RSV ~ John 19 Notes
Jn 19:1 | ISB Notes
scourged: Flogging was a cruel prelude to crucifixion in Roman practice. Tied to the ends of the whip were fragments of bone or metal designed to tear up the skin, causing injuries that were sometimes fatal. Pilate may have ordered this measure to appease the Jews, since he already felt there were no legal grounds to execute Jesus (18:38).
Jn 19:2-3 | ISB Notes
The royal tribute of the soldiers is both an act of mockery and an ironic witness to the kingship of Jesus (1:49; 18:36).
Jn 19:6 | ISB Notes
Crucify him: The Jerusalem authorities incite a chanting mob in order to crush remaining sympathies for Jesus and bend the will of Pilate in the direction of their own (CCC 597, 600).
I find no crime: The third time Pilate acquits Jesus of the charges laid against him (18:38; 19:4). Lukeâs trial narrative likewise stresses the innocence of Jesus (Lk 23:4, 15, 22, 41, 47).
Jn 19:7 | ISB Notes
he ought to die: A charge of blasphemy, which was a capital crime in Israel (Lev 24:16). Similar accusations are made at Jn 5:18 and 10:33.
Jn 19:11 | ISB Notes
no power over me: Jesus, not Pilate, controls the situation, and so death cannot be forced upon him unwillingly (10:18).
from above: Ultimately, authority over the temporal affairs of society is granted to civil officials by God, not by governments themselves or by the consent of those they govern (Rom 13:1).
the greater sin: Implies that Pilate shares the blame for Jesusâ death, even though Judas and the Jerusalem leaders are even more culpable (Acts 4:27).
Jn 19:12 | ISB Notes
not Caesarâs friend: An attempt to blackmail Pilate, who could face charges of disloyalty to the emperor if he lets a (supposed) royal claimant like Jesus go unpunished.
Jn 19:13 | ISB Notes
The Pavement: A stone slab platform. The Semitic expression Gabbatha refers to some sort of elevation.
Jn 19:14 | ISB Notes
day of Preparation: This chronological statement has been read in two different ways. Some, including the RSV, understand it to mean that Jesus was sentenced to die on âthe eveâ of the Jewish Passover, which would begin at sundown. Others note that the Greek term is one that normally means âFridayâ, the day before the Jewish Sabbath (as in 19:31 and Mk 15:42). In this case, the point is that Jesus was condemned on the Friday that fell during Passover week.
the sixth hour: Noon.
Jn 19:15 | ISB Notes
no king but Caesar: A compromise so extreme that the Jerusalem authorities deny even the kingship of Yahweh (1 Sam 8:7).
Jn 19:17 | ISB Notes
bearing his own cross: Refers to the wooden crossbeam to be fixed horizontally to an upright stake at the execution site. See note on Mk 15:24.
Jn 19:18 | ISB Notes
one on either side: The four Gospels agree that Jesus was crucified between two criminals (Mt 27:38; Mk 15:27; Lk 23:33).
⢠Johnâs description is similar to that in the Greek version of Ex 17:12, where Mosesâ arms were suspended in the air by Aaron and Hur as they stood on either side of him. This was to ensure for Israel a military victory over the Amalekites. Jesusâ arms are similarly stretched out between two men as he triumphs over the unseen armies of the devil (Col 2:14-15).
Jn 19:20 | ISB Notes
this title: Signs were hung around the necks of crucified victims and then fastened to their crosses. Listed on these placards was a brief inventory of the criminal charges brought against them.
The trilingual inscription of Pilate could be read by everyone in the region: Hebrew was the religious language of Israel still known by some Palestinian Jews; Latin was the official language of the Roman occupiers of Palestine; and Greek was the commercial language of the eastern Mediterranean world (CCC 440).
Jn 19:23 | ISB Notes
the tunic: A one-piece garment worn next to the skin.
⢠The seamless tunic of Christ recalls the linen vestment worn by the high priest of Israel (Lev 16:4), which was not to be torn (Lev 21:10) and which, according to the historian Josephus, was seamless. This implies that Christ acts as a high priest when he makes himself a sacrifice on the Cross (Heb 2:17; 9:11-14).
⢠Allegorically (St. Cyprian, The Unity of the Catholic Church 7): the seamless tunic signifies the indivisible kingdom of Christ. Although Solomonâs kingdom was rent asunder like a garment and its glory passed away (1 Kings 11:29-32), the Church of Christ is forever glorious and will always remain intact (Jn 19:24).
