Week 2 (24th-28th October) John 19:1-24
1.
Monday: John 19:1-24 Coronation Day for Napoleon and for Christ
In less than ten years after his coronation Napoleon was toppled, imprisoned, exiled and seven years
later he was dead. Shortly before his death he recognised Christ as the real and lasting King. He had
been a very proud man but he humbled himself at the end of his life. In this week’s meditations we
shall follow the striking contrast between the coronation of Napoleon and Christ. In John 19:19
Pilate had a notice prepared and fastened to the cross. It read: Jesus of Nazareth, the king of the
Jews. Napoleon Bonaparte was not a humble man. In December 1804, he determined to make his
coronation as Emperor of the French a very lavish affair that would reverberate across the world. It
would be in stark contrast to the coronation of Jesus but his coronation would last and Napoleons
would be short- a mere ten years of glory and then defeat and humiliation. For Christ the order
would be reversed: his suffering and passion following his coronation would come first but it would
be glorious in the light of the cross and last forever.
In John 19:5 “Here is the man” prepares the way for “Here is your King” in verse 14. When the
religious authorities mention Jesus’ claim to be the Son of God (v.7) Pilate ‘was even more afraid’
and asked Jesus “Where do you come from?” but Jesus gave him no answer. It’s interesting that the
Governor with all the power of life or death is afraid of the prisoner! So Pilate feels he has to reestablish his authority in verse 10 that he can free Jesus or have him crucified. In response Jesus says
“You would have no power over me if it were not given to you from above”. The Roman trial is now
put in cosmic perspective. Pilate has power to judge in this trial only because God has assigned him
this task. Jesus then shows that he is handing down his own verdict on the earth when he says to
Pilate “the one who handed me over to you is guilty of a greater sin.” Jesus is acting more like a
judge than Pilate because it is his cosmic coronation day.
Should we look at life only from an earthly point of view or also from a cosmic perspective?
For Pilate and the religious leaders ‘We have no king but Caesar’. John says “Here is your king”. Is Jesus really your
king? How could you tell if this was so?
Prayer
2.
Tuesday: John 19:1-3 Two Very Different Crowns
Napoleon received a golden laurel and Christ a crown of thorns. The golden laurel wreath Napoleon
received linked him back to the Roman Caesar’s. He was also given an ornate golden crown which
linked him back to the Emperor Charlemagne. Jesus by contrast received a crown of thorns that
linked him back to the curse from Adam’s sin in Genesis 3:17-19 and to the ram caught by its horns
in the thicket in Genesis 22. God had given a ram to save the life of Isaac on Mount Moriah and now
Jesus would die on the same mountain to save us from our sins.
What explains the harsh treatment of Christ? What of Roman justice? Three times in these verses
Pilate says “I find no basis for a charge against him”. Jesus has admitted to being a king and Pilate
was within his powers to use this scourging as a means of interrogation. A better explanation is that
this is Pilate’s final attempt to placate the Jews by such a severe beating but it only serves to
heighten their venom. Why is the innocent One suffering in such ways? Here is the Gospel displayed:
our Saviour was scourged, that we might go free; He was crowned with thorns, that we might be
crowned with blessing and honour; He was clothed with a robe of contempt, that we might receive
the robe of righteousness; He was rejected as king, that we might be made kings and priests to God.
What a glorious gospel! Such marvellous exchange! Is this worth getting excited about?
Why a purple robe?
Prayer
3.
Wednesday: John 19:16-18 Solid Joys and Boasted Pomp
At his coronation Napoleon was taken in a magnificent carriage and Christ carried his cross.
Napoleon had set out from the Tuileries Palace, home of the former kings of France, in a gilded
carriage pulled by eight perfectly groomed horses. Jesus had left the palace of Pilate the Roman
governor on foot, buckled under the weight of carrying his wooden cross. John expects his readers
to know about the eventual collapse of Jesus and the help requisitioned by the soldiers of Simon of
Cyrene to carry the cross. He leaves out this detail to stress the sense of isolation for Jesus.
