These small group studies of John 19 contain outlines, cross-references, Bible study discussion questions, and applications.  Visit our library of inductive Bible studies for more in depth inductive studies on this and other books of the Bible you can use in your small group.

John 19 Inductive Bible Study – Jesus Crucified

Outline

I. Second Roman Trial (1-16)
II. The crucifixion of Jesus (17-37)
III. The burial of Jesus (38-42)

Intro: How is this the climax of the history of the world?

You sometimes hear people talk about the climax of their life. Everything in their life was leading up to one point, preparing them and teaching them the lessons that they would need, and then, it happens!

Well, Jesus’ death is the climax of the history of the world. From the early chapters of Genesis hints about the coming Messiah can be seen. The Old Testaments prepares the way for Christ, showing people the terrible problem of sin and the complete inadequacy of people or animal sacrifices to take it away. But mixed in the Old Testament are promises of hope, promises and shadows that one day someone will come to solve this problem for us, someone to bless the whole world. Jesus’ special birth and life create great excitement as to what will come next. It is far out of most people’s expectations, but it has far-reaching influence.

After this, even the rest of the New Testament looks back to it, interpreting what it means for us, challenging us to learn from it, to appreciate it, to live honorably because we are no longer slaves of sin. It shows how the news of Christ’s death miraculously spreads through world. Outside of the Bible we know of the gospel going to India, to Africa, and to China some hundreds of years later.

Millions of churches, hospitals, schools, and orphanages have sprung up because of the cross. Millions of lives have been completely changed. Society and culture around the world have been shaped, many times even unaware, because of the cross. Without the cross and then the resurrection this would not have happened. And we come down through history to each of us. Each of our lives has been shaped and changed forever because of this one even that took place almost 2000 years ago. When we were born, we had no idea it had ever happened, but it still would “catch” us. Not only has the world been forever changed, each of our lives has been forever changed.

The people pushing for it wanted to stop Jesus, not help Him. The one who gave the verdict didn’t want. The disciples were fearful of it. But it happened. It was God’s plan to redeem the world and right the mistake of Adam.

Romans 5:12 – Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned.

I. Second Roman Trial (1-16)

Discussion Questions

• What was the point of the thorns and robe?
• Can our Greek expert give us some insight on verse 6? (According to John Mac the words used show Pilates’ exceptional disgust for the Jews.)
• Explain verse 11.
• Why would Pilate have Jesus killed although he knew there was no guilt in Him?
• What is ironic about verse 12?

Cross-References

Luke 23:8-12 – When Herod saw Jesus, he was very glad, for he had long desired to see him, because he had heard about him, and he was hoping to see some sign done by him. So he questioned him at some length, but he made no answer. The chief priests and the scribes stood by, vehemently accusing him. And Herod with his soldiers treated him with contempt and mocked him. Then, arraying him in splendid clothing, he sent him back to Pilate. And Herod and Pilate became friends with each other that very day, for before this they had been at enmity with each other.

Matthew 27:25-26 – And all the people answered, “His blood be on us and on our children!” Then he released for them Barabbas, and having scourged Jesus, delivered him to be crucified.

Luke 23:25 – He released the man who had been thrown into prison for insurrection and murder, for whom they asked, but he delivered Jesus over to their will.

Verse by Verse Commentary

The Roman trial here by Pilate is marked by four primary things.

• Jesus was continually mocked and ridiculed.
• Pilate knew He was innocent and was reluctant to go along with crucifixion.
• The Jews refused to give in to any lesser punishment.
• Jesus refused to vigorously defend Himself.

This passage makes it clear that Jesus was not guilty. He had done nothing worthy of death. Even a pagan leader acknowledged this. Pilate wasn’t deceived or tricked into thinking that Jesus was guilty. He knew Jesus was not.

God was the one who gave the authority to Pilate and the ones who handed Jesus to him were more guilty. This, however, doesn’t mean Pilate wasn’t guilty for sending Jesus to crucifixion. He was still a moral agent and as a leader obligated to do what was right.

