John 19:1-16
Backtracking – a chronological error… Today’s reading should have been scheduled before yesterday’s. These first 16 verses in John 19 follow completely from the last dozen verses in John 18.
A few days ago I commented on how Luke’s account of Jesus’ trial differed from the other Synoptic writers. One item I mentioned was that in Luke Pilate had said three times that he found no guilt in Jesus. Neither Matthew nor Mark had this comment from Pilate. However in John 18 and John 19 we see Pilate also saying three times, “I find no guilt in Him.” (John 18:38, 19:4, 19:6). Interesting…
Pilate spoke two 3-word sentences that remain with us today, “What is truth?” (v. 18:38a) and “Behold the Man.” (v. 19:5b) This second phrase, Ecce Homo in Latin, became famous from an 1871 painting by Antonio Ciseri. It is striking in its depiction of Pilate and Jesus in the Praetorium surrounded by soldiers and onlookers, with the Jewish crowd looking on from the pavement below and the buildings above. I have inserted a copy of that painting below (following the link to my 2019 comments), including a link where you can download the painting yourself. For us today, in light of everything that transpired in the next three days back then, we can truly say, “Behold the Man.” What Pilate said in jest, we can affirm in love.
See also: November 30 / John 19:1-16
