3/06/24 - John 19: 17-31

   John 19: 17-31

Observation:

Jesus was made to carry His own cross to the palce of crucifixion, which is called Golgotha. Jesus is crucified along with two other criminals. The inscription placed on His cross reads, "Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews." The chief priets of the Jews requested Pilate to change the sign show that Jesus rather claimed to be king of the Jews, which Pilate rejected as he claimed, "What I have written, I have written." Soldiers cast lots to divide Jesus' clothing among themselves. Near the cross, Mary, the mother of Jesus, is present along with other women. Jesus entrusts the care of His mother to the disciple whom He loved. Jesus expresses His thirst, fulfilling the scripture. A jar of sour wine is given to Him, and after taking it, He says, "It is finished." Jesus bows His head and gives up His spirit. Since it was the day of Preparation and the following day was to be the Sabbath, the Jewish leaders did not want the bodies left of the cross during Sabbath so they asked Pilate to have the legs broken and the bodies taken down.

Interpretation:

Jesus had to carry his own cross to Golgotha that was roughly 600 meters (accordingly to historians) and alongside with Jesus were two others. While John does not mention it, Matthew shares because Jesus was beatened, tired and weary He struggled carrying the cross therefore the soldiers forced a man named Simon of Cyrene to help Jesus carry the cross to the mountain. Keep in mind that Jesus was also being mocked as stated by Matthew, Mark and Luke. Pilate has an inscription made that states "Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews," and even though the Jewish priests/leaders were demanding Pilate to change it, Pilate unintentionally becomes a witness to the truth of Jesus' identity. Pilate's inscription was probably his attempt on mocking Jesus, but ironically it was accurate as Jesus is indeed the King of the Jews and Jesus' crucifixion is a pivotal moment of God's plan in Jesus' redemption. While Jesus was on the cross being crucified and through all His suffering, Jesus still showed concern for His mother, Mary entrusting her care to the disciple whom he loved and it's believed to be John. After Jesus drank some of the sour wine while stating 'I am thirsty', this fulfills a prophecy from Psalm 69:21 that reads, "They put gall in my food and gave me vinegar for my thirtst." Another part of prophecy that was fulfilled was when dividing Jesus' garments and casting lots as stated in Psalms 22:18. After Jesus drank the sour wine, He said, "It is finished," declaring that His work of redemption to be complete and his willingness to give up His life. And lastly, the Jewish priests/leaders requested the breaking of the bodies' legs to be broken and the bodies to be taken down due to being the Sabbath the next day. As Jesus was already dead there was no need for His legs to be broken therefore fulfilling a prophecy as stated in verse 36 "...'Not one of his bones will be broken..."

Personal Reflection: 

The part I used to question when I was young or when I was a child on how real God could actually be. As I grew and became more mature and started to understand the Bible on a deeper level, I learned that four disciples gave their own accounts and their own perspectives on what took place, and what was amazing behind all of it was how they were all consistent. Another amazing fact is how they reference the Old Testament/Scriptures on prophesizing Jesus' crucifixion. Psalm 22 was written several years before Jesus crucifixion; no human would be able to make all of this up and overall, why would anyone "try" to make it up. 

Something that shocked me was how Jesus still thought about others while being nailed on the cross, dying. Jesus wanted to make sure His mother was under good care after He was gone. Even going through tough times, Jesus showed selflessness, compassion and love. He wasn't looking for sympathy, He wasn't looking for pity, and He surely wasn't looking for condolences. Instead, He became an example for us to follow. 

Jesus was mocked by others while taking up His own cross. I typically do the same within when I take up my own cross.I mock myself internally. I can hear myself scolding me, calling me names, making me feel even worse than I originally would, forcing me to drag myself through shame, guilt, and humiliation. 

Application:

I have no question about how real God is to me, but I would love to see my children believe in God the way I do. Unfortunately, that's not up to me as I have to leave it in God's hands, and deep down I feel that my children would need to go through life for them to truly meet God and truly accept Him. I also hope that when they do get the chance to learn, study and really take the time to read the four gospels, they'll see the Jesus was real, He did walk this Earth, He was sinless and He died for our sins and rose again. 

There are times when I go through life and I seek for pity from others where I welcome others providing me their compassion. I used to use my lifes' challenges as a way for people to offer me their sympathies. I did this all throughout high school and while I took advantage of peoples' charities and generosities, I remember how I felt enriched by thinking that biggest of how my problems are bigger, I deserve to be pitied on that allows me a hard pass on life. But it was also during my time in college when I learned that thinking was wrong and He reminded me countless times that throughout Jesus' ministry He was humbled and set the example of thinking of others even during rough times. I still struggle with this as I am human but I am trying my best to think of others before me. I use this during my marriage while I have selfish desires, I put my wife first before those wants.

And while I am my own worst critic, I need to remind myself that God has forgiven my sins but I must repent at the same time. Because of my childhood past, I tend that think that I'm not good enough not only to anyone important around me but also to myself. And it's because of this I will drag myself through the mud and make myself think that I do not deserve Jesus' mercy. I know I'm not Jesus nor will I ever be. Jesus never deserved the treatment He received and He was mocked, abused and forced to carry His own cross. But I deserve to be mocked because I have sinned. And with that I thank Jesus that He beared the sins and through Him I am saved.