The Jews came up with an ingenious argument to convince Pilate. They appealed to his ties with Caesar and challenged his loyalty and patriotism. Pilate had already made some severe mistakes in Judea and Tiberius Caesar was known as cruel and quick to punish. The Jews were threatening further trouble that could signal the end of Pilate’s power there in Judea. This was the clenching argument that finally caused Pilate to give the verdict. At the end He asks them again what they want, perhaps in yet another attempt to show he was not responsible. Pilate was in a tough situation with a huge crowd of angry and malicious people working together to “force” him to do this. Like most people would have done, he finally gave in.

This was about 6:00 in the morning and it was the day before the Passover. At this time many Passover lambs would have been being prepared. Is it any coincidence that Jesus died so close to the Passover? It is not. God designed the Passover to point to Christ.

The Passover Points us to Jesus

Let us look at several ways the Passover points to Jesus. We will compare the Passover ritual from Exodus 12 with Jesus’ death on the cross.

A. Born as a nation > Born again

Exodus 12:2 – This month shall be for you the beginning of months. It shall be the first month of the year for you.

This verse shows us how important this event is for Israel. It marks their turning point. Before this day, they were a tribe of sojourners. Then they were immigrants. Then they were slaves. Now they are going to be a nation. They are going to get their own calendar. It will mark their independence. It will mark their birth as a nation. Like our calendar is marked in two parts, B.C. and the Year of Our Lord, their history was marked in two parts. Before the Passover. And after the Passover. Their faith in God’s promise and obedience to His command would result in their deliverance and freedom.

And just as the Passover marked their birth as a nation so when we accept Christ we are born again. Our lives can also be divided into two parts. The first part is marked by slavery to sin, bondage to this world. Then Christ delivers us. He sets us free. He gives us a future. He makes us be born again. And everything changes, the old has passed away and the new has come. Our spiritual journey with God begins. Our born again day is our spiritual birthday, day one of a new calendar.

Application: If you have been born again already, think back and thank God for that day and the changes He has made in your life. If you haven’t yet been born again, then pay attention to the rest of the message so that you can learn how.

B. The characteristics of the lamb

• Without blemish – Exodus 12:5, 1 Peter 1:19
• Male – (Exodus 12:5)
• Every person/household had to have their own lamb – Every person ate of it. In like manner, each person must repent of their own sins and trust Jesus personally.
• No bones can be broken (Exodus 12:46 , John 19:31-36)
• No leftovers. All signs of the lamb should be gone by morning. And Jesus was taken down from the cross before nightfall, which was unusual because the next day was the Sabbath.
• They were to eat it in haste. If they delayed a day it would too late. In similar manner, salvation is urgent. You must make haste to believe while there is still opportunity.
• Blood. The blood of the lamb was to be displayed publicly on the doorposts of the houses as a reminder of the faith and obedience of those within.
• The blood showed that they had made the sacrifice and were under God’s protection. In similar manner, Jesus bled on the cross in public for all to see. His blood cleanses those who trust in Him.
• Jesus died during the festival of the Passover like the Passover lamb.

On the night before Jesus died, Jesus was celebrating the Passover with His disciples. They were partaking of the Passover meal. They were remembering this amazing event in history. But when Jesus was eating it, He did something remarkable. He changed the festival.

Luke 22:19 – And he took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body given for you; do this in remembrance of me.”

Matthew 26:28 –  For this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.

As Jesus was eating the unleavened bread, He told them that it now represented His body. And the drink represented His blood. Before they remembered the Exodus. Now they were to remember Jesus. The original Passover pointed to and prepared the way for Jesus. He is the once for all time Passover lamb. He is the unifying element which connects the Old Testament and the New. In a way, every time we partake of the Lord’s Supper, we are celebrating the Passover. Not the Passover in Egypt, but the big one. When because of Jesus’ sacrifice God passed over us in judgment and instead judged Him.

