Strathalbyn Church of Christ

John 19:1-3; 14b-42. Theme: Crucifixion.

Sermon by Pastor David Williams. Strathalbyn Church of Christ. 2 April 2021.

Prayer: Open our eyes to see wonderful things in your word.

You may have heard this story a hundred times, or today may be the first time. I want to show you what John is telling us here in a way that may be new to you. And there are 5 parts,

1. King of the Jews

2. The Anti-coronation

3. It is finished!

4. The King truly died

5. Behold your King!

1. King of the Jews

Jesus is called king but is shown as a pitiful figure here.

Jesus was first called King by Nathaniel one of his first disciples, and just before his arrest Jesus rode on a donkey into Jerusalem and the crowds cried out, “Hail to the King of Israel!” John 12:13_._ But in his trial and crucifixion his enemies taunted him, mockingly calling him, _“King of the Jews”_ Jn 19:3, 19_._

Fifteen times in Jesus’ trial and crucifixion, the word King or kingdom is used of Jesus. Every time the Jews or Romans used the word, it was mockingly, or with a question, or as a title to be rejected. So, the soldiers put a crown of thorns on his head and said “Hail, King of the Jews!” And Pilate wrote a title for the cross, “Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews”. But Pilate didn’t believe it – he was just trying to get revenge on the Jewish leaders.

2. The Anti-coronation

How does a king become a king – usually there is a crowning, a coronation. And while it may surprise you, Jesus is being crowned king here. Actually, the Jews and Romans are conducting an anti-coronation - a ghastly reversal of a true coronation. They reject and mock him as king. Yet by killing him, they are crowning him. Unknowingly, they have crowned the true king.

I will explain what I mean by an anti-coronation – this crowning a king in reverse. There are 15 clues given – I’ll quickly list them:

1. Jesus was crowned – with thorns. John wrote: “And the soldiers twisted together a crown of thorns and put it on his head”, v2.

2. At a coronation, the king is fitted in rich robes. Here, the King was robed in mockery and then disrobed leaving him naked – the robe tearing at his bloodied wounds. “[They] arrayed him in a purple robe” and “they took his garments and divided them …”, v 3, 23.

3. He was mockingly saluted, “Hail, King of the Jews”.

4. Positive prophecies were spoken before ancient coronations, as when Julius Caesar ascended his throne. And Jesus’ authority was confirmed by four prophecies. But unlike the positive prophecies for Caesar, those for Jesus were of his humiliation, suffering and death. Listen to these four Old Testament prophecies:

“They divided my garments among them,
and for my clothing they cast lots.”

“I thirst.”

“Not one of his bones will be broken.”

“They will look on him whom they have pierced”, vv 24, 28, 36, 37.

5. There was a royal parade – but instead of the king being carried aloft proudly on a throne, the king himself carried his cross, a symbol of shame. “He went out, bearing his own cross to … the Place of a Skull”, v17.

6. In killing him, they are crowning him – as he ascends his throne. The king was indeed lifted to his throne - but his throne was a cross.

7. Seated to his left and right were not princes, but criminals. “There they crucified him, and with him two others, one on either side, and Jesus between them”, v18.

8. His coronation was witnessed – not by the powerful, but by the powerless – women and a lowly fisherman. “Standing by the cross of Jesus were his mother and his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene” v25.

9. Instead of being toasted with rich wine, the King was given sour wine. ”A jar full of sour wine stood there, so they put a sponge full of the sour wine on a hyssop branch and held it to his mouth”, v29.

10. The King’s title was proclaimed – not on a noble plaque but a scrap of parchment on a cross. And as was normal for a new king, it was proclaimed in languages for the nations, so all would hear of it. “Pilate also wrote an inscription and put it on the cross. It read, “Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews” … and it was written in Aramaic, in Latin, and in Greek”, v19.

11. The king made his first appointments, but not of ministers of state. Instead, he gave roles to his mother and friend, with great compassion. “Jesus said to his mother, “Woman, behold, your son!” Then he said to the disciple, “Behold, your mother!”, v26-27.

12. The new king gave his first and yet final decree, “It is finished!” v30.

13. Instead of raising his head to receive a crown, “he bowed his head”, v30.

14. Instead of being given honours – he himself gave. He gave the only thing he had left to give – his freedom, dignity and mother had already been taken. So now “he gave up his spirit”, v30.

15. At the end, the king was re-robed, clothed not in purple silk, but in grave clothes. “So they took the body of Jesus and bound it in linen cloths with the spices, as is the burial custom of the Jews”, v40.

So this was an anti-coronation. Yet it achieved the very thing his enemies mocked. In this fake ceremony, King Jesus was truly crowned. It is like a child playing with a tiger doll, and then discovering the doll is a real tiger. They had mocked this dying helpless man, yet he turned out to be the King of Kings. And in their very act of putting him to death, they had succeeded without knowing it, in crowning him as King.

3. It is finished!

What was the job of a king? How would you write a job description for a king? Don’t think of King Charles or King William – think of a king 2000 years ago. What was really important then was a King who could fight your battles. You wanted a King who would be your champion. He would destroy all the surrounding enemies. In return, you swore to the king your full devotion, loyalty and obedience.

