PART ONE (Summary Analysis)

          The theme of John's passion narrative is centered on the idea that Christ is the Man, that is, that He is in some sense the new Adam, while also being the King of the Jews.  Jesus is obedient to the will of the Father and thus freely offers His life for the sake of the redemption of humanity; and it is possible to see a prophetic proclamation of this truth in the words that Caiaphas spoke earlier in John's Gospel, for as he said, ". . . it is expedient that one man should die for the people, and that the whole nation should not perish." [1]  Many of the key words in this section of the Gospel highlight this fact.  The betrayal of Christ in the garden is one example, for in that sequence Jesus is asked to identify Himself and when He does so, He says, "I am." [2]  This response causes the soldiers who have come to arrest Him to fall to the ground, because it is an affirmation of His divinity.  He is the divine King dwelling among His people. Another example can be seen in the following verse, "Jesus said to Peter, 'Put your sword into its sheath; shall I not drink of the cup which the Father has given me?'" [3]  This verse clearly demonstrates that Jesus must offer His life for humanity, and that this is the will of the Father.

          This portion of the Gospel narrative shows the conflict existing at the time between the Church and the synagogue.  By the time that John's Gospel had been written Christianity and Judaism were already quite far along the path of separation.  John's narrative reflects this growing separation through its use of polemical statements and descriptions for the Jewish people and their leaders. They are seen as hypocrites, because they merely give lip service to the Torah, and thus they fail to live by its precepts.  The plot to kill Jesus initiated by the chief priests is meant to show that they are not opposed to killing an innocent man.  As David E. Garland pointed out in his article, the Jewish leaders, who will not defile themselves ritually by entering the praetorium, are portrayed by John as men who will:  bear false witness against a neighbor, put an earthly king ahead of God, and endorse the murder of an innocent man.  This shows their hypocrisy. [4]

          Another important element to investigate, in addition to the polemic against the Jewish leaders, is the audience to whom this Gospel was addressed.  Mark and Luke are clearly meant for gentile audiences, and Matthew appears to have been aimed at Jewish readers.  John's Gospel appears to have been aimed at the ". . . Jews of Palestine or the Diaspora." [5]  That is why there are so many references to Jewish social customs and geographic divisions.  The polemic against the Jews in John must not be seen as a polemic against the Jews in general; instead, it portrays opposition to the Jewish leadership of that time, which was seen as participating culpably in Christ's death.

PART TWO (Structural Analysis)

This section of John's Gospel (18:28-19:16a) can be divided into seven parts or scenes, which correspond to each other in a chiastic arrangement. [6]  Thus, the pericope can be divided as follow:  (1) the demand of the Jewish leaders for Jesus' death made outside the praetorium, (2) the first questioning of Jesus by Pilate inside the praetorium, (3) Jesus is found not guilty by Pilate, (4) the scourging of Jesus by the soldiers, (5) Pilate once again finds Jesus not guilty, (6) Pilate questions Jesus further while inside the praetorium, and (7) Jesus is handed over to the Jewish leaders in order to execute Him.  Thus, it is clear that John's Gospel is structured in a manner that is intended to highlight the dramatic nature of the events.  The ordering of the events is very different from that found in the synoptic Gospels, and of course this brings up the question of the historicity of the events recounted in John.

          Does the structural framework created by the author of John obliterate the historical character of the events recalled?  This question is hard to answer.  The fact that the Johannine account may not be in chronological order does not necessitate the idea that it lacks any historical information.  Clearly the narrative has been ordered in a way that emphasizes the salvific quality of the account.  It is not simply relating history in the modern sense of the word. It is recounting "sacred history," that is, history with a purpose.  In connection with this view of time and history, Aileen Guilding pointed out that John ". . . is primarily interested in lectionary time; and where it suits his purposes he is prepared to alter the traditional order of events, as he does, for example, in his account of the cleansing of the Temple, where he preserves the proper place of the incident in the lectionary calendar while departing from its historic time as preserved in the Synoptic tradition." [7]  So, whether John's Gospel is recounting things in the exact order in which they happened is secondary to the real purpose of the Gospel, which is to show that Christ is the fulfillment of the Jewish worship.

          Now within the sevenfold structure of this pericope, it is possible to see connections between the various parts, and in this regard, the first scene corresponds to the seventh scene, the second scene connects with the sixth scene, the third scene clearly matches up with the fifth scene, and the fourth scene is the mid-point of the narrative. In coordination with this sevenfold chiastic structure there is a twofold structure as it concerns the staging of the events. The trials take place both inside and outside, that is, ". . . outside the praetorium with Pilate and the Jewish leaders, and inside the praetorium with Pilate and Jesus." [8]  Pilate must speak to the Jewish leaders outside, because they will not enter the praetorium due to the ritual purity laws. So, this narrative is composed of seven scenes that occur in two locations.