C. The connection to the lamb

Did you notice as we read through this chapter how long after they selected the lamb they were to keep it before killing it?

Exodus 12:3 – Tell all the congregation of Israel that on the tenth day of this month every man shall take a lamb according to their fathers’ houses, a lamb for a household.

Exodus 12:6 – And you shall keep it until the fourteenth day of this month, when the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel shall kill their lambs at twilight.

In many readings of this passage, I had never noticed this before.

First they select the lamb and get it from the flock. Then they keep it for four days. Some translations actually say to “take care of it” for that amount of time. Why is that? What would this accomplish?

I think the answer is simple. By requiring the families to care for the lamb separately from the flock for four days would help them to realize that the sacrifice was personal. It was not just a nameless, faceless lamb from among many. It was a lamb that had been with them. It would live with them in their house for four days. They would feed it and care for it. Perhaps they would grow to be fond of the lamb. They would see its personality. And they would know it was innocent of what was going to happen. All of this was designed by God to make them know that the sacrifice was personal. This innocent lamb was taking the punishment for their sins.

It would drive the emotion home. During those four days they would be reminded each time the lamb bleated that it was going to die for them. It was going to face death so that they would be spared.

That lamb’s sacrifice was directly connected to their own deliverance. It wasn’t just some lamb somewhere who died for some person somewhere. That specific lamb died for them. And see how it died? It died by their own hand.

God designed this entire ritual to point to Christ.

Just as those lambs were a personal sacrifice for individuals, so Jesus is a personal sacrifice for each of us. Jesus did not die for a bunch of nameless, faceless people. He did not just die for the world in general. He died for you personally as a direct substitute. (Mention specific names). And He died for me, Jason Micah Dexter. It was not a generic sacrifice for generic sins. It was personal. I believe if you were the only sinner in the whole world, Jesus would have still been on that cross, for you.

And just as those people killed the lamb, so we are responsible for Jesus’ death. We were not there, but our sins put him there. People like us nailed him there. Like the Passover lamb, Jesus lived in and among them before they turned on Him and killed Him.

I would like you to take a moment to think. Think about some of the sins you are most ashamed of. Perhaps sin no one else even knows about. That is why Jesus had to die. Those sins put Him there.

But here is a difference between the Passover lamb. The Passover lamb could not choose his fate. Jesus did. He gave up His life to bring us out of slavery to sin. He gave up His life to bring us freedom. He knew what it was going to cost and He went willingly. He did it because He loves you. He did it because He wants to cleanse you.

In order to receive this salvation, you must have a personal connection to the lamb. He is not just a sacrifice for the world. He is your Passover lamb. He must be the sacrifice for you and for yours sins specifically. You must come to Him ask Him to save you, admitting that you cannot save yourself.

Do you have a personal connection to the Jesus, the lamb of God?

If not, there is only condemnation.

D. The condemnation of those without the lamb

Exodus:12-13 – For I will pass through the land of Egypt that night, and I will strike all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and beast; and on all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgments: I am the Lord. The blood shall be a sign for you, on the houses where you are. And when I see the blood, I will pass over you, and no plague will befall you to destroy you, when I strike the land of Egypt.

The people who believed in God and obeyed His commands would be conserved. The people who did not believe in God and did not obey His commands would be condemned. Their gods were proved powerless. Their hope in other means of salvation would be dashed. They would be judged.

This will be the same fate of all of those who do not come to Jesus, the Lamb of God, for forgiveness of sins.

We are redeemed by Jesus’ blood.

1 Peter 1:19 – But with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot.

II. Jesus’ crucifixion (17-37)

Discussion Questions

• How did Pilate “get back” at the Jews for forcing his hand?
• What was the main purpose for the design of the cross?
• How can you see the sovereignty of God throughout these verses?
• Why do you think Jesus would ask John to take care of His mother?
• Why not ask His brothers?
• What does this request show about Jesus heart? What does it show about the need to care for parents?
• Why would the soldiers give Jesus a drink when they clearly were trying to torture Him?
• What does the phrase “it is finished” mean?
• What does it mean to you that Jesus “gave up His spirit”?
• What else happened at the time of His death to show that it was not a normal death?
• What does verse 34 prove?
• What else did Jesus say on the cross?

