and where he comes from. Jesus does not answer. He is not here to convert Pilate. He is here to be crucified.

Confronted by Jesus’ silence, Pilate tries to goad Jesus into responding. He says to Jesus, “Don’t you realize I have power either to free you or to crucify you?”

What is he really saying?

He says, “I have power.” That power, he says, can be used to free Jesus or crucify him. Pilate normally deals with people who will do anything to live. Jesus knows that life in a physical body is not really living. Life with God is what true living is all about.

Instead of answering Pilate’s question about where he comes from, Jesus says something amazing.

”You would have no power over me if it were not given to you from above.”

He is not taking away from Pilate’s authority here. He acknowledges his authority … with a twist. Instead of allowing that Pilate’s authority comes from Caesar, he points out that it comes from God.

Jesus again speaks as one who is not from around here. He speaks as one who knows what God sees and what God thinks. He continues:

”Therefore the one who handed me over to you is guilty of a greater sin.”

It is tempting for us to want to pass judgment on Pilate as a “bad guy.” After all, he is the one who was responsible for ordering the crucifixion of our Lord. Yet Jesus seems unconcerned. Instead, he offers comfort to Pilate. In effect, he says that what Pilate is doing (or is going to do) is not as bad as what the chief priests and Pharisees did in bringing Jesus to Pilate.

Later, on the cross, Jesus would say, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.”* Who was he asking forgiveness for? Was it the chief priests? The Jews in general? The Roman soldiers? Or was it for all mankind? All of us, even Pilate?

Application: At this point in his ministry, Jesus has become the sacrificial lamb. His job is not to beg for his life or argue with his antagonists, but to allow his Father’s will to be carried out. Even in the midst of what was already unbearable pain after the flogging, Jesus shows concern for the human judge tasked with condemning him to death. He explains that Pilate’s real power comes from God above and that whatever sin he is guilty of is less than the Jews themselves. How gracious is that? Should we be any less gracious with those whom God has put in authority over us?

Food for Thought: How does God weigh sin? Why is Pilate’s sin less than the Jews who brought Jesus to him?

*(Luke 23: 34)

Please click “Continue Reading” for comments.

Continue reading “Comfort – John 19: 11b”