The unique material in John's account of Jesus' crucifixion includes the controversy about the superscription over Jesus' cross (vv. 19-22) and several references to the fulfillment of prophecy (vv. 24, 28-29; cf. vv. 36-37). John was also the only Gospel writer to record Jesus' care for His mother (vv. 25-27) and His sixth cry before His death (v. 30).
John omitted the detail that Simon carried Jesus' cross (Matt. 27:32; Mark 15:21; Luke 23:26), which might have detracted from John's presentation of Jesus as the divine Savior. He also made no reference to Jesus' sufferings on the way to Calvary that Luke, who had a special interest in Jesus' humanity, stressed (Luke 23:27-32).
The soldiers led Jesus from Pilate's judgment seat to Golgotha. Normally an execution squad consisted of four legionnaires plus a centurion (cf. v. 23).583John did not comment on Jesus' painful journey to the cross probably because He wanted to stress His deity. He did mention the fact that Jesus bore His own cross, however, probably for the same reason (cf. Gen. 22:6; Heb. 13:11-13).
Criminals condemned to crucifixion such as Jesus normally carried all or only the crosspiece (Lat. patibulum) of their cross.584This was common procedure in crucifixions, as John's original readers undoubtedly knew.
All the Gospel writers identified the place of Jesus' crucifixion as "the place of the skull."All but Luke gave its Aramaic title, namely golgolta("skull") the transliteration of which is Golgotha.585Why the place bore this name remains a mystery. Most modern scholars believe that the site was the traditional one over which the Church of the Holy Sepulcher now stands. There is little support for the fairly recent suggestion that Gordon's Calvary was the correct location. The idea that Golgotha was on a hill came more from hymns than from Scripture.
The horrors and shame of crucifixion are difficult for people who have grown up hearing pleas against "cruel and unusual punishment"to appreciate. It was a deliberately long and painful form of death that humiliated the sufferer as well as torturing him. Its purpose was to discourage others from rebelling against Rome, the main reason for crucifixion. John's original readers would have been only too familiar with it, which probably accounts for his lack of elaboration.
"It was so brutal that no Roman citizen could be crucifed [sic] without the sanction of the Emperor. Stripped naked and beaten to pulpy weakness . . ., the victim could hang in the hot sun for hours, even days. To breathe, it was necessary to push with the legs and pull with the arms to keep the chest cavity open and functioning. Terrible muscle spasm [sic] wracked the entire body; but since collapse meant asphyxiation, the strain went on and on. This is also why the sedecula[a piece of wood that served as a small seat in some cases] . . . prolonged life and agony: it partially supported the body's weight, and therefore encouraged the victim to fight on."586
"Crucifixion was probably the most diabolical form of death ever invented."587
"Popular piety, both Protestant and Catholic, has often emphasized the sufferings of Jesus; it has reflected on what happened and has dwelt on the anguish the Savior suffered. None of the Gospels does this. The Evangelists record the fact and let it go at that. The death of Jesus for sinners was their concern. They make no attempt to play on the heartstrings of their readers."588
All the Gospel writers mentioned the men crucified with Jesus (Matt. 27:38, 44; Mark 15:27, 32; Luke 23:32-33, 39-43). They were evidently robbers (Gr. lestai) and terrorists, such as Barabbas (cf. 18:40). John may have mentioned them to remind his readers of the fulfillment of Isaiah 53:12.589Their mention also prepares the reader to understand John's description of the breaking of their legs but not Jesus' legs (vv. 32-33).
John evidently included the controversy about the inscription over Jesus' cross because it underlines the Jews' deliberate and conscious repudiation of and the true identity of God's Son.
