John 19:17-24

¹⁷So the soldiers took charge of Jesus. Carrying His own cross, He went out to the place of the Skull (which in Aramaic is called Golgotha). ¹⁸Here they crucified Him, and with Him two others - one on each side and Jesus in the middle. ¹⁹Pilate had a notice prepared and fastened to the cross. It read: JESUS OF NAZARETH, THE KING OF THE JEWS. ²⁰Many of the Jews read this sign, for the place where Jesus was crucified was near the city, and the sign was written in Aramaic, Latin and Greek. ²¹The chief priests of the Jews protested to Pilate, "Do not write 'The King of the Jews,' but that this Man claimed to be king of the Jews." ²²Pilate answered, "What I have written, I have written." ²³When the soldiers crucified Jesus, they took His clothes, dividing them into four shares, one for each of them, with the undergarment remaining. This garment was seamless, woven in one piece from top to bottom. ²⁴"Let's not tear it," they said to one another. "Let's decide by lot who will get it." This happened that the scripture might be fulfilled which said, 'They divided my garments among them and cast lots for my clothing' [Psalm 22:18]. So this is what the soldiers did.

Again, this is a lengthy, drawn out view of the Holy of Holies, our final destination in the tour of the tabernacle that John has given us in his gospel. And John most certainly is aware of Mark’s gospel, and maybe Matthew’s and Luke’s as well. So he doesn’t include all the details that they offer. He simply glories in the cross. Jesus is exalted as He is lifted up on the cross. This, it could be said, begins the climax of John’s gospel – the glory of the cross. Christians stand in awe at the cross; and outsiders may consider it strange – like cherishing a golden electric chair or guillotine. But it was at that cross that our salvation was purchased. And so just as our Savior endured the cross for the joy set before Him, so we glory in it as well.

Here at Golgotha, the spotless Lamb of God was numbered among the transgressors (Isaiah 53:12), because, indeed, He had our transgressions upon Him. Jesus, whose only “fault” was that He was the King of the Jews, died so that we might live. The King of the world was proclaimed to be King in the most important languages of the time (Hebrew, or Aramaic, Greek, and Latin), just as His kingship would soon be proclaimed in every tongue, and to every kindred, people, and nation (Revelation 5:9-10). Hebrew or Aramaic represented the official language of Judea. Latin represented the official language of the Roman Empire. And Greek represented common street language of the day. It is almost certain that this multiple language sign was uncommon. It was God’s will that all nations would be able to know that Jesus is the King of the Jews. It is for this reason that we engage in translating the Scriptures in the languages of every tribe, tongue, people, and nation, that God would draw all men unto Himself by His word. Similarly to where John points out that Caiaphas prophesied accurately though he didn’t mean to, here John points out that Pilate’s sign did not meet the Jews’ demands, but it also an accurate declaration of the Person of Jesus. The Jews didn’t want the sign to read what it read. But God overrode their desires to bring His will to pass.

The trials of the cross are illustrated here as a symbol of the King’s enthronement ceremony. Jesus is enthroned in the opposite way that you might expect in a coronation ceremony. In our view, a king gets a robe and is shown to the throne, makes a few first declarations in power, and sits down to reign triumphantly. Jesus, however, was exalted to glory in quite a different manner. He was disrobed and nailed to a tree; He made a few final declarations in compassion; and He hung to die and to be buried in darkness.

John reveals here the King’s disrobing. Here at Golgotha, or Calvary, all the prophecies of God were fulfilled, including prophecies related to our peace and justification, even down to the most minor detail of what would become of His garments (John 19:24; Psalm 22:18). Remember when Jesus washed the disciples feet, He took off His outer robe, and we noted that as a sign of humiliation. Well this is the greatest humiliation, because in all likelihood, Jesus was nailed to the cross buck-naked. It may be appalling to think about Jesus having nothing to cover His shame; but do you remember the last thing that the Bible says before the description of mankind’s fall? Adam and Eve were naked, and they were not ashamed; they had nothing to be embarrassed about. Clothing comes after the fall. John is saying, as he brings all of these strands of biblical teaching together, that Jesus on the cross is going back to the beginning. He’s going back to where Adam was; He’s going to the cross having fulfilled all righteousness, having obeyed the covenant of works that Adam had broken. And He’s going there as naked as Adam was in the Garden of Eden. But unlike Adam, He’s covered with sin. He’s covered with our sin. He’s bearing Adam’s shame and guilt, and He’s meeting the unmitigated judgment of God. Christ was stripped of His garments, that He might clothe us with righteousness; His naked body was exposed to the insults of men, that we may appear in glory before the judgment-seat of God.

Apart from this event, we are hopeless and helpless, lost in shame and guilt; because of this event, we are more than conquerors, and possessors of every blessing, far more than we could ever imagine (Romans 8:37; Ephesians 1:3; 1 Corinthians 2:9).