John 19

King James Version

Full text for John Chapter 19

1¶ Then Pilate therefore took Jesus, and scourged [him].

2And the soldiers platted a crown of thorns, and put [it] on his head, and they put on him a purple robe,

3And said, Hail, King of the Jews! and they smote him with their hands.

4Pilate 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.

5Then came Jesus forth, wearing the crown of thorns, and the purple robe. And [Pilate] saith unto them, Behold the man!

6When the chief priests therefore and officers saw him, they cried out, saying, Crucify [him], crucify [him]. Pilate saith unto them, Take ye him, and crucify [him]: for I find no fault in him.

7The Jews answered him, We have a law, and by our law he ought to die, because he made himself the Son of God.

8When Pilate therefore heard that saying, he was the more afraid;

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

10Then saith Pilate unto him, Speakest thou not unto me? knowest thou not that I have power to crucify thee, and have power to release thee?

11Jesus answered, ‹Thou couldest have no power [at all] against me, except it were given thee from above: therefore he that delivered me unto thee hath the greater sin.›

12And 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.

13When 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.

14And it was the preparation of the passover, and about the sixth hour: and he saith unto the Jews, Behold your King!

15But 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.

17And he bearing his cross went forth into a place called [the place] of a skull, which is called in the Hebrew Golgotha:

18Where they crucified him, and two other with him, on either side one, and Jesus in the midst.

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

20This title then read many of the Jews: for the place where Jesus was crucified was nigh to the city: and it was written in Hebrew, [and] Greek, [and] Latin.

21Then said the chief priests of the Jews to Pilate, Write not, The King of the Jews; but that he said, I am King of the Jews.

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

23Then the soldiers, when they had crucified Jesus, took his garments, and made four parts, to every soldier a part; and also [his] coat: now the coat was without seam, woven from the top throughout.

24They said therefore among themselves, Let us not rend it, but cast lots for it, whose it shall be: that the scripture might be fulfilled, which saith, They parted my raiment among them, and for my vesture they did cast lots. These things therefore the soldiers did.

25Now there stood by the cross of Jesus his mother, and his mother's sister, Mary the [wife] of Cleophas, and Mary Magdalene.

26When Jesus therefore saw his mother, and the disciple standing by, whom he loved, he saith unto his mother, ‹Woman, behold thy son!›

27Then saith he to the disciple, ‹Behold thy mother!› And from that hour that disciple took her unto his own [home].

28After this, Jesus knowing that all things were now accomplished, that the scripture might be fulfilled, saith, ‹I thirst.›

29Now there was set a vessel full of vinegar: and they filled a spunge with vinegar, and put [it] upon hyssop, and put [it] to his mouth.

30When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, he said, ‹It is finished:› and he bowed his head, and gave up the ghost.

31¶ The Jews therefore, because it was the preparation, that the bodies should not remain upon the cross on the sabbath day, (for that sabbath day was an high day,) besought Pilate that their legs might be broken, and [that] they might be taken away.

32Then came the soldiers, and brake the legs of the first, and of the other which was crucified with him.

33But when they came to Jesus, and saw that he was dead already, they brake not his legs:

34But one of the soldiers with a spear pierced his side, and forthwith came there out blood and water.

35And he that saw [it] bare record, and his record is true: and he knoweth that he saith true, that ye might believe.

36For these things were done, that the scripture should be fulfilled, A bone of him shall not be broken.

37And again another scripture saith, They shall look on him whom they pierced.

38¶ And after this Joseph of Arimathaea, being a disciple of Jesus, but secretly for fear of the Jews, besought Pilate that he might take away the body of Jesus: and Pilate gave [him] leave. He came therefore, and took the body of Jesus.

39And there came also Nicodemus, which at the first came to Jesus by night, and brought a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about an hundred pound [weight].

40Then took they the body of Jesus, and wound it in linen clothes with the spices, as the manner of the Jews is to bury.

41Now in the place where he was crucified there was a garden; and in the garden a new sepulchre, wherein was never man yet laid.

42There laid they Jesus therefore because of the Jews' preparation [day]; for the sepulchre was nigh at hand.

AI Analysis

AI Summaries

Short Summary

Pilate, finding no fault in Jesus, scourged him and presented him to the Jews, who vehemently demanded his crucifixion. Yielding to their threats concerning Caesar, Pilate delivered Jesus to be crucified at Golgotha. There, Jesus was nailed to the cross, and after entrusting his mother to the beloved disciple, he declared, "It is finished," and gave up the ghost. Joseph of Arimathaea and Nicodemus subsequently buried him in a new tomb.

