Jesus the Dying King.

 

John 19:16 – 42.

16 Then he delivered Him to them to be crucified. So they took Jesus and led Him away. 

17 And He, bearing His cross, went out to a place called the Place of a Skull, which is called in Hebrew, Golgotha, 

18 where they crucified Him, and two others with Him, one on either side, and Jesus in the center. 

19 Now Pilate wrote a title and put it on the cross. And the writing was: JESUS OF NAZARETH, THE KING OF THE JEWS. 

20 Then many of the Jews read this title, for the place where Jesus was crucified was near the city; and it was written in Hebrew, Greek, and Latin. 

21 Therefore the chief priests of the Jews said to Pilate, "Do not write, 'The King of the Jews,' but, 'He said, "I am the King of the Jews." ' " 

22 Pilate answered, "What I have written, I have written." 

23 Then the soldiers, when they had crucified Jesus, took His garments and made four parts, to each soldier a part, and also the tunic. Now the tunic was without seam, woven from the top in one piece. 

24 They said therefore among themselves, "Let us not tear it, but cast lots for it, whose it shall be," that the Scripture might be fulfilled which says: "They divided My garments among them, And for My clothing they cast lots." Therefore the soldiers did these things. 

25 Now there stood by the cross of Jesus His mother, and His mother's sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. 

26 When Jesus therefore saw His mother, and the disciple whom He loved standing by, He said to His mother, "Woman, behold your son!" 

27 Then He said to the disciple, "Behold your mother!" And from that hour that disciple took her to his own home. 

28 After this, Jesus, knowing that all things were now accomplished, that the Scripture might be fulfilled, said, "I thirst!" 

29 Now a vessel full of sour wine was sitting there; and they filled a sponge with sour wine, put it on hyssop, and put it to His mouth. 

30 So when Jesus had received the sour wine, He said, "It is finished!" And bowing His head, He gave up His spirit. 

31 Therefore, because it was the Preparation Day, that the bodies should not remain on the cross on the Sabbath (for that Sabbath was a high day), the Jews asked Pilate that their legs might be broken, and that they might be taken away. 

32 Then the soldiers came and broke the legs of the first and of the other who was crucified with Him. 

33 But when they came to Jesus and saw that He was already dead, they did not break His legs. 

34 But one of the soldiers pierced His side with a spear, and immediately blood and water came out. 

35 And he who has seen has testified, and his testimony is true; and he knows that he is telling the truth, so that you may believe. 

36 For these things were done that the Scripture should be fulfilled, "Not one of His bones shall be broken." 

37 And again another Scripture says, "They shall look on Him whom they pierced." 

38 After this, Joseph of Arimathea, being a disciple of Jesus, but secretly, for fear of the Jews, asked Pilate that he might take away the body of Jesus; and Pilate gave him permission. So he came and took the body of Jesus. 

39 And Nicodemus, who at first came to Jesus by night, also came, bringing a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about a hundred pounds. 

40 Then they took the body of Jesus, and bound it in strips of linen with the spices, as the custom of the Jews is to bury. 

41 Now in the place where He was crucified there was a garden, and in the garden a new tomb in which no one had yet been laid. 

42 So there they laid Jesus, because of the Jews' Preparation Day, for the tomb was nearby.

                                       ...........................................................................

16 Then he delivered Him to them to be crucified. So they took Jesus and led Him away. 

Jesus had given Himself over to the will of His Father, He had said to the Father, if there was no other way, so be it. “Not My will but Thine be done”.

Judas had fulfilled his role in the purpose and plan of God.

Luke 22:3, ESV"Then Satan entered into Judas called Iscariot, who was of the number of the twelve.”.

Judas was a non-believer, not because of any spiritual destiny, but because he ignored the Holy Spirit. He had the same opportunities to listen to the Spirit as did the other apostles, but he chose not to respond.
That is the case for all the unsaved people today. The Holy Spirit is on the outside of them, too,  His work is to convict men of sin of righteousnes and judgement — but He will not force men into submission. He needs to be invited in through the gate, the door, the way of Jesus Christ, and too often he is left outside being greived, but not forever.
The scriptures say: My Spirit will not always strive with man.
 

Just as the Holy Spirit left Judas, so he will leave any unbeliever who continues to ignore him. When? In no set time — that's quite up to the Holy Spirit. But with eternity in the balance, we should implore all men to receive Jesus Christ immediately, because there is only one eternal sin — saying no to the Holy Spirit about Jesus Christ. The Bible calls that blasphemy against the Holy Spirit.
 

