John 18:33-36
33. Then Pilate went again into the hall, and called Jesus, and
said to him, Art thou the King of the Jews?
34. Jesus answered him, Sayest thou this from thyself, or did others
tell it thee of me?
35. Pilate answered, Am I a Jew? Thine own nation and the priests
have delivered thee to me: what hast thou done?
36. Jesus answered, My kingdom is not of this world: if my kingdom
were of this world, my servants would have striven that I should not be
delivered to the Jews. But now my kingdom is not from hence.
33. Then Pilate went again into the hall. It is probable that
many things were said on both sides, which the Evangelist passes over;
and this conclusion might be readily drawn from the other Evangelists.
But John dwells chiefly on a single point, that Pilate made a laborious
inquiry whether Christ was justly or unjustly accused. In the presence
of the people, who were inflamed with sedition, nothing could be done but
in a riotous manner. He therefore goes again into the hall; and, indeed,
his intention is to acquit Christ, but Christ himself, in order that he
may obey his Father, presents himself to be condemned; and this is the
reason why he is so sparing in his replies. Having a judge who was favorable,
and who would willingly have lent an ear to him, it was not difficult for
him to plead his cause; but he considers for what purpose he came down
into the world, and to what he is now called by the Father. Of his own
accord, therefore, he refrains from speaking, that he may not escape from
death.
Art thou the King of the Jews? It would never have struck Pilate’s
mind to put this question about the kingdom, if this charge had not been
brought against Christ by the Jews. Now, Pilate takes up what was more
offensive than all the rest, that, having disposed of it, he may acquit
the prisoner. The tendency of Christ’s answer is to show that there is
no ground for that accusation; and thus it contains an indirect refutation;
as if he had said, “It is absurd to bring that charge against me, fbr not
even the slightest suspicion of it can fall upon me.”
Pilate appears to have taken amiss that Christ asked him why he suspected
him of such a crime; and, therefore, he angrily reproaches him, that all
the evil comes from his own nation. “I sit here as a judge,” says he; “it
is not foreigners, but your own countrymen, who accuse you. There is no
reason, therefore, why you should involve me in your quarrels. You would
be allowed by me and by the Romans to live at peace; but you raise disturbances
among yourselves, and I am reluctantly compelled to bear a part in them.”
36. My kingdom is not of this world. By these words he acknowledges
that he is a king, but, so far as was necessary to prove his innocence,
he clears himself of the calumny; for he declares, that there is no disagreement
between his kingdom and political government or order; as if he had said,
“I am falsely accused, as if I had attempted to produce a dis-turbanee,
or to make a revolution in public affairs. I have preached about the kingdom
of God; but that is spiritual, and, therefore, you have no right to suspect
me of aspiring to kingly power.” This defense was made by Christ before
Pilate, but the same doctrine is useful to believers to the end of the
world; for if the kingdom of Christ were earthly, it would be frail and
changeable, because
the fashion of this world passeth away, (1 Corinthians 7:31;)
but now, since it is pronounced to be heavenly, this assures us of its
perpetuity. Thus, should it happen, that the whole world were overturned,
provided that our consciences are always directed to the kingdom of Christ,
they will, nevertheless, remain firm, not only amidst shakings and convulsions,
but even amidst dreadful ruin and destruction. If we are cruelly treated
by wicked men, still our salvation is secured by the kingdom of Christ,
which is not subject to the caprice of men. In short, thougll there are
innumerable storms by which the world is continually agitated, the kingdom
of Christ, in which we ought to seek tranquillity, is separated from the
world.
We are taught, also, what is the nature of this kingdom; for if it made
us happy according to the flesh, and brought us riches, luxuries, and all
that is desirable for the use of the present life, it would smell of the
earth and of the world; but now, though our condition be apparently wretched,
still our true happiness remains unimpaired. We learn from it, also, who
they are that belong to this Mngdom; those who, having been renewed by
the Spirit of God, contemplate the heavenly life in holiness and righteousness.
Yet it deserves our attention, likewise, that it is not said, that the
kingdom of Christ is not in this world; for we know that it has its seat
in our hearts, as also Christ says elsewhcre, The kingdom of God is within
you, (Luke 17:21.) But, strictly speaking, the kingdom of God, while it
dwells in us, is a stranger to the world, because its condition is totally
different.
My servants would strive. He proves that he did not aim at an
earthly kingdom, because no one moves, no one takes arms in his support;
for if a private individual lay claim to royal authority, he must gain
power by means of seditious men. Nothing of this kind is seen in Christ;
and, therefore, it follows that he is not an earthly king.
But here a question arises, Is it not law fill to defend the kingdom
of Christ by arms? For when Kings and Princes are commanded to kiss the
Son of God, (Psalm 2:10-12) not only are they enjoined to submit to his
authority in their private capacity, but also to employ all the power that
they possess, in defending the Church and maintaining godliness. I answer,
first, they who draw this conclusion, that the doctrine of the Gospel and
the pure worship of God ought not to be defended by arms, are unskillful
and ignorant reasoners; for Christ argues only from the facts of the case
in hand, how frivolous were the calumnies which the Jews had brought against
him. Secondly, though godly kings defend the kingdom of Christ by the sword,
still it is done in a different manner from that in which worldly kingdoms
are wont to be defended; for the kingdom of Christ, being spiritual, must
be founded on the doctrine and power of the Spirit. In the same manner,
too, its edification is promoted; for neither the laws and edicts of men,
nor the punishments inflicted by them, enter into the consciences. Yet
this does not hinder princes from accidentally defending the kingdom of
Christ; partly, by appointing external discipline, and partly, by lending
their protection to the Church against wicked men. It results, however,
from the depravity of the world, that the kingdom of Christ is strengthened
more by the blood of the martyrs than by the aid of arms.
John 18:37-40
37. Pilate therefore said to him, Art thou then aking? Jesus answered,
Thou sayest that I am a king. For this cause was I born, and for this cause
came I into the world, that I may bear testimony to the truth: every one
that is of the truth heareth my voice. 38. Pilate saith to him, What is
truth? And when he had said this, he went out again to the Jews, and said
to them, I find no guilt in him. 39. But you have a custom, that I should
release to you some one at the passover; do you wish then that I should
release to you the King of the Jews? 40. Then they all cried out again,
saying, Not this man, but Barabbas. Now Barabbas was a robber.
37. Thou sayest that I am a king. Although Pilate had already
learned, from the former answer, that Christ claims for himself some sort
of kingdom, yet now Christ asserts the same thing more firmly; and, not
satisfied with this, he makes an additional statement, which serves for
a seal, as it were, to ratify what he had said. Hence we infer, that the
doctrine concerning Christ’s kingdom is of no ordinary importance, since
he has deemed it worthy of so solemn an affirmation.
For this cause was I born, that I may bear witness to the truth.
This is, no doubt, a general sentiment; but it must be viewed in relation
to the place which it holds in the present passage. The words mean, that
it is natural for Christ to speak the truth; and, next, that he was sent
for this purpose by the Father; and, consequently, that this is his peculiar
office. There is no danger, therefore, that we shall be deceived by trusting
him, since it is impossible that he who has been commissioned by God, and
whose natural disposition leads him to maintain the truth, shall teach
any thing that is not true.