Jesus was a king unlike any other. Jesus, on the cross fought the ultimate battle for us – against death itself. He fought and won. He defeated death by dying. This is what he declared in these very significant last words, “It is finished!” That word, “finished”, is repeated twice to ram home the point. “… Jesus, knowing that all was now finished, said … “I thirst.” … [Then] he said, “It is finished,” and he bowed his head and gave up his spirit”, v28, 30.

As our conqueror, as our Champion, King Jesus remained in control, even in his dying moments. Even in these last minutes – at the extremity of pain and exhaustion – Jesus remained in control. He is the one playing the active part – see the action words, the verbs – Jesus “knowing”, Jesus “said”, again Jesus “said”, Jesus “bowed his head”, Jesus “gave up his spirit”. He is in control to the very end. He didn’t expire but gave up his spirit.

The whole of the Bible, actually, the whole of human history pivots on these three words – these final words of Jesus. “It is finished!” Sin and death have wreaked havoc throughout history – they wreak havoc in our own lives. Our vanity, selfishness and fears make a mess of our lives and of those we love. When we live our lives without God, we always get it wrong. “I did it my way” is not just the song of Frank Sinatra. It is the song of every man, woman and child. And it is a death-way, a death road. It is a way that ignores God, our creator. It is a way that rightly deserves death. We are rebels against the creator, our King. But God in his love for us sent his son to die in our place. Jesus took the rap for our rebellion.

Jesus in his death put death to death. He conquered sin, he conquered death. That is what his final words mean. “It is finished!” That is, sin is defeated. Sin no longer has any hold over you. Yes, we continue to sin, and we will die, but that is not the end. Sin and death have lost their power. Instead of sin, we have forgiveness. Instead of death we have eternal life. Paul wrote,

“O death, where is your victory?
O death, where is your sting?”

For sin is the sting that results in death, … But thank God! He gives us victory over sin and death through our Lord Jesus Christ.” 1 Corinthians 15:55-57

The King has conquered. The King, our Champion, has won the victory for us. So what does this mean then for you? This is Jesus’ message today for you. Yes you.

Jesus died so we don’t have to work to get into God’s good books – something we could never do anyway. You can stop trying because Jesus says, “It is finished!”

If you are uncertain or worried about the afterlife – “I really don’t know if I’m good enough?” – then you need to hear the Easter message, “It is finished!”

If you look down your nose at others, because that is how you justify yourself, you don’t need to do that because Jesus says, “It is finished!”

If you think you are beyond hope and want to drink your life away, don’t because Jesus says, “It is finished!”

This is God’s message to everyone here – there are no exceptions. You are not exempt. Whatever it is that you have done, hear the promise of King Jesus to you: “It is finished!”

Of course, Jesus’ death was not the end. He rose from death. But to hear that part of the story you need to come back on Easter Sunday!

4. The King truly died

But can we believe it? Yes, for this King truly died. Both Roman and Jewish historians at the time mention Jesus and his crucifixion. These events truly took place – they were faithfully recorded by one who was with Jesus for the three years leading up to this death – the disciple John. John was the one standing with Mary at the foot of that cross. John wrote of himself: “The one who saw this happen has spoken of it, so that you also may believe. What he said is true, and he knows that he speaks the truth”, Jn 19:35. There are many convincing reasons for seeing John’s report as accurate and reliable. Jesus’ death was prophesied centuries before. Some of the prophecies I’ve already mentioned. Jesus truly died. This was not a case of someone who fainted and revived. John saw a spear being thrust into his chest. Doctors tell us what he saw is proof the Jesus was dead. John wrote, “one of the soldiers pierced his side with a spear, and at once there came out blood and water”, v34. We are reading here a eye-witness report by John.

5. Behold your King!

Is he your king? John called Jesus King. The Jews rejected Jesus as King. They preferred a robber; they preferred the hated King Caesar. Pilate asked, “So do you want me to release to you the King of the Jews?” They cried out again, “Not this man, but Barabbas!” Now Barabbas was a robber” 18:39-40, and later, “The chief priests answered, ‘We have no king but Caesar’”, 19:15. They put their own long-awaited King to death. But Jesus is the King. Not just of the Jews – but of all. “Behold your King!” said Pilate, v14. Is he your King? I say to you, “Behold your King!”

Whether you call yourself a Christian or not – this message, the challenge is for everyone here. Is he truly King and Lord in your life? Will you swear allegiance to King Jesus today? Will you devote the rest of your life to him? Or will you reject him. To ignore him is to reject him. To park it and say, I’ll look into it later is to reject him. This day, you are standing before King Jesus. Will you follow him, trust him, obey him?

Or will you reject him? If you follow him, you must give your all. As it was with ancient kings, you cannot put limits and conditions on your service, or create exceptions to your loyalty. If you follow Jesus, you can hold nothing back – not your time, your family, your possessions; not your reputation, your security – they all belong to him, they are not your own. Will you surrender all to King Jesus?

Pray: King Jesus, I am totally unworthy of your love, your attention, your sacrifice. Forgive me and accept me as your servant, and enable me to love you, obey you, trust you and follow you until my life here is done. I ask this for your sake and your honour. Amen.

Sources:

Barnett, Paul. (2005). The shepherd king: reading John today. Sydney: Aquila Press.

Series: John

Topics: #John , #Easter