Lessons from John 19: The Truth of Jesus Deity

Now it’s important to note that though Pilate was the governor of the province of Judea where Jerusalem was located, Pilate was not well-liked. In fact, it seemed that he had been bent on harassing the Jewish people. Pilate had raided their temple treasuries for money to build an aqueduct and had constantly insulted the Jewish religion by bringing in imperial images into the city. After suffering recent riots and unrest, Pilate knew that His position could be compromised if the Jewish people took his constant badgering and filed a formal complaint against his administration to Caesar the King of Rome, who might remove Pilate from his post. So Pilate with a bit of fear, unrest, and arrogance steps out and asks these Jewish Religious Leaders what charges they were bringing against this man named Jesus?

And the Jews, not only out of disrespect and hatred not only for Jesus but also for Pilate, though they had to be careful, replied to Pilates question by flippantly suggesting in verse 30 that if Jesus were not a criminal, we would not have handed Him over to you.

Pilate, seemingly aware of their deception, tells them to take Jesus and judge Him by their own law.

But then the Jewish Religious Leaders speak with the true intent of their hearts, as their words declare, “We have no right to execute anyone.”

On that account, they were correct, yet verse 32 reminds us that, “This happened so that the words Jesus had spoken indicating the kind of death He was going to die would be fulfilled.”

And though the Jews thought they were in control and tried to manipulate Pilate and the course of events that would eventually lead to Jesus death, it was really God who was in control orchestrating not only the way by which Jesus would die but also the fulfillment of why!

Turn to Isaiah 53 with me if you will! And let’s read what it says, “Who has believed our message and to who has the arm of the Lord revealed? He grew up before him like a tender shoot, and like a root out of the dry ground. He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to Him, nothing in His appearance that we should desire Him. He was despised and rejected by mankind, a man of suffering and familiar with pain. Like one from whom people hide their faces, He was deposed, and we held Him in low esteem. Surely He took up our pain and bore our suffering, yet we considered Him punished by God, stricken by Him, and afflicted. But He was pierced for our transgressions, and He was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on Him, and by His wounds, we are healed. We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to our own way, and the Lord had laid on Him the iniquity of us all. He was oppressed and afflicted, yet He did not open His mouth; He was led like a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before its shearers is silent, so He did not open His mouth. By oppression and judgment, He was taken away. Yet who of his generation protested? For He was cut off from the land of the living; for the transgression of my people He was punished. He was assigned a grave with the wicked and with the rich in His death, though He had done no violence nor was any deceit in His mouth. Yet it was the Lord’s will to crush Him and cause Him to suffer, and though the Lord makes His life an offering for sin, He will see His offspring and prolong His days, and the will of the Lord will prosper in His hand. After He has suffered, He will see the light of life and be satisfied; by His knowledge, my righteous servant will justify many, and He will bear their iniquities. Therefore I will give Him a portion among the great, and He will divide the spoils with the strong, because He poured out His life unto death, and was numbered with the transgressors. For He bore the sin of many and made intercession for the transgressors.”

And it was Jesus Himself who in Matthew 20:17-19 foretold the kind of death he would suffer. “We are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be betrayed to the chief priests and the teachers of the law. They will turn him over to the Gentiles to be mocked and flogged and crucified. On the third day, he will be raised again.” And no one could stop Jesus from fulfilling that plan.

Yet, still trying to control the situation and afraid that Pilate was going to turn them away, they accuse Jesus of being a rebel at heart, who was really trying to take over as king, by claiming to be the Christ, with no regard for Caesar and even opposed the payment of taxes to Caesar.

This obviously caught Pilate’s attention, and probably a little fearful of losing his own position, Pilate turns away from the crowd in verse 33 and steps back inside his palace and summons Jesus, and point-blank asks Him, “Are you the king of the Jews?”

Now Jesus did not respond by answering Pilate’s question, just as Jesus had done with Annas, but rather Jesus asked Pilate a question of His own. Jesus asked Pilate in verse 34, “Is that your own idea, Pilate, or did the others talk to you about me?” With this question, Jesus caused Pilate to consider the charge for himself. It was as if Jesus was saying, Pilate what do you think? Do you consider this claim to be true? What are your heart and conscience telling you? And what are you going to do with it?

Apparently, a little frustrated and possibly becoming more and more insecure in the position he had been put in, Pilate responds in verse 35 to Jesus question with hostility, asking “Am I a Jew? Meaning, it was not he who was on trial here? Or was he? According to Jesus, every person will stand before His Father and give an account of who they believe His Son, Jesus Christ to be!

Therefore we learn an important truth to live by, and that is this:

Principle: The truth of Jesus’ deity demands a response.

Terri Hamman

Faith & Fitness Coach