John 19:19 - Meaning and Application

Here are some striking details of Christ’s death, told more fully than before. Those who truly want to know Christ and him crucified will notice them carefully.

The first is the title placed above his head. Pilate wrote the inscription and ordered it fixed to the top of the cross, stating the reason for Jesus’ death, according to John 19:19. Matthew calls it the charge, Mark and Luke call it the inscription, and John uses the proper Latin word, the title. It read, “Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews.”

Pilate meant this as a mockery. Since Jesus was from Nazareth and claimed to be king of the Jews, Pilate wanted to make him look like a rebel who opposed Caesar. Pilate also hoped to show loyalty to Caesar by treating this “king” like a common criminal. But God overruled Pilate’s purpose. First, the title gave further proof of Jesus’ innocence. If this was all they could put against him, then he had done nothing worthy of death or even of chains.

Second, it displayed his honor and dignity. He is Jesus, a Savior. He is the Nazarene, the one set apart to God. He is the King of the Jews, the Messiah, the prince promised to Israel, the one Balaam foretold would rise as a ruler. He was also dying for the good of his people, as Caiaphas had foretold. So even these three wicked men unknowingly gave witness to Christ.

Many people read the inscription, as John 19:20 says, not only Jerusalem residents but also people from the countryside and from other lands. Strangers and proselytes, Gentiles who had joined the Jewish faith, came up to worship at the feast, and many of them saw it. It stirred many different thoughts, depending on how each person felt toward Jesus. Christ himself was set up as a sign and a title for all to see.

There were two reasons so many read it. First, the place where Jesus was crucified was near the city, though outside the gate. If it had been far away, their curiosity would not likely have taken them there. It is a mercy when the means of knowing Christ are brought close to us. Second, the title was written in Hebrew, Greek, and Latin, so many people could read it. The Jews generally cared about teaching their children to read, so the sign was widely understandable. It also made the notice more important, because everyone would want to know what had been so carefully announced in the three best-known languages.

Hebrew was the language of God’s recorded messages, Greek was the language of learned men, and Latin was the language of the empire’s laws. In each of these, Christ is proclaimed as king, the one in whom all truth, wisdom, and power are hidden. By having it written in these three languages, God showed that Jesus Christ was a Savior for all nations, not for the Jews only. It also showed that every nation should hear the wonders of the Redeemer in its own language. This is far from teaching, as the Papists claim, that Scripture must still be kept in Hebrew, Greek, and Latin. Instead, it teaches that the knowledge of Christ should be spread to every nation in its own tongue, so people can use Scripture as freely as they speak with their neighbors.

The prosecutors were offended by the title, as John 19:21 says. They wanted it changed from “the King of the Jews” to “He said, I am the King of the Jews.” In this, they showed three things. They were spiteful and hateful toward Christ. It was not enough to crucify him, they wanted to crucify his name as well. To excuse their cruelty, they wanted to paint him as a false claimant to honor and power.

They were also foolishly jealous for their nation’s honor. Though they were conquered and under rule, they still could not bear to have this man called their king. And they were needlessly troublesome to Pilate. They had forced him, against his own wish, to condemn Christ, and yet they kept bothering him over a small matter like this. What made it worse was that they had never proved Jesus had claimed such a title.

Pilate refused to change it. “What I have written, I have written,” he said, and he would not alter it to please them. In doing this, he put the chief priests to shame, since they were always trying to direct everything. His words also suggest that he was tired of giving in to them and annoyed that they had pushed him so far. Through the inscription, he seemed to say that their loyalty to Caesar was not sincere, since they would have welcomed a king of the Jews if he suited them. He also showed that this Jesus, so lowly and despised, was king enough for the Jews, and that this would be the fate of anyone who opposed Roman power. He also showed that they had acted unjustly and without reason in prosecuting Jesus, when no fault could be found in him.

The title also honored the Lord Jesus. Pilate firmly held that he was the King of the Jews. What Pilate had written was what God had first written, so he could not change it. It was written that Messiah the prince should be cut off, as Daniel 9:26 says. This is the true reason for Jesus’ death. He dies because the King of Israel must die, and must die in this way. When the Jews reject Christ and will not have him as their king, Pilate, a Gentile, still declares that he is a king. This pointed ahead to what soon happened, when the Gentiles submitted to the kingdom of the Messiah that unbelieving Jews had resisted.

