John 19

The Thorn Crown of the King

1-3 So Pilate took Jesus and had him whipped. The soldiers, having braided a crown from thorns, set it on his head, threw a purple robe over him, and approached him with, "Hail, King of the Jews!" Then they greeted him with slaps in the face.

4-5 Pilate went back out again and said to them, "I present him to you, but I want you to know that I do not find him guilty of any crime." Just then Jesus came out wearing the thorn crown and purple robe.
Pilate announced, "Here he is: the Man."

6 When the high priests and police saw him, they shouted in a frenzy, "Crucify! Crucify!"
Pilate told them, "You take him. You crucify him. I find nothing wrong with him."

7 The Jews answered, "We have a law, and by that law he must die because he claimed to be the Son of God."

8-9 When Pilate heard this, he became even more scared. He went back into the palace and said to Jesus, "Where did you come from?"
Jesus gave no answer.

10 Pilate said, "You won't talk? Don't you know that I have the authority to pardon you, and the authority to—crucify you?"

11 Jesus said, "You haven't a shred of authority over me except what has been given you from heaven. That's why the one who betrayed me to you has committed a far greater fault."

12 At this, Pilate tried his best to pardon him, but the Jews shouted him down: "If you pardon this man, you're no friend of Caesar's. Anyone setting himself up as 'king' defies Caesar."

13-14 When Pilate heard those words, he led Jesus outside. He sat down at the judgment seat in the area designated Stone Court (in Hebrew, Gabbatha). It was the preparation day for Passover. The hour was noon. Pilate said to the Jews, "Here is your king."

15 They shouted back, "Kill him! Kill him! Crucify him!"
Pilate said, "I am to crucify your king?"
The high priests answered, "We have no king except Caesar."

16-19 Pilate caved in to their demand. He turned him over to be crucified. The Crucifixion
They took Jesus away. Carrying his cross, Jesus went out to the place called Skull Hill (the name in Hebrew is Golgotha), where they crucified him, and with him two others, one on each side, Jesus in the middle. Pilate wrote a sign and had it placed on the cross. It read:
jesus the nazarene the king of the jews.

20-21 Many of the Jews read the sign because the place where Jesus was crucified was right next to the city. It was written in Hebrew, Latin, and Greek. The Jewish high priests objected. "Don't write," they said to Pilate, "'The King of the Jews.' Make it, 'This man said, "I am the King of the Jews."'"

22 Pilate said, "What I've written, I've written."

23-24 When they crucified him, the Roman soldiers took his clothes and divided them up four ways, to each soldier a fourth. But his robe was seamless, a single piece of weaving, so they said to each other, "Let's not tear it up. Let's throw dice to see who gets it." This confirmed the Scripture that said, "They divided up my clothes among them and threw dice for my coat." (The soldiers validated the Scriptures!)

25-27 While the soldiers were looking after themselves, Jesus' mother, his aunt, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene stood at the foot of the cross. Jesus saw his mother and the disciple he loved standing near her. He said to his mother, "Woman, here is your son." Then to the disciple, "Here is your mother." From that moment the disciple accepted her as his own mother.

28 Jesus, seeing that everything had been completed so that the Scripture record might also be complete, then said, "I'm thirsty."

29-30 A jug of sour wine was standing by. Someone put a sponge soaked with the wine on a javelin and lifted it to his mouth. After he took the wine, Jesus said, "It's done . . . complete." Bowing his head, he offered up his spirit.

31-34 Then the Jews, since it was the day of Sabbath preparation, and so the bodies wouldn't stay on the crosses over the Sabbath (it was a high holy day that year), petitioned Pilate that their legs be broken to speed death, and the bodies taken down. So the soldiers came and broke the legs of the first man crucified with Jesus, and then the other. When they got to Jesus, they saw that he was already dead, so they didn't break his legs. One of the soldiers stabbed him in the side with his spear. Blood and water gushed out.

35 The eyewitness to these things has presented an accurate report. He saw it himself and is telling the truth so that you, also, will believe.

36-37 These things that happened confirmed the Scripture, "Not a bone in his body was broken," and the other Scripture that reads, "They will stare at the one they pierced."

38 After all this, Joseph of Arimathea (he was a disciple of Jesus, but secretly, because he was intimidated by the Jews) petitioned Pilate to take the body of Jesus. Pilate gave permission. So Joseph came and took the body.

39-42 Nicodemus, who had first come to Jesus at night, came now in broad daylight carrying a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about seventy-five pounds. They took Jesus' body and, following the Jewish burial custom, wrapped it in linen with the spices. There was a garden near the place he was crucified, and in the garden a new tomb in which no one had yet been placed. So, because it was Sabbath preparation for the Jews and the tomb was convenient, they placed Jesus in it.

