John 19:15-17

John 19:15 They shouted, “Take him away! Take him away! Crucify him!” Pilate said to them, “Should I crucify your king?” “We have no king if it isn’t Caesar!” the chief priests answered.

John 19:16 Then he handed him over to be crucified. Then they took Jesus away.

John 19:17 Carrying the cross by himself, he exited to what is called Place of the Skull, which in Aramaic is called Golgotha.

John 19:18 There they crucified him and two others with him, one on each side, with Jesus in the middle.

final act in the farce

None of the trials Jesus had undergone resulted in anything like justice. They were all a pretense – a sham. Now our King is handed over to those who had mocked and insulted and cruelly abused him – for the final act in the farce.

He begins by carrying his own instrument of torture and execution. His destination is death. He still had the power from the sky to destroy the entire city. But he has a purpose which necessitates his submitting to their power. His purpose is us. For the sake of those whom he would redeem, he suffered and died on the cross.

Thank you, Lord, for your sacrificial love.