Explore the Bible Lesson Preview February 9, 2014 Our Savior: Crucified! Background: John 19:17-42 Lesson: John 19:23-30, 38-42

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1 Explore the Bible Lesson Preview February 9, 2014 Our Savior: Crucified! Background: John 19:17-42 Lesson: John 19:23-30, Motivation: In order for the resurrection to be true, Jesus had to die a literal, physical death. Whereas first century skeptics who were on the scene accepted Jesus death, modern day critics (cf. the Passover Plot) assume Jesus swooned and just appeared dead. In the coolness of the tomb He revived and His disciples perpetuated the fraud. In fact, Jesus shed literal blood and died a literal death so that we may partake of eternal life in a literal heaven. Examination: I. Fulfilled Scripture (17-24) A. The Place (17) Golgotha (Hebrew) and Calvary (Latin) both mean the place of the skull. Because the site of Jesus crucifixion was beyond the city walls and was possibly skull-shaped, Gordon s Calvary is most often associated with the place. B. The Means (18) Crucifixion is first recorded by the Persians and was passed down to the Romans by the Carthaginians. Roman historians called it cruel, horrifying and despicable. The public humiliation coupled with the excruciating suffering reserved the cross for slaves or non-roman criminals of the worst kind. Cicero writes: It is a crime for a Roman citizen to be bound; it is a worse crime for him to be beaten; it is well nigh parricide for him to be killed; what am I to say if he be killed on a cross? A nefarious action such as that is incapable of description by any word, for there is none fit to describe it (Phil 2:5-8) Ps 22. C. The Inscription (19) The placard served two purposes: 1) It identified the crime as a public warning, and 2) on the journey to the place of crucifixion, a soldier would hold the placard 1 / 7

2 in front of the procession so that if anyone would dispute the charge, the case could be retried. Among the masses present at Passover, not one person would step forward in Jesus defense! Since Judea was a bilingual country, the inscription was written in Hebrew and Greek plus the official language, Latin. D. The Dispute (20-22) Perhaps as a parting shot, Pilate inscribed the charge: Jesus of Nazareth, The King of the Jews. Legally, this was the charge warranting death. Unwittingly, Pilate who had proclaimed Here is the Man! (5) Now bare testimony to the universal Lordship of Jesus Christ. The Jewish leaders repeatedly asked Pilate to change the inscription, realizing the implied insult. But Pilate, who had been so weak earlier, reverted to his stubborn side and proclaimed Jesus King. (Acts 4:12) E. The Soldiers (23-24) Four Roman soldiers led by a Centurion was the normal execution party. John is careful to remind us that the casting of lots for Jesus tunic was fulfillment of prophecy (Ps. 22:18). The indifference of the soldiers to Jesus agony reminds us of Lamentations 1:12 Is it nothing to you all you who pass by? H CSB ; p. 1847: 19:23 The seamless tunic may recall Joseph s robe (Gn 37:3, 23). Similar to several later events at the crucifixion (Jn 19:28-37), the soldiers division of Jesus clothes and their casting of lots fulfilled Scripture (Ps 22:18). 19:24 Psalm 22, a lament psalm ascribed to David, is the most frequently quoted psalm in the NT. This is the first of several references to Jesus as the righteous sufferer in keeping with the experience of the psalmist (Jn 19:28, 36-37). The soldiers did not want to tear Jesus tunic because it was woven of one cloth (vv ). John may have purposefully shaped his account of Jesus crucifixion in a way that highlighted the parallels and fulfillments between the experiences of David and Jesus. For instance, Ps 22: mentions the sufferer s thirst (v. 15), his pierced hands and feet (v. 16), and the preservation of all his bones (v. 17). II. Tender Care (25-27) Standing by the cross of Jesus were His mother, His mother s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. When Jesus saw His mother and the disciple He loved standing there, He said to His mother, Woman, here is your son. Then He said to the disciple, Here is your mother. And from that hour the disciple took her into his home. (25-27) 2 / 7

3 When all Jesus disciples (except John) had fearfully abandoned Him, it is remarkable that four brave women stand before Him. Of the wife of Clopas, we know nothing; what we know about the others is fascinating: A. Mary, the mother of Jesus: Mary, a widow by this time, is seeing her eldest son humiliated and killed as a common criminal. Although at least James and Jude later believe in Him, His family was evidently so divided at this point that He gives His mother to the care of His cousin, John. B. Salome, His mother s sister: Barclay comments In John she is not named, but a study of the parallel passages (Mark 15:40; Matthew 27:56) makes it clear that she was Salome, the mother of James and John. The strange thing about her is that she had received from Jesus a very definite and stern rebuff. Once she had come to Jesus to ask him to give her sons the chief place in His kingdom (Matt. 20:20), and Jesus had taught her how wrong such ambitious thoughts were. Salome was the woman he had rebuked and yet she was there at the Cross. Her presence says much for her and for Jesus. (Barclay) C. Mary Magdalene: She is a historical tribute to Jesus words: Therefore I say to you, her sins, which are many, are forgiven, for she loved much. But to who little is forgiven, the same loves little. (Luke 7:47) III. Finished Work (28-37) After this, when Jesus knew that everything was now accomplished that the scripture might be fulfilled, He said, I m thirsty! A jar full of sour wine was sitting there; so they fixed a sponge full of sour wine on hyssop and held it up to His mouth. When Jesus had received the sour wine, He said, It is finished! Then bowing His head, He gave up His spirit. (28-30) HCSB; p. 1848: 19:28-29 The reference to Scripture being fulfilled builds on verse 24, most likely in allusion to Ps 69:21: They gave me vinegar to drink (cp. Mt 27:34, 48; see Ps 22:15). Soldiers and laborers used sour wine to quench their thirst (Mk 15:36). It is different from the wine mixed with myrrh Jesus refused on the way to the cross (Mk 15:23). 3 / 7

