01.19 John 19.

19 John 19:1-42. Their enemies, the Roman soldiers, having crowned Him with the crown of thorns, Pilate, thinking that might move them, says, "Behold the man!" — their only answer, "Crucify! crucify!" then, "Behold your king!" — their answer, "Take him away, take him away; crucify him!" And again, "We have no king but Caesar." In Luke we see, that when it was day, the elders, chief priests, and scribes led Him into their council, where the question was raised as to His Messiahship, and His being the Son of God, and settled for themselves in His rejection. They led Him first to the palace of the high priest, from that to the council in the morning, then to the hall of judgment; after this Pilate scourged Him, and permitted the soldiers to insult Him.

Such was their treatment of Him whose goings forth had been from everlasting. Could any of these "goings forth" have been more glorious than the present? God was glorified in each step, each word. On their part, all was ready for the last dread act of human iniquity — "In truth against thy holy servant Jesus, whom thou hadst anointed, both Herod and Pontius Pilate with the nations, and peoples of Israel, have been gathered together in this city, to do whatever thy hand and thy counsel had determined before should come to pass." When He was drawing near to and weeping over the city, He had said: "If thou hadst known, even thou, even at least in this thy day . . . but now they are hid from thine eyes." They forced the sword of judgment into the hands of the weeping Saviour. "O Jerusalem, how often would I . . . but ye would not." To the Father, His word was, "O righteous Father, the world hath not known thee."

No! they know not, neither will they understand; they walk on in darkness, all the foundations of the earth are out of course, presently to be replaced by those which cannot be moved, deeper these "than depths beneath." God’s glory amongst His creatures is now upborne, and the new creation has its immovable basis in the death and resurrection of Him who is its Head. The throne of the Father, and the Holy Ghost Himself, bear witness that the work is finished. Does any one ask," Whereupon are the foundations thereof fastened? or who laid the cornerstone thereof?" The testimony is in the hearts and on the lips of the sons and daughters of God, they shout for joy, a joy as lasting as the foundation itself.

John 19:29. In the details of what took place when they had crucified the Lord, we find a fourfold accomplishment of scripture; in Mark a fifth is given: "And he was numbered with the transgressors." It was not until He had borne the forsaking of God, and all had been accepted from His hand ("Why hast thou forsaken me?") "I am a worm and no man," "But thou art holy, O thou that inhabitest the praises of Israel," that He said to His mother: "Woman, behold thy son," and to the disciple, "Behold thy mother" — holy human affections are not forgotten even at such an hour. To the dying malefactor He had spoken of paradise, "to-day . . . with me in paradise;" for Mary, who was to remain some time, He provided a home with the disciple whom He loved. All is perfect, and in place. He speaks with as much simplicity of a place with Himself in paradise for the thief, as of a home with John for His mother. The place in paradise and the home with John were alike the result of His gracious will. And now was come the hour for Joseph and Nicodemus to shine. They come, the first with the precious body of Jesus, and Nicodemus bearing precious spices. Surely, this carefulness, and desire to give all honour to the precious body of Jesus, was divinely ordered. When Moses the servant of the Lord died, He buried him in the land of Moab; but of His holy Servant Jesus, He says: "He made his grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death, because he had done no violence, neither was any deceit in his mouth."