John 19

Passage overview

Acts 19 focuses on Paul’s ministry in Ephesus during his third missionary journey. This chapter records, in sequence, scenes of the Holy Spirit coming upon the believers in Ephesus, Paul teaching in the synagogue and the school of Tyrannus, a case involving extraordinary abilities, and a disturbance related to idolatry.

1verseSo Pilate then took Jesus and flogged him.

2verseThe soldiers twisted thorns into a crown and put it on his head, and dressed him in a purple garment.

3verseThey kept saying, “Hail, King of the Jews!” and they kept slapping him.

4verseThen Pilate went out again, and said to them, “Behold, I bring him out to you, that you may know that I find no basis for a charge against him.”

5verseJesus therefore came out, wearing the crown of thorns and the purple garment. Pilate said to them, “Behold, the man!”

6verseWhen therefore the chief priests and the officers saw him, they shouted, saying, “Crucify! Crucify!” Pilate said to them, “Take him yourselves and crucify him, for I find no basis for a charge against him.”

7verseThe Jews answered him, “We have a law, and by our law he ought to die, because he made himself the Son of God.”

8verseWhen therefore Pilate heard this saying, he was more afraid.

9verseHe entered into the Praetorium again, and said to Jesus, “Where are you from?” But Jesus gave him no answer.

10versePilate therefore said to him, “Aren’t you speaking to me? Don’t you know that I have power to release you and have power to crucify you?”

11verseJesus answered, “You would have no power at all against me, unless it were given to you from above. Therefore he who delivered me to you has greater sin.”

12verseAt this, Pilate was seeking to release him, but the Jews cried out, saying, “If you release this man, you aren’t Caesar’s friend! Everyone who makes himself a king speaks against Caesar!”

13verseWhen Pilate therefore heard these words, he brought Jesus out and sat down on the judgment seat at a place called “The Pavement”, but in Hebrew, “Gabbatha.”

14verseNow it was the Preparation Day of the Passover, at about the sixth hour. He said to the Jews, “Behold, your King!”

15verseThey cried out, “Away with him! Away with him! Crucify him!” Pilate said to them, “Shall I crucify your King?” The chief priests answered, “We have no king but Caesar!”

16verseSo then he delivered him to them to be crucified. So they took Jesus and led him away.

17verseHe went out, bearing his cross, to the place called “The Place of a Skull”, which is called in Hebrew, “Golgotha”,

18versewhere they crucified him, and with him two others, on either side one, and Jesus in the middle.

19versePilate wrote a title also, and put it on the cross. There was written, “JESUS OF NAZARETH, THE KING OF THE JEWS.”

20verseTherefore many of the Jews read this title, for the place where Jesus was crucified was near the city; and it was written in Hebrew, in Latin, and in Greek.

21verseThe chief priests of the Jews therefore said to Pilate, “Don’t write, ‘The King of the Jews,’ but, ‘he said, “I am King of the Jews.”’”

22versePilate answered, “What I have written, I have written.”

23verseThen the soldiers, when they had crucified Jesus, took his garments and made four parts, to every soldier a part; and also the tunic. Now the tunic was without seam, woven from the top throughout.

24verseThen they said to one another, “Let’s not tear it, but cast lots for it to decide whose it will be,” that the Scripture might be fulfilled, which says, “They parted my garments among them. They cast lots for my clothing.” Therefore the soldiers did these things.

25verseBut standing by Jesus’ cross were his mother, his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene.

26verseTherefore when Jesus saw his mother, and the disciple whom he loved standing there, he said to his mother, “Woman, behold, your son!”

27verseThen he said to the disciple, “Behold, your mother!” From that hour, the disciple took her to his own home.

28verseAfter this, Jesus, seeing that all things were now finished, that the Scripture might be fulfilled, said, “I am thirsty!”

29verseNow a vessel full of vinegar was set there; so they put a sponge full of the vinegar on hyssop, and held it at his mouth.

30verseWhen Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, he said, “It is finished!” Then he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.

31verseTherefore the Jews, because it was the Preparation Day, so that the bodies wouldn’t remain on the cross on the Sabbath (for that Sabbath was a special one), asked of Pilate that their legs might be broken and that they might be taken away.

32verseTherefore the soldiers came and broke the legs of the first and of the other who was crucified with him;

33versebut when they came to Jesus and saw that he was already dead, they didn’t break his legs.

34verseHowever, one of the soldiers pierced his side with a spear, and immediately blood and water came out.

35verseHe who has seen has testified, and his testimony is true. He knows that he tells the truth, that you may believe.

36verseFor these things happened that the Scripture might be fulfilled, “A bone of him will not be broken.”

37verseAgain another Scripture says, “They will look on him whom they pierced.”

38verseAfter these things, Joseph of Arimathaea, being a disciple of Jesus, but secretly for fear of the Jews, asked of Pilate that he might take away Jesus’ body. Pilate gave him permission. He came therefore and took away his body.

39verseNicodemus, who at first came to Jesus by night, also came bringing a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about a hundred Roman pounds.

40verseSo they took Jesus’ body, and bound it in linen cloths with the spices, as the custom of the Jews is to bury.

41verseNow in the place where he was crucified there was a garden. In the garden was a new tomb in which no man had ever yet been laid.

42verseThen, because of the Jews’ Preparation Day (for the tomb was near at hand), they laid Jesus there.

Disciples Receiving the Holy Spirit in Ephesus (Verses 1-7)

When Paul arrived in Ephesus, there were already some believers there. However, they did not know well about the presence of the Holy Spirit, and Paul had them receive the Holy Spirit by first having them baptized in the name of Jesus and then laying his hands on them. This shows the role of the Holy Spirit and the stages of spiritual growth in the early process of church development.

Paul’s Ministry and Proclaiming the Word (Verses 8-10)

When Paul spoke boldly in the synagogue but some rejected him, he moved to the school of Tyrannus and continued his ministry there. For about two years, many people were able to hear the word, and as a result, the foundation was laid for the gospel to spread throughout all of Asia.

Miracles and the Sons of Sceva the Magician (Verses 11-20)

Through Paul’s hands, God performed astonishing miracles, and even on his handkerchiefs there was a work of healing. Meanwhile, Jewish magicians also tried to imitate the name of Jesus, but an incident occurs in which a man possessed by evil spirits overwhelms them. As a result, many people were afraid, confessed their sins, and there was true repentance, such as burning their magic books.

The Riot in Ephesus (Verses 21-41)

Ephesus was a city famous for the temple of Artemis. When Paul’s preaching of the gospel created a sense of crisis in the idol-worship industry, the idol-makers—especially Demetrius—stir up a major disturbance. Although the protest spreads throughout the whole city, peace is ultimately restored through the intervention of the town clerk. This scene shows how the gospel can affect not only a culture but the entire way of life in a city.

Meditation Points

  • The importance of the presence of the Holy Spirit: Think about not only staying with knowledge or rituals, but experiencing true change in faith and the power that comes through the Holy Spirit.
  • Perseverance when proclaiming the gospel: Like Paul, keep teaching the word in one place and, even when facing unexpected opposition, remember that you must persevere and continue to share the gospel.
  • Idols and the gospel: Remember the importance of repentance—turning away from a life that follows the world’s values and moving toward the truth.

Apply It to Me

  • I look back on whether, in my life of faith, I long for the presence of the Holy Spirit and the experience of change.
  • I check whether, through my life, the gospel of Christ is flowing out to the world and whether it is having a gospel-influencing effect on my surrounding environment and values.
  • If there is something I am holding onto in my life like an idol, I make a decisive commitment to put it down and to turn back to the Lord.

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