“1 Then Pilate therefore took Jesus, and scourged him. 2 And the soldiers platted a crown of thorns, and put it on his head, and they put on him a purple robe, 3 And said, Hail, King of the Jews! and they smote him with their hands. 4 Pilate therefore went forth again, and saith unto them, Behold, I bring him forth to you, that ye may know that I find no fault in him. 5 Then came Jesus forth, wearing the crown of thorns, and the purple robe. And Pilate saith unto them, Behold the man!”

Tidbits from the Lesson ..

Crucifixion damaged no major organ of the body, thus death resulted (eventually) from suffocation, exposure, fatigue, hunger, thirst, even shame!

I have recently learned that Pilate’s words “Behold the man” are weighted with Biblical meaning and precedent!

As examples …

Isaiah 40:9 … O Zion, that bringest good tidings, get thee up into the high mountain; O Jerusalem, that bringest good tidings, lift up thy voice with strength; lift it up, be not afraid; say unto the cities of Judah, BEHOLD YOUR GOD!

1 Samuel 9:17 … And when Samuel saw Saul, the LORD said unto him, BEHOLD THE MAN whom I spake to thee of! this same shall reign over my people.

(Even the Minor Prophets are represented …)

Zechariah 6:12 … And speak unto him, saying, Thus speaketh the LORD of hosts, saying, BEHOLD THE MAN whose name is The BRANCH; and he shall grow up out of his place, and he shall build the temple of the LORD.

Later, after presenting Jesus in this fashion … “BEHOLD THE MAN” … Pilate will soon say, verse 14, “Behold your King!” (An oral proclamation!)

Later he will write “King of the Jews,” a visual proclamation!

Interesting!

Jesus is spotless, sinless, and even His accusers knew such! John actually presents us a seven-fold Declaration of that Innocence …

Judas (Matthew 27:4)

Pilate (John 18:38, 19:4 and 19:6)

Herod (Luke 23:15)

Pilate’s Wife (Matthew 27:19)

Dying thief (Luke 23:41)

The Centurion (Luke 23:47 … When the centurion saw what was done, he glorified God, saying, Certainly this was a righteous man.)

Others at the Cross (Matthew 27:54 … Matthew 27:54 … Now when the centurion, and they that were with him, watching Jesus, saw the earthquake, and those things that were done, they feared greatly, saying, Truly this was the Son of God.)

The Love of God shown at the Cross truly … passes human knowledge!

Ephesians 3:19 … And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God.

Now, if possible, watch the entire Lesson …

— Dr. Mike Bagwell

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Pilate asks the above question of Jesus in all four Gospel Accounts of our Lord’s Trial! (Matthew 27:11, Mark 15:2, Luke 23:3 and here in John 18:33) Someday, literally, Scripture teaches that Jesus will be indeed “KING OF THE JEWS!”

Jesus is called “King,” by His Own Father nonetheless, way back in Psalm 2:6 … “Yet have I set MY KING upon my holy hill of Zion.”

In class I alluded to the fact that Jesus “went about doing good.” The Bible basis for that fact is Acts 10:38 … “How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power: WHO WENT ABOUT DOING GOOD, and healing all that were oppressed of the devil; for God was with him.” (Peter preaching to the gentile Cornelius)

The three times Pilate declared Jesus “faultless” are in close proximity to each other in John’s Gospel. John 18:38 and John 19:4 and John 19:6 … the last two will be discussed in forthcoming lessons.

I love this pithy quote about the Cross … “THIS TERRIBLE WRONG LEADS TO THE GREATEST RIGHT IN ALL HISTORY!” (The Salvation of multitudes of lost souls!)

Our Text is the last time Jesus speaks of TRUTH in John’s Gospel. Reject it often enough, spurn Him repeatedly … and the result may be eternal damnation!

Better yet now, watch the class …

— Dr. Mike Bagwell

Our Text …

25 And Simon Peter stood and warmed himself. They said therefore unto him, Art not thou also one of his disciples? He denied it, and said, I am not. 26 One of the servants of the high priest, being his kinsman whose ear Peter cut off, saith, Did not I see thee in the garden with him? 27 Peter then denied again: and immediately the cock crew. 28 Then led they Jesus from Caiaphas unto the hall of judgment: and it was early; and they themselves went not into the judgment hall, lest they should be defiled; but that they might eat the passover.       29 Pilate then went out unto them, and said, What accusation bring ye against this man? 30 They answered and said unto him, If he were not a malefactor, we would not have delivered him up unto thee. 31 Then said Pilate unto them, Take ye him, and judge him according to your law. The Jews therefore said unto him, It is not lawful for us to put any man to death: 32 That the saying of Jesus might be fulfilled, which he spake, signifying what death he should die.