Every one that is of the truth. Christ added this, not so much
for the purpose of exhorting Pilate, (for he knew that he would gain nothing
by doing so,) as of defending his doctrine against the base reproaches
which had been east on it; as if he had said, “It is imputed to me as a
crime that I have asserted that I am a king; and yet this is an unquestionable
truth, which is received with reverence and without hesitation by all who
have a correct judgment and a sound understanding.” When he says, that
they are of the truth he does not mean that they naturally know the truth,
but that they are directed by the Spirit of God.
38. What is truth? Some think that Pilate puts this question
through curiosity, as irreligious men are sometimes accustomed to be eagerly
desirous of learning something that is new to them, and yet do not know
why they wish it; for they intend nothing more than to gratify their ears.
For my own part, I rather think that it is an expression of disdain; for
Pilate thought himself highly insulted when Christ represented him as destitute
of all knowledge of the truth. Here we see in Pilate a disease which is
customary among men. Though we are all aware of our ignorance, yet there
are few who are willing to confess it; and the consequence is, that the
greater part of men reject the true doctrine. Afterwards, the Lord, who
is the Teacher of the humble, blinds the proud, and thus inflicts on them
the punishment which they deserve. From the same pride arises such disdain,
that they do not choose to submit to learn, because all lay claim to sagacity
and acuteness of mind. Truth is believed to be a common thing; but God
declares, on the contrary, that it far exceeds the capacity of the human
understanding.
The same thing happens in other matters. The principal articles of theology
are, the curse pronounced on the human race, the corruption of nature,
the mortification of the flesh, the renewal of the life, the reconciliation
effected by free grace through the only sacrifice, the imputation of righteousness,
by means of which a sinner is accepted by God, and the illumination of
the Holy Spirit. These, being paradoxes, are disdainfully rejected by the
ordinary understanding of men. Few, therefore, make progress in the school
of God, because we scarcely find one person in ten who attends to the first
and elementary instructions; and why is this, but because they measure
the secret wisdom of God by their own understanding ?
That Pilate spoke in mockery is evident from this circumstance, that
he immediately goes out. In short, he is angry with Christ for boasting
that he brings forward the truth, which formerly lay hidden in darkness.
Yet this indignation of Pilate shows that wicked men never reject the doctrine
of the Gospel so spitefully as not to be somewhat moved by its efficacy;
for, though Pilate did not proceed so far as to become humble and teachable,
yet he is constrained to feel some inward compunction.
39. But you have a custom. Pilate was all along pondering in
what way he might save Christ’s life; but, the people being so fiercely
enraged, he attempted to keep a middle path, in order to allay their fury;
for he thought that it would be enough if Christ, being dismissed as a
malefactor, were marked with perpetual ignominy, lie therefore selects
Barabbas above all others, in order that, by a comparison with that man,
the hatred which they bore to Christ might be softened down; for Barabbas
was universally and strongly detested on account of his atrocious crimes.
And, indeed, is there any thing more detestable than a robber? But Luke
(Luke 23:19) relates that, in addition to this, he was guilty of other
crimes.
That the Jews preferred him to Christ, did not happen without a singular
interposition of the providence of God; for it would have been highly unbecoming,
that the Son of God should be rescued from death by so dishonorable a price.
Yeb by his death, he was thrown into the deepest ignominy, so that, in
consequence of the release of Barabbas, he was crucified between two robbers;
for he had taken upon himself the sins of all, which could not be expiated
in any other way; and the glory of his resurrection, by which it was speedily
followed, caused his death itself to be a splendid triumph.
This custom, by which the Roman governor delivered up to the Jews, every
year, at the passover, some criminal, involved a base and heinous crime.
It was done, no doubt in order to honor the sacredness of the day, but
was, in reality, nothing else than a shameful profanation of it; for Scripture
declares, that
he who acquitteth the guilty is abomination in the sight of God, (Proverbs
17:15;)
and therefore he is far from taking delight in that improper kind of
forgiveness. Let us learn by this example, that nothing is more ridiculous,
than to attempt to serve God by our inventions; for, as soon as men begin
to follow their own imaginations, there will be no end till, by falling
into some of the most absurd fooleries, they openly insult God. The rule
for the worship of God, therefore, ought to be taken from nothing else
tl,an from his own appointment.
CHAPTER 19.
John 19:1-6
1. Then Pilate therefore took Jesus, and scourged him. 2. And the
soldiers, platting a crown of thorns, put it on his head, and put on him
a purple robe, 3. And said, Hail, King of the Jews ! and struck him with
the palms of their hands. 4. Pilate therefore went out again, and said
to them, Behold, I bring him out to you, that you may know that I find
no guilt in him. 5. Jesus then went out, wearing the crown of thorns and
the purple robe. Then he said to them, Behold the man! 6. When therefore
the chief priests and officers saw him, they cried out, saying, Crucify
him, crucify him. Pilate saith to them, Take you him, and crucify him;
for I find no guilt in him.
1. Then Pilate therefore took Jesus. Pilate adheres to his original
intention; but to the former ignominy he adds a second, hoping that, when
Christ shall have been scourged, the Jews will be satisfied with this light
chastisement. When he labors so earnestly, and without any success, we
ought to recognize in this the decree of Heaven, by which Christ was appointed
to death. Yet his innocence is frequently attested by the testimony of
the judge, in order to assure us that he was free from all sin, and that
he was substituted as a guilty person in the room of others, and bore the
punishment due to the sins of others. We see also in Pilate a remarkable
example of a trembling conscience. He acquits Christ with his mouth, and
acknowledges that there is no guilt in him, and yet inflicts punishment
on him, as if he were guilty. Thus, they who have not so much courage as
to defend, with unshaken constancy, what is right, must be driven hither
and thither, and led to adopt opposite and conflicting opinions.
We all condemn Pilate; and yet, it is shameful to relate that there
are so many Pilates in the world, who scourge Christ, not only in his members,
but also in his doctrine. There are many who, for the purpose of saving
the life of those who are persecuted for the sake of the Gospel, constrain
them wickedly to deny Christ. What is this, but to expose Christ to ridicule,
that he may lead a dishonorable life? Others select and approve of certain
parts of the Gospel, and yet tear the whole Gospel to pieces. They think
that they have done exceedingly well, if they have corrected a few gross
abuses. It would be better that the doctrine should be buried for a time,
than that it should be scourged in this manner, for it would spring up
again ill spite of the devil and of tyrants; but nothing is more difficult
than to restore it to its purity after having been once corrupted.
2. And the soldiers, platting a crown of thorns. This was unquestionably
done by the authority of Pilate, in order to affix a mark of infamy on
the Son of God, for having made himself a king; and that in order to satisfy
the rage of the Jews, as if he had been convinced that the accusations
which they brought against Christ were well founded. Yet the wickedness
and insolence of the soldiers is indulged more freely than had been ordered
by the judge; as ungodly men eagerly seize on the opportunity of doing
evil whenever it is offered to them. But we see here the amazing cruelty
of the Jewish nation, whose minds are not moved to compassion by so piteous
a spectacle; but all this is directed by God, in order to reconcile the
world to himself by the death of his Son.
6. Take you him. He did not wish to deliver Christ into their
hands, or to abandon him to their fury; only he declares that he will not
be their executioner. This is evident from the reason immediately added,
when he says that he finds no guilt in him; as if he had said, that he
will never be persuaded to shed innocent blood for their gratification.
That it is only the priests and officers who demand that he shall be crucified,
is evident from the circumstance that the madness of the people was not
so great, except so far as those bellows contributed afterwards to kindle
it.
