April 10
GOSPEL of john - chapter 19
Read chapter nineteen of
the gospel of John. Then consider the passage as you answer the following
questions.
1. Pilate tried several approaches to avoid
sentencing Jesus to death, including allowing Him to be mocked and scourged;
offering a prisoner swap; and, washing his hands (see Matthew 27:24) to try and
cleanse his own conscience. Could Pilate legitimately blame others for
his actions? Can anyone?
2. While Jesus was dying, the soldiers who were
carrying out the crucifixion were gambling for His clothing. Are people today
equally unconcerned about what Jesus did on the cross? Does complacency
ever creep in to your attitude about the Lord’s sacrifice when there is
something to gain?
3. Even while being crucified, Jesus demonstrated
concern for His mother, charging John, His disciple, to care for Mary.
When you are suffering, do you consider others?
4. With the cry “It is finished,” Jesus gave
up His spirit in death. Some liberal theologians assert that Jesus’
resurrection was not truly a return to life because, they claim, He was buried
while still living, and revived in the coolness of Joseph’s tomb. (Those claims
steal the miracle from the resurrection.) What facts about the Lord’s
death did John include that makes it a certainty that He literally died while
on the cross?