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John 19:17-30  JESUS CRUCIFIED

Introduction:

	In our previous text Jesus was sentenced to death by
crucifixion and was turned over to the Roman soldiers who
would be in charge of the crucifixion.

I.  Jesus going to Golgotha and being crucified

	V. 17, "And he bearing his cross went forth into a place
called the place of a skull, which is called in the Hebrew
Golgotha."  It was apparently the Jews who selected the
place where Jesus would be crucified.  It would have suited
the Romans to crucify Him right within the city of
Jerusalem, but it was the Jews who did not want blood shed
within the city of Jerusalem lest the city be contaminated
by shed blood.
	The word, Golgotha, was a Hebrew word meaning skull.
The place is also called "Calvary" in scripture.  Calvary is
a Latin word which also means skull.
	The place is often called a hill in poems and hymns, but
it was not really a hill.  It was much smaller than a hill.
It was a large elevated rock that was in the shape of a
human skull.
	John says that Jesus carried His own cross.  That is, He
carried it as the group left Pilate's judgment hall and
started toward Golgotha.  Jesus set a worthy example for all
Christians to follow.  He had earlier said that he who does
not take up his cross daily and follow Him is not worthy of
Him.  Every Christian has a cross and should carry that
cross for Jesus every day.  Christianity is not a
one-day-a-week religion.  It is a seven-days-a-week
religion.  It is a full time religion.
	Matthew, Mark and Luke tell us that Simon of the city of
Cyrene was forced by the Roman soldiers to carry the cross
of Jesus.  This, in no way, conflicts with what John says in
our text.  Jesus apparently carried His cross as far as He
could.  But He had been terribly weakened by the terrible
scourging done by the Roman soldier and was simply not able
to carry it all the way to Golgotha.  The poets have said in
their hymns that Jesus fell beneath the load of the cross
and in my mind I am sure that He did although you may be
surprised that the Scriptures do not say that He did.
	V. 18, "Where they crucified him..."  The Roman soldier
nailed His hands to the crossbar of the cross.  They nailed
His feet to the center post.  They then lifted the cross
into the air and dropped it down into a hole that had been
drilled into the rock for such crucifixions.
	Oddly enough John does not say anything about the
terrible horrors of the cross.  He says nothing about the
terrible suffering which Jesus endured there.  He does not
even mention the cruel mockery from the huge crowd of Jews
who were gathered there.  He said nothing about the
supernatural darkness that came over the land at the time
that Jesus was crucified and that came to an end when Jesus
died.
	(V. 18), "...and two others with him, on either side
one, and Jesus in the midst."  This was in keeping with Old
Testament prophecy concerning the manner of His death.

II. The inscription which Pilate put on His cross

	V. 19, "And Pilate wrote a title, and put it on the
cross. And the writing was, JESUS OF NAZARETH THE KING OF
THE JEWS."  In it's complete form it read, "This is Jesus of
Nazareth the King of the Jews."
	Roman law required that whenever a man was executed a
sign must be written stating the crime that he was charged
with.  Since Pilate had found Jesus "Not guilty," he could
not write an actual crime which Jesus had done.  But he
could write what He was charged with.  He deliberately
worded the message to read in a way that the Jews would
consider an insult to them.  He did not say that Jesus
claimed to be the king of the Jews.  He said that Jesus is
the king of the Jews.
	Ironically, the message on the sign was true.  Jesus was
already the King of a spiritual kingdom and the people who
were at that time His subjects were Jews.  Furthermore, in
the millennium Jesus will literally rule from David's throne
in Jerusalem and will rule the nation of Israel.  In fact,
from that throne He will rule the whole world.  So even
though Pilate did not know it, he wrote the truth.
	V. 20, "This 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."  Everybody who
came out of the city either to see the crucifixion or who
were just passing along the road could read this sign.  It
was written in three languages.  It was written in Hebrew,
the native language of the Jews.  It was written in Greek,
the language what was common in all the Roman empire.  The
Greek language had been established throughout the empire
when Alexander the Great, who was Greek was in power.  Even
the Jews could read and speak the Greek language.  It was
also written in Latin, which was the official language of
the Roman empire.
	The point is that everybody could read the message and
they would remember the message and many of them would
ponder the question of whether or not Jesus were in truth,
the promised Christ of God, the King of the Jews which the
prophets of old had promised.  Many of these very same
people had participated in the Triumphal Entry of Jesus into
Jerusalem just a few days prior to this when thousands of
people accompanied Jesus as He rode into Jerusalem and they
were shouting to the tops of their voice that Jesus is the
King of the Jews.  Now they would think about it and wonder.
	V. 21-22, "Then 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.  Pilate answered, What I have written I
have written."  By this time Pilate was very much put out
with the Jewish leaders.  The very reason he had worded the
message the way that he did was to antagonize the Jewish
leaders.  He was not about to change his wording now.  He
was pleased that he had displeased them.

III.  The soldiers gambling for His garments

	V. 23, "Then the soldiers, when they had crucified
Jesus, took his garments, and made four parts, to every
soldier a part..."  The Roman soldiers who were in charge of
the crucifixion divided the garments of Jesus among
themselves.  They would get whatever possessions He had with
Him, and this was all He had.  As Deity God He is the
rightful owner of all the universe, but as man the clothes
on His body were His only possessions.  Some of His garments
they could divide at the seams and make four parts to divide
among the four soldiers.
	However, there was one of His garments, which they chose
not to divide.  (V. 23), "...and also his coat: now
the coat was without seam, woven from the top throughout."
That is, it was woven in such a way that it had no seams.
It was all one solid piece of material and the soldiers did
not want to tear it or cut it.  V. 24, "They said therefore
among themselves, Let us not rend it, but cast lots for it,
whose it shall be..."  They decided to gamble to decide who
would get it.  That way this garment would not be divide.
	All of this was done by the soldiers in keeping with Old
Testament prophecy.  (V. 24, "...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."

