Jesus Delivered to Be Crucified

19 Then Pilate took Jesus and (A)flogged him. (B)And the soldiers twisted together a crown of thorns and put it on his head and arrayed him in a purple robe. They came up to him, saying, “Hail, King of the Jews!” and struck him with their hands. Pilate went out again and said to them, “See, I am bringing him out to you that you may know that (C)I find no guilt in him.” So Jesus came out, wearing (D)the crown of thorns and the purple robe. Pilate said to them, (E)“Behold the man!” When the chief priests and the officers saw him, they cried out, “Crucify him, crucify him!” Pilate said to them, (F)“Take him yourselves and crucify him, for (G)I find no guilt in him.” The Jews[a] answered him, “We have a law, and (H)according to that law he ought to die because (I)he has made himself the Son of God.” When Pilate heard this statement, (J)he was even more afraid. (K)He entered his headquarters again and said to Jesus, (L)“Where are you from?” But (M)Jesus gave him no answer. 10 So Pilate said to him, “You will not speak to me? Do you not know that I have authority to release you and authority to crucify you?” 11 Jesus answered him, (N)“You would have no authority over me at all unless it had been given you from above. Therefore (O)he who delivered me over to you (P)has the greater sin.”

12 From then on (Q)Pilate sought to release him, but the Jews cried out, “If you release this man, you are not Caesar's friend. (R)Everyone who makes himself a king opposes Caesar.” 13 So when Pilate heard these words, he brought Jesus out and sat down on (S)the judgment seat at a place called The Stone Pavement, and in Aramaic[b] Gabbatha. 14 Now it was (T)the day of Preparation of the Passover. It was about the sixth hour.[c] He said to the Jews, (U)“Behold your King!” 15 They cried out, (V)“Away with him, away with him, crucify him!” Pilate said to them, “Shall I crucify your King?” The chief priests answered, “We have no king but Caesar.” 16 (W)So he (X)delivered him over to them to be crucified.

The Crucifixion

So they took Jesus, 17 and (Y)he went out, (Z)bearing his own cross, to the place called The Place of a Skull, which in Aramaic is called Golgotha. 18 (AA)There they crucified him, and with him two others, one on either side, and Jesus between them. 19 Pilate (AB)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 (AC)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, (AD)“What I have written I have written.”

23 (AE)When the soldiers had crucified Jesus, they took his garments and divided them into four parts, one part for each soldier; also his tunic.[d] 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.” (AF)This was to fulfill the Scripture which says,

(AG)“They divided my garments among them,
    and for my clothing they cast lots.”

So the soldiers did these things, 25 (AH)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 (AI)the disciple whom he loved standing nearby, he said to his mother, (AJ)“Woman, behold, your son!” 27 Then he said to the disciple, “Behold, your mother!” And from that hour the disciple took her to (AK)his own home.

The Death of Jesus

28 After this, Jesus, knowing that all was now (AL)finished, said ((AM)to fulfill the Scripture), (AN)“I thirst.” 29 A jar full of sour wine stood there, (AO)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, (AP)“It is finished,” and he bowed his head and (AQ)gave up his spirit.

Jesus' Side Is Pierced

31 Since it was (AR)the day of Preparation, and (AS)so that the bodies would not remain on the cross on the Sabbath (for that Sabbath was (AT)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 (AU)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 (AV)blood and water. 35 (AW)He who saw it has borne witness—(AX)his testimony is true, and he knows that he is telling the truth—(AY)that you also may believe. 36 (AZ)For these things took place that the Scripture might be fulfilled: (BA)“Not one of his bones (BB)will be broken.” 37 And again another Scripture says, (BC)“They will look on him whom they have pierced.”

Jesus Is Buried

38 (BD)After these things Joseph of Arimathea, who was a disciple of Jesus, but secretly (BE)for fear of the Jews, asked Pilate that he might take away the body of Jesus, and Pilate gave him permission. So he came and took away his body. 39 (BF)Nicodemus also, who earlier had come to Jesus[e] by night, came (BG)bringing a mixture of (BH)myrrh and aloes, about seventy-five pounds[f] in weight. 40 So they took the body of Jesus and (BI)bound it in (BJ)linen cloths with the spices, as is the burial custom of the Jews. 41 Now in the place where he was crucified there was a (BK)garden, and (BL)in the garden a new tomb (BM)in which no one had yet been laid. 42 So because of the Jewish (BN)day of Preparation, (BO)since the tomb was close at hand, they laid Jesus there.

Footnotes

  1. John 19:7 Greek Ioudaioi probably refers here to Jewish religious leaders, and others under their influence, in that time; also verses 12, 14, 31, 38
  2. John 19:13 Or Hebrew; also verses 17, 20
  3. John 19:14 That is, about noon
  4. John 19:23 Greek chiton, a long garment worn under the cloak next to the skin
  5. John 19:39 Greek him
  6. John 19:39 Greek one hundred litras; a litra (or Roman pound) was equal to about 11 1/2 ounces or 327 grams

19 Pilate took Jesus and had Him flogged. The soldiers twisted thorny branches together as a crown and placed it onto His brow and wrapped Him in a purple cloth. They drew near to Him, shouting:

Soldiers (striking at Jesus): Bow down, everyone! This is the King of the Jews!

