Introduction
• All four gospels, Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John have detailed descriptions of Jesus’ crucifixion. John’s depiction of the event stands out because of the theme: Jesus is the ultimate Passover lamb that takes away the sin of the world.
• I’m Brent and this is episode 33 of The Bible Unplugged. We continue our series, Easter Unplugged, John’s account of what happened the day Jesus died on the cross
• Please take a minute to look at the show notes for this episode at PowerLoveandMiracles.com under the Podcast tab.
Why is John Different?
• As we have discussed, John gives us details that none of the other gospels do. Some of these details seem to contradict Matthew, Mark, and Luke. The most striking difference is that John depicts Jesus being crucified on Thursday, not Friday. According to John, Jesus died at the same time the ceremonial lamb was sacrificed in the Temple before the Feast of the Passover began that evening.
John’s Trial narrative
• In the last episode we talked about the arrest of Jesus and how the religious leaders violated Jewish law in the way they conducted a mock trial. The plan was to have Jesus killed before the Feast started. To do that, they needed Pilate to convict Jesus and condemn him to death since the Jews could not impose the death penalty.
• Pilate was the only one to recognize that Jesus was without fault, which was a requirement of the Passover lamb. Pilate plays a stronger role in John than in the other gospels. In John, Jesus initiates conversation with Pilate emphasizing that Jesus was in control of the events. Pilate is also much more conflicted and afraid in John’s account
• We see the story of how Barabbas was freed from prison instead of releasing Jesus in the other gospels, but John mentions Barabbas almost as an afterthought. John emphasized that Jesus was killed as a sacrifice for all of humanity, not as a substitute for a common criminal. As a side note, “Barabbas” is Aramaic for “Son of the Father.” The irony is that the fake son was delivered from punishment while the real Son of God died for the forgiveness of sin.
Crucifixion narrative
• We find that John’s story of the crucifixion of Jesus is different than the other gospels in several ways. While Matthew, Mark, and Luke, show Jesus as the suffering servant, John shows the events as fulfillments of prophecy. There are four direct references to Old Testament prophecies in this story:
• The other gospels mention the soldiers casting lots for Jesus’ clothing, but John takes this to a different level. John says explicitly that this is a fulfillment of Scripture found in Psalm 22:18. In addition, a detail the other gospels do not mention is that Jesus’ tunic was made of one piece of cloth with no seams. In Exodus 28 God directed that the robe of high priest would be made in one piece and not be torn. John shows Jesus as the ultimate high priest at the same moment the ceremonial lamb is sacrificed in the Temple.
• John 19:28 says, “After this, Jesus, seeing that all things were now finished, that the Scripture might be fulfilled, said, “I am thirsty!” Jesus knows his mission is complete and asked for a drink so his final words would be clear and strong. This again is a fulfillment of prophecy found in Psalm 69. John includes one detail that we often overlook. John says that the vinegar-filled sponge was on hyssop, a plant used in ritual purification throughout the Old Testament. Most importantly, God commanded that the blood of the Passover lamb had to be splattered on the doorposts of Jewish homes using a bunch of hyssop. This is another direct reference to John’s theme.
• When the Romans wanted to hasten the death of someone hanging on a cross, they would break the victims’ legs rendering them unable to lift themselves up to breathe. The victims suffocated soon after. In Jesus’ case, the soldiers saw that Jesus was already dead and didn’t break his legs. When the Jews ate the Passover lamb they could not break any of the bones. This is also a fulfillment of prophecy found in Psalm 34.
• One of the soldiers pierced Jesus’ side with a spear. This is a prophecy found in Zechariah 12:10. John describes blood and water coming out of the wound. On the previous day, Jesus and his disciples crossed the Kidron Brook that flowed with water mixed with the blook of the Passover lambs sacrificed in the Temple that day.
• John concludes the crucifixion account in chapter 19 verse 30 which says, “When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, he said, ‘It is finished!’ Then he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.” This is the ultimate depiction of Jesus being in control of the events. There is an unfortunate translation in this verse, however. The word translated “finished” has a deeper meaning. The Greek verb means to accomplish or complete. Jesus wasn’t saying he was done, he was saying he fulfilled his purposed
What do we learn from this
• The Jewish leaders and the Romans believed they were the ones in control of what happened to Jesus. John shows us, however, that God was in control the whole time. When we experience times of crisis, we can find comfort in knowing that our heavenly father is in charge.
• The first Passover led to the deliverance of the people of Israel from Egypt. Jesus as the ultimate Passover lamb delivers his people from the consequences of sin and death.
• Jesus gave up his life. It wasn’t taken from him. As John said earlier in the gospel, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only born Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish, but have eternal life.” The way to eternal life is through the death and resurrection of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ who willingly died in our place.
What do we do with this?
• When life gets challenging and busy it’s easy to think that we have to come up with a plan and do everything ourselves. Just as the religious leaders believed they were in control of eliminating Jesus, we can fool ourselves into believing that we are in control of our destiny. When you begin to feel overwhelmed by the immensity of your challenges this week take a few minutes to ask God to intervene and show you how He is in charge.
• Passover is one of the highlights of the Jewish calendar that has been celebrated for thousands of years. In the Christian tradition we have Christmas and Easter when we celebrate the birth and resurrection of Jesus. We need to remember, though, that God sent his son to redeem all of our time, not just a few days of celebration. As you go through your week, look for opportunities to remember the gift of life that your savior has provided for you.
The conclusion
• And the music in the background means my time is up for this episode, but I’ll be back with a lot more later.
• I hope this has been helpful. If so, give this podcast a high rating and share it with others.
• In the next episode we will focus on Jesus’ resurrection and the impact that had on his followers.
• My prayer for you is that you will celebrate the gift of eternal life that God has provided not just on special days, but every day of your life.
• Have a blessed week.
The disclaimers
• Just to let you know
• All opinions are my own. If you agree, keep listening. If you don’t… keep listening, I might surprise you with something you didn’t know.
• All Bible quotations come from the World English Bible which is a public domain work.
• Our show theme song is “Awesome Call” by Kevin MacLeod and is available under a Creative Commons license.
• The content of this podcast is copyrighted 2025 by J. Brent Eaton
• This has been a Power Love and Miracles production.
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