Ep. 12 - The One Where Jesus is Crucified - Part 3 [John 18:1 - 19:24]

In this episode, we complete a 3-part discussion about Jesus and the cross. All 4 Gospels give details about Jesus betrayal, arrest, trial, and crucifixion. For this one, we focus all the details laid out in John's account.

RESOURCES/LINKS MENTIONED

• Pontius Pilate: An Archaeological Biography
• Chart of Old Testament prophecies fulfilled by Jesus

Note: We provide links to specific resources; this is not an endorsement of the entire website, author, organization, etc. Their views may not represent our's.

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Transcript

SPEAKER_02 0:00

This is the Leader Lounge Podcast, a place where we have conversations about scripture and ministry in hopes of helping us all put God's word in our hearts and in our minds so that we can share it with others.

SPEAKER_00 0:11

If I were these people, I would not have gone through with this. If he said I am he and they all fell to the ground. Like that's either because of his power or they're almost bowing. Hey everyone, welcome back to the Leader Lounge podcast. My name is Emily.

SPEAKER_02 0:27

And I'm Chris.

SPEAKER_00 0:28

And today we are finishing a three-part series on the crucifixion. So we've been going through the different Gospels. Um, and today we're gonna be in John.

SPEAKER_02 0:36

That's right. And if you haven't listened to our previous podcast, we have two other ones on the crucifixion that are from the Synoptic Gospels, which are Matthew, Mark, and Luke. And today we're diving into John. We're gonna do two full chapters, pretty much. We'll we'll skip a little bit of it, but we're gonna do quite a bit. So there's gonna be some reading. So if you can go ahead and grab your Bible, we would suggest that so you can read along, and then we're gonna um have some conversations about what we read. And we're gonna start in John chapter 18, and Emily's gonna start reading.

SPEAKER_00 1:07

Yeah. And right before this, Jesus had prayed what is called the high priestly prayer. Um, so he's praying for his disciples, and he's actually praying for his disciples to come, which is really cool because that's us. So that's what it's talking about in the first verse, when it says, When Jesus had spoken these words, he went out with his disciples across the brook Kildrin, where there was a garden, where he and his disciples entered. Now Judas, who had betrayed him, also knew the place, for Jesus often met with met there with his disciples. So Judas, having procured a band of soldiers and some officers from the chief priests and the Pharisees, went there with lanterns and torches and weapons. Then Jesus, knowing all that would happen to him, came forward and said to them, Whom do you seek? They answered him, Jesus of Nazareth. Jesus said to them, I am he. Judas, who betrayed him, was standing with them. When Jesus said to him, I am he, they drew back and fell to the ground. So he asked them again, Whom do you seek? And they said, Jesus of Nazareth. Jesus answered, I told you that I am he, so if you seek me, let these men go. This was to fulfill the word that he had spoken. Of those whom you gave me, I have lost not one. Then Simon Peter, having a sword, drew it and struck the high priest's servant and cut off his right ear. The servant's name was Malchus. So Jesus said to Peter, Put your sword into its sheath, shall I not drink the cup that the Father has given me?

SPEAKER_02 2:35

I really like verse four, where it says, Then Jesus, knowing all that would happen to him, came forward and said to them, I mean, he is God in human form, but he's also a human being, and we know that he's already prayed that God would remove the cup from him, right? But that God's will would be done, meaning the Father, because Jesus is God. So it's this this picture of the Father and the Son together. Um, but even though Jesus doesn't, in his human humanness, he doesn't want to go through the pain of the cross, and he's praying, let this cup be taken from me, he is still, he just steps up. He's like, I I know everything that's gonna happen, and he steps forward and says, I am he. And uh he just does exactly, and it's kind of manly too. You know what I mean? Like we we think of Jesus a lot of times as this, you know, guy who just walks around and holds babies and carries sheep or whatever. You know, there's those pictures, but Jesus, you don't you don't think that that's who Jesus That's not what I picture always, but okay.

SPEAKER_00 3:38

Well I think of the I think of the picture or the children's Bibles, I guess there's yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 3:42

But Jesus was like a man's man, you know, and um, and so he he steps forward and he knows he's gonna die, but he does it.

