John 19

I'm impressed with how cruel the Romans were. They looked upon the Jews as a servant state and considered them a lesser people. But Pilate has been warned by his wife about Jesus not to harm him, he is impressed with the Savior, finds no fault in him and insists that the title King of the Jews be placed on his cross against the wishes of the Jewish leaders. In spite of all this, he still has him scourged. Why scourge someone just because it's the custom to do so to all prisoners? If he was impressed with Jesus, why do it? He could easily have said do not harm him. He could easily have said, I find no fault in him and I am releasing him. He is your problem not mine. But when the Jewish leaders accuse him of not respecting Caesar, then he fears for his own position. Elder Maxwell was right when he said never were Pilate's hands more dirtiy than when he washed them.

One thing I've noticed is that those making the most noise about having the Savior crucified are the chief priests and officers. I wonder how much of the main body of the Jewish population were even aware of what was going on? Should we condemn the entire Jewish nation or just their religious leaders for the crucifixion? On the other hand, he had so many followers. Thousands of them. Why did they not rise up and fight for him?

The puzzling thing to me is, it had to be this way. The Savior came purposely to die this kind of death. I know it fulfills prophecy, that it was necessary in the Lord's eyes, but I wish he wouldn't have had to die such a cruel death. He had to descend below all things and this was evidently the worst and most humiliating way ever devised for a person to die.

I'm impressed with John's humility. He doesn't say that the disciple mentioned in verses 26 and 27 is him, but evidently it was. It was John who stood by Mary and Mary Magdalene, probably to comfort them as much as to be with the Savior. It was to John that Jesus turned over the care of his mother to. And it was John that Savior loved evidently in a way that was deeper than the others disciples.