“Stand Up for Jesus”
Background Passage—Gospel of John, Chapter 19:17-42
Lesson Passages—Gospel of John, Chapter 19:23-30, 38-42
Lesson for February 8 - 9, 2014
Dr. James Patterson
Introduction:
“Stand up, stand up for Jesus!
Ye soldiers of the cross; Lift high His royal banner, It must not suffer loss.
From vict’ry unto vict’ry His army shall He lead, Till ev’ry foe is
vanquished, For Christ is Lord indeed.”
(Stand Up, Stand Up for Jesus, George Duffiled, 1858)
Today’s passage centers on Jesus’ sacrificial death to pay for our sins. There
has never been a greater sacrifice, and there never will be. However,
opportunities abound for today’s Christians to live out the expression of a
traditional hymn and “stand up for Jesus” in their own sacrificial ways.
We are to stand up for the cause of Christ. This means that we are to be actively
doing what we can to defend the truth and share it with others. When we
became Christians we signed up in the Lord’s army whether we realized it or
not. Every one of us is a Christian soldier, as Paul told Timothy,
2 Timothy 2:3 You therefore must endure hardship as a good soldier of
Jesus Christ. 4 No one engaged in warfare entangles himself with the
affairs of this life, that he may please Him who enlisted him as a soldier.
We are not fighting a physical war; we are fighting a spiritual one, but we must
stand up as Christian soldiers and face our enemy. As we battle against evil, we
must lift high the royal banner, which represents what we believe in and what we
are willing to fight for. “It must not suffer loss,” because every Christian solider
looks to the royal banner that represents the righteous way and the hope of
eternal salvation.
Jesus is the head of the church and He is always there in our time of need. He
has given us all the necessary tools to prevail against our enemies because He
has given us the power of His blood and the sword of the Spirit, which is God’s
truth. As Paul says,
2 Timothy 3:16 All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is
profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in
righteousness, 17 that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly
equipped for every good work.
Whenever we resist the devil in the faith, he must flee according James 4:7.
When Christ comes again, the final enemy that will be vanquished is death itself.
All this will be possible because Christ is Lord, indeed.
At the end of today’s lesson passage, there are examples of people who took
considerably risk to “stand up for Jesus,” even though all immediate
appearances indicated the death of His body and His cause.
John 19:17-42 in Context
In Chapter 18, Judas betrayed Jesus by leading an arresting party to the Lord’s
place of prayer in a garden. Jesus’ announcement that Peter would betray Him
three times was fulfilled. The mob took Him to the house of Annas, who had
been the high priest. Annas questioned Jesus about His disciples and
teachings. Jesus’ response provoked the temple guards.
Then, Jesus’ accusers took Him to the Roman governor, Pilate. Unconvinced
that Jesus was a threat to Roman authority, Pilate sought to release Him.
In the first half of Chapter 19, the religious leaders complained to Pilate that if
he released Jesus, he was no friend to the Roman emperor. Fearing for his job,
political standing, and possibly even his life, Pilate caved to the pressure and
handed Jesus over to be crucified. Pilate had the charges against Jesus written
on a placard bearing the words, the “King of the Jews.” After Jesus suffered
immeasurable physical and verbal abuse, the scene shifted to Cavalry.
LESSON PASSAGE 1
John 19:23-24
(HCSB) 23 When the soldiers crucified Jesus, they took His clothes and
divided them into four parts, a part for each soldier. They also took the
tunic, which was seamless, woven in one piece from the top. 24 So they
said to one another, “Let’s not tear it, but cast lots for it, to see who gets
it.” They did this to fulfill the Scripture that says: They divided My clothes
among themselves, and they cast lots for My clothing. And this is what the
soldiers did.
Verse 23 As was the usual custom at first-century executions, the soldiers in
charge divided Jesus’ garments among themselves. Each of the four soldiers
received an item, perhaps sandals, headdress, outer robe, or belt. The tunic—a
seamless, body-length undergarment--however, appeared to be of special
interest to all of the men.