Mark 3:28–29, ESV “Truly, I say to you, all sins will be forgiven the children of man, and whatever blasphemies they utter, but whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit never has forgiveness, but is guilty of an eternal sin”.
 

Jesus had been delivered to the authorities. He had been accused, tried by a kangaroo court.
Jesus had been found guilty of nothing. He had been ordered to be scourged by a man, (Pontius Pilate), who said that he had found no fault in Jesus.
Jesus had been ridiculed, spat on and beaten half to death. A crown of thorns had been forced onto His head, beaten and bruised, they had put on Him a purple robe, yet He decared to Pilate:
 

John 19:11 Jesus answered, "You could have no power at all against Me unless it had been given you from above. Therefore the one who delivered Me to you has the greater sin."
 

Jesus had the power to lay down His life and the power to take it up again.

17 And He, bearing His cross, went out to a place called the Place of a Skull, which is called in Hebrew, Golgotha, 

 

The Roman way, was to have the condemned man, carry his own cross, (patibulum), to the place of execution. This was a cross member that was place on top of an upright piece of wood, on which he would be tied and nailed, (crucified).
 

18 where they crucified Him, and two others with Him, one on either side, and Jesus in the centre. 

 

This was the preferred punishment of the Romans. Crucifixion by nailing one to a tree. This was Jesus punishment, not for His own sin but for the sins of the world. Your sin and mine!

 

Gal 3:13 Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us (for it is written, "Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree"),

 

Deut 21: 22,23 teaches that there is a divine curse placed on a hanged person.

 

22 "If a man has committed a sin deserving of death, and he is put to death, and you hang him on a tree, 

23 his body shall not remain overnight on the tree, but you shall surely bury him that day, so that you do not defile the land which the Lord your God is giving you as an inheritance; for he who is hanged is accursed of God.

 

The curse of death was a result of Adam’s sin. The crown of thorns was a symbol of that curse.

 

Genesis 3:17 Then to Adam He said, "Because you have heeded the voice of your wife, and have eaten from the tree of which I commanded you, saying, 'You shall not eat of it': "Cursed is the ground for your sake; In toil you shall eat of it All the days of your life.

18 Both thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you, And you shall eat the herb of the field.

 

The curse was placed on the head of the spotless Lamb of God, yet the purple robe symbolized His kingship.

What a God of detail we have!

We see a type in the Old Testament.

The sacrifice carried the wood, he was to die on. Just as Isaac carried the wood, that he was to be sacrificed on. To the very same place!
In both cases, it was God that provided the sacrificial offering.
The scripture is interesting.

American Standard Version
Gen 22:8 And Abraham said, God will provide himself the lamb for a burnt-offering, my son. So they went both of them together.

God Himself in Christ, was the sacrifice.

The scriptures are full of types and symbols, pointing to the death of Christ.
There is nothing in scripture without a reason. Every word is God breathed.

In Psalm 22, which is referred to as the Psalm of the cross, it tells of the suffering and death of Christ, 1000 years before the event.

Verse one says: “My God, My God, why hast thou forsaken Me”?
 

These words, Jesus cried from the cross.
In verse six, the Psalm says something very odd. “But I am a worm, and no man”.

What did He mean?
 

Usually the word “worm” in the bible is “rimmah”, which means “maggot” but the Hebrew word used here is “Tola’ath”, which means “Crimson worm”, or “Scarlet worm”. It is interesting that this is the colour of blood.

The “Crimson worm” (Coccus ilicis) is a very interesting creature, more like a grub than a worm.
When it comes time for this worm to produce new life, which is only once in the its lifetime. The worm impales itself on a tree. It then makes a very hard shell and lays its eggs under the protective shell.
When the larvae hatch, they stay under the shell. Not only is the worm the protector of the babies but they also provide them with food.
The new born babies feed on the living body of the worm.
As the worm dies, it oozes a crimson or scarlet dye, which not only stains the wood but also the new born young. They are covered with that stain for the rest of their lives.
After three days, I will repeat that. After three days! The worm loses its crimson colour and turns into a white wax that falls to the ground like snow.

So, why did Jesus say, “I am a worm”?

Well, it sounds like the gospel to me!

 

Just like the crimson worm, Jesus was impaled on a tree and gave His life that we may live.
We were washed in His crimson blood and He took our sins and washed them whiter than snow.