John 19

Pilate Tries to Release Jesus

1 Then Pilate took Jesus and had him flogged severely.ts2 The soldierst braidedt a crown of thornss and put it on his head, and they clothed him in a purple robe.s

3 Theyt came up to him again and againt and said, “Hail, king of the Jews!”ts And they struck him repeatedlyt in the face.
4 Again Pilate went out and said to the Jewish leaders,t “Look, I am bringing him out to you, so that you may know that I find no reason for an accusationt against him.”5 So Jesus came outside, wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe.s Pilatet said to them, “Look, here is the man!”s6 When the chief priests and their officers saw him, they shouted out, “Crucifys him! Crucify him!”t Pilate said,t “You take him and crucify him!s Certainlyt I find no reason for an accusationt against him!”

7 The Jewish leaderst replied,t “We have a law,s and according to our law he ought to die, because he claimed to be the Son of God!”t
8 When Pilate heard what they said,t he was more afraid than ever,t9 and he went back into the governor’s residencet and said to Jesus, “Where do you come from?” But Jesus gave him no answer.10 So Pilate said,t “Do you refuse to speak to me? Don’t you know I have the authorityt to release you, and to crucify you?”ts

11 Jesus replied, “You would have no authorityt over me at all, unless it was given to you from above. Therefore the one who handed me over to youts is guilty of greater sin.”ts
12 From this point on, Pilate triedt to release him. But the Jewish leaderst shouted out,t “If you release this man,t you are no friend of Caesar!s Everyone who claims to be a kingt opposes Caesar!”13 When Pilate heard these words he brought Jesus outside and sat down on the judgment seatts in the place called “The Stone Pavement”s (Gabbatha ints Aramaic).s

14 (Now it was the day of preparations for the Passover, about noon.ts)s Pilatet said to the Jewish leaders,t “Look, here is your king!”
15 Then theyt shouted out, “Away with him! Away with him!t Crucifys him!” Pilate asked,t “Shall I crucify your king?” The high priests replied, “We have no king except Caesar!”

16 Then Pilatet handed him overt to them to be crucified.
So they took Jesus,

The Crucifixion

17 and carrying his own crossts he went out to the place called “The Place of the Skull”s (called in AramaictGolgotha).s18 There theyt crucifieds him along with two others,t one on each side, with Jesus in the middle.19 Pilate also had a noticets written and fastened to the cross,ts which read:t “Jesus the Nazarene, the king of the Jews.”20 Thus many of the Jewish residents of Jerusalemts read this notice,t because the place where Jesus was crucified was near the city, and the notice was written in Aramaic,t Latin, and Greek.21 Then the chief priests of the Jewst said to Pilate, “Do not write, ‘The king of the Jews,’ but rather, ‘This man said, I am king of the Jews.’”

22 Pilate answered, “What I have written, I have written.”
23 Now when the soldiers crucifieds Jesus, they took his clothes and made four shares, one for each soldier,s and the tunict remained. (Now the tunict was seamless, woven from top to bottom as a single piece.)s

24 So the soldiers said to one another, “Let’s not tear it, but throw dicet to see who will get it.”t This took placet to fulfill the scripture that says, “They divided my garments among them, and for my clothing they threw dice.”ts So the soldiers did these things.
25 Now standing beside Jesus’ cross were his mother, his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene.s26 So when Jesus saw his mother and the disciple whom he loved standing there, he said to his mother, “Woman,s look, here is your son!”

27 He then said to his disciple, “Look, here is your mother!” From that very timet the disciple took her into his own home.

Jesus’ Death

28 After this Jesus, realizing that by this timet everything was completed,t said (in order to fulfill the scripture),s “I am thirsty!”s29 A jar full of sour wines was there, so they put a sponge soaked in sour wine on a branch of hyssops and lifted itt to his mouth.

30 Whent he had received the sour wine, Jesus said, “It is completed!”tt Then he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.t
31 Then, because it was the day of preparation, so that the bodies should not stay on the crosses on the Sabbaths (for that Sabbath was an especially important one),s the Jewish leaderst asked Pilate to have the victims’ legst brokens and the bodies taken down.t32 So the soldiers came and broke the legs of the two men who had been crucifieds with Jesus,t first the one and then the other.t33 But when they came to Jesus and saw that he was already dead, they did not break his legs.34 But one of the soldiers pierceds his side with a spear, and blood and waters flowed out immediately.35 And the person who saw itt has testified (and his testimony is true, and het knows that he is telling the truth),s so that you also may believe.36 For these things happened so that the scripture would be fulfilled, “Not a bone of his will be broken.”s

37 And again another scripture says, “They will look on the one whom they have pierced.”s

Jesus’ Burial

38 After this, Joseph of Arimathea, a disciple of Jesus (but secretly, because he feared the Jewish leaderst),s asked Pilate if he could remove the body of Jesus. Pilatet gave him permission, so he went and took the body away.t39 Nicodemus, the man who had previously come to Jesust at night,s accompanied Joseph,t carrying a mixture of myrrh and aloess weighing about seventy-five pounds.s40 Then they took Jesus’ body and wrapped it, with the aromatic spices,t in strips of linen clotht according to Jewish burial customs.t41 Now at the place where Jesust was crucifieds there was a garden,t and in the gardent was a new tomb where no one had yet been buried.t

42 And so, because it was the Jewish day of preparations and the tomb was nearby,s they placed Jesus’ body there.