The next detail is the dividing of his clothes among the executioners, as John 19:23-24 says. Four soldiers were used for this work. After they had crucified Jesus and raised the cross, there was nothing left but to wait for his death in great pain. At that point, the soldiers divided his garments. Each claimed an equal share, so they made four parts, trying to keep them as equal in value as possible, one part for each soldier. But his coat, or outer garment, because it was well made and without seam, woven from top to bottom, they agreed to cast lots for.

The shame they put on our Lord Jesus came first in stripping him of his clothes before they crucified him. Shame for nakedness came in with sin, so he, who was made sin for us, bore that shame to take away our shame. He was stripped so that we might be clothed with white garments (Revelation 3:18), and so that when we are unclothed, we will not be found naked.

The soldiers also paid themselves for crucifying Christ by taking his old clothes. They were willing to do such a wicked thing for the sake of his garments. Nothing is so evil that there will not be men evil enough to do it for a small reward. They may have hoped to get more than usual from his clothes, since they had heard of healings through the touch of the hem of his garment, or because they thought his followers would pay well for them.

Then they made sport of his seamless robe. Scripture mentions nothing especially rich or beautiful about his clothing except this one thing, and even that was not about wealth but about its making, for it was woven from top to bottom. There was no fancy shape in it, only simple, planned plainness. Tradition says his mother wove it for him, and even claims it was made when he was a child and never wore out like the Israelites’ clothes in the wilderness, but that story has no proof.

The soldiers thought it would be a waste to tear it, since then it would unravel and each piece would be useless. So they cast lots for it. While Christ was in his dying agony, they were cheerfully dividing his spoil. People often point to Christ’s seamless coat to teach Christians not to tear the church apart with quarrels and divisions. Yet some have noted that the soldiers did not spare the coat from respect for Christ, but because each hoped to keep it whole for himself. In the same way, many cry out against church splits only because they want all the money and power for themselves. Those who opposed Luther’s break with the church of Rome often argued from the tunica inconsutilis, the seamless coat, and some stressed it so much that they were called the Inconsutilistae, meaning “the seamless ones.”

This also fulfilled Scripture. David, speaking by the Spirit, foretold this very detail of Christ’s suffering in Psalm 22:18. The fact that it happened exactly as predicted proves, first, that Scripture is the word of God, since it foretold events about Christ long before they happened. It also proves, second, that Jesus is the true Messiah, because all the Old Testament promises about the Messiah find their full meaning in him. So these things the soldiers did.

Now we come to the care he took of his poor mother. His mother stood by him until his death (John 19:25). She stood near the cross, as close as she could get, along with some of his relatives and friends. At first they stood near, as John says here, but later the soldiers probably forced them farther away, as Matthew and Mark report, or they may have moved back on their own because of the crowd.

Here we see the tender love of these faithful women for the Lord Jesus in his suffering. When all his disciples, except John, had left him, they stayed with him. The weak were made strong, as in Zechariah 12:8. They were not scared away by the enemy’s rage or by the horror of the sight. They could not rescue him or relieve him, but they stayed to show their love. It is wicked and blasphemous for some Roman Catholic writers to claim that the virgin Mary, by standing at the cross, helped make satisfaction for sin as much as Christ did, and so became a joint mediator and helper in our salvation.

We can easily imagine what pain this caused those women, especially the blessed virgin Mary. Simeon’s word was fulfilled, “A sword will pierce your own soul” (Luke 2:35). His pain was her pain. She stood under the weight of it while he hung on the cross, and her heart seemed to bleed with his wounds. The insults thrown at him also struck those who stood with him.

We should also admire the power of God’s grace in supporting them under this hard trial, especially the virgin Mary. We do not read that she was wringing her hands, tearing her hair, ripping her clothes, or crying out wildly. Instead, she stood by the cross with a calm and steady heart, and her friends with her. Surely God gave them strength to bear this with patience. Surely the virgin Mary had a fuller hope of his resurrection than the others did, and that helped support her. We do not know what we can bear until we are tested, and then we learn who said, “My grace is sufficient for you.”

He also lovingly provided for his mother at his death. Joseph, her husband, was likely long dead, and Jesus had been supporting her. Her care had depended on him. Now he was dying, so what would become of her? He saw her standing by and knew her grief and needs. He also saw John nearby, so he joined his beloved mother and his beloved disciple in a new family bond. He said to her, “Woman, behold your son,” meaning, “From now on, you are to have a mother’s love for him.” And to John he said, “Behold your mother,” meaning, “You must treat her as your own mother.” From that hour, that unforgettable hour, the disciple took her into his own home.

Here we see Christ’s care for his dear mother. He was not so absorbed in his own suffering that he forgot his friends, whose concerns he carried in his heart. His mother may have been so overwhelmed by his suffering that she did not think about what would become of her, but he thought of it for her. He had no silver or gold to leave behind, no property, no land, nothing personal. The soldiers had taken his clothes, and we hear no more of the money bag after Judas, who carried it, hanged himself. So the only way he could provide for his mother was through the help of a friend, and that is what he did here.

He called her “woman,” not “mother,” not from disrespect, but because “mother” would have cut deeply into her already wounded heart. It is like Isaac saying to Abraham, “My father.” He spoke as one who was now leaving this world and already dead to the people he had loved most. He also spoke this way to his mother, as he had before, partly to stop the false honors he knew would later be given to her in the Roman church, as if she were a partner with him in redeeming us.

He told her to see John as her son, saying in effect, “Look at him as your son, since he stands here beside you, and be a mother to him.” Here we see, first, God’s goodness, which should encourage us. Sometimes when God takes one comfort away, he gives another in its place, perhaps where we least expect it.

We read in Isaiah of children the church will still have after she has lost others (Isaiah 49:21). So no one should think everything is lost because one source has dried up. From the same fountain, another may yet be filled.

Here we also see a fine example of a child’s duty, which we should follow. Christ teaches children to care, as far as they can, for the comfort of their aged parents. When David was in trouble, he looked after his parents and found a safe place for them (1 Samuel 22:3), and the Son of David did the same here. Children, when they are near death and able to do so, should provide for their parents if they outlive them and need help.

We also see the trust Christ placed in the beloved disciple, John, the apostle whom Jesus especially loved. He says to him, “Behold your mother,” meaning, “I place her in your care. Be like a son to her and guide her” (Isaiah 51:18). “Do not forsake her when she is old” (Proverbs 23:22). This was a great honor for John and showed both his good judgment and his faithfulness. If Christ, who knows all things, had not known that John loved him, he would not have made him his mother’s guardian. It is a high honor to serve Christ and to be trusted with any concern that belongs to him in the world.

It would also be a burden and some expense for John, but he gladly accepted it. He took Mary into his own home, without complaining about the trouble, the cost, his own family duties, or the possible hostility it might bring. Those who truly love Christ, and are loved by him, will be glad for any chance to serve him or those who belong to him. Church history says Mary lived with John at Jerusalem for eleven years and then died. Others say she later lived with him at Ephesus.

We then see the Scripture fulfilled in the vinegar given to Jesus to drink (John 19:28-29). Notice first how much respect Christ showed for Scripture. Knowing that all things had now been completed, and that Scripture should be fulfilled, he said, “I thirst,” meaning that he called for drink. It was no surprise that he was thirsty. We find him thirsty on a journey (John 4:6-7), and now he was thirsty at the end of the hardest journey of all. After all his toil, hurry, blood loss, and pain, it is no wonder that he thirsted.

Yet his speaking of thirst is striking, because it was the only complaint he made about his outward sufferings. When they scourged him and crowned him with thorns, he did not cry out about his head or back. Now he said, “I thirst,” because he wanted to show the deep suffering of his soul (Isaiah 53:11). He thirsted for God to be glorified and for the work of our redemption to be completed. He also spoke this way so that Scripture would be fulfilled. He had watched carefully all along to see that everything was done exactly as written.

This shows that he was truly the Messiah, because Scripture was fulfilled in him so precisely, and because he himself kept it in view. It also shows that God was with him in truth, since in all he did he followed the word of God exactly. He did not destroy the law and the prophets, but fulfilled them.

The Scripture had foretold his thirst, so he spoke it openly, “I thirst,” because otherwise it could not have been known. Psalm 22:15 said his tongue would stick to his jaws. Samson, who was a clear picture of Christ, was very thirsty when he had defeated the Philistines (Judges 15:18), and Christ was thirsty too while he was defeating evil powers on the cross. The Scripture had also foretold that in his thirst he would be given vinegar to drink (Psalm 69:21). They had given him vinegar before they crucified him (Matthew 27:34), but that did not fully match the prophecy, because he was not then in the same thirst. So now he said, “I thirst,” and they gave it again, and only then was the prophecy fully met. Christ would rather suffer another insult than leave any prophecy unfulfilled.

This should comfort us in all our trials. God’s will is done, and God’s word is fulfilled.