John 19:7-11
7. The Jews answered him, We have a law, and according to our law
he ought to die, because he made himself the Son of God. 8. When therefore
Pilate heard this saying, he was the more afraid; 9. And went again into
the hall, and said to Jesus, Whence art thou? And Jesus gave him no answer.
10. Then Pilate said to him, Speakest thou not to me? Knowest thou not
that I have power to crucify thee, and have power to release thee? 11.
Jesus answered, Thou wouldest have no power against me, unless it were
given to thee from above; therefore he who hath delivered me to thee hath
the greater sin.
7. We have a law. They mean that, in proceeding against Christ,
they do what is right, and are not actuated by hatred or sinful passion;
for they perceived that Pilate had indirectly reproved them. Now, they
speak as in the presence of a man who was ignorant of the law; as if they
had said, “We are permitted to live after our own manner, and our religion
does not suffer any man to boast of being the Son of God.” Besides, this
accusation was not altogether void of plausibility, but they erred grievously
in the application of it. The general doctrine was undoubtedly true, that
it was not lawful for men to assume any honor which is due to God, and
that they who claimed for themselves what is peculiar to God alone deserved
to be put to death. But the source of their error related to the person
of Christ, because they did not consider what are the titles given by Scripture
to the Messiah, from which they might easily have learned that he was the
Son of God, and did not even deign to inquire whether or not Jesus was
the Messiah whom God had formerly promised.
We see, then, how they drew a false conclusion from a true principle,
for they reason badly. This example warns us to distinguish carefully between
a general doctrine and the application of it, for there are many ignorant
and unsteady persons who reject the very principles of Scripture, if they
have once been deceived by the semblance of truth; and such licentiousness
makes too great progress in the world every day. Let us, therefore, remember
that we ought to guard against imposition, so that principles which are
true may remain in all their force, and that the authority of Scripture
may not be diminished.
On the other hand, we may easily find a reply to wicked men, who falsely
and improperly allege the testimony of Scripture, and the principles which
they draw from it, to support their bad designs; just as the Papists, when
they extol in lofty terms the authority of the Church, bring forward nothing
about which all the children of God are not agreed. They maintain that
the Church is the mother of believers, that she is the pillar of truth,
that she ought to be heard, that she is guided by the Holy Spirit. All
this we ought to admit, but when they wish to appropriate to themselves
all the authority that is due to the Church, they wickedly, and with sacrilegious
presumption, seize what does not at all belong to them. For we must inquire
into the grounds of what they assume as true, that they deserve the title
of The Church; and here they utterly fail. In like manner, when they exercise
furious cruelty against all the godly, they do so on this pretence, that
they have been ordained to defend the faith and peace of the Church. But
when we examine the matter more closely, we plainly see that there is nothing
which they have less at heart than the defense of true doctrine, that nothing
affects them less than a care about peace and harmony, but that they only
fight to uphold their own tyranny. They who are satisfied with general
principles, and do not attend to the circumstances, imagine that the Papists
do right in attacking us; but the investigation of the matter quickly dissipates
that smoke by which they deceive the simple.
8. He was the more afraid. These words may be explained in two
ways. The first is, that Pilate dreaded lest some blame should be imputed
to him, if a tumult arose, because he had not condemned Christ. The second
is, that, after having heard the name of the Son of God, his mind was moved
by religion. This second view is confirmed by what immediately follows:
9. And he entered again into the hall, and said to Jesus; Whence
Art Thou? ,or it is evident from this that he was in a state of perplexity
and anguish, because he was afraid that he would be punished for sacrilege,
if he laid his hand on the Son of God. It ought to be observed that, when
he asks whence Christ is, he does not inquire about his country, but the
meaning is, as if he had said, “Art thou a man born on the earth, or art
thou some god?” The interpretation which I give to this passage, therefore,
is, that Pilate, struck with the fear of God, was in perplexity and doubt
as to what he ought to do; for he saw, on the one hand, the excitement
of a mutiny, and, on the other hand, conscience held him bound not to offend
God for the sake of avoiding danger.
This example is highly worthy of observation. Though the countenance
of Christ was so disfigured, yet, as soon as Pilate hears the name of God,
he is seized with the fear of violating the majesty of God in a man who
was utterly mean and despicable. If reverence for God had so much influence
on an irreligious man, must not they be worse than reprobate, who now judge
of divine things in sport and jest, carelessly, and without any fear? for,
indeed, Pilate is a proof that men have naturally a sentiment of religion,
which does not suffer them to rush fearlessly in any direction they choose,
when the question relates to divine things. This is the reason why I said
that those who, in handling the doctrine of Scripture, are not more impressed
with the majesty of God, than if they had been disputing about the shadow
of an ass, are given up to a reprobate mind, (Romans 1:28.) Yet they will
one day feel to their destruction, what veneration is due to the name of
God, which they now treat with such disdainful and outrageous mockery.
It is shocking to relate how haughtily the Papists condemn the plain and
ascertained truth of God, and with what cruelty they shed innocent blood.
Whence, I beseech you, comes that drunken stupidity, but because they do
not recollect that they have anything to do with God ?
And Jesus gave him no answer. We ought not to think it strange
that Jesus makes no reply; at least, if we keep in mind what I have formerly
mentioned, that he did not stand before Pilate to plead his own cause,
— as is customary with persons accused who are desirous to be acquitted,
— but rather to suffer condemnation; for it was proper that he should be
condemned, when he appeared in our room. This is the reason why he makes
no defense; and yet Christ’s silence is not inconsistent with what Paul
says,
Remember that Christ, before Pilate, made a good confession,
(1 Timothy 6:13;)
for there he maintained the faith of the Gospel, as far as was necessary,
and his death was nothing else than the sealing of the doctrine delivered
by him. Christ left nothing undone of what was necessary to make a lawful
confession, but he kept silence as to asking an acquittal. Besides, there
was some danger that Pilate would acquit Christ as one of the pretended
gods, as Tiberius wished to rank him among the gods of the Romans. Justly,
therefore, does Christ, by his silence, frown on this foolish superstition.
10. Knowest thou not that I have power to crucify thee? This
shows that the dread with which Pilate had been suddenly seized was transitory,
and had no solid root; for now, forgetting all fear, he breaks out into
haughty and monstrous contempt of God. He threatens Christ, as if there
had not been a Judge in heaven; but this must always happen with irreligious
men, that, shaking off the fear of God, they quickly return to their natural
disposition. Hence also we infer, that it is not without good reason that
the heart of man is called deceitful, (Jeremiah 17:9;) for, though some
fear of God dwells in it, there likewise comes from it mere impiety. Whoever,
then, is not regenerated by the Spirit of God, though he pretend for a
time to reverence the majesty of God, will quickly show, by opposite facts,
that this fear was hypocritical.
Again, we see in Pilate an image of a proud man, who is driven to madness
by his ambition; for, when he wishes to exalt his power, he deprives himself
of all praise and reputation for justice. He acknowledges that Christ is
innocent, and therefore he makes himself no better than a robber, when
he boasts that he has power to cut his throat ! Thus, wicked consciences,
in which faith and the true knowledge of God do not reign, must necessarily
be agitated, and there must be within them various feelings of the flesh,
which contend with each other; and in this manner God takes signal vengeance
on the pride of men, when they go beyond their limits, so as to claim for
themselves infinite power. By condemning themselves for injustice, they
stamp on themselves the greatest reproach and disgrace. No blindness, therefore,
is greater than that of pride; and we need not wonder, since pride feels
the hand of God, against which it strikes, to be armed with vengeance.