4 Hyssop was a plan classified in 1 Kg 4:33 as a humble shrub. It was used for the sprinkling of blood on the doorpost at the original Passover (Ex 12:22). A. The Physical I m thirsty (28) Jesus reminds us of the physical agony He suffered. B. The Spiritual It is finished (30) Tetelestai refers to completion based on teleos; end, finish. In commercial matters it has been found on receipts signifying paid in full! Jesus was not resigning Himself to death; rather, He was declaring victoriously that the sin debt had been paid in full! (Isa 53:1-12) Col 2:12-13 C. The Confirmation of Jesus Death (31-37) Opponents of Christianity have tried for almost 2000 years to refute the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Because of the number of eyewitnesses who saw Him alive after the crucifixion, most skeptics argue that He never really died. John refutes these critics with several key pieces of historical evidence: 1. Jesus appeared dead to eyewitnesses. (30) I Cor 15:3-9; Rev 1:8,18; Acts 1:3 2. Jesus was pierced in the side to ensure death. (34, 37) 3. Jesus was certified dead by professional Roman executioners. (33) Breaking the legs of a person on a cross ensured a quick death by suffocation. All four soldiers agreed Jesus was dead, therefore His legs needed not to be broken (33, 36). The Jewish leaders who were on the scene accepted the fact that Jesus died and that the disciples went to the correct (empty) tomb (Matt. 28:13). Unfortunately for the Jewish plotters, their theory did not account for Jesus being seen by hundreds of eyewitnesses in or near Jerusalem. Acts records that the greatest turning to Jesus occurred earliest in Jerusalem where eyewitness facts were the most plentiful. Notice John s signature verse as an eyewitness (35), a form not unlike a legal deposition or affidavit. 4 / 7

5 IV. Telling Devotion (38-42) After this, Joseph of Arimathea, who was a disciple of Jesus but secretly because of his fear of the Jews asked Pilate that he might remove Jesus body. Pilate gave him permission, so he came and took His body away. Nicodemus (who had previously come to Him at night) also came, bringing a mixture of about 75 pounds of myrrh and aloes. Then they took Jesus body and wrapped it in linen cloths with the aromatic spices, according to the burial custom of the Jews. There was a garden in the place where He was crucified. A new tomb was in the garden; no one had yet been placed in it. They placed Jesus there because of the Jewish preparation and since the tomb was nearby. (38-42) A. Notable men buried Jesus: Joseph and Nicodemus were both members of the Sanhedrin, men known to the community. God used them to show belated bravery in claiming the body of Jesus and providing a burial. Jewish critics could not claim that Jesus hadn t died. B. The tomb was nearby: Joseph used his family grave plot which was close and buried Jesus in a new tomb. The proximity of the Sabbath which began at sundown on Friday necessitated haste. Modern critics have argued for a mistaken tomb or confusion in bodies. A nearby new tomb negates these arguments. (Isa. 53:9; Luke 23:32 C. Jesus was prepared for Jewish burial: Seventy-five pounds of burial spices plus mummy-like strips of grave clothes argue against a swoon theory. Application 1. Like Jesus, we must trust God in every situation. 2. Unlike Pilate, we must stand firm in the midst of crisis. (I Cor 10:13) 5 / 7

6 3. In the end it was for our sin that caused Jesus to face an unjust death. John 1:29 4. God expects us to stand up for Jesus just as the four women, John, Nicodemus and Joseph did. Acts 1:8, Matt 5:10-12 Leader Pack Item 17: Handout: Fulfilled Biblical Prophecies Biblical Illustrator: p. 78; Eyewitnesses to the Crucifixion **You may access David s Lesson Preview in MP3 format at: Dates: 1/21 3/4 Living Proof Bible Study; 2/2 FBA Day; 2/2 Lord s Supper; 2/7 Scott Nute Ministry Dinner; 2/9 Student Ministry Purity Ceremony; 2/9 New M 1:8 pledge reveal; 2/14-15 Passion Toyota Center; 2/16 Parent Commitment; 2/20 NJHS Induction; 2/21 ReCreate: Date Night; 2/22 - MS Girls Retreat; 2/22 Adult 2 Roundup; 2/23 M 1:8 Anniversary Sunday; 2/23 Make it Your Church Orientation; 2/28 FBA Buckaroo Breakfast; 3/7 6 / 7

7 - FBA 4 th Grade Science Expo; 3/8 FBA Boots & Bandanas Dinner & Auction; 3/9 Daylight Saving Time begins; 3/16-21 High School Ski Retreat; 3/17-19 Adult 2 Revival; 3/19 NO MIDLINK Spring Break; 3/25 Staff Wives Fellowship; 3/ FBA MS Play; 3/28 - FBA 6 th Grade Wax Museum. 7 / 7