SPEAKER_00 3:51

And it's crazy in verse six, like if I was these people, I would not have gone through with this. If he said I am he and they all fell to the ground, like that's either because of his power, or they're almost bowing, like without like they don't want to, but like he's so powerful. It doesn't tell us exactly um why they're falling to the ground, but it's some even if it's involuntary, it's probably the fear of God at least like they're like this is God. Um, even if they don't want to believe it, they know something's different. But I would have left right then. Like how it's crazy they still arrested him even after that moment.

SPEAKER_02 4:33

Yeah. And I haven't I haven't looked at the like the original language here, but it is an I am statement, right? And so I just wonder if he when he says I am, like if that's if that that was him basically saying I am God, you know, um, and that they did fall to the ground. I mean, there's other places in scripture going all the way back to the old testament where you know you can't even look at the face of God. You know, you you we're just in awe of who God is, right? Interestingly, I have something written in my um Bible here. Jesus says I am, Peter says I am not. And um, you know, when when Peter is denying Jesus, um, three times he says, I'm not, you know, and it just uh just the contrast of humans, human beings and our sinfulness, um, and then Jesus being like steadfast in who he is, you know. But Peter tries to kind of lie his way out of he's he's weak where Jesus is strong, you know.

SPEAKER_00 5:34

Yeah. It's also interesting. I know we didn't read the high priestly prayer, but I read it earlier today, and this in verse nine, what Jesus is fulfilling is actually something he had just prayed. He was praying to God the Father and said, Of those whom you gave me, I have lost not one. And so it's so interesting that that's being fulfilled right then. Yeah. Like, which John also, throughout the rest of the crucifixion story, says a lot. Like this certain thing was to fulfill this thing. Like it's cool how he goes back.

SPEAKER_02 6:11

That is neat too, because John, you know, we believe John was written several years later than the other ones. So John had more time to think about and ponder and pray, like, and realize a lot of the how the all the these prophecies came true, you know. And um I uh I have underlined the servant's name was Malchus, and I know we've talked about this before on previous um episodes, but I I love when names are given because Malchus could have denied it, you know what I mean? But I kind of think that Malchus was probably a believer who was in the church. I don't know that for sure. But later on, yeah, I think why wouldn't he be? If Jesus healed him, you know what I mean? Like he he he was he healed his ear, and then Malchus got to see everything. And I just I I think it would be strange if his name was in there if he could go back and debunk it. You know what I'm saying? If that makes sense. I also like the detail, his right ear. You know, like it was that if you were just making up a story, I don't think you would put that in there, you know. All right, so we're actually gonna skip ahead a little bit at this point. Um, we've talked about Peter's denial a few times already in previous podcasts. So if that's something that you want to um kind of explore more of, go back and listen to that. Um, but I do want to pick up where Jesus is having a conversation with Pilate. So Jesus is in, you know, he goes to Py they send him to Pilate and they're having this conversation, and we're gonna look at verse, what is it, thirty-three thirty-three. So here's what it says. So Pilate entered his headquarters again and called Jesus and said to him, Are you the king of the Jews? Jesus answered, Do you say this of your own accord, or did others say it to you about me? Pilate answered, Am I a Jew? Your own nation and the chief priest have delivered you over to me. What have you done? Jesus answered, My kingdom is not of this world. If my kingdom were of this world, my servants would have been fighting, that I might not be delivered over to the Jews, but my kingdom is not from the world. Then Pilate said to him, So you are a king. Jesus answered, You say that I am a king, for this purpose I was born, and for this purpose I have come into the world to bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth listens to my voice. Pilate said to him, What is truth? After he said this, he went back outside to the Jews and told him, I find no guilt in him, but you have a custom that I should release one man for you at the Passover. So do you want me to release to you the king of the Jews? And they cried out again, Not this man, but Barabbas. Now Barabbas was a robber.

SPEAKER_00 9:01

Is this the only gospel where we have like this conversation recorded?

SPEAKER_02 9:08

I think so. I think, I mean, there's I think there's some other conversation, there's other record of things that Jesus says with Pilate. But I think this is the only one where this specific conversation takes place.

SPEAKER_00 9:21

It's interesting, he said, if my kingdom were of this world, my servants would have been fighting, which is exactly what Peter tried to do, and that's why he stopped him to show like we're not doing this, how the world expects or how armies of people would go about this. Like Jesus is different, and above all that.