Napoleon was loved and adored by the crowds who lined the streets of Paris and shouted, “Hail,
Napoleon” and “Long live the Emperor!”. Jesus was hated by the crowds who cried “Crucify him”.
Why was the crowd so cruel and hateful towards Christ? Because the world hates Jesus and his
Father. John shows this throughout his gospel. The world loves the pomp and show of worldly rulers
like Napoleon who appeal to the worst in human nature and promise vain glory.
In John Newton’s, “Glorious Things of Thee Are Spoken”, he ends the hymn with the same
perspective as we see in the contrast between Napoleon and Christ:
Fading is the worldling's pleasure,
All his boasted pomp and show;
Solid joys and lasting treasure
None but Zion's children know.
Why is the way of the world so attractive?
Why is the way of the cross so challenging?
Prayer
4.
Thursday: John 19:23-24 Divine Paradox
When Napoleon reached Notre-Dame Cathedral he was given an elaborate mantle to wear that
required four attendants to bear the weight for him. When Jesus arrived at Calvary, he was stripped
of his clothes and four greedy soldiers drew lots to share the spoils. We can assume there was four
soldiers from the fact they divided the clothing into four piles. Calvary comes from the Latin word for
Skull, whereas the term Golgotha comes from the same word in Aramaic.
What symbolism does John intend since he says ‘this happened that the Scripture might be fulfilled’?
The Scripture he has in mind is Psalm 22:18. There may be an intended parallel with John 13:1-20
(the foot washing) because Jesus’ clothes and Jesus’ death come together in both passages. Jesus
laid aside his garments, his outer garments when he washed the disciple’s feet, in an act that
pointed to the cleansing that would be the effect of his death. So here he loses his clothes, this time
all of them, since he was stripped naked as part of the humiliation of crucifixion. The same selfhumbling operates but here to the last degree, as he lays aside his glory and by divine paradox is
glorified. The fact that his seamless tunic is not torn may point to the fact that whilst his last earthly
possessions are stripped away, he remains under his Father’s sovereign care.
How can the cross be called a glorification?
Why dos suffering always come before glory in the Christian life?
Prayer
5.
Friday: John 19:28-30 Napoleon’s Deep Misery and the Eternal Kingdom
Today we are going to transgress into the next section to complete this contrast between Napoleon
and Jesus. Napoleon’s crown had upon it a shiny gold cross, as he rested his feet on a velvet cushion
and held an antique royal sword in his hand. Jesus’s cross was wooden and covered with his blood as
he was fastened to it by the executioner’s nails which pierced his hands and his feet, really sensitive
parts of the body. Napoleon sat for three hours on his golden throne in Notre Dame Cathedral,
flanked by courtiers and rich friends who sang about his many victories. Jesus hung on the cross for
six hours on his wooden cross with a thief on either side and surrounded by jubilant enemies. Finally,
knowing ‘that all was now completed…Jesus said, “It is finished”. With that, he bowed his head and
gave up his spirit’.
How did the story end for Napoleon and for Jesus? As we already noted within ten years Napoleon
was toppled and then died seven years later on a lonely island in bitter exile. After his passion Jesus
was raised from the dead and ascended to the Father’s side in glory. But Napoleon’s story though
bitter ended with hope. Shortly before he died on the island of St Helena he turned to his friend
General Montholon, and confessed:
“I know men, and I tell you that Jesus Christ is not a man…I die before my time and my body will be
given back to the earth…such is the fate of him who has been called Great Napoleon. What an abyss
between my deep misery and the eternal kingdom of Christ, which is proclaimed, loved, adored, and
which is extended over the whole earth! Call you this dying? Is it not living, rather?”
How can we learn from the toppled Emperor?
How can we help extend ‘the eternal kingdom of Christ’?
Prayer