John’s Gospel – Lesson 26

With Jesus on the Cross above them … the soldier divided Jesus’ garments. I wonder if John watched this and had a flashback to Genesis and God sacrificing animals to provide covering for Adam and Eve that they only needed because of their sin.


John 19:23-24
When the soldiers had crucified Jesus, they took his garments and divided them into four parts, one part for each soldier; also his tunic. But the tunic was seamless, woven in one piece from top to bottom, so they said to one another, “Let us not tear it, but cast lots for it to see whose it shall be.” This was to fulfill the Scripture which says,
     “They divided my garments among them, and for my clothing they cast lots.”
     So the soldiers did these things,

Genesis 3:21 tells us that “the LORD God made for Adam and for his wife garments of skins and clothed them.” God’s covering for your nakedness is seamless and it is entire. It is not in pieces. There is only one way of salvation and Christ’s work for you is perfect. The casting of lots points to Jesus words that the move of God is like the wind.

John 3:8
The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.”

You can’t see where it comes from or where it is going to but you can see the effect. That is what we pray for when we pray for the winds of revival. Specifically, that is what we pray for when we pray about the upcoming services with Life Action Revival.

John seems to enjoy showing us that God in His sovereignty was in complete control even in the darkest times. Nothing surprised God and the events were unfolding as He knew they would and as He had written in Psalm 22.

Psalm 22:14-18
I am poured out like water,
and all my bones are out of joint;
my heart is like wax;
it is melted within my breast;
my strength is dried up like a potsherd,
and my tongue sticks to my jaws;
you lay me in the dust of death.
For dogs encompass me;
a company of evildoers encircles me;
they have pierced my hands and feet—
I can count all my bones—
they stare and gloat over me;
they divide my garments among them,
and for my clothing they cast lots.

But Psalm 22 doesn’t end like that. It goes on.

Psalm 22:30-31
Posterity shall serve him;
it shall be told of the Lord to the coming generation;
they shall come and proclaim his righteousness to a people yet unborn,
that he has done it.

We all know the love of God in part. We know, at least intellectually that it is without limitation. However, I think to see it in action for the care of Mary in the next verses is amazing.

John 19:25-27
but standing by the cross of Jesus were his mother and his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby, he said to his mother, “Woman, behold, your son!” Then he said to the disciple, “Behold, your mother!” And from that hour the disciple took her to his own home.

Remembering that “Woman” was a term of honor then here is Jesus on the Cross letting Mary know that she was to view the Apostle John as her son and John was to view Mary as his mother. Jesus was making sure that His mother’s physical needs were cared for even as He was taking care of her spiritual need for a savior. In particular I think this sheds light and significance on Philippians 2:1-11 and I want to read it thinking about this service of Jesus to his mother while on the Cross. This is an exhortation to us from the Apostle Paul.

Phillipians 2:1-11
So if there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort from love, any participation in the Spirit, any affection and sympathy, complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. Do nothing from rivalry or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

The love found in Christ surpasses understanding but it is a demonstrated love. We who are saved rejoice that Christ’s righteousness is imputed to us. “He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed. For you were straying like sheep, but have now returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls.” 1 Peter 2:24–25. Christ’s love is so holy and pure that it staggers the imagination. I’m not sure I can even comprehend how rational the act was to care for your mother, who was a sinner to be saved by grace, while on the Cross paying for the sins of the world and her sins in particular.

I like biblical prayers. One of my favorites is found in Ephesians 3:16-21. We can pray these prayers and know that without doubt it is a good prayer because God places it in the right context. So we can pray:

Ephesians 3:16-21
that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen.

Amen. Yes the love of Christ passes knowledge. But He demonstrates what we are called to in our lives. We can’t do it apart from Him but we also must, in obedience, confess that He is able to do far more abundantly than all that we can ask or think, according to the power at work within us. God gets all the glory in this.

John 19:28-30
After this, Jesus, knowing that all was now finished, said (to fulfill the Scripture), “I thirst.” A jar full of sour wine stood there, so they put a sponge full of the sour wine on a hyssop branch and held it to his mouth. When Jesus had received the sour wine, he said, “It is finished,” and he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.

The sour wine apparently had gall (a collection of bitter herbs are used) and it probably made it undrinkable. Jesus finished our salvation and died. He died at exactly the right time in exactly the right way to make our salvation possible.

Psalm 69:21
They gave me poison for food, and for my thirst they gave me sour wine to drink.

The Jews were always careful to obey the laws that suited them. I guess they are like us. So to avoid violating religious law they asked for the Romans to finish off Jesus and the two criminals.

John 19:31-37
Since it was the day of Preparation, and so that the bodies would 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. So the soldiers came and broke the legs of the first, and of the other who had been crucified with him. But when they came to Jesus and saw that he was already dead, they did not break his legs. But one of the soldiers pierced his side with a spear, and at once there came out blood and water. He who saw it has borne witness—his testimony is true, and he knows that he is telling the truth—that you also may believe. For these things took place that the Scripture might be fulfilled: “Not one of his bones will be broken.” And again another Scripture says, “They will look on him whom they have pierced.”

With broken legs you would immediately suffocate because you’d be unable to get your weight off of your arms. However, Jesus was already dead and was then pierced with a spear. Again all these things were seen by God before hand and within His sovereign control. Nothing was out of control. John here is giving testimony that he saw that Jesus was dead and not just a little dead but really totally dead by Roman standards and they knew dead when they saw it.

John 19:38-42
After these things Joseph of Arimathea, who was 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 away his body. Nicodemus also, who earlier had come to Jesus by night, came bringing a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about seventy-five pounds in weight. So they took the body of Jesus and bound it in linen cloths with the spices, as is the burial custom of the Jews. 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. So because of the Jewish day of Preparation, since the tomb was close at hand, they laid Jesus there.

At least two men became ritually unclean to handle the body of Jesus. Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus both handled the body it seems and perhaps servants helped. It seems to me that 75 pounds of myrrh and aloes along with Jesus’ body would require more than just 2 guys but they only moved to a tomb that was nearby so perhaps not. They wrapped Him up with strips of cloth, 75 pounds of spices, and covered him with a shroud.

However, being unclean at Passover was no excuse for not keeping the Passover.

Numbers 9:9-12
The LORD spoke to Moses, saying, “Speak to the people of Israel, saying, If any one of you or of your descendants is unclean through touching a dead body, or is on a long journey, he shall still keep the Passover to the LORD. In the second month on the fourteenth day at twilight they shall keep it. They shall eat it with unleavened bread and bitter herbs. They shall leave none of it until the morning, nor break any of its bones; according to all the statute for the Passover they shall keep it.

I can’t imagine what Passover was like for Joseph and Nicodemus that year. They couldn’t take a hot shower with strong soap. They would have been covered with the blood of Christ and the smell of spices. Their houses would have been different that year.

They had unleavened bread to show that sin is gone. They had bitter herbs for our bondage in sin. They had wives busy preparing the Passover lamb while they were burying the Lamb of God.

1 Corinthians 5:7-8
Cleanse out the old leaven that you may be a new lump, as you really are unleavened. For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed. Let us therefore celebrate the festival, not with the old leaven, the leaven of malice and evil, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.