Verse 24 Rather than destroy the tunic by cutting it into quarters, the soldiers
decided to gamble for sole possession of the tunic. The soldiers did not realize
that in proceeding as they were, they were fulfilling a Scriptural prophecy. Psalm
22:18 foretold these actual events.
“They divided my garments among themselves, and they cast lots for my
clothing.”
The clothes on his back was the sum total of Jesus’ wealth. The soldiers took
even that little bit away, leaving Him with nothing of material value.
LESSON PASSAGE 2
John 19:25-27
(HCSB) 25 Standing by the cross of Jesus were His mother, His mother’s
sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. 26 When Jesus saw
His mother and the disciple He loved standing there, He said to His
mother, “Woman, here is your son.” 27 Then He said to the disciple, “Here
is your mother.” And from that hour the disciple took her into his home.
Verse 25 As John described the scene at the foot of the cross, he identified a
group of four women who stood nearby, supporting their Lord as best they
could. The four concerned and loving women were in stark contrast to the four
hard-hearted Roman soldiers. Most notable among the group was Jesus’
mother (Mary), as well as the devoted follower, Mary Magdalene.
Verse 26 Also standing with Jesus at the cross was John, the author of this
book of the Gospel—mentioned as “the disciple He (Jesus) loved.” Jesus
demonstrated control of the situation, even though He hung on a cross.
Showing tender care for His mother, He urged His mother to recognize John as
her son.
Verses 27 He instructed John to take care of Mary as he would his own mother.
John gave assurance to his readers that this request was fulfilled in the last
sentence of Verse 27.
We can only speculate that Joseph had already died by this time, and that
Mary’s other children were not present or were not in a position to offer Mary the
care and protection Jesus wanted her to have. In addition, we might also infer
that Jesus wanted Mary in the care of someone who believed in Him, since His
brothers did not become believers until after the resurrection.
Through Jesus’ concern for His mother even as He hung on a cross, today’s
readers are motivated to continue caring for and serving others in the midst of
their own trials and burdens.
LESSON PASSAGE 3
John 19:28-30
(HCSB) 28 After this, when Jesus knew that everything was now
accomplished that the Scripture might be fulfilled, He said, “I’m thirsty!”
29 A jar full of sour wine was sitting there; so they fixed a sponge full of
sour wine on hyssop[h] and held it up to His mouth.
30 When Jesus had received the sour wine, He said, “It is finished!” Then
bowing His head, He gave up His spirit.
Verse 28 After Jesus settled His mother’s earthly security, He gave full
attention to His mission of completing the saving work assigned to Him by His
Father. Approaching the point of physical death, He had accomplished the act
of offering Himself as the sacrificial atonement for the sins of mankind. All of the
prophecies of Scripture pointing to His central place in God’s saving plan were
fulfilled. At this point of the crucifixion, His mouth and throat were so parched
that it was difficult for Him to speak. He was able to convey His need for
something to drink.
Verses 29 Nearby was a jug of sour wine, or vinegar. This probably belonged
to one of the soldiers, and it was likely a soldier who fashioned a moist sponge
on a long stick to hold up to Jesus’ lips. This act was also foretold in Scripture in
Psalms 69:21—“for my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink.”
Verse 30 The brief moistening of His mouth allowed Jesus to announce that “It
is finished.” He had fulfilled His earthly mission and was ready to release His
spirit into the Father’s hands.
What had Jesus finished? Several things: His suffering, His atoning sacrifice,
His overturning of the curse of death. Jesus’ last act on the cross was to bow
His head and give up His physical life. This climactic moment recalls His earlier
declaration that He, as the Good Shepherd, would voluntarily lay down His life
for His followers, only to take it up again (see 10:17-18). That Jesus freely
chose to lay down His life for us is a powerful motivation for believers to live out
our lives for Him.
