John 19

Purple was an expensive color because purple dye came from the murex snail in the Mediterranean Sea. It was also the preferred color for kings and emperors.

Matthew 27:27 in several versions says a “cohort” gathered to make fun of Jesus. That’s usually about 600 soldiers. Romans brought extra soldiers to Jerusalem during Passover, to help discourage the crowds of pilgrims from starting a riot and launching a war of independence against Rome. Some Bible experts, however, say Matthew may have been using some exaggeration.

One possible reason for his fear: “Pilate’s wife sent him a message while he was still presiding over the case. She told him, ‘Don’t do anything to this good man. I had a nightmare about him today’” (Matthew 27:19).

Praetorium. This may have been at the former palace of Herod the Great, on Jerusalem’s west side. But it could also have been the Fortress Antonia, overlooking the northwest corner of the Temple courtyard.

It’s unclear if Jesus was talking about the Roman emperor, who approved Pilate’s appointment, or about God.

It’s possible Jesus was talking about Judas, who has committed suicide by this time. But some scholars say it’s more likely Jesus was talking about Caiaphas, the top spiritual leader among the Jewish people.

History scholars say Pilate may have been on shaky ground with Caesar already, especially if Jesus died in about AD 33. Emperor Tiberius had appointed Pilate governor of Judea on the recommendation of an official named Sejanus. But Tiberius executed Sejanus for his involvement in a failed coup in AD 31. Tiberius also executed many of Sejanus’s associates. Pilate had nothing to do with that coup, as far as historians can tell. The irony here is that Pilate was apparently innocent of the charge that the Jews were implying. And Jesus was innocent of the charge of insurrection. One innocent man executed another innocent man while the guilty Jewish leaders watched.

See the first footnote for John 11:55.

The Greek word describing the cross is stauros. It originally meant a stake or a pole, but later came to include various objects used in crucifixion including a cross, the crossbeam of the cross, or anything else used to hang up people so they would die slowly, nailed or tied or both. Some victims were impaled on stakes, a technique especially common among Assyrians several centuries earlier, in what is now northern Iraq.

Other accounts of the crucifixion say that at some point along the way to the execution site Romans recruited a man called Simon from Cyrene to carry the cross or the crossbeam for Jesus (Matthew 27:32). The presumption is that Jesus fell while carrying the cross, but the Bible writers don’t report that detail.

Bible experts resort to guessing about why the location was called Skull Place. Among the guesses: something about the area resembled a skull; as the place of crucifixion, there were some skulls in the area; the name came from a legend that the skull of Adam was buried there; there was a cemetery nearby, which is where the body of Jesus was placed.

Hebrew was the language of the Jewish people. Latin was the official language of the Roman Empire. Greek was the international language of the day.

The tunic was worn next to the skin and looked a bit like a shirt without sleeves.

Psalm 22:18

Some Bible scholars refer to this man as the Beloved Disciple, whom early church writers said was John, one of Jesus’s three best friends. Peter and John’s brother James were the other two. Since the AD 100s, there has been a tradition that John was the author of this Gospel. But many scholars push back on both of those theories: that John wrote the Gospel, and that he was the Beloved Disciple. Many scholars make a case that the Beloved Disciple was not even one of the 12 original disciples, but that he was an unidentified follower of Jesus who was an eyewitness to the Crucifixion.

Jesus phrases himself in a way that sounds like a last will and testament, putting his mother in the care of this dearly loved follower. The phrasing shows up in the Hebrew book of Tobit 7:11, “From now on you are her brother; look, she is your sister.”

The Gospel writer may have been thinking of Psalm 22:15 or 69:21.

Apparently in some positions in which people hung on the cross, they needed to push up to catch a breath or to exhale.

The writer may have been thinking of several Bible passages. Two refer to the sacrifice of the Passover lamb, whose bones weren’t to be broken (Exodus 12:46; Numbers 9:12). Another refers to God protecting the bones of a good person from being broken: Psalm 34:20.

Possibly a reference to Zechariah 12:10, which talks about someone who was “pierced” in some way, possibly not literally, but hurt somehow. The prophet may have been talking about himself or someone else in the community. But the writer of the Gospel of John also links the passage to Jesus.

Joseph was “a respected member of the Jewish Council” (Mark 15:43) known as the Sanhedrin. See the footnote for John 11:47. It’s uncertain where the city of Arimathea was. Some of the guesses include cities a few miles from Jerusalem.

John 3:1

About 33 kilograms.

Fragrant spices helped mask odor of decomposition while people gathered around the body to mourn.