John 19 Part I (Christ the King)

Chapter 19 of John’s Gospel, tells the story of the trial and the execution of our Lord, Jesus Christ at the hands of Pontius Pilate. The mystery of the Cross is at the heart of the Christian faith, and John’s telling of it is rich in layered detail and meaning. It would be impossible to fully understand the depths of what the Evangelist, John is telling us here. To begin to mine these riches, it is useful to look for repeated themes and ideas.

One prominent theme in this chapter is Christ as King. The soldiers who torture Christ while He is in their custody mock Jesus by arraying him in purple and the crown of thorns. The Romans represent the disordered authority of this world. As such, when they encounter the true authority of our Lord Jesus Christ, their response initially is contempt. Pontius Pilate joins in as he brings forth Christ, dressed in his mock regalia and declares, “here is the man.” (John 19:5) The shock of this scene may be lost having heard the story many times, but make no mistake: the Roman authorities are unwittingly engaging in the worst blasphemy ever committed.

The Jews demand Christ’s death, saying, “we have a law, and by that law, he ought to die, because he has made himself the Son of God.” (John 19:7) Again, the contrast between Christ and the unjust authorities putting him to death come into focus. Christ did not make Himself the Son of God. That is who Jesus Christ is. On the other hand, the Roman Emperors, starting with Julius Caesar, would be declared gods and sons of gods. By juxtaposing an emissary of the false god in Rome with Jesus Christ, sent by the Father, John is condemning the blasphemous arrogance of the Roman authorities.

Pilate is clearly overwhelmed by these events, but he attempts to assert his authority to our Lord. “Do you not know that I have power to release you, and power to crucify you?” Our Lord, the true judge, who has the power both to forgive us and to condemn us replies, “you would have no power over me unless it had been given you from above; therefore he who delivered me to you has the greater sin.”

Jesus does not explicitly say who “has the greater sin.” Judas Iscariot and the Jewish leadership each had a part in handing over Jesus to Pilate. We, as followers of Christ, betray Jesus through our sin and therefore had a hand in handing him over as Judas did. The Jewish authorities rejected the Messiah, and literallly handed him over. This short statement of our Lord has numerous valid interpretations, and opens the door to greater meditation on our own sin and that of the world around us in relation to the crucifixion.

“You would have no power over me unless it had been give you from above,” suggests an additional meaning. Pontius Pilate derived his authority from Caesar. When the chief priests declare, “we have no king but Caesar,” they are swearing allegiance to a man who styled himself as a god. Caesar was the literal “ruler of this world” -- the Graeco-Roman world of which Israel was a small part -- and a blasphemous counterfeit of God, a type of Satan.

This ironic contrast between Jesus and Pontius Pilate is heightened when Pilate, finally, sits in judgment of Jesus on the “bematos” -- the “judgment seat.” (John 19:13) He condemns our Lord to death. Above His Cross, Pontius Pilate writes in Hebrew, Latin and Greek, “Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews.” This sign would have been intelligible by people anywhere within the Roman Empire -- essentially, anywhere within the known world. In a sense, it declares Christ’s Kingship to the ends of the Earth. What is not clear is the extent to which Pilate meant this to be ironic. Was this a final mocking jab at our Lord, or the feeble attempt of Pilate to redeem himself in some small way?