We can live because He died.
You can read the full explanation of the “The Crimson worm” on my Blog site.

https://jeffreyunsworth.wixsite.com/teleiosbibleblogs/63-the-scarlet-worm

 

Isaiah 1:18 "Come now, and let us reason together," Says the Lord, "Though your sins are like scarlet, They shall be as white as snow; Though they are red like crimson, They shall be as wool. 

 

18 where they crucified Him, and two others with Him, one on either side, and Jesus in the centre. 

 

There is another amazing fact.
There should have been three others crucified on that day.

The two thieves and Barabbas, another man that tried to deliver the Jews out of the hands of the Romans.
However, when Pilate offered the people the choice of which of the two should be freed, Barabbas or Jesus, the people chose Barabbas.
They chose the wrong “son of God”.

The name Barabbas means, Bar, (Son of) Abba (the Father).

Jesus was the real Son of the Father.

 

Jesus said, “You are of your father the devil”.
 

John 8:44 You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you want to do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it.
45 But because I tell the truth, you do not believe Me.
 

Sadly this is what people do to this day. They choose the wrong father.
 

19 Now Pilate wrote a title and put it on the cross. And the writing was: JESUS OF NAZARETH, THE KING OF THE JEWS. 

20 Then many of the Jews read this title, for the place where Jesus was crucified was near the city; and it was written in Hebrew, Greek, and Latin. 

21 Therefore the chief priests of the Jews said to Pilate, "Do not write, 'The King of the Jews,' but, 'He said, "I am the King of the Jews." ' " 

22 Pilate answered, "What I have written, I have written." 

 

Whatever the reason for Pilate refusing to change this, we do not know but it was as if God was making a statement, for Jesus really is “The king of the Jews”.
Not only that but “The king of kings”.

 

There are so many amazing facts, that show that prophecy proves the truth of the bible.
Jesus was crucified in the centre of two sinners. One repentant and one unrepentant.
One reviled, the other was sorry. One woud be in paradise that day, the other, so near, yet so far.

Isaiah 53:12 Therefore, I will allot Him a portion with the great,
And He will divide the booty with the strong;
Because He poured out Himself to death,
And was numbered with the transgressors;
Yet He Himself bore the sin of many,
And interceded for the transgressors. 

Christ is the centre of all things. He is the one that brings God and man together. Jew and Gentile, bond and free and male and female.

 

Here is another fulfilled prophecy.

23 Then the soldiers, when they had crucified Jesus, took His garments and made four parts, to each soldier a part, and also the tunic. Now the tunic was without seam, woven from the top in one piece. 

24 They said therefore among themselves, "Let us not tear it, but cast lots for it, whose it shall be," that the Scripture might be fulfilled which says: "They divided My garments among them, And for My clothing they cast lots." Therefore the soldiers did these things. 

They did this, not knowing that they were fulfilling prophecy. “that the Scripture might be fulfilled”.

 

Psalm 22:18 They divide My garments among them, And for My clothing they cast lots.

This shows that whilst man makes his own decisions, his own choices, it is God that is in control.
This is God maintaining His Sovereignty, whilst man makes his own choices.
The Sovereignty is a difficult teaching to come to terms with, yet if God is truly Sovereign, He is Omnipotent, Omnipresent and Omnicient.
He is all powerful, He is everywhere and He is all knowing.
Mens choices are included in God's plans and are overruled for His purposes.

Proverbs 16:9 A man's heart plans his way, But the Lord directs his steps.

The tunic was a seamless robe. Just like the High priest wore.

Exodus 28:31 "You shall make the robe of the ephod all of blue. 
32 There shall be an opening for his head in the middle of it; it shall have a woven binding all around its opening, like the opening in a coat of mail, so that it does not tear.

Jesus is our Prophet, Priest and King.
 

Hebrews 1:1 God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets, 

2 has in these last days spoken to us by His Son, whom He has appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the worlds; 

3 who being the brightness of His glory and the express image of His person, and upholding all things by the word of His power, when He had by Himself purged our sins, sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, 

Prophet: God has spoken to us by His Son.
Priest: After making purification for sins. The High Priest made the sacrifice for sins.
King: He appointed heir of all things. Heir to the kingdom.
 

The text says that there were women at the cross.
 

25 Now there stood by the cross of Jesus His mother, and His mother's sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. 
 

There is a question here.

Are there four women—three named “Mary” and one unnamed?
Or, Are there only three women all of whom are named “Mary?”
 

If you look at the wording, it appears to be three women who are all named, rather than four women with only three named.
Notice the verse does not say “Jesus his mother, and his mother’s sister, and Mary the wife of Cleophas, and Mary Magdalene.”
 