PART THREE (Exegesis of John 19:8-16a)

          [John 19:8] Our exegesis begins with verse eight of chapter nineteen of John's Gospel, which speaks of Pilate's fear after being told by the Jewish leaders that Jesus ". . . made Himself the Son of God." [9]  This claim of Jesus' clearly frightens Pilate, as the verse itself indicates, in fact the word used for fear in this verse can be understood as, "to be struck with fear, to be seized with alarm." [10]  But as Fr. Brown notes in his commentary, this is the first mention of Pilate's being afraid, and yet the text describes him as more afraid.  This in some way implies that Pilate was alarmed about the situation even before hearing that Jesus may be divine.  The fear itself could be an indication that Pilate is somewhat superstitious and that he has taken to heart what the Jewish leaders have said about Jesus, or it could simply be that he is afraid of the political ramifications that could follow from the events surrounding the trial of Jesus. [10]

          [John 19:9] Upon entering the praetorium Pilate resumes his interrogation of Jesus, but he does so now with a heightened sense of importance.  He asks Jesus, "Where are you from?" [12]  There are two possible reasons for this question:  (1) it may be related to the comments made by the Jewish leaders about Jesus being in some way divine, that is, when they said that He ". . . made Himself [out to be] the Son of God; or (2) it may be, on his part, an attempt to find a legal way out of this situation. [13]  If it is the latter, then it could be an element of an earlier stage of the tradition in which Pilate is trying to determine the jurisdictional authority for the case. [14]  The fact that Jesus remained silent at this point in the narrative may be a vestigial element of that earlier tradition, or it may be that ". . . exhausted from his brutal treatment, or disdainful of a question from such a worldling, Jesus kept silent." [15]

          [John 19:10] Jesus' silence leads Pilate to ask Him directly, "You will not speak to me?” [16]  Pilate then emphasizes the fact that he has the power of life and death in his hands, because he is the governor of the territory.  He tries to clarify matters by rhetorically asking Jesus about whether or not he knows this fact, and thus perhaps he is trying to get Jesus to be more vocal in His own defense.  This statement about his power, a power that centers on the ability to choose between different courses of action, relates to his authority in judicial matters.  The term has connotations of an authority or power to govern, and in particular of an authority to judge in a legal case. [17]  Thus, Pilate is saying to Jesus that he has the power and authority to either acquit or to convict Him of the crimes He is accused of having committed.  Pilate literally holds the power of life or death in his hands.

          [John 19:11] First it should be noted that Jesus is more talkative in the Gospel of John than He is in the synoptic Gospels, and this no doubt reflects different strands of tradition and the different perspectives of the early Christian communities.  Jesus is presented in John's Gospel as being in control of what is happening, and this differentiates John's treatment from the synoptic tradition.  As Dorothy Jean Weaver pointed out in her article on the passion narrative in John, "The synoptic Jesus enters the garden deeply grieved, even to death," but the Jesus of John's Gospel, ". . . displays no such anguish." [18]  This difference in the portrayal of Jesus carries over into the trial scenes as well, and so, in the Johannine account, Jesus responds to Pilate's questions.  The responses given by Jesus emphasize the fact that Pilate would have no authority if God had not allowed him to have it.  Therefore, the fact that Pilate can either spare Jesus or have Him crucified is a participation in God's authority.  In this verse the Greek word that is translated as the phrase from above is ἄνωθεν, and it commonly refers to ". . . things which come from heaven, or from God as dwelling in heaven." [19]

          Jesus, in His statement, goes on to absolve Pilate for his actions in this affair, at least to a certain degree.  He does this by stating that the greater sin belongs to those who turned Jesus in, that is, to those who betrayed Him.  Therefore, since Pilate is in some sense executing judgment as a divine instrument, it follows that his actions are not as sinful as the actions of Jesus' accusers.  As Fr. Brown stated, Pilate ". . . has been given a role in the passion by God, he is acting against Jesus unwittingly or unwillingly, but the one who handed Jesus over is acting deliberately." [20]  Pilate is not guiltless, but clearly the author of the Gospel of John is shifting the blame for Jesus' crucifixion to the Jewish leaders in power at that time.

