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John 19

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John 19 Commentary

by Brad Boyles

One of the unique aspects of John’s Gospel is the theme of Jesus as the Lamb of God. All the way back in John 1, we read about John the Baptist declaring “Look! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!” Now, in John 19, we read this…

Now it was the day of Preparation of the Passover. It was about the sixth hour. He said to the Jews, “Behold your King!”

John 19:14 ESV

John tells us Jesus was crucified on the Day of Preparation. In other words, it was the day in which the lambs were being slaughtered for Passover. Naturally, we can draw parallels. At Passover, the lamb was slaughtered to save the firstborn son, but here, God’s Son gives Himself up as the Lamb so that anyone who believes in Him will be saved.

There is controversy over John describing the crucifixion on the Day of Preparation because the other Gospel accounts are not consistent with this timeline. It can be easily reconciled by considering the difference in calendars.

“Being Galileans (northerners), Jesus and the disciples considered Passover day to have started at sunrise on Thursday and end at sunrise on Friday. The Jewish leaders who arrested and tried Jesus, being mostly priests and Sadducees, considered Passover day to begin at sunset on Thursday and end at sunset on Friday. This explains how Jesus could thereby legitimately celebrate the last Passover meal with His disciples and yet still be sacrificed on Passover day.”

John MacArthur

It is interesting to consider that John used the theme of Jesus being the slain Lamb of God and then would see a vision of that same Lamb in Revelation.

And one of the elders said to me, “Weep no more; behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has conquered, so that he can open the scroll and its seven seals.” 6 And between the throne and the four living creatures and among the elders I saw a Lamb standing, as though it had been slain, with seven horns and with seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God sent out into all the earth. 7 And he went and took the scroll from the right hand of him who was seated on the throne.

Revelation 5:5-7 ESV

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