The Cross (John 19)

Good morning! Eric, one of the pastors at Garden City.^[1]  

If you could go back to any moment in human history for one week, where would you go? Who would you want to see? What would you want to do? 

I asked my kids that the other day, and one of them said she’d go back to when I was a kid—so she could hold me and tell me what to do. Fair enough.  

A few moments come to mind for me. I’d love to be with the shepherds the night the angels appeared, announcing that the Savior had been born. Even if I didn’t understand their words, I’d love to watch them find Jesus in the manger. 

But most of all, I think I’d want to be in Jerusalem the day Jesus died, and then see how the city reacted when news spread that his tomb was empty. 

Today, we’re looking at the most significant event in human history: The day people nailed God to a tree. It’s a really a 2-part story that we’ll look at more next week. But part of what makes it so important is how much time God took preparing us for it.  

See, back in Genesis 3:15, after the first sin, God gave a curse with a promise. God told the serpent he would “put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel.”

Bible scholars call this the proto-evangelium; the first gospel. From the beginning, God was preparing us for the day Jesus would come and walk the earth; telling us what he would be like, where he would come from, what he would do, how he would suffer.  

The first disciples learned to read the Bible in light of the promises God made that Jesus fulfilled. And if God makes a promise, then we should expectantly wait for him to do it.  

Jesus fulfilled over 300 prophecies made in the OT. For example, Micah 5 says the Messiah would be born in Bethlehem. 2 Samuel 7 says he would come from the family of King David. Zechariah 11 says he would be betrayed for 30 pieces of silver. Psalm 22 says he would be publicly executed and that his clothes would be divided. Isaiah 53 says he would be pierced for the sins of others.  

The reason I bring this up is because the Cross is a brutal event. It was as startling to those who were there as it is familiar to us. But John wants us to see that even in Jesus’ death, God’s in control. And if Jesus can provide for our needs at his lowest, how much more can he provide for us now as he reigns in victory? 

So, if you have a Bible, open with me to John 19. We’ll have this on the screen for you, and as we look at our text, I want you to have this question in the back of your mind: How does Jesus respond, knowing the Father will use him to fulfill every promise? 

[v. 1] – Then Pilate took Jesus and flogged him. 2 And the soldiers twisted together a crown of thorns and put it on his head and arrayed him in a purple robe. 3 They came up to him, saying, “Hail, King of the Jews!” and struck him with their hands. 4 Pilate went out again and said to them, “See, I am bringing him out to you that you may know that I find no guilt in him.” 5 So Jesus came out, wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe. Pilate said to them, “Behold the man!”  

The first response we see from Jesus is his determination:  

1. Jesus never sidesteps the mission. 

Not once. And let’s be clear: The mission was to die on the Cross to save sinners. That’s what Jesus came to do. That’s why it’s frustrating to hear people today claim that Jesus didn’t really die. To say that Jesus didn’t die on the Cross is to claim that Jesus failed the mission, and that couldn’t be further from the truth.  

Jesus never does anything to avoid the pain of the Cross. He takes no shortcuts. Any time he’s offered a way out, he turns it down. Maybe when you’re at work, you take short breaks. You scroll the internet. We get tired, distracted, bored. But when Jesus is on the clock he’s locked in.  

[Isaiah 50] gives us a window into Jesus’s mindset toward the Cross. 

Isaiah says God’s Servant would have such a complete understanding of God’s plans for redeeming sinners that when it was game time he went all-in.   

[Isaiah 50:6] – I gave my back to those who strike, and my cheeks to those who pull out the beard; I hid not my face from disgrace and spitting. It’s exactly what Jesus endured under Pilate.  

The other week I took my family up to Genting, and while we were there we took the kids to ride the cable cars. It was the busiest I’ve ever seen Genting; we waited a solid 45 minutesjust to get to a car. And as we’re waiting there was a couple who was slowly skipping people in line. They’d walk a little bit and then take off a rope and skip ahead.  

When they got to our part of the line, they tried playing it off by playing with our kids. Internally, I was fuming. I’m like, “Don’t touch them.” I was so mad. I was so mad watching them ride up the mountain before us. And then when we were about to go back down, I saw the same couple ride down ahead of us. It felt so cruel and unfair.  