Let us therefore remember, that we ought not rashly to indulge in foolish
boastings, lest we expose ourselves to ridicule; and especially that those
who occupy a high rank ought to conduct themselves modestly, and not to
be ashamed of being subject to God and to his laws.
11. Thou wouldest have no power. Some explain this in a general
sense, that nothing is done in the world but by the permission of God;
as if Christ had said, that Pilate, though he thinks that he can do all
things, will do nothing more than God permits. The statement is, no doubt,
true, that this world is regulated by the disposal of God, and that, whatever
may be the efforts of wicked men, still they cannot even move a finger
but as the secret power of God directs. But I prefer the opinion of those
who confine this passage to the office of the magistrate; for by these
words Christ rebukes the foolish boasting of Pilate, in extolling himself,
as if his power had not been from God; as if he had said, Thou claimest
every thing for thyself’, as if thou hadst not to render an account one
day to God; but it was not without His providence that thou wast made a
judge. Consider, then, that His heavenly throne is far higher than thy
tribunal. It is impossible to find any admonition better fitted to repress
the insolence of those who rule over others, that they may not abuse their
authority. The father imagines that he may do what he pleases towards his
children, the husband towards his wife, the master towards his servants,
the prince towards his people, unless when they look to God, who hath determined
that their authority shall be limited by a fixed rule.
Therefore he who delivered me to thee. Some think that this declares
the Jews to be more guilty than Pilate, because, with wicked hatred and
malicious treachery, they are enraged against an innocent man, that is,
those of them who were private individuals, and not clothed with lawful
authority. But I think that this circumstance renders their guilt more
heinous and less excusable on another ground, that they constrain a divinely
appointed government to comply with their lawless desires; for it is a
monstrous sacrilege to pervert a holy ordinance of God for promoting any
wickedness. The robber, who, with his own hand, cuts the throat of a wretched
passenger, is justly held in abhorrence; but he who, under the forms of
a judicial trial, puts to death an innocent man, is much more wicked. Yet
Christ does not aggravate their guilt, for the purpose of extenuating that
of Pilate; for he does not institute a comparison between him and them,
but rather includes them all in the same condemnation, because they equally
pollute a holy power. There is only this difference, that he makes , direct
attack on the Jews, but indirectly censures Pilate, who complies with their
wicked desire.
John 19:12-16
12. From that time Pilate sought to release him; but the Jews cried
out, saying, If thou release this man, thou art not Caesar's friend: whoever
maketh himself a king speaketh against Caesar. 13. When Pilate, therefore,
had heard this saying, he brought Jesus out, and sat down on the judgment-seat,
in a place which is called the Stone-pavement, and in Hebrew, Gabbatha.
14. And it was the preparation of the passover, about the sixth hour; and
he saith to the Jews, Behold your King! 15. But they cried out, Away with
him, away with him, crucify him. Pilate saith to them, Shall I crucify
your King? The chief priests answered, We have no king but Caesar. 16.
Then, therefore, he delivered him to them to be crucified; and they took
Jesus, and led him away.
12. From that time Pilate sought to release him. Though Pilate
does not conduct himself conscientiously, and is actuated more by ambition
than by a regard to justice, and, on that account, is wretchedly irresolute,
yet his modesty is commendable on this ground, that, when he is severely
reproved by Christ, he does not fly into a passion, but, on the contrary,
is still more disposed to release him. He is a judge, and yet he meekly
permits the accused person to be his reprover; and, indeed, scarcely one
person in a hundred will be found, who so mildly suffers a reproof, even
from one who is his equal.
Thou art not Caesar’s friend. By threats they prevail on Pilate
to condemn Christ; for they could do nothing that was more hateful, or
more fitted to produce terror, than to hold him suspected of disloyalty
to Caesar. “Thou showest,” say they, “that thou dost not care about Caesar’s
authority, if thou acquit him who has endeavored to throw every thing into
confusion.” This wickedness at length broke down the resolution of Pilate,
who, till now, had only been shaken by their furious clamours. Nor is it
without a good reason that the Evangelist so laboriously examines and details
those circumstances; for it is of great importance to us to know, that
Pilate did not condemn Christ, before he had several times acquitted him
with his own mouth, in order that we may learn from it, that it was for
our sins that he was condemned, and not on his own account. We may also
learn from it, how voluntarily he offered himself to die, when he disdained
to avail himself of the favorable disposition of the judge towards him;
and, indeed, it was this obedience that caused his death to be a sacrifice
of sweet savour, (Ephesians 5:2,) for blotting out all sins.
13. And sat down on the judgment-seat. Hence we see what conflicting
opinions passed through the mind of Pilate, as if he had been a stage-player
who was acting two characters. He ascends the judgment-seat, in order to
pronounce sentence of death on Christ solemnly, and in the customary form;
and yet he declares openly, that he does so reluctantly and against his
conscience. When he calls Christ king, he speaks ironically, meaning that
it was a trivial charge which the Jews brought against him; or rather,
for the purpose of allaying their fury, he warns them, that it would bring
disgrace on the whole nation, if a report were spread abroad, that a person
of that nation had been condemned to die for aspiring to kingly power.
In the place which is called the Stone-pavement, but in the Hebrew,
Gabbatha. When the Evangelist says, that atbg (Gabbatha) was the name of
the place in Hebrew he means the Chaldaic or Syriac language, which was
then in common use; for in Hebrew, hbg(Gabach) means to be lofty. It was
proper, therefore, that Christ should be condemned from a lofty place,
that he, coming from heaven as the supreme Judge, may acquit us at the
last day.
14. About the sixth hour. The Evangelists appear to differ, and
even to contradict each other, in the computation of time. The other three
Evangelists say that the darkness came on about the sixth hour, while Christ
was hanging on the cross, (Matthew 27:45; Mark 15:33; Luke 23:44.) Mark,
too says expressly that it was the third hour when the sentence was pronounced
on him, (Mark 15:25.) But this may be easily explained. It is plain enough
from other passages that the day was at that time divided into four parts,
as the night also contained four watches; in consequence of which, the
Evangelists sometimes allot not more than four hours to each day, and extend
each hour to three, and, at the same time, reckon the space of an hour,
which was drawing to a close, as belonging to the next part. According
to this calculation, John relates that Christ was condemned about the sixth
hour, because the time of the day was drawing towards the sixth hour, or
towards the second part of the day. Hence we infer that Christ was crucified
at or about the sixth hour; for, as the Evangelist afterwards mentions,
(John 19:20,) the place was near to the city. The darkness began between
the sixth and ninth hour, and lasted till the ninth hour, at which time
Christ died.
15. We have no king but Caesar. This is a display of shocking
madness, that the priests, who ought to have been well acquainted with
the Law, reject Christ, in whom the salvation of the people was wholly
contained, on whom all the promises depended, and on whom the whole of
their religion was founded; and, indeed, by rejecting Christ, they deprive
themselves of the grace of God and of every blessing. We see, then, what
insanity had seized them. Let us suppose that Jesus Christ was not the
Christ; still they have no excuse for acknowledging no other king but Caesar.
For, first, they revolt from the spiritual kingdom of God; and, secondly,
they prefer the tyranny of the Roman Empire, which they greatly abhorred,
to a just government, such as God had promised to them. Thus wicked men,
in order to fly from Christ, not only deprive themselves of eternal life,
but draw down on their heads every kind of miseries. On the other hand,
the sole happiness of the godly is, to be subject to the royal authority
of Christ, whether, according to the flesh, they are placed under a just
and lawful government, under the oppression of tyrants.