Jn 19:24 | ISB Notes
They parted my garments: A quotation from Ps 22:18, a psalm that runs parallel to the entire plot of the Passion narrative. See note on Mt 27:46.
Jn 19:25 | ISB Notes
his motherâs sister: Possibly âSalomeâ, the mother of the apostles James and John, the sons of Zebedee (Mt 27:56; Mk 15:40).
Jn 19:26 | ISB Notes
Woman: The address sounds impersonal to modern readers but was considered polite in biblical antiquity.
â˘Jesus probably alludes to Gen 3:15, which describes the mother of the Messiah as the âwomanâ whose offspring conquers the devil (CCC 726, 2618). See note on Jn 2:4. behold your son!: Jesus honors his Mother by entrusting her to the protective care of the Apostle John, presumably because Mary had no other children to assume the responsibility. .
⢠John is not just an individual disciple, he is portrayed by the evangelist as an icon of every disciple whom Jesus loves. In this sense, Mary is given to all beloved disciples of Christ, just as every disciple is given to the maternal care of Mary. The assumption here is that family relations are extended beyond the limits of natural lineage, s
o that every baptized believer has God as a Father, Christ as an eldest brother, Mary as a Mother, and the saints as brothers and sisters (CCC 501, 964, 2679). See introduction: Themes and Characteristics.
Jn 19:28 | ISB Notes
I thirst: Recalls Ps 22:15 and Ps 69:21.
Jn 19:29 | ISB Notes
vinegar: Sour wine. This was not the narcotic drink that Jesus earlier refused (Mk 15:23).
⢠The use of hyssop to lift the sponge to Jesus suggests a connection with the original Passover, when the Israelites used hyssop branches to smear blood on their doorposts as a mark of divine protection (Ex 12:21-23).
Jn 19:32 | ISB Notes
broke the legs: A mallet was used to crush the leg bones and hasten the processes of death.
Jn 19:34 | ISB Notes
blood and water: Stresses the reality and finality of Jesusâ death.
⢠The episode is reminiscent of Num 20:10-13 as read in Jewish tradition. In the original story only water issued from the rock struck by Moses, but in the Aramaic rendition both blood and water gushed forth (Palestinian Targum on Num 20:11). Paul similarly interprets this rock as a symbol of Christ, from which flows the spiritual drink of the Eucharist (1 Cor 10:4) and the Spirit (1 Cor 12:13).
⢠Allegorically (St. John Chrysostom, Baptismal Instructions 3, 16-19): the water and blood streaming from the side of Christ are symbolic of the new life we receive in Baptism (3:5) and the nourishment we receive in the Eucharist (6:53) (CCC 1225). It indicates, moreover, that the Church constituted by these sacraments is the bride of Christ that issues from his side, just as Eve came forth from the side of Adam (Gen 2:21-23). In another sense (Tertullian, On Baptism 16,2), the blood and water signify the two baptisms of martyrdom and Christian initiation.
Jn 19:35 | ISB Notes
he tells the truth: The evangelist verifies the historical facts of the Crucifixion as an eyewitness (19:26).
Jn 19:36 | ISB Notes
Not a bone: A reference to Ex 12:46.
⢠This restriction was part of Israelâs Passover legislation that disqualified lambs with blemishes and broken bones from being slaughtered and eaten for the liturgical celebration (Ex 12:5; Num 9:11-12). Jesus, whose bones are left intact, is the unblemished Lamb (Jn 1:29) fit to be consumed in the eucharistic liturgy (6:53-58; CCC 608).
Jn 19:37 | ISB Notes
They shall look: A reference to Zech 12:10.
⢠Zechariah describes a day of mourning for Jerusalem, which will weep with remorse that its sins have pierced the Messiah. It is also a day of compassion, when Yahweh opens a fountain to cleanse the city of its iniquities (Zech 13:1). John may be suggesting, in light of the full context of this prophecy, that there is a close connection between the piercing of the Messiah and the opening of the fountain of divine mercy.
Jn 19:38 | ISB Notes
Joseph of Arimathea: A wealthy follower of Jesus who provided the tomb (Mt 27:57-60). He is a member of the Jewish Sanhedrin, although he did not consent to its condemnation of Christ (Lk 23:50-51; CCC 596).
Jn 19:39 | ISB Notes
Nicodemus: Also a member of the Sanhedrin (3:1).
Jn 19:42 | ISB Notes
day of Preparation: The Sabbath is fast approaching (sundown Friday). By then labor must cease (Lk 23:56), and so corpses must be quickly buried (Deut 21:22-23).