I found this set of facts interesting …

“King of the Jews,” words spoken by gentiles (the Magi, Wise Men) at the beginning of our Lord’s earthly ministry. (Matthew 2:2)

“King of the Jews,” words spoken by a gentile (Pilate) at the end of Jesus’ earthly ministry! (John 19:14)

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Someone called the “Title” Pilate wrote and placed over the dying Jesus’ Head … “The Gospel according to Pilate!”

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The Bible calls the Hebrew tongue “pure!” Or at least I think it is Hebrew. Hear this Old Testament Prophet …

Zephaniah 3:9 … “For then will I turn to the people a pure language, that they may all call upon the name of the LORD, to serve him with one consent.” (This is describing conditions during the coming, glorious Millennium.)

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Garments in the Bible generally picture … CONDUCT!

Psalm 109:18 … “As he clothed himself with cursing like as with his garment, so let it come into his bowels like water.” (Wearing a character trait, this one negative!)

Luke 24:49 … “Tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem, until ye be endued with power from on high.” (Endued here means “wearing, or “putting on” the Power of God!

1 Peter 5:5 … “And be clothed with humility: for God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the humble.”

Judges 6:34 … “But the Spirit of the LORD came upon (labash) Gideon, and he blew a trumpet; and Abiezer was gathered after him.” (The Hebrew verb used here actually says that the Holy Spirit “put on” Gideon, or “wore” Gideon! What a thrilling thought!)

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A memorable quote … “First Adam was clothed by a Holy God! The Last Adam, Jesus was unclothed by wicked men!” (See 2 Corinthians 15:45 for Paul’s use of this Title for Jesus.)

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“Confiscation of goods” was common in crucifixions … but Jesus virtually had no goods!

2 Corinthians 8:9 … “For ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that, though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, that ye through his poverty might be rich.”

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Watch the whole class. You will learn more that way …

— Dr. Mike Bagwell

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12 And from thenceforth Pilate sought to release him: but the Jews cried out, saying, If thou let this man go, thou art not Caesar’s friend: whosoever maketh himself a king speaketh against Caesar. 13 When Pilate therefore heard that saying, he brought Jesus forth, and sat down in the judgment seat in a place that is called the Pavement, but in the Hebrew, Gabbatha. 14 And it was the preparation of the passover, and about the sixth hour: and he saith unto the Jews, Behold your King! 15 But they cried out, Away with him, away with him, crucify him. Pilate saith unto them, Shall I crucify your King? The chief priests answered, We have no king but Caesar. 16 Then delivered he him therefore unto them to be crucified. And they took Jesus, and led him away. 17 And he bearing his cross went forth into a place called the place of a skull, which is called in the Hebrew Golgotha: 18 Where they crucified him, and two other with him, on either side one, and Jesus in the midst.

Israel’s leaders rejected Jesus and chose the Roman Emperor (Tiberias) to be their King! “The chief priests answered, We have no king but Caesar.” Quoting John 19:15!

Yet God’s Law forbade such an action!

Deuteronomy 17:15 … “Thou shalt in any wise set him king over thee, whom the LORD thy God shall choose: one from among thy brethren shalt thou set king over thee: thou mayest not set a stranger (foreigner) over thee, which is not thy brother.”

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The Crucifixion of Jesus, horrible as it must have been, could not have been described less dramatically! There is no appeal to the emotions here, just an invitation to trust Christ by Faith! Verse 18 … “They crucified Him.”

Look at the startling brevity of the Gospel Accounts (all 4 of them) concerning the actual Crucifixion …

Matthew 27:35 … “And they crucified him, and parted his garments, casting lots: that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, They parted my garments among them, and upon my vesture did they cast lots.”

Mark 15:25 … “And it was the third hour, and they crucified him.”

Luke 23:33 … “And when they were come to the place, which is called Calvary, there they crucified him, and the malefactors, one on the right hand, and the other on the left.”

John 19:18, as we have already seen … (Golgotha) … “Where they crucified him, and two other with him, on either side one, and Jesus in the midst.”

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The noun “Pavement” is only found 2 times in all the Bible, both linked with rebellion and unbelief, rank apostasy …

2 Kings 16:10 … “And king Ahaz went to Damascus to meet Tiglathpileser king of Assyria, and saw an altar that was at Damascus: and king Ahaz sent to Urijah the priest the fashion of the altar, and the pattern of it, according to all the workmanship thereof.” Rebuilding the furniture of God’s House according to the pattern of a heathen temple!

Now watch 2 Kings 16:17 … “And king Ahaz cut off the borders of the bases, and removed the laver from off them; and took down the sea from off the brasen oxen that were under it, and put it upon a PAVEMENT Of stones.”

And here in John 19:13 … “When Pilate therefore heard that saying, he brought Jesus forth, and sat down in the judgment seat in a place that is called the PAVEMENT, but in the Hebrew, Gabbatha.”

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My favorite quote of the Lesson …

JESUS WAS DELIVERED TO DEATH THAT WE MIGHT BE DELIVERED FROM DEATH!

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Now, watch the Class …

— Dr. Mike Bagwell

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They are charges, but false ones!

In the Gospel of John, the Jewish leaders tried to accuse Jesus of the following breaches …

1. Matthew 26:61 … “And they said, This fellow said, I am able to destroy the temple of God, and to build it in three days.” (They would have called this error the “desecration of God’s House!” But Jesus was only speaking of the “Temple” of His Body, thus predicting His Resurrection!)

2. John 18:30 … “They answered and said unto him, If he were not a malefactor, we would not have delivered him up unto thee.” Jesus was NOT an evil-doer! He was sinless … and harmless! (Hebrews 7:26)

3. Luke 23:2a … “And they began to accuse him, saying, We found this fellow perverting (dia + strepho) the nation, and forbidding to give tribute to Caesar, saying that he himself is Christ a King.” Jesus loved the Jewish people, His kinsmen. He NEVER perverted that little Nation!

4. Luke 23:2b … “We found this fellow … forbidding to give tribute to Caesar, saying that he himself is Christ a King.” They tried to get Jesus executed for treason! As if he sought to overthrow Rome!

5. Luke 23:5 … “And they were the more fierce, saying, He stirreth up (ana + seio = to shake, quake, tremble, agitate) the people, teaching throughout all Jewry, beginning from Galilee to this place.” Jesus was no agitator! He was a Peacemaker!

6. Luke 23:2c … “We found this fellow perverting the nation, saying that he himself is Christ a King.” No, in fact … when the crowd came to Him and tried to crown Him King … He would not allow such! (John 6:15 … “When Jesus therefore perceived that they would come and take him by force, to make him a king, he departed again into a mountain himself alone.”)

7. And then here in our current Lesson, John 19:7 … “The Jews answered him, We have a law, and by our law he ought to die, because he made himself the Son of God.” Not “made himself,” He WAS (AND STILL IS) the Son of God!

Jesus, what a Saviour!

Six hours later, Friday Morning, let me today add one series of thoughts to this “Article” …

Pilate’s six Questions to Jesus, during his portion of the trial … …

1. John 18:33 … Then Pilate entered into the judgment hall again, and called Jesus, and said unto him, Art thou the King of the Jews?

2, 3. John 18:35 … Pilate answered, Am I a Jew? Thine own nation and the chief priests have delivered thee unto me: What hast thou done?

4. John 18:37 … Pilate therefore said unto him, Art thou a king then? Jesus answered, Thou sayest that I am a king. To this end was I born, and for this cause came I into the world, that I should bear witness unto the truth. Every one that is of the truth heareth my voice.

5. John 18:38 … Pilate saith unto him, What is truth? And when he had said this, he went out again unto the Jews, and saith unto them, I find in him no fault at all.

6. John 19:9 … And went again into the judgment hall, and saith unto Jesus, Whence art thou? But Jesus gave him no answer.

Luke 23:6-7 … When Pilate heard of Galilee, he asked whether the man were a Galilaean. And as soon as he knew that he belonged unto Herod’s jurisdiction, he sent him to Herod, who himself also was at Jerusalem at that time.

Now, if you can invest the time in the Word … watch the whole Class …

— Dr. Mike Bagwell

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“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