          [John 19:12] When Pilate hears what Jesus has to say, he tries even harder to release him.  When the text says that Pilate ". . . sought to release him," [21] the Greek word translated as "sought" indicates that Pilate actively sought Jesus' release, and that he was striving for it. [22]  The use of the word implies that he made several attempts to release Jesus, but that he was frustrated in this by the Jewish leaders, who constantly cried out against doing this outcome.  The word translated as cried out comes from the Greek root κράζω, which means, to ". . . call out aloud, to speak with a loud voice," [23] and some manuscripts have the imperfect form of the word, which implies the continuation of the action. The only reason that Pilate could not release Jesus at this point would have to be focused on the agitation of the crowd in this matter.  But the chief priests will soon add another reason, a much more important reason.  The chief priests were shouting for Jesus' death, and as they did so, they begin to emphasize the fact that if Pilate does not issue a decision to execute Jesus, then it is clear that he is no friend of Caesar.  So, the Jewish leaders themselves raise the political issue, and they did it in order to achieve their goal, that is, the death of Jesus.  This emphasis on the political threat posed by Jesus will come back to haunt the Jewish leaders when Pilate constantly refers to Jesus as The King of the Jews.

          [John 19:13] After all that transpired between Pilate and the Jewish leaders, he goes to the place called “Gab'batha" in order to execute judgment.  The "Gab'batha" was an elevated paved area possibly associated with the Great Sanhedrin and in some way connected to the Temple.  But Fr. Brown seems to say that the "Gab'batha is connected to the praetorium, either at Herod's palace or at the Antonia Fortress." [24]  It was divided into an area that was common and an area that was a sacred space.  The gentiles could only enter the common space.  Now before the

judgment commenced Pilate brought Jesus out, and either he sat down on the judgment seat, or he had Jesus sit down on it.  Both constructions of the text are possible in Greek.  If Pilate had Jesus sit on the judgment seat, it would have been to show Him sitting on the chair of state and would thus be a part of his symbolic mocking of Him as King of the Jews. [25]  Though this is possible, it is not likely that Pilate would have sat an accused man on the seat of power, even in jest.  To do so certainly would have upset the Jewish leaders, but more importantly, it would have mocked the authority of Rome.  This verse sets the stage for Pilate's statement about Jesus as King of the Jews.

          [John 19:14] It is the day of preparation before the Passover, and this connects what is going on in Jesus' life with what happened in Israel's past.  The Hebrews passed over from slavery to freedom in the events surrounding the Exodus and now the same thing is happening in Jesus.  He will soon be passing over from death to life, and in the process, He will bring salvation to all men.  John is connecting Jesus' death to the events of the Passover and to the Passover sacrifice.  It is in this verse that Pilate says to the Jews, "Behold your King!" [26]  This fits in with John's overall theme, because unlike the synoptic Gospels, in which Jesus goes around preaching the Kingdom of God, in John's Gospel Jesus is the King, and thus "The Johannine Jesus has come proclaiming not the 'kingdom of God' but rather his own identity as the 'Son' of the 'Father,' the 'one who has sent him.'  Accordingly, Jesus uses a series of 'I am' sayings to proclaim his identity and mission to the Jewish people to whom he has come." [27]  So, Jesus Himself is the message, and He is God's gift of salvation.

          [John 19:15] Jesus was presented to the crowd and once again they cry out for His crucifixion.  Pilate's question to the chief priests reveals their corruption. He asks them, "Shall I crucify your King?" [28]  In response, they say that they, ". . . have no king but Caesar." [29]  This answer is ultimately a denial of the kingship of God.  This shows that they are willing to kill an innocent man, while at the same time they are willing to deny God's sovereignty over Israel. [30]

          [John 19:16a] This final verse concludes the trial of Jesus, and it ends with Pilate making a judicial decision to turn Jesus over to the Jewish authorities for crucifixion.  The phrase "handed him over” has a juridical meaning, and this is emphasized especially if verse thirteen is understood to be a reference to Pilate taking his place on the judgment seat. [31]  In the handing over of Jesus at this point in the narrative, one can recall the initial betrayal by Judas, and the subsequent handing over of Jesus to Pilate.  In a sense things have come full circle, and what the chief priests desired will now come to fruition, but the will of God is fulfilled as well.

PART FOUR (Theological Analysis)

          John's Gospel presents Jesus as the incarnate Word of God.  Thus, what He preaches and what He does has a value that exceeds anything that can be done by any other man.  The theological elements that I think are important and that should be emphasized center on the person of Christ.  If one focuses on Christ, then it is possible to actualize, that is, to realize His life in the lives of His disciples.  One of the first elements to mention is the fact that God is in control, and thus nothing man does can hinder the completion of His will.  The next thing to be brought up is the concept of obedience, because Christ gave the perfect example of obedience to the Father through His life, death, and resurrection.  We also must participate in His obedience.  We cannot simply mimic His obedience; instead, we must come into contact with the very energy of His obedience, and this is accomplished by coming into contact with Him.