16. Then, therefore, he delivered him to them to be crucified.
Pilate was, no doubt constrained by their importunity to deliver Christ;
and yet this was not done in a tumultuous manner, but he was solemnly condemned
in the ordinary form, because there were also two robbers who, after having
been tried, were at the same time condemned to be crucified. But John employs
this expression, in order to make it more fully evident that Christ, though
he had not been convicted of any crime, was given up to the insatiable
cruelty of the people.
John 19:17-22
17. And he, bearing his cross, went forth to a place which is called
(the place) of a Skull, and: in Hebrew, Golgotha; 18. Where they crucified
him, and two others with him, on either side one, and Jesus in the midst.
19. And Pilate wrote also a title, and put it on the cross; and it was
written, Jesus of Nazareth, The King Of The Jews_20. This title then many
of the Jews read, because the place where Jesus was crucified was near
to the city; and it was written in Hebrew, and Greek, and Latin_21. The
chief priests of the Jews, therefore, said to Pilate, Write not, The King
of the Jews; but that he said, I am King, of the Jews. 22. Pilate answered,
What I have written I have written.
17. He went forth to a place. The circumstances which are here
related contribute greatly, not only to show the truth of the narrative,
but likewise to build up our faith. We must look for righteousness through
the satisfaction made by Christ. To prove that he is the sacrifice for
our sins, he wished both to be led out of the city, and to be hanged on
a tree; for the custom was, in compliance with the injunction of the Law,
that the sacrifices, the blood of which was shed for sin, were carried
out of the camp, (Leviticus 6:30; 16:27;) and the same Law declares that
he who hangeth on a tree is accursed, (Deuteronomy 21:23.)
Both were fulfilled in Christ, that we might be fully convinced that
atonement has been made for our sins by the sacrifice of his death; that
he was made subject to the curse, in order that he might redeem
us from the curse of the law, (Galatians 3:13;)
that
he was made sin, in order that we might be the righteousness of
God in him, (2 Corinthians 5:21;)
that he was led out of the city, in order that he might carry with
him, and take away, our defilements which were laid on him, (Hebrews 12:12.)
To the same purpose is the statement about the robbers, which immediately
follows :—
18. And two others with him, on either side one, and Jesus in the
midst. As if the severity of the punishment had not been sufficient
of itself, he is hanged in the midst between two robbers, as if he not
only had deserved to be classed with other robbers, but had been the most
wicked and the most detestable of them all. We ought always to remember,
that the wicked executioners of Christ did nothing but what had been determined
by the hand and purpose of God; for God did not surrender his Son to their
lawless passions, but determined that, according to his own will and good
pleasure, he should be offered as a sacrifice. And if there were the best
reasons for the purpose of God in all those things which he determined
that his Son should suffer, we ought to consider, on the one hand, the
dreadful weight of his wrath against sin, and, on the other hand, his infinite
goodness towards us. In no other way could our guilt be removed than by
the Son of God becoming a curse for us. We see him driven out into an accursed
place, as if he had been polluted by a mass of all sorts of crimes, that
there he might appear to be accursed before God and men. Assuredly we are
prodigiously stupid, if we do not plainly see in this mirror with what
abhorrence God regards sin; and we are harder than stones, if we do not
tremble at such a judgment as this.
When, on the other hand, God declares that our salvation was so dear
to him, that he did not spare his only-begotten Son, what abundant goodness
and what astonishing grace do we here behold! Whoever, then, takes a just
view of the causes of the death of Christ, together with the advantage
which it yields to us, will not, like the Greeks, regard the doctrlne of
the cross as foolishness, nor, like the Jews, will he regard it as an offense,
(1 Corinthians 1:23,) but rather as an invaluable token and pledge of the
power, and wisdom, and righteousness, and goodness of God.
When John says, that the name of the place was Golgotha, he means that,
in the Chaldaic or Syriac language, it was called atlglg, (Gulgaltha.)
The name is derived from lglg, (Gilgel,) which signifies, to roll; because
a skull is round like a ball or globe
19. And Pilate wrote also a title. The Evangelist relates a memorable
action of Pilate, after having pronounced the sentence. It is perhaps true
that it was customary to affix titles, when malefactors were executed,
that the cause of the punishment might be known to all, and might serve
the purpose of an example. But in Christ there is this extraordinary circumstance,
that the title which is affixed to him implies no disgrace; for Pilate’s
intention was, to avenge himself indirectly on the Jews, (who, by their
obstinacy, had extorted from him an unjust sentence of death on an innocent
man,) and, in the person of Christ, to throw blame on the whole nation.
Thus he does not brand Christ with the commission of any crime.
But the providence of God, which guided the pen of Pilate, had a higher
object in view. It did not, indeed, occur to Pilate to celebrate Christ
as the Author of salvation, and the Nazarene of God, and the King of a
chosen people; but God dictated to him this commendation of the Gospel,
though he knew not the meaning of what he wrote. It. was the same secret
guidance of the Spirit that caused the title to be published in three languages;
for it is not probable that this was an ordinary practice, but the Lord
showed, by this preparatory arrangement, that the time was now at hand,
when the name of his Son should be made known throughout the whole earth.
21. The chief priests of the Jews said therefore to Pilate. They
feel that they are sharply rebuked; and, therefore, they would wish that
the title were changed, so as not to involve the nation in disgrace, but
to throw the whole blame on Christ. But yet they do not conceal their deep
hatred of the truth, since the smallest spark of it is more than they are
able to endure. Thus Satan always prompts his servants to endeavor to extinguish,
or, at least, to choke, by their own darkness, the light of God, as soon
as the feeblest ray of it appears.
22. What I have written I have written. Pilate’s firmness must
be ascribed to the providence of God; for there can be no doubt that they
attempted, in various ways, to change his resolution. Let us know, therefore,
that he was held by a Divine hand, so that he remained unmoved. Pilate
did not yield to the prayers of the priests, and did not allow himself
to be corrupted by them; but God testified, by his mouth, the firmness
and stability of the kingdom of his Son. And if, in the writing of Pilate,
the kingdom of Christ was shown to be so firm that it could not be shaken
by all the attacks of its enemies, what value ought we to attach to the
testimonies of the Prophets, whose tongues and hands God consecrated to
his service?
The example of Pilate reminds us, also, that it is our duty to remain
steady in defending the truth. A heathen refuses to retract what he has
justly and properly written concerning Christ, though he did not understand
or consider what he was doing. How great, then, will be our dishonor, if,
terrified by threatenigs or dangers, we withdraw from the profession of
his doctrine, which God hath sealed on our hearts by his Spirit! Besides,
it ought to be observed how detestable is the tyranny of the Papists, which
prohibits the reading of the Gospel, and of the whole of the Scripture,
by the common people. Pilate, though he was a reprobate man, and, in other
respects, an instrument of Satan, was nevertheless, by a secret guidance,
appointed to be a herald of the Gospel, that he might publish a short summary
of it in three languages. What rank, therefore, shall we assign to those
who do all that they can to suppress the knowledge of it, since they show
that they are worse than Pilate?
John 19:23-24
23. Then the soldiers, when they had crucified Jesus, took his garments,
and made four parts, to each soldier a part. They took also his coat. But
the coat was without seam, woven from the top throughout. 24. They 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 divided
my garments among them, and cast lots on my vesture: these things therefore
the soldiers did.