SPEAKER_02 9:43

That's good. I think it's interesting, you know, this is back in the Roman Empire where there was only one king, right? There was an emperor, and anybody else who claimed to be a king was basically committing treason, right? And so Pilate says, so you are a king. Like Jesus is claiming to be a king. Pilate hears him say that, and Pilate still tries to release him. So I'm just like, man, there must have been something. I I wish I was there for that conversation of what was going on in Pilate's mind. And I don't think I mean this in in John, it doesn't talk about it, but remember, Pilate's wife came to him and said, Hey, don't have anything to do with this man. Like I had a terrible dream. And so all of that has to be going through Pilate's head as he's having this conversation with Jesus, right?

SPEAKER_00 10:30

I wish we had information on Pilate after Jesus died.

SPEAKER_02 10:36

I wonder if we do. I wonder if like Josephus, he was one of the his the Jewish. Not in the Bible, but I wonder if there's historical.

SPEAKER_00 10:44

Because even later, we're gonna read this later. So to jump ahead a little bit, he put the king of the Jews above Jesus' head when he was crucified. And then everyone was like, Don't say that. Say that he said he was. And Pilate, in verse 22 of 19, sorry, I'm jumping ahead. Pilate answered, What I have written, I have written. So it's almost like he kind of believed it. Like it seems mocking, but then the people are like, No, don't put that, and he sticks with it, which is interesting.

SPEAKER_02 11:13

Yeah. It it shows God's sovereignty. I mean, if you go back in the Old Testament, like even, you know, Pharaoh and when when the Hebrews were there, like God hardens Pharaoh's heart. It's this mystery of like the way the story is playing out. Like, God doesn't need us, right? God can use us. Even our sermon, the sermon that we had at church um recently, our our pastor was like, you can be what do you say?

SPEAKER_00 11:38

You can be a uh a partner, a partner with God, or a problem that God will work despite.

SPEAKER_02 11:44

Yeah, but God's mission still goes through, right? So even though Pilate is the one, I mean Pilate's the one who's accomplishing, he's the only one that can sentence Jesus to death, right? And he's so he is accomplishing the mission that was set forth in Genesis chapter three, right? Where it says that he will strike his heel and that he'll crush his head, right? And so um Pilate is doing that right here. And I I really like verse 38, where Pilate said to him, What is truth? Um, I think that speaks to our culture today, you know. Um, what is truth? And I think when it comes down to it, Jesus is truth, right? He says, I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. All right, you want to go ahead and read? Why don't you read through verse sixteen, I guess?

SPEAKER_00 12:38

Then Pilate took Jesus and flogged him, and the soldiers twisted together a crown of thorns and put it on his head and arrayed him in a purple robe. They came up to him, saying, Hail, King of the Jews, and struck him with their hands. 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. So Jesus came out, wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe. Pilate said to them, Behold the man. 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. 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. When Pilate heard this statement, he was even more afraid. He entered his headquarters again and said to Jesus, Where are you from? But Jesus gave him no answer. 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? Jesus answered him, You would have no authority over me at all unless it had been given to you from above. Therefore he who delivered me over to you has the greater sin. 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. 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 an Aramaic Gabbatha. Now it was the day of preparation of the Passover. It was about the sixth hour. He said to the Jews, Behold your king. They cried out, Away with him, away with him, crucify him. Pilate said to them, Shall I crucify your king? The chief priest answered, We have no king but Caesar. So he delivered him over to them to be crucified. In verse 8, when he says he was afraid, do you think he was afraid of the people, or do you think he was afraid of Jesus almost? Because I I think he kind of believes Jesus. Like that's what it's is seeming like.

SPEAKER_02 14:41

Yeah, I I think he's just afraid. I mean, this entire, you know, we read it, right? And it we kind of sanitize it in our minds. But if you could, you know, if we could go back in time and be there that day from the from the point of Jesus getting arrested, like it must have been so chaotic and just a wild scene all the way around. And Pilate is right in the middle of it, right? And I just think he's probably caught up in this whirlwind of fear. I mean, like I said before, his wife has already told him not to have anything to do with this guy. Um, he's fearful of, I mean, the the Roman government, obviously, he could they could squash anything at any time, and so he's probably fearful of them. And now he's got this guy who everybody's saying is claiming to be God, and even the guy himself is saying, You would have no authority over me. I mean, uh when he says that, you would have no authority over me unless it was given to you from above. Verse 12, it says, Then Pilate sought to release him. Um, it just keeps saying he kept trying to release him. You know, uh, I think he was just fearful.