The Text again contrasts Peter and Jesus! One weak as water, the Other Strong and Resolute!

Peter denied our Lord standing by a warm fire. The three Hebrew young men stood true when confronted with such a fire! (Daniel 3) The Apostle Paul had a “fire” experience as well. (Acts 28) A snake was associated with Paul’s fire, but he shook it off and continued serving the Lord! A snake came out of Peter’s fire … and bit him! A wound he may have never fully overcome.

John’s Gospel does NOT tell us a couple of things about Peter’s denial … things the Synoptics add.

One, Jesus’ look …

Luke 22:59-61 …  And about the space of one hour after another confidently affirmed, saying, Of a truth this fellow also was with him: for he is a Galilaean. 60 And Peter said, Man, I know not what thou sayest. And immediately, while he yet spake, the cock crew. 61 And the Lord turned (strepho), and looked upon (emblepo) Peter. And Peter remembered the word of the Lord, how he had said unto him, Before the cock crow, thou shalt deny me thrice.

Secondly, Peter’s tears …

Matthew 26:75 … And Peter remembered the word of Jesus, which said unto him, Before the cock crow, thou shalt deny me thrice. And he went out, and wept (kla’io) bitterly (pikros).

John, one writer notes, just leaves us with the “echo” of the rooster resounding in our ears!

This too … I wonder what the Roman Catholics do with Peter’s blunder (blunders, really) here? They (wrongly) believe him to be their first (infallible) Pope!

The Jewish leadership wanted Jesus killed on a cruel Cross instead of merely stoned (the Jewish method of execution) because of the extra contempt associated with being hung to death, nailed, on a tree! They are trying to prevent any resurgence of this Jesus Person! (That plan didn’t work!) These Jews well know Deuteronomy 21:23 … He that is hanged is accursed of God.

Listen to Peter brag, shortly before he denied …

Mark 14:29-31 …  But Peter said unto him, Although all shall be offended, yet will not I. 30 And Jesus saith unto him, Verily I say unto thee, That this day, even in this night, before the cock crow twice, thou shalt deny me thrice. 31 But he spake the more vehemently, If I should die with thee, I will not deny thee in any wise. Likewise also said they all.

Here’s a better idea yet … watch the class.

—Dr. Mike Bagwell

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Three times in this short Unit of Scripture Jesus deliberately used the pronoun “ego,” indicating great emphasis on His Person! I will mark them for you with bold, slanted type …

“19 The high priest then asked Jesus of his disciples, and of his doctrine. 20 Jesus answered him, I (EGO)spake openly to the world;  I (EGO) ever taught in the synagogue, and in the temple, whither the Jews always resort; and in secret have I said nothing. 21 Why askest thou me? ask them which heard me, what I have said unto them: behold, they know what I (EGO) said. 22 And when he had thus spoken, one of the officers which stood by struck Jesus with the palm of his hand, saying, Answerest thou the high priest so? 23 Jesus answered him, If I have spoken evil, bear witness of the evil: but if well, why smitest thou me? 24 Now Annas had sent him bound unto Caiaphas the high priest.”

These three emphatic pronouns (unnecessary to the meaning of the Passage or to the rules of grammar, just placed here by our Saviour for emphasis) are spoken by Jesus perhaps to match the three “I AM” Statements He made as He was being arrested! An Incident located back in John 18:4-8.

Or perhaps to match the three times Peter will deny Him (one past, two to go as of our Text today), possibly to imply that Peter fails … but Jesus’ Person, Deity, Character, Essence will NEVER fail!

Now that I have mentioned Jesus’ “I AM” (using “EGO” with a predicate) Proclamations, let me list them for you …

John 6:35 … I am Bread of Life (I am the Bread Which came down from Heaven! Verse 41) (I am the Living Bread! Verse 51)

John 8:12 … I am the Light of the world! (Again in 9:5)

John 10:7 … I am the Door! (of the sheep) (Again in verse 9)

John 10:11 … I am the Good Shepherd! (Repeated in verse 14)

John 11:25 … I am the Resurrection and the Life!

John 14:6 … I am the Way, The Truth, The Life!

John 15:1 … I am the True Vine!  (Repeated in verse 5 with “ye are the branches!”)

Wow!

I really am enjoying the Gospel of John. A Gospel that magnifies Jesus in a unique manner!

Watch the whole class if possible …

— Dr. Mike Bagwell

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