Cross-References

Matthew 27:32-34 – As they went out, they found a man of Cyrene, Simon by name. They compelled this man to carry his cross. And when they came to a place called Golgotha (which means Place of a Skull), they offered him wine to drink, mixed with gall, but when he tasted it, he would not drink it.

Luke 23:27-31 – And there followed him a great multitude of the people and of women who were mourning and lamenting for him. But turning to them Jesus said, “Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for me, but weep for yourselves and for your children. For behold, the days are coming when they will say, Blessed are the barren and the wombs that never bore and the breasts that never nursed!’ Then they will begin to say to the mountains, ‘Fall on us,’ and to the hills, ‘Cover us.’ For if they do these things when the wood is green, what will happen when it is dry?”

Matthew 27:35-44, Luke 23:43 – The thieves of the cross and more mocking of Jesus.

Matthew 27:45-56 – Jesus dies and the accompanying signs: darkness, earthquake, temple veil torn, etc.

Luke 23:34 – And Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.”

Verse by Verse Commentary

Jesus was already beaten and tortured and whipped and bleeding and then had to carry his own cross for a ways. Because He was so exhausted and in no shape to do it, they forced Simon of Cyrene to do it (who was perhaps in Jerusalem to celebrate the Passover).

Although Jesus was in this terrible state, he still was reaching out to the crowds around Him with compassion, thinking of the misery that they themselves would face later. See Cross-reference. Some people attempted to give him wine with gall, which was likely to deaden the pain of the crucifixion. He wouldn’t drink it in order to have his full mental capacities for what lay ahead (much like William Wallace in the movie).

Crucifixion was designed to be as painful as possible. Nails would be driven through the wrists and through the two feet. The person would be left baking in the son. These wounds wouldn’t be enough to kill the person, but would be excruciating pain. Sometimes a piece of wood would be nailed below their feet so they could put part of their weight on it. This wouldn’t be to lessen pain, but would be to prolong their life, and thus, their pain. To breathe, one would have to hold themselves up with their arms and feet, putting a lot of pressure on their wounds. Dehydration would set in. Muscle spasms would wrack the body. And what is more, this would be done in front of the world to see, increasing ones shame and disgrace. This wasn’t just a way to kill people. It was a perfected art for exacting as much pain as possible before death. The movies and pictures that depict a kind of lovely and gently scene are ridiculous. It was brutal, bloody, and violent.

Sin is a really ugly and serious thing. There is no pleasant or easy way to deal with it.

Pilate showed again his contempt for the Jews by “getting back” at them by putting this placard of Jesus above the cross. It was kind of a way of making fun of the Jews for having such a “pathetic” king. When the Jews complained Pilate refused to give in. He had had enough.

Next comes two sections (surrounding Jesus request to John) relating to prophecies.

Read following cross-references and discuss.

Psalms 22:18 – They divide my garments among them, and for my clothing they cast lots.

Psalms 69:21 – They gave me poison for food, and for my thirst they gave me sour wine to drink.

Psalms 34:20 – He keeps all his bones; not one of them is broken.

Zechariah 12:10 – And I will pour out on the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem a spirit of grace and pleas for mercy, so that, when they look on me, on him whom they have pierced, they shall mourn for him, as one mourns for an only child, and weep bitterly over him, as one weeps over a firstborn.

Most of these prophecies were fulfilled by Romans who didn’t even know them. They were simply being greedy or doing their job, yet in the process were proving God’s Word, spoken hundreds of years before. God is completely sovereign.

Jesus asked John to take care of His mother. This tells us several likely things. Joseph was probably dead already. His brothers still hadn’t believed in Him. And it was still important to Jesus to honor his parents (his mother who was left). Jesus came for such a high and noble purpose, to die for the world. Yet even in that, He still was remembering His duty to take care of His mother and make sure this was performed adequately.