23. Then the soldiers. The other Evangelists also mention the
parting of Christ’s garments among the soldiers, (Matthew 27:35; Mark 15:24;
Luke 23:34.) There were four soldiers who parted among themselves all his
garments, except the coat, which, being without seam could not be divided,
and therefore they cast lots on it. To fix our minds on the contemplation
of the purpose of God, the Evangelists remind us that, in this occurrence
also, there was a fulfillment of Scripture. It may be thought, however,
that the passage, which they quote from Psalm 22:19, is inappropriately
applied to the subject in hand; for, though David complains in it that
he was exposed as a prey to his enemies, he makes use of the word garments
to denote metaphorically all his property; as if he had said, in a single
word, that “he had been stripped naked and bare by wicked men;” and, when
the Evangelists disregard the figure, they depart from the natural meaning
of the passage. But we ought to remember, in the first place, that the
psalm ought not to be restricted to David, as is evident from many parts
of it, and especially from a clause in which it is written, I will proclaim
thy name among the Gentiles, (Psalm 22:22) which must be explained as referring
to Christ. We need not wonder, therefore, if that which was faintly shadowed
out in David is beheld in Christ with all that superior clearness which
the truth ought to have, as compared with the figurative representation
of it.
Let us also learn that. Christ was stripped of his garments, that he
might clothe us with righteousness; that his naked body was exposed to
the insults of men, that we may appear in glory before the judgment-seat
of God. As to the allegorical meaning to which some men have tortured this
passage, by making it mean, that heretics tear Scripture in pieces, it
is too far-fetched; though I would not object to such a comparison as this,
—that, as the garments of Christ were once divided by ungodly soldiers,
so, in the present day, there are perverse men who, by foreign inventions,
tear the whole of the Scripture, with which Christ is clothed, in order
that he may be manifested to us. But the wickedness of the Papists, accompanied
by shocking blasphemy against God, is intolerable. They tell us, that Scripture
is torn to pieces by heretics, but that the coat — that is, the Church
— remains entire; and thus they endeavor to prove that, without paying
any attention to the authority of Scripture, the unity of faith consists
in the mere title of the Church; as if the unity of the Church were itself
founded on any thing else than the authority of Scripture. When, therefore,
they separate faith from Scripture, so that it may continue to be attached
to the Church alone, by such a divorce they not only strip Christ of his
garments, but tear in pieces his body by shocking sacrilege. And though
we should admit what they maintain, that the coat without seam is a figure
of the Church, they will be very far from gaining their point: for it will
still remain to be proved, that the Church is placed under their authority,
of which they show no sign whatever.
John 19:25-27
25. :Now there stood by the cross of Jesus his mother, and his mother's
sister, Mary of Cleophas, and Mary Magdalene. 26. Jesus, therefore, seeing
his mother, and the disciple whom he loved standing by her, saith to his
mother, Woman, behold thy son! 27. Then he saith to the disciple, :Behold
thy mother! And from that hour, the disciple took her to his own home.
25. Now there stood by the cross of Jesus. The Evangelist here
mentions incidentally, that while Christ obeyed God the Father, he did
not fail to perform the duty which he owed, as a son, towards his mother.
True, he forgot himself, and he forgot every thing, so far as was necessary
for the discharge of obedience to his Father, but, after having performed
that duty, he did not neglect what he owed to his mother. Hence we learn
in what manner we ought to discharge our duty towards God and towards men.
It often happens that, when God calls us to the performance of any thing,
our parents, or wife, or children, draw us in a contrary direction, so
that we cannot give equal satisfaction to all. If we place men in the same
rank with God, we judge amiss. We must, therefore, give the preference
to the command, the worship, and the service of God; after which, as far
as we are able, we must give to men what is their due.
And yet the commands of the first and second table of the Law never
jar with each other, though at first sight they appear to do so; but we
must begin with the worship of God, and afterwards assign to men an inferior
place. Such is the import of the following statements:
He who loveth father or mother more than me, is not worthy of me,
(Matthew 10:41;)
and,
If any one hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children,
and brethren, and sisters, he cannot be my disciple,
(Luke 14:26.)
We ought, therefore, to devote ourselves to the interests of men, so
as not in any degree to interfere with the worship and obedience which
we owe to God. When we have obeyed God, it will then be the proper time
to think about parents, and wife, and children; as Christ attends to his
mother, but it is after that he is on the cross, to which he has been called
by his Father’s decree.
Yet, if we attend to the time and place when these things happened,
Christ’s affection for his mother was worthy of admiration. I say nothing
about the severe tortures of his body; I say nothing about the reproaches
which he suffered; but, though horrible blasphemies against God filled
his mind with inconceivable grief, and though he sustained a dreadful contest
with eternal death and with the devil, still, none of these things prevent
him from being anxious about his mother. We may also learn from this passage,
what is the honor which God, by the Law, commands us to render to parents,
(Exodus 20:12.) Christ appoints the disciple to be his substitute, and
charges him to support and take care of his mother; and hence it follows,
that the honor which is due to parents consists, not in cold ceremony,
but in the discharge of all necessary duties.
On the other hand, we ought to consider the faith of those holy women
It is true that, in following Christ to the cross, they displayed more
than ordinary affection; but, if they had not been supported by faith they
could never have been present at this exhibition. As to John himself, we
infer that, though his faith was choked for a short time, it was not wholly
extinguished. How shameful will it be, if the dread of the cross deters
us from following Christ, when the glory of his resurrection is placed
before our eyes, whereas the women beheld in it nothing but disgrace and
cursing!
Mary of Cleophas, and Mary Magdalene. He calls her either the
wife or the daughter of Cleophas; but I prefer the latter interpretation.
He says, that she was the sister of the mother of Jesus, and, in saying
so, he adopts the phraseology of the Hebrew language, which includes cousins,
and other relatives, under the term brothers. We see that it was not in
vain that Mary Magdalene was delivered from seven devils, (Mark 16:9; Luke
8:2;) since she showed hersclf, to the last, to be so faithful a disciple
to Christ.
26. Woman, behold thy son! As if he had said, “Henceforth I shall
not be an inhabitant of the earth, so as to have it in my power to discharge
to thee the duties of a son; and, therefore, I put this man in my room,
that he may perform my office.” The same thing is meant, when he says to
John,
Behold thy mother ! For by these words he charges him to treat
her as a mother, and to take as much care of her as if she had been his
own mother.
In refraining from mentioning his mother’s name and in simply calling
her Woman ! some think that he did so, in order not to pierce her heart
with a deeper wound. I do not object to this view; but there is another
conjecture which is equally probable, that Christ intended to show that,
after having completed the course of human life, he lays down the condition
in which he had lived, and enters into the heavenly kingdom, where he will
exercise dominion over angels and men; for we know that Christ was always
accustomed to guard believers against looking at the flesh, and it was
especially necessary that this should be done at his death.
27. The disciple took her to his own home. It is a token of the
reverence due by a disciple to his master, that John so readily obeys the
command of Christ. Hence also it is evident, that the Apostles had their
families; for John could not have exercised hospitality towards the mother
of Christ, or have taken her to his own home, if he had not had a house
and a regular way of living. Those men, therefore, are fools, who think
that the Apostles relinquished their property, and came to Christ naked
and empty; but they are worse than fools, who make perfection to consist
in beggary.
