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Friday, April 18, 2025

Gospel of John 19 : the Crucifixion of Jesus

 Verses 16 - 25 [NRSV updated

translation (2021) with footnote alternate words] :

Verses 16 - 19

Then he (Pilate, Governor of Judea) handed

him over to them (his soldiers under his

authority) to be crucified.  So they (the

soldiers) took Jesus, and carrying the cross

by himself he went out to what is called the

Place of the Skull, which in Hebrew/Aramaic

is called Golgotha.  There they (the soldiers)

crucified him and with him two others,

one on either side, with Jesus between them.

Pilate also had an inscription written and put

on the cross.  It read,

Jesus the Nazorean  [referring

to Book of the Prophet Zechariah

12:10 old GREEK ] , the King of

the Jews.

verses 20 - 25

Many of the Jews read this inscription because

the place where Jesus was crucified was near

the city, and it was written in Hebrew/Aramaic,

in Latin, and in Greek.  Then the chief priest

of the Jews said to Pilate, "Do not write,

the King of the Jews,' but 'This man said,

'I am the King of the Jews.' "

Pilate answered, "What I have written I

have written."

When the soldiers had crucified Jesus,

they took his clothes and divided them

into four parts, one for each soldier.  They

also took his tunic; now the tunic was

seamless, woven in one piece from the top.

So they said to one another, "Let us not tear

it but cast lots for it to see who will get it."

This was to fulfill what the Scripture says,

" They divided my clothes among themselves 

and for my clothing they cast lots " [ citation

of Psalms 22:18 is among early proof-texts cited in

Christian meditation about Jesus' sufferings 

during the Crucifixion tortures ].

And that is what the soldiers did.  Meanwhile,

standing near the cross of Jesus where his mother,

and his mother's sister, Mary the wife of Clopas,

and Mary Magdalene.

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