John 19:1-16

John 19:1. Then Pilate therefore took Jesus, and scourged him. And the soldiers platted a crown of thorns, and put it on his head, and they put on him a purple robe. And said, Hail, King of the Jews!

Just as they were gathered to say, «Ave Imperator» «Hail emperor» so imitating that word which they applied to Caesar. and applying it to Jesus in mockery. «King of the Jews,» the utmost scorn was thrown into the last word, «of the Jews.» There had been a general tradition that there should arise among the Jews a king who would subdue the nations, and the Romans jested at the very thought that they should be conquered by the leader of such a despised race as the Jews, and so they said, «King of the Jews.»

John 19:3. And they smote him with their hands. Pilate therefore went forth again, and saith unto them, Behold, I bring him forth to you, that ye may know that I find no fault in him.

That is the second time he said it. He had declared it before; in the 38 th verse of the previous chapter we read, «I find in him no fault at all.» And now again, «That ye may know that I find no fault in him.» «Then came Jesus forth» you can see him going down the steps out of Pilate's hall into that same courtyard «wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe. And Pilate saith unto them» «Ecce Homo» «behold the man.» He does not call him king; he only gives him the title of man. As if to say, «How foolish are you to think there is any danger from him; look at him in all his suffering and shame.»

John 19:5. Then came Jesus forth, wearing the crown of thorns, and the purple robe. And Pilate saith unto them, Behold the man! When the chief priests therefore and officers saw him, they cried out, saying, Crucify him, crucify him. Pilate saith unto them, Take ye him, and crucify him: for I find no fault in him.

That is the third time. It was well that he who had the principal hand in the slaughter of the Lamb of God should make his report that he was «a Lamb without blemish and without spot»; and, therefore, fit to be presented in sacrifice before God. For the third time he doth acquit him. The Jews answered him, «We have a law» it may not be your law «and by our law he ought to die because he made himself the son of God.» This is a reviving of the charge of blasphemy which they had brought against him in the palace of the high priest.

John 19:7. The Jews answered him, We have a law, and by our law he ought to die, because he made himself the Son of God. When Pilate therefore heard that saying, he was the more afraid:

It shows he was afraid all along the coward the vacillating coward and now a fresh superstition seizes upon him. He believed, as a Roman in gods many. «What?» said he to himself. «What if, after all, I should have been torturing a divine Being, a God who has come among men in their likeness?»

John 19:9. And went again, into the judgment hall, and saith unto Jesus, Whence art thou? But Jesus gave him no answer. The, saith Pilate unto him, Speakest thou not unto me? knowest thou not that I hate power to crucify thee, And have power to release thee?

And he trembled with fear, «and went again into the judgment, hall,» taking his prisoner with him you can see the two sitting there alone «and saith unto Jesus, ‘Whence art thou? Tell me now, what is thy character, thine origin, thy rank? ‘But Jesus gave him no answer.» Pilate's day of grace was over; he had had his opportunity, but that was now ended; there was no answer. It is a very solemn thing when God gives no answer to a man; when a man turns to Scripture, but there is no answer; when he goes to hear the voice, but there is no voice from the oracle for him; when he even bows the knee in prayer, but gets no answer. The silence of the Christ of God is very terrible. «Then saith Pilate unto him,» with all the pride of a Roman in his face, «Speakest thou not unto me Knowest thou not that I have power to crucify thee, and power to release thee?»

John 19:11. Jesus answered, Thou couldest have no power at all against me, except it were given thee from above: therefore he that delivered me unto thee hath the greater sin.

«Thou hast the power to execute the sentence, lent to thee from heaven: but he that brought me here, and laid the charge against me, even Caiaphas, as the representative of the Jews, hath the greater sin.» And then the Blessed One closed his lips, never to open them again until on the cross. From this time, «like a sheep before her shearers,» he is dumb. Notice that even though that word is the word of the Judge who judges Pilate, who judges the Jews, yet there is a strain of the gentleness of his character about it, for though he does virtually declare Pilate guilty of great sin, yet he says there is a greater, and while there is no apology for Pilate, yet he puts it softly.

John 19:12. And from thenceforth Pilate sought to release him: but the Jews cried out. saying, If thou let this man go, thou art not Caesar's friend: whosoever maketh himself a king speaketh against Caesar.

One of the Herods had put upon his coins the name, «Caesar's friend.» and so they quoted the title which one of their kings had taken, and they tell Pilate that he will not be the friend of Tiberius. Here was a sore point with Pilate; he knew that just then Tiberius was gloomy and morose, too ready to catch anything against his servants; and the man by whose influence Pilate had come into power had just then lost all influence at court. So he was afraid it would be his disgrace and discharge as governor if the Jews brought a charge against him to Tiberius. Therefore he trembled.

John 19:13. When Pilate therefore heard that saying, he brought Jesus forth, and sat down in the judgment seat in a place that is called the Pavement, but in the Hebrew, Gabbatha.

The usual form of the Roman judgment-place, in the open air, with a stone pavement, and a raised throne.

John 19:14. And it was the preparation of the passover, and about the sixth hour: and he saith unto the Jews, Behold your King! But they cried out, Away with him, away with him, crucify him. Pilate saith unto them, Shall I crucify your King? The chief priests answered, We have no king but Caesar.

«To crucify your king.» In bitter sarcasm: «You call him king, and ask to have him crucified.» «The Chief Priests answered, ‘We have no king but Caesar.'» Verily they thus proved the truth of that word, «The scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor the lawgiver from between his feet until Shiloh come.» And here he was sent, of God. He has come at last, for the scepter has evidently departed from Judah; and these men are crying, We have no king but the alien monarch, the all-conquering Caesar.»

John 19:16. Then delivered he him therefore unto them to be crucified. And they took Jesus and led him away.

This exposition consisted of readings from John 1:19; John 19:1.