John 19

John 19:1-16a

• 19:1—This flogging was the most severe type of flogging, where someone was beaten to the bone.
• 19:4—Pilate says three times that he finds no guilt in Jesus.
  a. 12:34—The people did not know the Light.
  b. 19:5—The irony is that here stands the Man.
  c. 19:11—Judas, Caiaphas and the soldiers are really the Evil One.
• 19:13—The Greek is unclear who sat down on the Judgment Seat (Morris, p. 707).
  a. This place has been discovered within the last century.
  b. What is clear is that Pilate and the crowd are on trial (Brown, 1970, p. 893-896).
• 19:14—Noon was the time of day when work ceased, when the leaven was prepared, and when the animals were slaughtered (Talbert, p. 250).
• 19:15—This is a renunciation of their identity as God’s people.

John 19:16b-25a

• Additions and subtractions from the Johannine Passion Narrative (JPN):
  a. Additional Material:
  i. Scripture quotations.
  ii. Care of Jesus’ mother to the Beloved Disciple.
  iii. “It is finished” statement.
  iv. The piercing of Jesus’ side.
  b. Subtracted Material:
  i. The cry of dereliction.
  ii. The tearing of the Temple curtain.
  iii. The centurion’s confession.
• 19:19-20—This was likely to goad the Jews as Pilate gets his revenge through falling back onto his role as governor (Morris, p. 713-714).
  a. Whether or not this is to get the people to change their minds, Pilate is saying that Rome will not be manipulated.
  b. The irony is that Pilate puts “The King of the Jews” up for all the world to see and refuses to change the inscription.
• 19:23—The seamless robe woven from the top is a symbol for the Church, which will not be torn by Rome (Morris, p. 715).

John 19:25b-30

• 19:25—How many women were present?
• 19:26—Longstanding Roman Catholic tradition says that when Mary was commended into the care of the Beloved Disciple, she became the mother of all disciples (and, thus, the Church).
  a. This gives way to the tradition of Mary becoming the new Eve (Brown, 1970, p. 924-925).
  b. How far do we push the symbolism of Jesus commending the care of His mother?
• 19:28; cf., 4:7—This is a reflection on the Samaritan Woman narrative.
  a. 19:29; cf., 2:9-10—Was this is a demonstration of kindness or was it an aggravation? Is there any symbolism in the “sour wine?”
  b. The hyssop was used to brush the blood over the door mantle during the original Passover.
  c. 19:30—Jesus accomplishes His mission and gives up His pneuma (“spirit”). He is trusting and obedient, and Adam and God at the same time (Brown, 1970, p. 930-931).

John 19:31-37

• 19:35; cf., 1:14—This is the eyewitness Apostolic account.
  a. 19:34; cf., 7:38-39; 1 John 5:6-7—Although some will see Eucharistic and baptismal themes in this verse, Brown sees the physical life being given up by Jesus and the eternal life He gives through His death (1970, p. 952).
  b. This text connects Jesus to the Old Testament prophecies.

John 19:38-42

• 19:39—This is the third cameo appearance by Nicodemus. This is the first of a cascade of people pledging their allegiance to Christ.
• 19:41—Since He was executed as a capital criminal, Jesus could not just be thrown into a common grave.
  a. Jesus is buried in a new tomb.
  b. Jesus is anointed with a lavish amount of spices, meaning the women did not need to return.
  c. Jesus’ tomb is well-known, meaning the disciples would not have gotten confused or lost.

References

Raymond Brown, The Gospel According to John XXXI-XXI, Anchor Bible 29a (Garden City, NY: Doubleday, 1970).

Leon Morris, The Gospel According to John, rev. ed., New International Commentary on the New Testament 4 (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 1995).

Charles H. Talbert, Reading John: A Literary and Theological Commentary on the Fourth Gospel and the Johannine Epistles, rev. ed., Reading the New Testament (Macon, GA: Smyth and Helwys, 2005).