John 19:28-30
28. After this, Jesus, knowing that all things were now accomplished,
that the Scripture might be fulfilled, saith, I thirst. 29. And a vessel
full of vinegar was placed there; and, filling a sponge with vinegar, they
fixed it on hyssop, and put it to his mouth. 30. When, therefore, Jesus
had received the vinegar, he said, It is finished; and, bowing his head,
he yielded up his breath.
28. Jesus, knowing that all things were now accomplished. John
purposely passes by many things which are related by the other three Evangelists.
He now describes the last act, which was an event of the greatest importance.When
John says that a vessel was placed there, he speaks of it as a thing that
was customary. There has been much controversy on this subject; but I agree
with those who think (and, indeed, the custom is proved by histories) that
it was a kind of beverage usually administered for the purpose of accelerating
the death of wretched malefactors, when they had undergone sufficient torture
Now, it ought to be remarked, that Christ does not ask any thing to drink
till all things have been accomplished; and thus he testified his infinite
love towards us, and the inconceivable earnestness of his desire to promote
our salvation. No words can fully express the bitterness of the sorrows
which he endured; and yet he does not desire to be freed from them, till
the justice of God has been satisfied, and till he has made a perfect atonement
But how does he say, that all things were accomplished, while the most
important part still remained to be performed, that is, his death? Besides,
does not his resurrection contribute to the accomplishment of our salvation?
I answer, John includes those things which were immediately to follow.
Christ had not yet died: and had not yet risen again; but he saw that nothing
now remained to hinder him from going forward to death and resurrection.
In this manner he instructs us, by his own example, to render perfect obedience,
that we may not think it hard to live according to his good pleasure, even
though we must languish in the midst of the most excruciating pains.
That the Scripture might be fulfilled. From what is stated by
the other Evangelists, (Matthew 27:48; Mark 15:23, 36; Luke 23:36,) it
may readily be concluded that the passage referred to is Psalm 69:21,
They gave me gall for my food, and in my thirst they gave me vinegar
to drink.
It is, undoubtedly, a metaphorical expression, and David means by it,
not only that they refused to him the assistance which he needed, but that
they cruelly aggravated his distresses. But there is no inconsistency in
saying that what had been dimly shadowed out in David was more clearly
exhibited in Christ: for thus we are enabled more fully to perceive the
difference between truth and figures, when those things which David suffered,
only in a figurative manner, are distinctly and perfectly manifested in
Christ. To show that he was the person whom David represented, Christ chose
to drink vinegar; and he did so for the purpose of strengthening our faith.
I thirst. Those who contrive a metaphorical meaning for the word
thirst, as if he meant that, instead of a pleasant and agreeable beverage,
they gave him bitterness, as if they intended to flay his throat,are more
desirous to be thought ingenious than to promote true edification; and,
indeed, they are expressly refuted by the Evangelist, who says that Christ
asked for vinegar when he was near death; from which it is evident that
he did not desire any luxuries,
29. And, having filled a sponge with vinegar, they fixed it on hyssop.
When he says that they fixed the sponge on hyssop, the meaning is, that
they fastened it to the end of a bunch of hyssop, that it might be raised
to Christ’s mouth; for, in that country, hyssops grow as large as small
shrubs,
30. It is finished. He repeats the same word which he had lately
employed, Now this word, which Christ employs, well deserves our attention;
for it shows that the whole accomplishment of our salvation, and all the
parts of it, are contained in his death. We have already stated that his
resurrection is not separated from his death, but Christ only intends to
keep our faith fixed on himself alone, and not to allow it to turn aside
in any direction whatever. The meaning, therefore, is, that every thing
which contributes to the salvation of men is to be found in Christ, and
ought not to be sought anywhere else; or — which amounts to the same thing
— that the perfection of salvation is contained in him.
There is also an implied contrast; for Christ contrasts his death with
the ancient sacrifices and with all the figures; as if he had said,” Of
all that was practiced under the Law, there was nothing that had any power
in itself to make atonement for sins, to appease the wrath of God, and
to obtain justification; but now the true salvation is exhibited and manifested
to the world.” On this doctrine depends the abolition of all the ceremonies
of the Law; for it would be absurd to follow shadows, since we have the
body in Christ.
If we give our assent to this word which Christ pronounced, we ought
to be satisfied with his death alone for salvation, and we are not at liberty
to apply for assistance in any other quarter; for he who was sent by the
Heavenly Father to obtain for us a full acquittal, and to accomplish our
redemption, knew well what belonged to his office, and did not fail in
what he knew to be demanded of him. It was chiefly for the purpose of giving
peace and tranquillity to our consciences that he pronounced this word,
It is finished. Let us stop here, therefore, if we do not choose to be
deprived of the salvation which he has procured for us
But the whole religion of Popery tends to lead men to contrive for themselves
innumerable methods of seeking salvation; and hence we infer, that it is
full to overflowing with abominable sacrileges. More especially, this word
of Christ condemns the abomination of the Mass. All the sacrifices of the
Law must have ceased, for the salvation of men has been completed by the
one sacrifice of the death of Christ. What right, then, have the Papists,
or what plausible excuse can they assign for saying, that they are authorised
to prepare a new sacrifice, to reconcile God to men? They reply that it
is not a new sacrifice, but the very sacrifice which Christ offered. But
this is easily refuted; for, in the first place, they have no command to
offer it; and, secondly, Christ, having once accomplished, by a single
oblation, all that was necessary to be done, declares, from the cross,
that all is finished. They are worse than forgers, therefore, for they
wickedly corrupt and falsify the testament sealed by the precious blood
of the Son of God.
He yielded up his breath. All the Evangelists take great care
to mention the death of Christ, and most properly; for we obtain from it
our confident hope of life, and we likewise obtain from it a fearless triumph
over death, because the Son of God has endured it in our room, and, in
his contest with it, has been victorious. But we must attend to the phraseology
which John employs, and which teaches us, that all believers, who die with
Christ, peacefully commit their souls to the guardianship of God, who is
faithful, and will not suffer to perish what he hath undertaken to preserve.
The children of God, as well as the reprobate, die; but there is this difference
between them, that the reprobate give up the soul, without knowing where
it goes, or what becomes of it; while the children of God commit it, as
a precious trust, to the protection of God, who will faithfully guard it
till the day of the resurrection. The word breath is manifestly used here
to denote the immortal soul.
John 19:31-37
31. The Jews, therefore, that the bodies might not remain upon the
cross on the Sabbath-day, (for it was the preparation, and it was the great
day of that Sabbath,)besought 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 broke not
his legs; 34. But one of the soldiers pierced his side with a spear, and
immediately there came out of it blood and water. 35. And he who saw it
hath borne testimony of it, and his testimony is true, and he knoweth that
he saith true, that you may believe. 36. And these things were done that
the Scripture might be fulfilled, A bone of him shall not be broken. 37.
And again, another Scripture saith, They shall look on him whom they pierced.
31. For it was the preparation. This narrative also tends to
the edification of our faith; first, because it shows that what had been
foretold in the Scriptures is fulfilled in the person of Christ; and, secondly,
because it contains a mystery of no ordinary value. The Evangelist says,
that the Jews besought that the bodies might be taken down from the crosses.