We also see how little respect his persecutors showed him (John 19:29). A vessel full of vinegar was there, perhaps because that was the custom at executions like this. Or perhaps it was placed there on purpose to mock Christ, instead of giving him the cup of wine often offered to those about to die. They filled a sponge with it, because they would not give him a cup, and put it on a hyssop stalk or branch and raised it to his mouth. However it is understood, they gave him vinegar when he was thirsty. A single drop of water would have helped him more than a drink of vinegar. Yet he submitted to it for us. We had taken the sour fruit of sin, and so his teeth were set on edge. We had lost every comfort and refreshment, so they were withheld from him. When heaven denied him a beam of light, earth denied him a drop of water, and vinegar was put in its place.

Then comes his dying word, with which he gave up his soul (John 19:30). After he had received the vinegar, as much as he chose, he said, “It is finished,” and then bowed his head and gave up his spirit. He likely spoke this with triumph and joy. “It is finished” is a large, rich word, and a comforting one.

First, it means the malice and hatred of his enemies had done its worst. After they gave him that final insult with the vinegar, he could say, “This is the last. I am now leaving their power, where the wicked cease from troubling.” Second, it means that the purpose and command of his Father about his sufferings had now been completed. It was a fixed plan, and he saw that every part of it was answered exactly (Acts 2:23). When he began to suffer, he said, “Father, your will be done.” Now he said with satisfaction, “It is done.” It was his food and drink to finish his work (John 4:34), and that work now reached its end, even while they offered him gall and vinegar.

Third, it means that all the Old Testament pictures and prophecies pointing to the Messiah’s suffering had now been fulfilled and answered.

He speaks as if, now that they had given him vinegar, he could think of no Old Testament promise about to be fulfilled between him and his death that was not already completed. His being sold for thirty pieces of silver, his hands and feet pierced, and his garments divided, all had happened. Now this last work was done, and he says, “It is finished.”

This means the ceremonial law, the system of sacrifices and rituals, was ended and no longer binding. The reality has come, and the shadows have passed away. The veil has just been torn, the wall of separation has come down, even “the law of commandments contained in ordinances” (Ephesians 2:14-15). The Mosaic order is dissolved to make room for a better hope.

“It is finished” also means sin is finished, and rebellion against God has been dealt with by the bringing in of everlasting righteousness. This points to Daniel 9:24. The Lamb of God was sacrificed to take away the sin of the world, and that work is done (Hebrews 9:26).

It also means his sufferings were finished, both in soul and in body. The storm is over. The worst has passed. All his pains and agonies are ended, and he is about to enter paradise and the joy set before him. All who suffer for Christ and with Christ can take comfort in this, that in a little while they too will say, “It is finished.”

“It is finished” also means his life was finished. He was just ready to breathe his last and leave this world (John 17:11). This is like the words of blessed Paul, the apostle, “I have finished my course” (2 Timothy 4:7). My race is run, my time is done, numbered and finished. We must all come to this soon enough.

It means, too, that the work of human redemption and salvation is completed, at least the hardest part of it. Full satisfaction has been made to God’s justice, a deadly blow has been given to Satan’s power, a fountain of grace has been opened that will keep flowing, and a foundation of peace and happiness has been laid that will never fail. Christ had now gone through his work and finished it (John 17:4). As for God, his work is perfect. When he begins, he will also bring it to an end. And as in purchasing redemption, so in applying it, he who began a good work will complete it. The mystery of God will be finished.

What did he do? He bowed his head and gave up the spirit. He was willing in dying, because he was not only the sacrifice, but also the priest and the one offering the sacrifice. The willing heart of the offerer was the whole strength of the sacrifice. Christ showed his will in his sufferings, and by that will we are made holy.

He “gave up the spirit.” His life was not forced out of him. He freely gave it up. He had already said, “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit,” showing his purpose in this act. “I give myself as a ransom for many,” and so he did give up his spirit, paying the price for pardon and life at his Father’s hand. “Father, glorify your name.”

He also “bowed his head.” People who were crucified normally stretched up their heads while gasping for breath, and did not let their heads fall until they were dead. But Christ, to show that he was active in dying, bowed his head first, as if settling himself to fall asleep. God had laid on him the sin of us all, placing it on the head of this great sacrifice, and some think this bowing of his head showed his sense of that weight. See (Psalm 38:4) and (Psalm 40:12).

The bowing of his head also shows his submission to his Father’s will and his obedience unto death. He fitted himself for his dying work, as Jacob did when he gathered up his feet into the bed and then gave up the spirit.