SPEAKER_00 15:48

It's just interesting. They say he's a son of God and then he's afraid. And then he goes and asks Jesus, Where are you from? Like he's almost like trying to maybe see if he'll proclaim that to him. Like, are you gonna tell me you're from heaven? Are you gonna tell me a name of a town? Like, and then Jesus doesn't answer at all.

SPEAKER_02 16:06

Yeah, it's it's really sad. I mean, but it's it's why Jesus came, but in verse um, gosh, I can't see these. I guess verse 15. The the these are the religious people, right? The leaders, and they say, We have no king but Caesar. Like they have completely gone the way of the world. Um, all right, let me keep keep going here. It says here, so they took Jesus and he went out bearing his own cross to the place called the place of the skull, which in Aramaic is called Golgotha. There they crucified him, and with him two others, one on either side, and Jesus between them. Pilate also wrote an inscription and put it on the cross. It read Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews. Many of the Jews read the inscription, for the place where Jesus was crucified was near the city, and it was written in Aramaic, in Latin, and in Greek. So the chief priests of the Jews said to Pilate, Do not write the King of the Jews, but rather this man said, I am the King of the Jews. Pilate answered, What I have written, I have written. When the soldiers had crucified Jesus, they took his garments and divided them into four parts, one part for each soldier and his tunic, but the tunic was seamless, woven in one piece from top to bottom. 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 said, They divided my garments among them, and for my clothing they cast lots. So the soldiers did these things. But standing by the cross of Jesus were his mother and his mother's sister Mary, the wife of Clopus and Mary Magdalene. When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby, he said to his mother, Woman, behold your son. Then he said to the disciple, Behold your mother, and from that hour the disciple took her into his own home. After this, Jesus, knowing that all was now finished, said, To fulfill the scriptures, I thirst. A jar full of sour wine stood there, so they put a sponge full of sour wine on a hyssop branch, and held it to his mouth. When Jesus had received the sour wine, he said, It is finished. And he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.

SPEAKER_00 18:20

Do you know off the top of your head how many or around how many prophecies Jesus fulfilled? It's like six hundred something.

SPEAKER_02 18:30

It's in the hundreds. It's it's way up there. I think it's something like that. We can look that up and we can put a link to that in the show notes.

SPEAKER_00 18:38

You just see it two more times in that passage of dividing his garments and then um drinking the wine. It's just so interesting because people can be like, oh well, he knew the prophecies, like, of course he was fulfilling them. But even like the garments, like he had no control. I mean, he did, because he's God, but like if someone were to say he wasn't God, and that's just a coincidence, like he had no control, he didn't tell them to do that, they just did that, and that fulfilled a scripture. And then even the wine, like he had complete control over when he was going to die, and he fulfilled that last scripture before he died on the cross, and then he gave up his spirit, like he was in complete control the whole time.

SPEAKER_02 19:27

Yeah, that's good. I I think about the scene, you know, part of this podcast is like helping us to really consider what it must have been like in these stories and what it was like back then. But so Jesus is going up, you know, that he he's carrying his cross. Um, we know that there's a man named Simon who actually has to help him carry his cross, right? Because he's he falls down and he can't do it himself totally. Um, but at some point, Pilate, it says Pilate also wrote an inscription and put it on the cross. So I don't know if that's if Pilate actually did that himself or if he had it written by somebody else, but somebody had to bring and it it had to be big enough to have it written in three different languages, and then they brought it and they also attached it to the cross somehow, right? So in the in the midst of Jesus getting nailed to the cross and walking there, Pilate does and I don't know if that was that something they did.

SPEAKER_00 20:21

Um did they did they they probably put their crime?

