The Ultimate Gift
John 19
John has made a point in making sure we, the readers, know who Jesus really is. He is the Passover Lamb, the ultimate gift for us. Everything Jesus did was foreshadowing His final work on the cross.
Jesus’ first miracle was turning water, out of ceremonial cleansing jars, into wine (2:6-7); pointing to Him being the final cleansing of our sins. When Jesus heals on the Sabbath, He is showing that He alone is King of the Sabbath. By providing bread and fish to the masses, He is showing that He is the true King of Israel. And by Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead, Jesus displays His power of death!
John goes even further in supporting who Jesus really is, by linking Old Testament examples and promises. He quotes from Exodus, Numbers, Zechariah and multiple Psalms. Then everything comes to a climax at the crucifixion, which is also on Passover. Jesus is “the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world,” and He will cause God to pass over again! (1:29)
Pilate has Jesus beaten or flogged. (19:1) The soldiers abuse Him, place a crown of thorns on His head, and put a purple robe on His shoulders. (19:2) Pilate then displays the beaten and ridiculed Jesus to the crowd. Like an innocent lamb controlled by the butcher, Jesus appears to be completely controlled by the Romans. (19:4)
The problem is neither Pilate nor Rome, were ever in control. (19:11) God is in complete control of the situation. When Pilate declares to the angry mob, “Here he is - the Man” or “Behold the Man” he is saying far more than he realizes. Jesus truly is the Man. He is the Word made flesh. (1:14) And by having Jesus carry His cross, the Blood of the Lamb is spread on the cross beam just like the lamb’s blood covered the doors in the first Passover.
Jesus’ arrest and trial are good news because they show us that Jesus never veers from His mission to save His people. The torture and crucifixion of Jesus are good news because the same act Rome intends to crush Jesus is the very act God intends to exalt Him. The crown of thorns was a true crown. The purple robe was a true symbol of his majesty. And His cross was actually His throne. What Rome meant for evil, God meant for good.
Jesus’ death is good news! It is The Good News! You see, there is no suffering God cannot heal. And there is no sin that can stop God’s love for you! We, you and I, often feel our sins and failures disqualify us from God’s love, but our sinful, brokenness is precisely why Jesus came and died!