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
Create your
podcast in
minutes
It is Free