Jesus is Crucified
December 24, 2022
Commentary
Becoming even more fearful and realizing that Jesus is innocent, Pilate again attempted to release Him (v. 12). With this, the crowd started to accuse Pilate of being a traitor to Caesar. He knew that if the Jews contacted Caesar and told him that Pilate had released a man who threatened Roman authority, he could be accused of treason and killed. No doubt, Pilate also had plenty to cover up and did not want an unfavorable report to go to his boss. If he had to choose between his loyalty to Rome, or protecting a despised Jew, there was no question about which way he would go. It was Pilate who was on trial. It was under this kind of pressure that Pilate gave in to the crowd and turned Jesus over to them to be crucified (vv. 13-16).
Pilate gave Jesus to the chief priests, and with the help of some Roman soldiers, they took Him to “the place of the skull” which is called “Golgotha”. It was customary for a criminal to carry his cross from the Hall of Judgment to the place of execution, so Jesus began the mile long walk carrying His cross (v. 17). Today we look at the cross as a symbol of glory and victory, but in Pilate’s day the cross was reserved for the worst kind of criminals. It was the most cruel and shamefulof all punishments. Then, to add to that shame, Jesus was crucified with two thieves (v. 18). Executions in our day are usually carried out in privacy, but Jesus was nailed to the cross and hung where everyone could see.
Another requirement in those days was for a criminal to wear a sign that told of his crime (vv. 20-22). The one Jesus wore was the one Pilate wrote which said, “This is Jesus of Nazareth. the king of the Jews” (v. 19). The chief priests protested and demanded that it be changed from a statement to a claim. It seems that Pilate knew that his placard would insult and embarrass these Jews and that is exactly what he wanted to do, so he refused to change it.
Application
Jesus endured the cross, the pain and the shame for us. How can we thank him for this sacrifice? How can we honor him through our lives today?
John 19:12– 22 (NET)
12 From this point on, Pilate tried to release him. But the Jewish leaders shouted out, “If you release this man, you are no friend of Caesar! Everyone who claims to be a king opposes Caesar!” 13 When Pilate heard these words he brought Jesus outside and sat down on the judgment seat in the place called “The Stone Pavement” (Gabbatha in Aramaic). 14 (Now it was the day of preparation for the Passover, about noon.) Pilate said to the Jewish leaders, “Look, here is your king!”
15 Then they shouted out, “Away with him! Away with him! Crucify him!” Pilate asked, “Shall I crucify your king?” The high priests replied, “We have no king except Caesar!” 16 Then Pilate handed him over to them to be crucified.
17 and carrying his own cross he went out to the place called “The Place of the Skull” (called in Aramaic Golgotha). 18 There they crucified him along with two others, one on each side, with Jesus in the middle. 19 Pilate also had a notice written and fastened to the cross, which read: “Jesus the Nazarene, the king of the Jews.” 20 Thus many of the Jewish residents of Jerusalem read this notice, because the place where Jesus was crucified was near the city, and the notice was written in Aramaic, Latin, and Greek. 21 Then 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, “What I have written, I have written.”
Illustration: Old Lady Running a Pretzel Stand
It seems there was a pretzel stand out front of an office building in New York. One day, a man came out of the building, plunked down a quarter, and then went on his way without taking a pretzel. This happened every day for three weeks. Finally, the old lady running the stand spoke up: “Sir, excuse me. May I have a word with you?"The fellow said: “I know what you’re going to say. You’re going to ask me why I give you a quarter every day and don’t take a pretzel.” And the woman said, “Not at all, I just want to tell you that the price is now 35 cents.” (From a speech by William Schreyer, chairman of Merrill Lynch.)