The correct wording is: “Now there stood by the cross of Jesus his mother, AND his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Cleophas, AND Mary Magdalene.” There are only two “and’s” not three, which leads one to conclude there are only three women in this verse: three “ands” would have indicated four women.

Yes, it seems awkward for Mary to have a sister named Mary—imagine how confusing that was!—but perhaps they were half-sisters?

This a debateable subject.
 

Jesus commends His mother into the hands of John.
 

26 When Jesus therefore saw His mother, and the disciple whom He loved standing by, He said to His mother, "Woman, behold your son!" 

27 Then He said to the disciple, "Behold your mother!" And from that hour that disciple took her to his own home. 

 

Jesus until His dying breath, was fulfilling scripture.

 

28 After this, Jesus, knowing that all things were now accomplished, that the Scripture might be fulfilled, said, "I thirst!" 

When Jesus said these words, He was alluding to a scripture in Psalm 22:15.

Psalm 22:15 My strength is dried up like a potsherd, And My tongue clings to My jaws; You have brought Me to the dust of death.

 

This is the position that every guilty soul must come, before death, if he is to be saved.
For any man to cry out, “I thirst” is a cry for mercy.

John 7:37 If anyone thirst, let him come to Me and drink.

There is no other place a man can go to be saved but the fount of life, which is Christ.
This is the first step to salvation, to recognise his need.
The second step is to drink.

 

29 Now a vessel full of sour wine was sitting there; and they filled a sponge with sour wine, put it on hyssop, and put it to His mouth. 

30 So when Jesus had received the sour wine, He said, "It is finished!" And bowing His head, He gave up His spirit. 

 

"It is finished!" (Greek telelestai) to end, that is complete, conclude. To discharge, as in a debt. Accomplish.

 

It is complete. The law was fulfilled, the debt was paid in full.

The wonderful thing is that even though Jesus was dead, the scriptures continued to be fulfilled.

 

31 Therefore, because it was the Preparation Day, that the bodies should not remain on the cross on the Sabbath (for that Sabbath was a high day), the Jews asked Pilate that their legs might be broken, and that they might be taken away. 

32 Then the soldiers came and broke the legs of the first and of the other who was crucified with Him. 

33 But when they came to Jesus and saw that He was already dead, they did not break His legs. 

34 But one of the soldiers pierced His side with a spear, and immediately blood and water came out. 

35 And he who has seen has testified, and his testimony is true; and he knows that he is telling the truth, so that you may believe. 

36 For these things were done that the Scripture should be fulfilled, "Not one of His bones shall be broken." 

37 And again another Scripture says, "They shall look on Him whom they pierced." 

 

One day, Jesus will return and when He does, the Jews will look on Him and realise who it was that they crucified. The Messiah.

 

Zech 12:10 10 "And I will pour on the house of David and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem the Spirit of grace and supplication; then they will look on Me whom they pierced. Yes, they will mourn for Him as one mourns for his only son, and grieve for Him as one grieves for a firstborn.

 

Every part of this event was prophesied, long before it happened. In fact all of it was preordained of God, before the foundation of the world.

 

38 After this, Joseph of Arimathea, being a disciple of Jesus, but secretly, for fear of the Jews, asked Pilate that he might take away the body of Jesus; and Pilate gave him permission. So he came and took the body of Jesus. 

39 And Nicodemus, who at first came to Jesus by night, also came, bringing a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about a hundred pounds. 

40 Then they took the body of Jesus, and bound it in strips of linen with the spices, as the custom of the Jews is to bury. 

41 Now in the place where He was crucified there was a garden, and in the garden a new tomb in which no one had yet been laid. 

42 So there they laid Jesus, because of the Jews' Preparation Day, for the tomb was nearby.

 

As these two men did this, two men who were well versed in the law, must have thought about the scriptures that prophesied these things.

Isaiah 53:9  And they made His grave with the wicked-- But with the rich at His death, Because He had done no violence, Nor was any deceit in His mouth.
 

This meant that Jesus would be buried in a grave, a borrowed tomb. His body was prepared with the spices to protect His body.

Psalm 16:10  For You will not leave my soul in Sheol, Nor will You allow Your Holy One to see corruption.
 

From the very beginning, God had predetermined it.

The most amazing thing, is that He did it with you and me in mind.

Those whom He foreknew.   He fore loved us. God set His affections on us, before we were conceived.
In the fulness of time, He drew us to Himself. He called us, to be made into the image of His Son.
 

John 3:16 For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes on Him should have eternal life.

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