The Gospel of John: The Sentence

The Gospel of John: The Sentence

John 19:1-16a

The Coronation (v. 1-8)

•      Pilate has Jesus flogged

–     He is trying to appease the crowds so that he can release Jesus

•      The soldiers provide a mock coronation of Jesus to make fun of Him

–     With a crown make of date thorns

–     And a royal robe of purple

–     As they bow down to Him

•      They strike Him

•      And hail Him “King of the Jews”

•      Acting better than they know

•      After He has been beaten, Pilate tries to release Jesus

–     Again declaring Him innocent

•      But the crowd wants Him dead

–     And demands that He be crucified

–     Because Jesus has claimed to be the Son of God

•      Which makes Pilate afraid

 

True Authority (v. 9-11)

•      Pilate brings Jesus back inside and questions Him again

–     He is afraid that the claim about Jesus being "a son of the gods" might be true

•      He asks Jesus where He came from

–     Which is met with silence

•      He then asserts that he alone has the authority to save Jesus

–     But Jesus doesn’t need to be saved

•      He has come to do the saving

•      Jesus corrects Pilate, claiming that He is only there because God has orchestrated it

–     Therefore Jesus is still in control of the situation

 

The Road is Set (v. 12-16a)

•      Pilate is set on releasing Jesus

•      But he is met with threats from the crowd

–     Questioning his loyalty to the Emperor

•      Because as Messiah, Jesus is making a kingly claim

•      He capitulates to the crowd

–     And passing judgment from the bema, the judgment seat (see John 5:22)

•      John reminds us that all this takes place in the setting of the Passover

–     An allusion to Jesus being the true Passover Lamb

–     The 6th hour by Jewish reckoning = noon

•      Roman legal time = 6 am

•      Pilate presents Jesus back to the crowd as He is being sentenced: The King of the Jews

•      But they speak a greater truth than they know: “We have no king but Caesar”

–     They deny Jesus’ kingship

•      And therefore are denying God as their king

 

So What?

•      Jesus was sentenced to die as the King!

–     A true claim

•      The King died His subjects could live

–     Is He your King?

 

Meditation Verse: Philippians 2:8