Mark 7:11 – But you say, ‘If a man tells his father or his mother, “Whatever you would have gained from me is Corban”’ (that is, given to God).

As believers, we are obligated to make sure our parents are taken care of. Even at this point Jesus is concerned for others, not Himself.

The wine was likely given to Jesus as a calculated attempt to prolong His life and suffering, not out of mercy.

“It is finished” is a reference to the completed work of the cross. Jesus came for one major purpose. He had a mission and a goal, seen again and again in the book of John. Now it was finally finished. It was finished once-for-all. It need never be repeated. He had done God’s will and done it perfectly.

In verse 30 it says “gave up His spirit.” What does that mean? I believe that even at this point, Jesus life wasn’t simply taken from Him, but He gave it up Himself. He laid down His life voluntarily as a sacrifice. As Son of God, I guess He could have stayed hanging on the cross forever if He desired. Read Cross-references about what happened at His death and discuss.

God made it clear that Jesus’ death wasn’t ordinary. Even a pagan there believed in Jesus because of all of the amazing things that happened right at that moment: darkness, earthquake, saints arising, temple veil torn, etc. What is the significance of the veil being torn from top to bottom?

The Romans normally left their victims on the cross for days to first die and then start rotting and be eaten alive. But this would have violated the Sabbath and violated the custom set down by Moses not to leave a person overnight so in this case the Romans broke their legs to kill them. Jesus was already dead and the piercing proved it beyond a doubt. It is really interesting that God already let a lot of things happen to disprove later theories that would come out (such as the swoon theory).

III. The burial of Jesus (38-42)

Finally Jesus was buried, proving again He hadn’t just fainted. Joseph and Nicodemus take initiative to help with the burial.

It was prophesied that Jesus would be buried with a rich man and he was buried in a rich man’s tomb.

Isaiah 53:9 – And they made his grave with the wicked and with a rich man in his death, although he had done no violence, and there was no deceit in his mouth.

The Importance Jesus’ Sacrifice on the Cross

Discussion Questions

• Why did Jesus have to die? What precedents can we find in the Old Testament for sacrifice for sin?
• Why do you think God decided on such an ugly and even sick form to take away sin?
• Scripture says that Jesus gave His life a “ransom for many” Mark 10:45. Who is the ransom to?
• What do you think was the painful aspect for Jesus of dying on the cross?
• In what way is this the climax of God’s plan for the world?
• Why is Jesus’ death complete and permanent whereas animal sacrifices are not?
• In what way is Jesus similar to Adam?
• What lessons can we learn from Jesus’ death? How should this “inspire” us?
• Why should we emphasize the cross when sharing the gospel?

Cross-References for Further Discussion

Genesis 3:15 – The first prophecy of Christ’s death.

Genesis 3:21 – The first sacrifice.

Genesis 12:3 – In Abraham (through Jesus) all the families of the earth will be blessed.

Isaiah 53 – Clear prophecies about Jesus’ suffering.

Psalms 22:18 – Prophecy about Jesus’ clothes being divided.

Psalms 34:20 – Prophecy about Jesus’ bones not being broken.

Zechariah 12:10 – Look on Him whom they have pierced.

Romans 5:12,18-19 – Through one man sin came into the world and through one man justification resulted in life.

John 3:16, Romans 5:8 – It was God’s love.

John 1:29, 1 Peter 1:19 – Jesus, the lamb without blemish and spot dying, His blood shed for us.

2 Corinthians 5:21 – Jesus was made sin for us.

Galatians 3:13 – The cross was a shame and disgrace (cursed are those who hang on a tree).

Hebrews 9:22 – One may almost say without shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.

Propitiation (An offering that turns away the wrath of God)

1 John 2:2, 1 John 4:10

Atonement (The act whereby God deals with sin and makes forgiveness possible)