But in the trials leading up to the Cross, nothing fair. This is a picture of how twisted human justice is. The religious leaders think they’re following the Law, but even Pilate recognizes what they’re doing is out of envy [Mk. 15:10]. They don’t crucify Jesus out of love for God. They use religion as a crutch to serve themselves.  

But Jesus never protests to get out of it because this is what he signed up for. See, Pilate’s already told the chief priests he thinks Jesus is innocent. So Pilate has Jesus flogged. They rip Jesus’ body apart with a whip that has broken glass and bones tied to it. The soldiers press a crown of thorns on Jesus’s head, blood dripping down his head. And then they start mocking him, calling him King of the Jews while slapping him in the face and spitting on him. 

When Pilate brought Jesus back out, he said, “Behold the man,” because 

Jesus was so beaten he barely looked human. Pilate didn’t want to crucify Jesus. That’s why he nearly beat him to death. He thought seeing a weak and mangled man would get the sympathy of the Jewish leaders and they’d move on. Instead… 

[v. 6] – When the chief priests and the officers saw him, they cried out, “Crucify him, crucify him!” Pilate said to them, “Take him yourselves and crucify him, for I find no guilt in him.”7 The Jews answered him, “We have a law, and according to that law he ought to die because he has made himself the Son of God.” 8 When Pilate heard this statement, he was even more afraid. 9 He entered his headquarters again and said to Jesus, “Where are you from?” But Jesus gave him no answer.  

This would be the perfect opportunity for Jesus to side step the mission. He could set the record straight. Pilate didn’t need convincing. But Jesus didn’t come to be vindicated by the world. He trusted he would be vindicated by God. And the mission wasn’t for him to save himself. The mission was for him to be the spotless lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world.  

[v. 10] – So Pilate said to him, “You will not speak to me? Do you not know that I have authority to release you and authority to crucify you?” 11 Jesus answered him, “You would have no authority over me at all unless it had been given you from above. Therefore he who delivered me over to you has the greater sin.”  – We’ll come back to that.  

[12] From then on Pilate sought to release him, but the Jews cried out, “If you release this man, you are not Caesar’s friend. Everyone who makes himself a king opposes Caesar.” 13 So when Pilate heard these words, he brought Jesus out and sat down on the judgment seat at a place called The Stone Pavement, and in Aramaic Gabbatha. 14 Now it was the day of

Preparation of the Passover. It was about the sixth hour. He said to the Jews, “Behold your King!” 15 They cried out, “Away with him, away with him, crucify him!” Pilate said to them, “Shall I crucify your King?” The chief priests answered, “We have no king but Caesar.” 16 So he delivered him over to them to be crucified.

Can you believe this is Jesus’ public trial? The Roman governor says Jesus is innocent but the religious guys want him crucified anyway because their greatest allegiance is to the dominions and principalities of this world.  

They want Jesus dead on charges of blasphemy, but saying they have no king, but Caesar. That’s blasphemy. That’s a rejection of God. And we do the same thing every time we turn and serve the masters of this world. 

Who here hasn’t given in to the temptations of this world? And every time, we leave disappointed. Sin promises life, but it always leaves us worse off than we were before. I feel like every day in my home we’re waging war against sin. I’ve been saying on repeat that sin is way worse than you even realize. If that’s you this morning, if you’ve ever felt enslaved by sin, I want you to see in this trial that Jesus takes your guilty verdict so that you can have his freedom.  

Don’t miss what’s happening here: Pilate sits in the judgment seat and declares guilt over the only One who’s done nothing wrong. But this is exactly why Jesus came. He willingly took the penalty and shame of our sin. And when Pilate pronounced the verdict, Jesus accepted it—standing guilty in our place so we could go free. 

2. Jesus trusted God’s plans behind man’s actions.   

If you look at this situation from a human perspective, it looks like all the cards are in Pilate’s hands. He can do whatever he wants. Pilate even tells Jesus he has the authority to decide whether Jesus lives or dies.  

But Jesus says in [v. 11] No you don’t. “You would have no authority over me at all unless it had been given you from above. Therefore he who delivered me over to you has the greater sin.”

I’m sure we all know what it feels like to have the pressures and narratives of this world press against us, making us believe we’re powerless and without hope. We feel like prisoners of the moment, trapped by the same sin patterns or difficult life circumstances.  

• Parents trying to navigate the challenges of the angsty teenage years.  
• Spouses who feel stuck having the same fights and feeling misunderstood.  
• Singles longing for a spouse. Married couples longing for a child. 
• Sojourners longing a stable future.  

It’s easy to feel the pressing weight of your current reality and feel like prisoners of the moment. But Jesus doesn’t do that. He sees the earthly powers working against him, but he also looks beyond their evil and recognizes that God is still at work. 

Caiaphas plotted to kill him. Judas sold him for 30 pieces of silver. Pilate agreed to take his life. And while Jesus didn’t stop any of it from happening,  he did push back against the narratives telling him he was stuck and without hope. Instead, he chose to believe what God said. And God said he had given Jesus authority over life and death, not Pilate. 

Jesus said in [John 10:18] – “No one takes [my life] from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again…” 

John reminds us over and over again that in the midst of all the injustice and chaos of this world, there is one who holds all things together and he’s working out everything for the good of those who love him. Everything happening is according to the plans of God. That’s why John keeps telling us these things happened to fulfill the Scriptures.  

If you jump down with me, [v. 23] – When the soldiers had crucified Jesus, they took his garments and divided them into four parts, one part for each soldier; also his tunic. But the tunic was seamless, woven in one piece from top to bottom, 24 so they said to one another, “Let us not tear it, but cast lots for it to see whose it shall be.” This was to fulfill the Scripture which says,

“They divided my garments among them,     and for my clothing they cast lots.”

So the soldiers did these things,

This is a line straight out of Psalm 22, which used to be one of the great mysteries of the OT because it’s written by King David. And while David knew what it was like to be abandoned and betrayed and to be mocked and surrounded by his enemies, the Psalm also goes into detail about a kind of public execution David never experienced.  

[Ps. 22:16] – For dogs encompass me;     a company of evildoers encircles me; they have pierced my hands and feet— 17 I can count all my bones— they stare and gloat over me;

18 they divide my garments among them,     and for my clothing they cast lots.

David wrote this a thousand years before the Cross. That never happened to him. But when John reads that he doesn’t see an errant word, but the plans of being God fulfilled.

[v. 28] – After this, Jesus, knowing that all was now finished, said (to fulfill the Scripture), “I thirst.”

Again, [v. 36] –  For these things took place that the Scripture might be fulfilled: “Not one of his bones will be broken.” 37 And again another

Scripture says, “They will look on him whom they have pierced.”

Listen, Jesus wasn’t on some wild detour as we went to the Cross—he was on mission, and he was exactly where God wanted him to be even though, for us, it may not look like it. Now, maybe you feel like your life isn’t going the way you hoped. Maybe you feel off-track, like a foreigner trying to navigate the roads of KL without a map. Or maybe you’re frustrated by the impact of other people’s decisions—things you can’t control.  

But even as you struggle to understand the circumstances you’re facing, I want to encourage you that in Christ, God has made more than a conqueror. And he has called you his instrument for the redemption of others. You’re story of suffering might be a word of hope that others just down the road from you. 

And your supposed detour might be God’s way of putting you in the exact location he intended for you to be in to minister the words of life to those who desperately need it. Even in your present struggles, he’s working. 

3. Jesus doesn’t stop caring for us in his hour of need.   

And if he doesn’t stop caring for us then, we know he’ll care for us always. Let’s look at what Jesus cares about most as he’s literally dying on the Cross for us.  

[v. 25] – but standing by the cross of Jesus were his mother and his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. 26 When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby, he said to his mother, “Woman, behold, your son!” 27 Then he said to the disciple, “Behold, your mother!” And from that hour the disciple took her to his own home.

This is a really powerful moment because in Jesus’ greatest hour of need, he turns to care for his mother who’s in the midst of her own hour of need because she’s losing a son. So painful… 

As the firstborn, it’s Jesus’ responsibility to care for her. The fact that he makes provision for her shows just how important family is. But Jesus also breaks cultural tradition because normally the duty would be passed on to the next oldest brother.  

If you remember, back in John 7, Jesus had younger brothers who didn’t believe in him. But Jesus doesn’t tell his brothers to take care of their mom. He tells his disciple. He tells his Church.  

At the Cross, Jesus is starting to reveal the blessings of his work. Through his death and resurrection, Jesus establishes a new spiritual family that he elevates above our earthly one. That doesn’t mean you neglect the family God gave you. But it does mean you might share an even greater bond to the Church then you do your earthly family.  

That means if your looking community, in this church you have many brothers and sisters. Many mothers and fathers. Many children to care for and disciple and to contend for the faith with even if you don’t know all of them. Jesus has given his Church as a gift to you.  

Are you enjoying that gift? If not, I would encourage you to get serious about joining a community group, a serving team, being on mission together. And I don’t say that to make you feel obligated. I say that for your good. I would much rather be in a church where I’m known and loved and called to purpose, than be in a place where no one knows me at all and I slip in and out unnoticed and no one cares. 

There’s a difference in being a consumer of Christian content and actively abiding in Jesus through fellowship with his body. And that’s what he’s inviting you into. Jesus died to free you from sin, but he also died to bless you with his riches.  

What else did he do? Let’s keep going…[v. 28] – After this, Jesus, knowing that all was now finished, said (to fulfill the Scripture), “I thirst.” 29 A jar full of sour wine stood there, so they put a sponge full of the sour wine on a hyssop branch and held it to his mouth. 30 When Jesus had received the sour wine, he said, “It is finished,” and he bowed his head and gave up hisspirit.

When we say Jesus died the death we deserved that doesn’t mean we deserve to be publicly humiliated by execution. It means we deserve separation from the Father.  

But you are so loved by God, that he planned for Jesus to take all of your humiliation upon himself. And Jesus feels the full weight of it. Just think about this: What brings Jesus the greatest anguish? He doesn’t cry out about his hands, his back, his feet, his head. He cries out, I thirst because he came to take our spiritual thirst upon himself so we could drink from the living water and never thirst again.  

[v. 29] talks about a jar of sour wine and a hyssop branch used to give him drink. Which is interesting because a hyssop branch was used to sprinkle blood on the doorposts during the Passover so that the people could be saved. It was also used for ritual cleansing. So it’s possible that God intended this to be a picture of how we become clean in Christ. 

And the wine is the cup of God’s wrath we deserved that Jesus drinks for us, down to the dregs. It’s like [Is. 51:22] foretold: “Behold, I have taken from your hand the cup of staggering; the bowl of my wrath you shall drink no more

He drinks from the cup of wrath and then he gives himself up. He paid it all. 

And in return, he gives us all the spiritual blessings that belong to him. In Jesus’ greatest hour of need, he says I will be all that you need. It is finished. 

[v. 31] – Since it was the day of Preparation, and so that the bodies would not remain on the cross on the Sabbath (for that Sabbath was a high day), the Jews asked Pilate that their legs might be broken and that they might be taken away. 32 So the soldiers came and broke the legs of the first, and of the other who had been crucified with him. 33 But when they came toJesus and saw that he was already dead, they did not break his legs. 34 But one of the soldiers pierced his side with a spear, and at once there came out blood and water. 35 He who saw it has borne witness—his testimony is true, and he knows that he is telling the truth—that you also may believe.  

Let it not be lost on us that John’s writing these things because they happened. He saw it. He experienced it. But Jesus didn’t die only for his disciples. He also died for you and me.  

So the question for us now is what do we do about the Cross? And the ending of John 19gives us a perfect picture of men who recognized the cost Jesus paid for them and said I’m willing to give up everything to follow him.  

[v. 38] – After these things Joseph of Arimathea, who was a disciple of Jesus, but secretly for fear of the Jews, asked Pilate that he might take away the body of Jesus, and Pilate gave him permission. So he came and took away his body. 39 Nicodemus also, who earlier had come to Jesus by night, came bringing a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about seventy-five pounds in weight. 40 So they took the body of Jesus and bound it in linen cloths with the spices, as is the burial custom of the Jews. 41 Now in the place where he was crucified there was a garden, and in the garden a new tomb in which no one had yet been laid. 42 So because of the Jewish day of Preparation, since the tomb was close at hand, they laid Jesus there.

