16b 19:16bSo they took Jesus, 17 19:17and he went out, bearing his own cross, to the place called The Place of a Skull, which in Aramaic is called Golgotha. 18 19:18There they crucified him, and with him two others, one on either side, and Jesus between them. 19 19:19Pilate also wrote an inscription and put it on the cross. It read, “Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews.” 20 19:20Many of the Jews read this inscription, for the place where Jesus was crucified was near the city, and it was written in Aramaic, in Latin, and in Greek. 21 19:21So the chief priests of the Jews said to Pilate, “Do not write, ‘The King of the Jews,’ but rather, ‘This man said, I am King of the Jews.’” 22 19:22Pilate answered, “What I have written I have written.”
23 19:23When 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 19:24so 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, 25 19:25but standing by the cross of Jesus were his mother and his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. 26 19:26When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby, he said to his mother, “Woman, behold, your son!” 27 19:27Then he said to the disciple, “Behold, your mother!” And from that hour the disciple took her to his own home.
28 19:28After this, Jesus, knowing that all was now finished, said (to fulfill the Scripture), “I thirst.” 29 19:29A 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 19:30When Jesus had received the sour wine, he said, “It is finished,” and he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.
John narrates the crucifixion of Jesus, who was hailed as king at Golgotha, or “Skull Place” (John 19:16–22). John relates how the Scriptures were fulfilled unwittingly by the soldiers (vv. 23–24), how those who loved Jesus stood with him at the cross (vv. 25–27), and how Jesus finished the work the Father had given him to do (vv. 28–30).
19:23–24 The Soldiers. John juxtaposes Jesus’ dying for others and the soldiers’ living for themselves in verses 23–24. The salvation of the world is being accomplished before their eyes, and they gamble for his garments. Dividing up his clothes, selfishly seeking spoils from his victory, the soldiers find his tunic to be seamless. This quality apparel indicates that Jesus saw the value of well-made clothing and affirmed the value of good work. The stripping and killing of Jesus, his garments to be used by others, invites reflection on the way that others are covered by his righteousness. As Jesus dies on the cross, the clothing he wore in life is being taken from him to cover others. The seamless and complete tunic suggests that his righteousness is whole and indivisible. Those covered by it will stand unashamed in the holy presence of the Father.
We have seen John quote psalms that contribute to the theme of the righteous sufferer (e.g., in 13:18), and in 19:24 he does so again. In Psalm 22 David speaks of the way that his enemies and adversaries intend to conquer and plunder him. He figuratively depicts his own historical experience in the poetry of Psalm 22:18, understanding that the pattern of the righteous sufferer would find its ultimate fulfillment in the righteous sufferer, Jesus. John understands what happens to Jesus as the fulfillment of what David describes in Psalm 22:18.
19:25–27 The Family. The King of the world is dying on the cross for the sins of his people. The soldiers executing him are stealing his clothing. And the King is thinking not of himself but of his mother. Peter has fled and is not to be found, but the mother of Jesus is there with her friends. People probably knew, or could discern easily enough, that she was his mother. They probably would have pointed, whispered, and wagged their heads. Yet this woman loves her son too much to let him die alone.
She must have been a good woman, a woman whose sister and friends could probably not think of letting her go alone to such a place at such a time (v. 25). These women no doubt loved Jesus too. They loved him enough to bear the reproach. They loved him enough to risk guilt by association. They loved him enough to take on the shame of standing with the crucified and his mother.
And what a son that mother has! There he is, dying on the cross, yet he looks after his mother (vv. 26–27). Jesus lives out the meaning of the commandment to honor father and mother (Deut. 5:16). Those who would be like Jesus will be more concerned about others than about themselves. Those who would be like Jesus will see that their mothers’ needs are met. That Jesus provides for his mother by entrusting her to the care of the beloved disciple, most likely John, indicates that Mary’s husband, Joseph, has died.
That Jesus entrusts his mother to John also indicates that he means for his mother to be cared for by those who belong to the family of faith. The brothers of Jesus did not believe in him in John 7:5, and Paul mentions that Jesus appeared to his brother James after he rose from the dead (1 Cor. 15:7); perhaps James and Jude and the others were not converted until after the resurrection. If so, as he dies Jesus entrusts the care of his mother to one who loves him, one who recognizes him as Israel’s rightful King and Messiah.
19:28–30 The Finish. How can John write about what Jesus knew as he died on the cross (v. 28)? Perhaps he discussed these events with Jesus before Jesus ascended into heaven (cf. Acts 1:1–3). Perhaps such a conversation gave John additional insight into how Jesus declared his thirst in order to bring about the fulfillment of Psalm 69:21, another psalm contributing to the theme of the righteous sufferer. Jesus declares his thirst knowing they will offer him sour wine, and he prompts them to give him sour wine to provide yet another instance of the fulfillment of the pattern of a righteous sufferer.
Jesus knows he has finished his course (John 19:28). He knows he has completed the work the Father gave him to do (cf. 17:4). Having accomplished the fulfillment of Psalm 69:21, Jesus makes the sweetest, most triumphant, most comforting declaration human ears could ever hear: “It is finished” (John 19:30)—in Greek, tetelestai. The righteous life has been lived. The greatest demonstration of humility and love has been accomplished. Exact obedience to every righteous requirement of the Father has been maintained. The full measure of the Father’s wrath has been poured out. The cup has been drained to the dregs. The penalty for sin has been paid. The substitute has taken the place of his people. Atonement has been made for every one of their innumerable transgressions. The stains have been made clean, the Father’s wrath propitiated, the law’s demand fulfilled, the pains of the people taken, guilt forgiven, old made new, salvation accomplished, love demonstrated, truth upheld, mercy lavished, brokenness healed, evil unplugged, Satan defeated, the promise of life made. It is finished.
Jesus did not expire. He did not reach a place where he could no longer maintain himself—not in John’s presentation of these events. John presents Jesus as finishing his work, fulfilling the Scriptures, bowing his head, and giving up the ghost (v. 30). John writes that Jesus “gave up his spirit,” using an active verb to communicate that Jesus was the actor in his death. As Jesus declared in 10:18, they did not take his life from him; he gave it up on his own terms and as he had decided to do.
1 Greek chiton, a long garment worn under the cloak next to the skin
1 Matthew 27:56 indicates that the mother of the sons of Zebedee was also there.