19:19-20 Normally the judge of a person sentenced to crucifixion would order that a placard (Lat. titulus) identifying his crime would accompany him to the place of his execution. This would inform onlookers who the criminal was and why he was suffering such a terrible fate as he passed them. The soldiers would then affix the sign to the criminal's cross for the same purpose.590
The Gospels all give a slightly different inscription. Perhaps what Pilate really wrote was the sum of all these variations, and the Gospel writers each just quoted a part of the whole. Another possibility is that the Gospel writers may not have been translating the same language since Pilate ordered the charge written in three different languages. Aramaic (popular Hebrew) was the common language spoken by the Jews in Palestine. Latin was the official language that the Romans, including the soldiers, spoke. Greek was the lingua francaof the empire. Pilate continued to insult the Jewish hierarchy for forcing his hand by identifying Jesus this way for all to read. However, his trilingual notice was God's sovereign way of declaring to the whole world who His Son really was, the Jewish king whose rule is universal.
Clearly Pilate regarded Jesus as guilty of sedition, the political charge that the Jews had brought against Him rather than the religious charge of being the Son of God (18:33). By identifying Jesus as the Jews' king and then crucifying Him, Pilate was boasting Rome's superiority over the Jews and flaunting its authority.
19:21-22 The chief priests' emendation of the title would have robbed Pilate of this last chance to humiliate the Jews. He had already conceded once to their request, but he refused to give them the satisfaction of robbing him of this revenge. Ironically what Pilate left stand was the exact truth. He had unwittingly become God's herald of His redemptive purpose.
Normally the executioners of a criminal received his clothes following his death.591John spoke of the soldiers dividing Jesus' garments (plural). The Greek word translated "garments"is himatia. Usually when this word occurs in the singular it refers to the outer robe that most Jews wore. Here, because he used the plural, John evidently had in mind all of Jesus' outer garments including His robe, sandals, belt, and head covering. This would have resulted in each of the four soldiers receiving one piece of clothing. The tunic (Gr. chiton) that remained was a garment worn next to the skin, but it was not what we would think of as underwear. Since Jesus' tunic had been woven as one piece, the soldiers decided to cast lots to determine who would get it.
John alone among the evangelists noted that this procedure was another fulfillment of prophecy (Ps. 22:18). The poetic parallelism in the prophecy found literal fulfillment in this event. Men continued to carry out God's foreordained plan of salvation though unconsciously. This is another tribute to God's sovereignty. Even as Jesus' humiliation reached its depths, as enemies took even His clothes from Him, the Father controlled His destiny.
"That Jesus died naked was part of the shame which He bore for our sins. At the same time He is the last Adam who provides clothes of righteousness for sinners."592
John is the only evangelist who recorded this incident.
19:25 The four women standing nearby contrast with the four soldiers.593While the soldiers behaved callously and profited immediately from Jesus' death, the women waited faithfully and patiently for what God would do. It was apparently common for friends and relatives, as well as enemies, to stand at some distance around the crosses of crucified criminals.594Only John mentioned that Jesus' mother was present at His crucifixion.
It is interesting that John did not identify his own mother by name or as the mother of Zebedee's sons. He evidently wanted to play down her identity as well as his own since he did not mention himself directly in this Gospel either. By referring to his mother as the sister of Jesus' mother, John prepared for Jesus' action in verses 26-27. John was Jesus' cousin on his mother's side. As such, he was a logical person to assume responsibility for Mary's welfare. Evidently Jesus' physical half-brothers did not become believers until after His resurrection.
19:26-27 Jesus addressed his mother by saying, "Dear woman"(Gr. gynai, cf. 2:4). This was an affectionate and respectful way of speaking to her. Mary's grief must have been very great (cf. 2:38). Even as He hung dying an excruciatingly painful death, Jesus compassionately made provision for his mother. The language Jesus used was legal and quite similar to the terms used commonly in adoption proceedings.596His action indicates that He was the person responsible for His mother, implying that Joseph was no longer on the scene and that He was her eldest son. Most interpreters assume that Joseph had died by now. Jesus' act also placed Mary under John's authority, a position that the Roman Catholic church has found very uncomfortable in view of its doctrine of Mary's supremacy.
This was Jesus' third recorded saying from the cross.