This had undoubtedly been enjoined by the Law of God; but the Jews, as
is usually the case with hypocrites, direct their whole attention to small
matters, and yet pass by the greatest crimes without any hesitation; for,
in order to a strict observance of their Sabbath, they are careful to avoid
outward pollution; and yet they do not consider how shocking a crime it
is to take away the life of an innocent man. Thus we saw a little before,
that
they did not enter into the governor’s hall, that they might not
be defiled, (John 18:28,)
while the whole country was polluted by their wickedness. Yet, by their
agency, the Lord carries into effect what was of the greatest importance
for our salvation, that, by a wonderful arrangement, the body of Christ
remains uninjured, and blood and water low out of his side.
And it was the great day of that Sabbath Another reading more generally
approved is, and that Sabbath-day was great; but the reading which I have
adopted is supported by many manuscripts that are ancient and of great
authority. Let the reader choose for himself. If we read ejkei>nou in the
genitive case, (ejkei>nou tou~ sabba>tou of that Sabbath) the word Sabbath
must be understood to denote the week; as if the Evangelist had said, that
the festival of that week was very solemn, on account of the Passover.
Note, the Evangelist speaks of the following day, which began at sunset.
But, if we choose rather to read ejkei>nh, in the nominative case, h+n
galh hJ hJme>ra ejkei>nh tou~ sabba>tou, and That was the great day of
the Sabbath, the meaning will be nearly the same in substance; only there
would be this difference in the words, that the Passover, which was to
take place on the following day, would render that Sabbath more solemn.
33. But when they came to Jesus, and saw that he was already dead.
That they break the legs of the two robbers, and after having done
so, find that Christ is already dead, and therefore do not touch his body,
appears to be a very extraordinary work of the providence of God. Ungodly
men will, no doubt, say that it happens naturally that one man dies sooner
than another; but, if we examine carefully the whole course of the narrative,
we shall be constrained to ascribe it to the secret purpose of God, that
the death of Christ was brought on much more rapidly than men could have
at all expected, and that this prevented his legs from being broken.
34. But one of the soldiers pierced his side with a spear. When
the soldier pierced Christ’s side with his spear, he did so for the purpose
of ascertaining if he was dead; but God had a higher object in view, as
we shall immediately see. It was a childish contrivance of the Papists,
when, out of the Greek word lo>gce, which means a spear, they manufactured
the proper name of a man, and called this soldier Longinus, and, to give
an air of plausibility to their story, foolishly alleged that he had been
formerly blind, and that, after having received his sight, he was converted
to the faith. Thus they have placed him in the catalogue of the saints.
Since their prayers, whenever they call on God, rest on such intercessors,
what, I ask, will they ever be able to obtain? But they who despise Christ,
and seek the intercessions of the dead, deserve that the devil should drive
them to ghosts and phantoms.
And immediately there came out blood and water. Some men have
deceived themselves by imagining that this was a miracle; for it is natural
that the blood, when it is congealed, should lose its red color, and come
to resemble water. It is well known also that water is contained in the
membrane which immediately adjoins the intestines. What has led them astray
is, that the Evangelist takes so much pains to explain that blood flowed
along with the water, as if he were relating something unusual and contrary
to the order of nature. But he had quite a different intention; namely,
to accommodate his narrative to the passages of Scripture which he immediately
subjoins, and more especially that believers might infer from it what he
states elsewhere, that Christ came with water and blood, (1 John 5:6.)
By these words he means that Christ brought the true atonement and the
true washing; for, on the one hand, forgiveness of sins and justification,
and, on the other hand, the sanctification of the soul, were prefigured
in the Law by those two symbols, sacrifices and washings. In sacrifices,
blood atoned for sins, and was the ransom for appeasing the wrath of God.
Washings were the tokens of true holiness, and the remedies for taking
away uncleanness and removing the pollutions of the flesh.
That faith may no longer rest on these elements, John declares that
the fulfillment of both of these graces is in Christ; and here he presents
to us a visible token of the same fact. The sacraments which Christ has
left to his Church have the same design; for the purification and sanctification
of the soul, which consists in newness of life, (Romans 6:4,) is pointed
out to us in Baptism, and the Lord’s Supper is the pledge of a perfect
atonement. But they differ widely from the ancient figures of the Law;
for they exhibit Christ as being present, whereas the figures of the Law
pointed out that he was still at a distance. For this reason I do not object
to what Augustine says, that our sacraments have flowed from Christ’s side;
for, when Baptism and the Lord’s Supper lead us to Christ’s side, that
by faith we may draw from it, as from a fbuntain, what they represent,
then are we truly washed from our pollutions, and renewed to a holy life,
and then do we truly live before God, redeemed from death, and delivered
from condemnation.
36. A bone of him shall not be broken. This citation is made
from Exodus 12:46, and Numbers 9:12, where Moses treats of the paschal
lamb. Note, Moses takes for granted that that lamb was a figure of the
true and only sacrifice, by which the Church was to be redeemed. Nor is
this inconsistent with the fact, that it was sacrificed as the memorial
of a redemption which had been already made; for, while God intended that
it should celebrate the former favor, he also intended that it should exhibit
the spiritual deliverance of the Church, which was still future. On that
account Paul, without any hesitation, applies to Christ the rule which
Moses lays down about eating the lamb:
for even Christ, our Passover, is sacred for us. Therefore let us keep
the feast, not with old leaven, neither with, the leaven of malice and
wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth, (1 Corinthians
5:7, 8.)
From this analogy, or resemblance,faith derives no ordinary advantage,
for, in all the ceremonies of the Law, it beholds the salvation which has
been manifested in Christ. Such is also the design of the Evangelist John,
when he says that Christ was not only the pledge of our redemption, but
also the price of it, because in him we see accomplished what was formerly
exhibited to the ancient people under the figure of the passover. Thus
also the Jews are reminded that they ought to seek in Christ the substance
of all those things which the Law prefigured, but did not actually accomplish.
37. They shall look on him whom they pierced. This passage is
violently tortured by those who endeavor to explain it literally as referring
to Christ. Nor is this the purpose for which the;Evangelist quotes ib but
rather to show that Christ is that God who formerly complained, by Zechariah,
that the Jews had pierced his heart, (Zechariah 12:10) Now, God speaks
there after the manner of men, declaring that He is wounded by the sins
of his people, and especially by their obstinate contempt of his word,
in the same manner as a mortal man receives a deadly wound, when his heart
is pierced; as he says, elsewhere, that his Spirit was deeply grieved,
Now, as Christ is God manifested in the flesh (1 Timothy 3:16,) John says
that in his visible flesh was plainly accomplished what his Divine Majesty
had endured from the Jews, so far as it was capable of enduring; not that
God can be at all affected by the outrages of men, or that the reproaches
which are cast at him from the earth ever reach him, but because by this
mode of expression he intended to declare with what enormous sacrilege
the wickedness of men is chargeable, when it rises in rebellion against
heaven. What was done by the hand of a Roman soldier the ]Evangelist John
justly imputes to the Jews; as they are elsewhere said to have crucified
the Son of God, (Acts 2:36,) though they did not lay a finger on his body.
A question now arises as to this passage taken from the prophet, Does
God promise to the Jews repentance to salvation, or, does he threaten that
he will come as an avenger? For my own part, when I closely examine the
passage, I think that it includes both; namely, that out of a worthless
and unprincipled nation God will gather a remnant for salvation, and that,
by his dreadful vengeance, he will show to despisers who it is with whom
they have to do; for we know that they were wont to treat the prophets
as insolently as if the prophets had told nothing but fables, and had received
no commission from God. God declares that they will not pass unpunished,
for he will at length maintain his cause.