          The events in the trial of Jesus reveal what it is that is required of us.  We must embrace the truth, and the truth is not simply an abstraction, it is not just a thing; instead, it is a person, it is Jesus Christ.  This is the message of the passion narrative in John's Gospel.  We must have Christ as our King, we must be in communion with Him, and we must participate in His sufferings, for He continues to suffer in His body the Church.  So it is clear that Christ did not come to simply remove suffering; rather, He came to give suffering meaning, and thus to make suffering redemptive.  Just as Jesus is the suffering servant, so too, those who are incorporated into Him are called to this same suffering.  Through His suffering Christ has been glorified, and as St. Paul said in Romans, "When we cry, 'Abba! Father!' it is the Spirit Himself bearing witness with our spirit that we are the Children of God, and if children, then heirs, heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with Him in order that we may also be glorified with Him." [32]  For those incorporated into Christ it is suffering that brings glorification.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Works Cited:

Raymond Brown.  The Gospel According to John XIII-XXI.  (New York:  Doubleday, 1970).

E. W. Bullinger.  Figures of Speech Used in the Bible.  (Grand Rapids, MI:  Baker Book House, 1994).

Reginald C. Fuller, editor.  A New Catholic Commentary on Holy Scripture.  (Nashville, TN:  Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1984).

David E. Garland.  "John 18-19: Life through Jesus' Death."  Review and Expositor 85, Summer (1988): 485-499.

Aileen Guilding.  The Fourth Gospel and Jewish Worship.  (Oxford:  Clarendon Press, 1960).

The Interpreter's Bible.  (Nashville, TN:  Abingdon Press, 1984). 12 Volumes.

Andrew T. Lincoln.  "Trials, Plots and the Narrative of the Fourth Gospel."  Journal for the Study of the New Testament 56, D (1994):  3-30.

The Navarre Bible: Gospels and Acts.  (Princeton, NJ:  Scepter Publishers, 2002).

Joseph Henry Thayer.  The New Thayer's Greek-English Lexicon.  (Peabody, MA:   Hendrickson Publishers, 1981).

Dorothy Jean Weaver.  "John 18:1-19:42."  Interpretation 49, no. 4 (1995):  404, 406-408.

George V. Wigam and Jay P. Green.  The New Englishman's Greek Concordance and Lexicon.  (Peabody, MA:  Hendrickson Publishers, 1982).

Bibles:

Holy Bible: New International Version.  (Grand Rapids, MI:  Zondervan Bible Publishers, 1990). 

Ignatius Bible: Revised Standard Version.  (San Francisco, CA:  Ignatius Press, 1966).

The Open Bible Edition: New American Standard Bible.  (Nashville, TN:  Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1978).

Oxford Study Edition: The New English Bible.  (New York:  Oxford University Press, 1976).

Pocket Interlinear New Testament.  (Grand Rapids, MI:  Baker Book House, 1983).

John's Passion Narrative:  Exegesis Paper on John 19:8-16a

by Steven Todd Kaster

Franciscan University of Steubenville

Principles of Biblical Studies II

Dr. Minto

24 November 2003

_____________________________________

End Notes:

  [1]  John 11:50; see also John 18:14.

  [2]  John 18:5, 6 and 8.

  [3]  John 18:11.

  [4]  See David E. Garland, "John 18-19:  Life through Jesus' Death," Review and Expositor 85, Summer (1988), page 491.

  [5]  Reginald C. Fuller, editor, A New Catholic Commentary on Holy Scripture, (Nashville, TN:  Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1984), page 1023.

  [6]  See Raymond Brown, The Gospel According to John XIII-XXI, (New York, NY:  Doubleday, 1970), page 859.

  [7]  Aileen Guilding, The Fourth Gospel and Jewish Worship, (Oxford:  Clarendon Press, 1960), page 45.

  [8]  Garland, page 488.

  [9]  John 19:7b.

[10]  Joseph Henry Thayer, The New Thayer's Greek-English Lexicon, (Peabody, MA:  Hendrickson Publishers, 1981).

[11]  See Brown, pages 877-878.

[12]  John 19:9.

[13]  John 19:7.

[14]  See Brown, page 878.

[15]  The Interpreter's Bible, (Nashville, TN:  Abingdon Press, 1984), vol. 8, page 773.

[16]  John 19:10.

[17]  Thayer, page 225.

[18]  Dorothy Jean Weaver, "John 18:1-19:42," Interpretation 49, no. 4 (1995), page 404.

[19]  Thayer, page 52; see Brown, page 878.

[20]  Brown, page 879.

[21]  John 19:12.

[22]  See Thayer, page 272; see also Brown, page 879.

[23]  Thayer, page 358.

[24]  See Brown, page 882.

[25]  See Garland, page 493.

[26]  John 19:14.

[27]  Weaver, page 407.

[28]  John 19:15a.

[29]  John 19:15b.

[30]  See The Navarre Bible:  Gospel and Acts, (Princeton, NJ:  Scepter Publishers, 2002), pages 690-691.

[31]  See Brown, page 884.

[32]  Romans 8:15b-17.

Copyright © 2003 - Steven Todd Kaster