LESSON PASSAGE 4
John 19:38-42
(HCSB) 38 After this, Joseph of Arimathea, who was a disciple of Jesus—
but secretly because of his fear of the Jews—asked Pilate that he might
remove Jesus’ body. Pilate gave him permission, so he came and took His
body away. 39 Nicodemus (who had previously come to Him at night) also
came, bringing a mixture of about 75 pounds[l] of myrrh and aloes. 40
Then they took Jesus’ body and wrapped it in linen cloths with the
aromatic spices, according to the burial custom of the Jews. 41 There was
a garden in the place where He was crucified. A new tomb was in the
garden; no one had yet been placed in it. 42 They placed Jesus there
because of the Jewish preparation and since the tomb was nearby.
Verse 38 Crucifixion was designed to make victims suffer a slow and tortuous
death. Mark’s Gospel indicated that Pilate was surprised that Jesus was already
dead when Joseph of Arimathea came to request the body for burial. Jewish
leaders wanted the crucified men’s bodies removed before sundown, because
the next day was a special Sabbath. They had recommended that the victims’
legs be broken to hasten death. Because Jesus was already dead, however,
His bones were not broken.
Little is known of Joseph of Arimathea. He was wealthy and a member of the
Sanhedrin, the Jewish religious council. He had not agreed with the decision to
seek Jesus’ death (see Luke 23:51). He was actually a disciple of Jesus, but he
kept his beliefs secret out of fear of trouble with the religious leaders. To his
credit, however, his desire to give Jesus a good burial impelled him to act
publicly on Jesus’ behalf.
Verse 39 All four Gospel writers recorded that Jesus’ body was treated as well
as a rich man’s corpse. As stated above, Joseph of Arimathea bought fine linen
to wrap the body in before laying it in his very own, expensive tomb. He was
joined in this endeavor by Nicodemus, the Jewish leader who had visited Jesus
at night and with whom Jesus spoke about being born again(John 3).
Nicodemus brought a large quantity of fragrant spices—myrrh and aloes. They
were used to mask the odor of decaying corpses. The large amount of spices
indicates that Nicodemus was also a person of great wealth.
Verse 40 In keeping with Jewish burial customs, the two men carefully wrapped
Jesus’ body from head to foot with strips of linen cloth, tucking spices inside the
cloth strips as they went. It was a scene of loyalty and compassion. The two
men were no longer afraid of being identified as followers.
Verses 41-42 Having completed the wrapping of Jesus’ body, the men
transported Jesus to a burial site—a new (unused) tomb located in a garden
near the place of crucifixion.
This tomb was primarily selected because of its geographical proximity to the
crucifixion site. Burial preparations would all have to be completed by sundown.
Nevertheless, the two men displayed a new boldness in their dedication to
Jesus. They honestly expressed their grief, devotion, respect, adoration, and
desire to protect the Lord’s body from His enemies. They did what they could
according to their desires and financial resources, and in keeping with the laws,
customs, and traditions of the day. We can be challenged by their actions.
Even in times when we are concerned about what others might think or do, we
should act boldly to show our association with our Savior, Jesus Christ.
LIFE APPLICATION:
How will we apply the lessons learned in today’s passages?
At no other time in the history of the world has there ever been such an example
of obedience and voluntary suffering and sacrifice by a completely innocent
being on behalf of such totally depraved recipients. Could you or I have carried
that cross? Could we have said, “Father, forgive them for they don’t know what
they are doing?” Or would we have called in an army of angels early on to
wreak vengeance on our torturers?
We can show our gratitude to Jesus through praise and prayer for all of the pain
and indignities the Lord suffered on our behalf. We can refuse to do anything
that might disappoint Jesus. We can stand up for Jesus and endure any stress
that might come our way from being associated with Him. Most importantly, we
can be “good and faithful servants,” leading a life that is largely dedicated to
serving the needs of the Kingdom.
CLOSING PRAYER:
Thank you, Jesus, for the pain and suffering you willingly endured on our behalf.
You saved us from a live of depravity and an eternity of spiritual death. Let
these things never leave our mind. Help us to live a life of service to You and to
others. Be with us in our hour of trials, so that our actions will bring glory to You.
In Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen.