16 So he then handed Him over to them to be crucified.
17 They took Jesus, therefore, and He went out, bearing His own cross, to the place called the Place of a Skull, which is called in Hebrew, Golgotha. 18 There they crucified Him, and with Him two other men, one on either side, and Jesus in between. 19 Pilate also wrote an inscription and put it on the cross. It was written, “JESUS THE NAZARENE, THE KING OF THE JEWS.” 20 Therefore many of the Jews read this inscription, for the place where Jesus was crucified was near the city; and it was written in Hebrew, Latin and in Greek. 21 So the chief priests of the Jews were saying to Pilate, “Do not write, ‘The King of the Jews’; but that He said, ‘I am King of the Jews.’” 22 Pilate answered, “What I have written I have written.”
Message: The King of the Jews Crucified
Time: John most likely wrote between A.D. 85 and 90. John's purpose in writing was, "that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing you may have life in His name (John 20:31)."
What the Lord is Saying: Even up to the point of Jesus' crucifixion, the Jews wanted to be in control of the proceedings. Pilate wrote above Jesus - King of the Jews, but the Jews wanted a clarification with Jesus saying, "I am the King of the Jews." But that was it and Pilate would not change the reading.
As I have discovered in this reading, prior to Pilate finally giving over Jesus he had him flogged and scourged, perhaps thinking that beating would be enough for the Jewish officials. But it wasn't and so now in going to bear His cross and going to the place of crucifixion, though the Gospel of John does not mention it, the other gospels do mention more scourging of Jesus which would have left him very weak. He was so weak he was unable to carry the cross beam on his shoulder Simon of Cyrene was grabbed from the crowd to carry it.
I think it is hard somewhat to think of the flogging and scourging that Jesus received. It was necessary for Jesus to die, but the beating he received and infliction of pain was indeed severe. And maybe it is easier to not think about it. Crucifixion was indeed the most extreme form of the death penalty in first century Roman Empire. It was an agonizing process to die in this way - a slow death, with nails driven through their extremities. Hard to fathom and yet not a death march that seems to have been repeated in history. I read though where it lasted until about 400 AD.
Summary: Jesus is taken to be crucified and the sign of King of the Jews is displayed over him in a mocking way.
Promise: Jesus bears the wrath for us and it should give us confidence that his love is an enduring love.
Prayer: Thank you God for saving my soul. Thank you God for making me whole. You God are my Savior and Lord and I thank you for your great love for me. It is hard to read and think about the pain you suffered, even that many suffered in dying a crucified way. Thank you for your great love for me. Thank you for the life that I have in You and the peace that You give. I want others to have that same peace and joy and love. You are the great One. Keep me focused on You. Go before me today and give me Your Strength. Help those you place in my life. Give me confidence to speak boldly of you today and to trust in You. Be my rock and My hope.
Note: If you are interested in other studies/devotions, check out my index of Bible Study's.
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