Pilate (going out to the crowd): Listen, I stand in front of you with this man to make myself clear: I find this man innocent of any crimes.

Then Jesus was paraded out before the people, wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe.

Pilate: Here is the man!

Chief Priests and Officers (shouting): Crucify, crucify!

Pilate: You take Him and crucify Him; I have declared Him not guilty of any punishable crime!

Jews: Our law says that He should die because He claims to be the Son of God.

Pilate was terrified to hear the Jews making their claims for His execution; so he retired to his court, the Praetorium.

Pilate (to Jesus): Where are You from?

Jesus did not speak.

Pilate: 10 How can You ignore me? Are You not aware that I have the authority either to free You or to crucify You?

Jesus: 11 Any authority you have over Me comes from above, not from your political position. Because of this, the one who handed Me to you is guilty of the greater sin.

12 Pilate listened to Jesus’ words. Taking them to heart, he attempted to release Jesus; but the Jews opposed him, shouting:

Jews: If you release this man, you have betrayed Caesar. Anyone who claims to be a king threatens Caesar’s throne.

13 After Pilate heard these accusations, he sent Jesus out and took his seat in the place where he rendered judgment. This place was called the Pavement, or Gabbatha in Hebrew. 14 All this occurred at the sixth hour on the day everyone prepares for the Passover.

Pilate (to the Jews): Look, here is your King!

Jews: 15 Put Him away; crucify Him!

Pilate: You want me to crucify your King?

Chief Priests: We have no king but Caesar!

16 Pilate handed Him over to his soldiers, knowing that He would be crucified. 17 They sent Jesus out carrying His own instrument of execution, the cross, to a hill known as the Place of the Skull, or Golgotha in Hebrew. 18 In that place, they crucified Him along with two others. One was on His right and the other on His left. 19 Pilate ordered that a plaque be placed above Jesus’ head. It read, “Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews.” 20 Because the site was near an urban region, it was written in three languages (Greek, Latin, and Hebrew) so that all could understand.

Chief Priests (to Pilate): 21 Don’t write, “The King of the Jews.” Write, “He said, ‘I am King of the Jews’!”

Pilate: 22 I have written what I have written.

23 As Jesus was being crucified, the soldiers tore His outer garments into four pieces, one for each of them. They wanted to do the same with His tunic, but it was seamless—one piece of fabric woven from the top down. 24 So they said,

Soldier (to other soldiers): Don’t tear it. Let’s cast lots, and the winner will take the whole thing.

This happened in keeping with the Hebrew Scriptures, which said, “They divided My outer garments and cast lots for My clothes.”[a] These soldiers did exactly what was foretold in the Hebrew Scriptures. 25 Jesus’ mother was standing next to His cross along with her sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. 26 Jesus looked to see His mother and the disciple He loved standing nearby.

Jesus (to Mary, His mother): Dear woman, this is your son (motioning to the beloved disciple)! 27 (to John, His disciple) This is now your mother.

Now you know who “the beloved disciple” is: the last eyewitness to the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus. Mary has become family to John, fulfilling the dying wish of Jesus, his Savior. For those who are gathered at the foot of the cross, family is less about blood kinship than it is about covenant obedience.

The mother of the Lord will serve the redemptive purposes of her son and the Savior of the world until her last day on earth. Anyone feeling sorry for himself should think about Jesus. He spent all this time before His death, and through His death, demonstrating how to love and how to serve. He is asking John to do no more in serving Mary than He did in serving us.

From that moment, the disciple treated her like his own mother and welcomed her into his house. 28 Jesus knew now that His work had been accomplished, and the Hebrew Scriptures were being fulfilled.

Jesus: I am thirsty.

29 A jar of sour wine had been left there, so they took a hyssop branch with a sponge soaked in the vinegar and put it to His mouth. 30 When Jesus drank, He spoke:

Jesus: It is finished!

In that moment, His head fell; and He gave up the spirit. 31 The Jews asked Pilate to have their legs broken so the bodies would not remain on the crosses on the Sabbath. It was the day of preparation for the Passover, and that year the Passover fell on the Sabbath. 32 The soldiers came and broke the legs of both the men crucified next to Jesus. 33 When they came up to Jesus’ cross, they could see that He was dead; so they did not break His legs. 34 Instead, one soldier took his spear and pierced His abdomen, which brought a gush of blood and water.

35 This testimony is true. In fact, it is an eyewitness account; and he has reported what he saw so that you also may believe. 36 It happened this way to fulfill the Hebrew Scriptures that “not one of His bones shall be broken”;[b] 37 and the Hebrew Scriptures also say, “They will look upon Him whom they pierced.”[c]

38 After all this, Joseph of Arimathea, a disciple who kept his faith a secret for fear of the Jewish officials, made a request to Pilate for the body of Jesus. Pilate granted his request, and Joseph retrieved the body. 39 Nicodemus, who first came to Jesus under the cloak of darkness, brought over 100 pounds of myrrh and ointments for His burial. 40 Together, they took Jesus’ body and wrapped Him in linens soaked in essential oils and spices, according to Jewish burial customs.

41 Near the place He was crucified, there was a garden with a newly prepared tomb. 42 Because it was the day of preparation, they arranged to lay Jesus in this tomb so they could rest on the Sabbath.