John did not mention the darkness that came over the land as the other evangelists did (cf. Matt. 27:45; Mark 15:33; Luke 23:44-45). This is noteworthy in view of John's interest in the light and darkness motif. Perhaps he did not want to detract attention from the person of Jesus. He also omitted Jesus' words that indicated that the Father had withdrawn from Him (cf. Matt. 27:46-47; Mark 15:34-35). This is understandable since throughout this Gospel John stressed the Son's essential unity with the Father. The Father's temporary separation from the Son in judgment did not vitiate their essential unity.
19:28 All things necessary for the fulfillment of Scripture that predicted the provision of redemption were almost accomplished (Gr. teleiothe). John was speaking proleptically again (cf. 12:23; 17:1, 4). Obviously Jesus still had to die. As the moment of His death drew nearer, Jesus expressed His thirst. This showed His true humanity. A man in Jesus' physical condition hung up under a Near Eastern sun would have also experienced torture by dehydration. It is paradoxical that the Water of Life should confess thirst (cf. 4:4:14; 7:38-39). The solution obviously is that Jesus had referred to Himself as the source of spiritual rather than physical water.
"One may no more assume that John's emphasis on the cross as the exaltation of Jesus excludes his desolation of spirit than his emphasis on the deity of the Son excludes the Son's true humanity."597
The Scripture that spoke of Messiah's thirst may be Psalm 22:15 (cf. v. 24) and or Psalm 69:21 (cf. 2:17; 15:25). Jesus' mention of His thirst resulted in the soldier callously giving Him vinegar to drink, which Psalm 69:21 mentioned. Thus John stressed that Jesus' death not only fulfilled God's will but also prophetic Scripture.
19:29 Evidently it was customary to offer wine vinegar (Gr. oxos) to the victims of crucifixion since John described the jar of it as "standing there"or "set there."Only John mentioned that the soldiers put the sponge soaked with wine vinegar on a branch of hyssop that they extended to Jesus. Hyssop was readily available since it grew out of many rocky crevices as a weed. The hyssop reference may simply be a detail in the testimony of an eyewitness to Jesus' crucifixion. However, it may hint at Jesus being the Lamb of God since the Jews used hyssop to sprinkle blood on their door-posts and lintels at Passover (cf. Exod. 12:22; 1 Cor. 5:7). The sponge was evidently small enough so Jesus could put at least some of it in His mouth. The hyssop branch was obviously strong enough to remain erect under the sponge's weight. Jesus was probably not extremely high above ground level as He hung on the cross, many famous paintings notwithstanding (cf. 3:14).
19:30 Jesus' reception of the sour wine did not relieve His pain though it did moisten his parched throat so He could speak. It also fulfilled Scripture (Ps. 69:21).
"The vinegar' was probably the cheap sour wine the legionnaires drank. Though it provided some refreshment, it was a strong astringent that could contract the throat muscles and prevent the condemned victim from crying out with pain.598
Nevertheless Jesus cried out with a loud voice (Mark 15:37), "It is finished"(Gr. tetelestai). He probably shouted with a cry of victory. The verb teleodenotes the completing of a task. Jesus was not just announcing that He was about to die. He was also declaring proleptically that He had fulfilled God's will for Him (cf. 17:4). The use of the perfect tense here signifies proleptically that Jesus had finished His work of providing redemption completely and that it presently stands finished. Nothing more needed or needs doing. This finished work of Jesus Christ is the basis for our salvation (cf. 2 Cor. 5:21).
"Papyri receipts for taxes have been recovered with the word tetelestaiwritten across them, meaning paid in full.'"599
Having thus spoken Jesus handed over (Gr. paredoken) His spirit to His Father (cf. Luke 23:46) and bowed His head in peaceful death. Normally victims of crucifixion experienced the gradual ebbing away of life, and then their heads would slump forward. All the evangelists presented Jesus as laying down His life of His own accord. No one took it from Him (cf. 10:10, 14, 17-18). He did this in harmony with His Father's will (cf. 8:29; 14:31).
John did not record Jesus' final utterance from the cross (Luke 23:46). He evidently ended his account of Jesus' death as he did to stress the completion of the work of redemption that Jesus' sixth saying expressed. John stressed Jesus' divine sovereign control over His own destiny in submission to His Father's will.