All four gospels tell us that Joseph of Arimathea asked Pilate for Jesus’ body. Pilate agreeing is another sign of Jesus’s innocence—you don’t give enemies of the state an honorable burial. 

We don’t know a lot about Joseph, but what we do know is that he was wealthy, a member of the Sanhedrin who had Jesus crucified, and a secret disciple of Jesus. Luke 23 says he was a “good and righteous man” who didn’t agree with the council’s decision and was looking for the kingdom of God. 

John is the only gospel that mentions Nicodemus at Jesus’s burial. Most people remember Nicodemus as the Pharisee who came at night to speak with Jesus and Jesus tells him you must be born again but he doesn’t get it.  

Most people forget that Nicodemus also appears in John 7. The Jewish leaders are upset at the missed opportunity to arrest Jesus, and Nicodemus actually gives a defense of Jesus and gets mocked for it. A courageous move for a man who also seems to be seeking the kingdom of God.  

The fact that both of these guys appear at Jesus’ burial, to me, says that Joseph will find the way to the kingdom of God. And that Nicodemus will soon understand what it means to be born of the Spirit. I think it’s safe to say if they were willing to follow Jesus in his death, they’d be willing to follow him in his resurrection.  

Their actions show what a life of surrender looks like. Now, I realize this looks like an act done in secrecy, but it’s actually one of the boldest things they could do to declare their faith. 

Think about this: Killing the men on the Cross early was a respectful concession for the Jewish Passover that was happening the next day. The 

Passover was the biggest holiday of the year for the Jews because it marked the greatest act of salvation in their history—until the day Jesus died.  

We know from [Numbers 19] that anyone who handles a dead body in Jewish law becomes ritually unclean for a week. You know who would especially be aware of that? The guys on the ruling council. 

Joseph and Nicodemus were disqualified from the Passover.^[2] But here’s the thing: No one who comes to Jesus ever leaves unclean. He takes our shame, gives us his righteousness, and brings us into God’s family. That’s what he’s doing for them. That’s what he’s offered for you. 

One last thing as we close. We skipped over this, but when Jesus was being taken up to be crucified [v. 16] says, So they took Jesus, 17 and he went out, bearing his own cross, to the place called The Place of a Skull, which in Aramaic is called Golgotha. And then, if you jump back down to…

[v. 41] – Now in the place where he was crucified there was a garden, and in the garden a new tomb in which no one had yet been laid.

That’s significant because we’re witnessing God’s faithfulness to his promise that he made from the beginning. How many of us have ever cried out to God, “How much longer must I endure these present troubles?”  

And God says, cling to my promises and know that I am with you. My Son has paid it all for you, so you can be certain that every promise is yes and amen in him. In the fullness of time, Jesus came. Don’t miss the order here. 

Genesis 3 starts with God’s people in a garden and ends in exile because of sin. But John 19has Jesus moved outside the city in exile to crush sin at the place of the skull and then ends with him coming back into a garden where new creation will dawn three days later.  

And because it was a brand-new tomb, there was no confusion about whose body was missing when it was found empty. But we’ll talk about that more next week.  

If you’re here this morning and you’re not a Christian. Maybe because your family or culture taught you that you’re not allowed to be a Christian. I just want to push back against that narrative for a second. See, at the Cross, there was a sign put above Jesus’ head written in Aramaic, Latin, and Greek so the whole world would know he is King. He died for all nations—including you. He needed no help to save you; he did it all. His call to you now it to believe on him. 

And if you’d like to receive him you can pray a prayer like this: Lord, I believe that Jesus died and that he died for me. Forgive my sin and give me the courage to live for you, in Jesus’ name. Amen.  

And for the believers in the room—Jesus never abandoned his mission to save you. And he calls you now, in the power of the Spirit, to take up your Cross and follow him because the mission he’s given his Church is to declare the salvation of God in Christ to the world. That’s why we want to do whatever it takes to reach all people.

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^[1] Works Consulted:  

      –      The Gospel According to John – Carson; “I Thirst” – Keller; “They Divided My Garments” – Keller;  “The Cross” – Martin; How Did the Apostles View the Old Testament Scripture? – Greear 

^[2] There were stipulations in Numbers 9 that said anyone unclean could observe the Passover a month later.