SPEAKER_02 20:25

The crime, yeah, on it. So Jesus' crime is to be the king of the Jews, right? Um, and then the the people, the religious leaders, see it on there. Do some of them leave the cross, like they were probably witnessing the cross, the crucifixion. Do they leave and go to Pilate's palace or was Pilate there? So somehow at some point they they walk up to Pilate, they go to him and they're like, You can't don't put that sign up there, change the sign. And Pilate's like, No, I've written it already, like it's already done and it's already up there, right? Just all the different um characters in this this story that's playing out. You know, what must it have been like that day? Then I also love, you mentioned that Jesus was in complete control. He also has the presence of mind to look at his mom and have compassion for her and to at his disciple, the disciple who he loved, who we know as John, the guy who's writing this, right? And so he he has the presence of mind on the cross after he's been beaten, crown of thorns, like nailed to a cross, and he still has the presence of mind to talk to them and say, you know, this is your son, this is your your mother. And then the last thing from this section is when Jesus says it is finished, like if I'm speaking to kids about this story, that is one of the main points of you know, that it is at that point that Jesus is saying, I have paid for your sin. Your debt has been paid, which is literally what that means. Pay In full. So when the phrase that Jesus uses to say it is finished can also be translated paid in full. So Romans 623, for the wages of sin is death, the wage has been paid in full. All right. The free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. And so Jesus decided when he was going to die. And he said, It is finished. You want to read the last part?

SPEAKER_00 22:27

Yes. So we're going to start in verse 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. What does that mean? That Sabbath was a high day?

SPEAKER_01 22:42

Yeah, it was like a religious holiday.

SPEAKER_00 22:46

I just didn't know what the high high meant. The Jews asked Pilate that their legs might be broken and that they might be taken away. So the soldiers came and broke the legs of the first and of the other who had been crucified with him. But when they came to Jesus and saw that he was already dead, they did not break his legs. But one of the soldiers pierced his side with a spear, and at once there came out blood and water. He who saw it has borne witness, his testimony is true, and he knows that he is telling the truth, that you may also believe. For these things took place that the scripture might be fulfilled, not one of his bones will be broken, and another scripture says, They will look on him whom they have pierced. Um, and there's a few more verses in there that talk about Joseph of Arimathea and Jesus being buried in his tomb. And we have we've talked about that in our other podcasts with the other gospels too.

SPEAKER_02 23:39

Yeah, and Nicodemus, he comes back into the story.

SPEAKER_00 23:43

Oh, yeah, that is different here.

SPEAKER_02 23:45

So Nicodemus was chapter three of John, right? It's the conversation where John 3.16 takes place. Um, and now Nicodemus was a believer along with Joseph of Arimathea. Um and uh yeah. If you've watched The Chosen, like I love the that season with with uh where Nicodemus is a prominent figure where he's just wrestling with could this be could this be, you know. Do you know why they broke their legs? Why that would speed up their death?

SPEAKER_00 24:18

Because then they couldn't raise themselves up to breathe.

SPEAKER_02 24:21

That's right. So a lot of people think that when you die on a cross, you die from bleeding, but that's not the case. You actually die from suffocation. And so what would happen is you would they would nail your hands or your wrists to the to the wood and your feet to the wood, and then you're you're literally, I've heard your shoulders would pop out of socket that's that with that much weight. Um, and and so the only way you could breathe, because you would be just hunched over, would be to push yourself up on your feet in order to catch a breath. And so it was it was hours that some sometimes I I've heard days that people could stay on this cross, um, but eventually they would they would die of exhaustion, of suffocation. Um but Jesus again didn't die of suffocation. Um, they didn't have to break his legs because he gave up his spirit uh on by himself. All right. Well, hey, thanks for joining us on the Leader Lounge. And uh we as we always do, we're gonna close out with a prayer. Emily, would you pray for us?

SPEAKER_00 25:21

Dear Heavenly Father, thank you for your redemption plan that we've gotten to study the past three weeks. And I just pray that it would never grow old for us to read about and talk about because this is how we're saved. And this is um the story of you, exactly what we said, paying the price in full. And so I thank you for that. And I pray that you would just bring this to our mind constantly and help us share it with others. Um I just thank you for all the listeners. Thank you for the opportunity to get to talk about you and read your word. And we love you so much. Amen.

SPEAKER_02 26:03

Amen. And if you enjoy this podcast, we would encourage you to leave us a what do you call it? Five star review. Five star review. Share it with other people. If you have people who are um young life or wildlife leaders, especially, um, that's our hope is that this would be some something that would be a resource for them to help with like club talks and campaign or Bible studies and stuff like that. So, hey, have a great day.