Medium Summary

Despite Pilate's repeated declarations of Jesus' innocence, the Jewish leaders insisted on his crucifixion, threatening Pilate's loyalty to Caesar. Pilate, after scourging Jesus and allowing soldiers to mock him with a crown of thorns and a purple robe, ultimately yielded to their demands. Jesus was led to Golgotha, bearing his cross, and was crucified between two others. Pilate inscribed "JESUS OF NAZARETH THE KING OF THE JEWS" on the cross, a title he refused to alter despite the chief priests' objections. Soldiers cast lots for his seamless garment, fulfilling prophecy. From the cross, Jesus entrusted his mother to the care of the beloved disciple, then, after saying "I thirst" and receiving vinegar, he declared "It is finished" and gave up his spirit. Joseph of Arimathaea and Nicodemus then prepared Jesus' body with spices and laid it in a new tomb nearby, observing the Sabbath preparation.

Long Summary

The chapter opens with Pilate scourging Jesus and soldiers mocking him with a crown of thorns and a purple robe, hailing him as "King of the Jews." Pilate repeatedly declared Jesus innocent, presenting him to the crowd with the words, "Behold the man!" However, the chief priests and officers cried out for his crucifixion, asserting that by their law, Jesus ought to die for making himself the Son of God. Pilate, growing more afraid, questioned Jesus about his origin, to which Jesus responded that Pilate's power was "given... from above," and that his betrayer bore "the greater sin." Despite Pilate's attempts to release him, the Jews threatened him by stating that anyone who made himself a king spoke against Caesar, thus implying Pilate's disloyalty. Succumbing to this pressure, Pilate brought Jesus forth, sat on the judgment seat at Gabbatha, and delivered him to be crucified. Jesus then bore his own cross to Golgotha, where he was crucified between two other men. Pilate affixed a title to the cross, "JESUS OF NAZARETH THE KING OF THE JEWS," written in three languages, and refused to change it despite the chief priests' protests. The soldiers divided Jesus' garments but cast lots for his seamless coat, fulfilling scripture. Standing by the cross were Jesus' mother, her sister, Mary the wife of Cleophas, and Mary Magdalene. Jesus, seeing his mother and the beloved disciple, commended his mother to the disciple's care. Knowing that all things were accomplished, Jesus declared "I thirst," received vinegar, and then proclaimed, "It is finished," bowing his head and giving up the ghost. Because it was the preparation day for a high Sabbath, the Jews requested the bodies be removed. Soldiers broke the legs of the other two crucified men, but finding Jesus already dead, they did not break his legs, thus fulfilling another scripture. Instead, a soldier pierced his side with a spear, from which blood and water flowed, a detail recorded by an eyewitness to confirm the truth. Finally, Joseph of Arimathaea, a secret disciple, obtained permission from Pilate to take Jesus' body, and Nicodemus brought a large quantity of myrrh and aloes. They wrapped Jesus' body in linen cloths with the spices, according to Jewish burial custom, and laid him in a new, unused sepulchre located in a garden near the place of crucifixion, due to the proximity of the Sabbath.

Core Concepts

  • Pilate's CompromisePilate, despite finding no fault in Jesus and attempting to release him, ultimately succumbed to the Jewish leaders' political pressure and threats concerning Caesar, delivering Jesus to be crucified. This illustrates the conflict between justice and political expediency.
  • The Mockery and Proclamation of KingshipJesus was mocked by soldiers with a crown of thorns and a purple robe, yet Pilate's inscription on the cross, "JESUS OF NAZARETH THE KING OF THE JEWS," stood as an official, albeit contested, declaration of his royal identity. This highlights the ironic nature of his kingship.
  • Fulfillment of ProphecyThe chapter meticulously records several events, such as the soldiers casting lots for Jesus' seamless garment, the non-breaking of his bones, and the piercing of his side, as direct fulfillments of Old Testament scriptures. This underscores the divine orchestration of Jesus' passion.
  • Jesus' Final Words and DeathFrom the cross, Jesus entrusted his mother to the beloved disciple, declared "I thirst" and received vinegar, and finally proclaimed "It is finished" before giving up his spirit. These moments signify the completion of his earthly mission and his voluntary surrender to death.
  • Devotion in BurialJoseph of Arimathaea, a secret disciple, and Nicodemus, who previously visited Jesus by night, boldly came forward after Jesus' death to prepare his body with spices and lay it in a new, unused tomb. Their actions demonstrate a profound, albeit late, public devotion.
  • The Witness of Blood and WaterA soldier pierced Jesus' side, from which blood and water flowed, an event attested by an eyewitness. This detail is presented as a true record, intended to inspire belief, and is often interpreted for its theological significance.