IV.  Jesus arranging for His mother's care

	V. 25, "Now there stood by the cross of Jesus his
mother, and his mother's sister, Mary the wife of Cleophas,
and Mary Magdalene."  This made four of the Christian women
who stood near the cross.  At least they were near enough
that Jesus could speak to them and they could hear Him.
There was Mary, the mother of Jesus.  There was Mary's
sister.  This would make two.  This Mary would be Salome,
the mother of the Apostle John.  Then there was Mary the
wife of Cleophas, making three.  Finally, there was Mary
Magdalene.  This made four.
	Standing with them was a disciple whom John calls
"...the disciple ..... whom he loved..."  That is, the
disciple whom Jesus loved.  John was referring to himself.
	V. 26, "When Jesus therefore saw his mother, and the
disciple standing by, whom he loved, he saith unto his
mother, Woman, behold thy son!"  In other words, He told His
mother, Mary that as of now she should look upon John as
though he was her very own son to whom she had given birth.
	V. 27, "Then saith he to the disciple, Behold thy
mother!..."  Furthermore, He said to John that as of now he
was to start looking after the needs of Mary as though she
were his very own mother.
	Many have wondered why Jesus gave this responsibility to
John in view of the fact that Mary had other sons.  I must
say that I simply do not know the answer.  It could have
been that the other sons of Mary were not financially able
to take care of Mary.  It could have been because the other
sons were not Christians at that time.  It could have been
that Jesus just knew that John would do a better job of
taking care of her than her real sons.  Whatever His reason
may have been, I am convinced that Jesus had a good reason
for doing what He did.  At least one thing is certain.
Jesus loved Mary and cared about her well being.
	His faith in John was well placed.  John immediately
took Mary into his home and started taking care of her.  (V.
27), "...And from that hour that disciple took her unto his
own home."  Jewish historians say that later John when went
to the city of Ephesus and became the pastor the church
there that Mary went with John and that she stayed there
until her death.
	John immediately brings his short record of the
crucifixion to a close.  As I mentioned earlier, there were
many things about the crucifixion that John did not tell us.
It seems that John did not want us to get too deeply
involved in the tragic sufferings of Jesus.  Rather he
wanted us to be impressed with the fact that Jesus had
accomplished what God the Father had sent Him to earth to
accomplish.  He had come to earth to provide a way of
salvation for all mankind and that He accomplished.

VI. Jesus accomplishing His purpose and giving up the ghost

	V. 28-30, "After this, Jesus knowing that all things
were now accomplished, that the scripture might be
fulfilled, saith, I thirst.  Now there was set a vessel full
of vinegar: and they filled a sponge with vinegar, and put
it upon hyssop, and put it to his mouth.  When Jesus
therefore had received the vinegar, he said, It is
finished: and he bowed his head, and gave up the ghost."
When Jesus cried out, "I thirst," one of the Roman soldiers
took a sponge and soaked it with vinegar-wine which they had
brought for themselves to drink and put it on a reed and
lifted it up to the mouth of Jesus that He might take a few
sips nd moisten His mouth.
	Earlier Jesus had refused to drink a vinegar-wine which
was mixed with a pain killer.  He did not want to dull the
pain.  He had come to suffer the full penalty for the sins
of man.  But now He could say, "It is finished.  I have
carried out the plan that God the Father made before the
foundation of the world.  I have fulfilled the prophecies
made in the Old Testament concerning my redemptive work.  I
have fulfilled the purpose for which I was virgin born some
33 years ago.  I have fulfilled the statement that John the
Baptist made when he called me "The Lamb of God that taketh
away the sin of the world."  I have paid the sin debt of
mankind to the satisfaction of God the Father.  I have paid
the debt for all of the people in Old Testament times
whoever placed their faith in me as the coming Redeemer.  I
have paid the price for all who will ever in all future
years place their faith in me as their Savior.  I have
provided a way whereby all people will have opportunity to
be saved and to go to heaven.  This is what I have come into
this world to do and it is finished."
	Let me tell you that it disturbs my soul when I think of
what Jesus Christ went through on the cross of Calvary that
we might be saved.  But let me also tell you that it thrills
my soul to know that God loved us enough to send His only
begotten Son to die for us that we might be saved.  It
thrills my soul to know that Jesus loved us enough to die
for us that we might be saved.  It thrills my soul to know
that I have trusted Jesus Christ as my Savior and that I am
on my way to heaven.  It thrills my soul to know that each
and every one of you who have trusted in Jesus Christ for
salvation will be in heaven with me some day.  It thrills my
soul to be able to tell every lost sinner that I have
opportunity to speak to that if he will repent of his sin
and place his faith in Jesus Christ that Jesus will save his
soul.

Conclusion:

	I am going to ask our musicians to come forward and to
prepare to lead this congregation in an invitation hymn.
	I am going to call upon every unsaved person in this
auditorium today to call upon Jesus right here right now in
this service and get on the road to heaven.
	I am also going to call upon every saved person who is
in this auditorium today to put your life in the hands of
Jesus and seek to live for Him in a way that pleases Him.
	I am going to call upon all who will trust Jesus to come
and walk this aisle and profess Jesus as your Savior.  I am
going to ask any Christian who would come and place your
membership here in this church to come forward at this time.