Pastor Adam Gomez
Sunday, July 19, 2026
Scripture: John 19:31–42
I. The Condemned (John 19:31)
“Therefore, because it was the Preparation Day, that the bodies should not remain on the cross on the Sabbath (for that Sabbath was a high day), the Jews asked Pilate that their legs might be broken, and that they might be taken away.” — John 19:31
The Reality of the Crucifixion
Consider the scene: three men on crosses. One of them is the Son of God—and He is dead. The other two are awaiting their demise, a process that could normally take days.
The typical Roman method was to crucify a criminal and leave them hanging on the cross to die from extreme exposure to the elements— direct sun by day, bitter cold at night—or to be consumed by animals like vultures, crows, and ravens, and swarmed by insects.
Yet both criminals had a final destination. One had already been promised Paradise by Jesus; the other refused to believe.
The Two Gifts Given to the Criminals
Thinking through the situation of these two men on the cross, both were given two profound gifts.
1. Gift #1: Immediate Access to Jesus and His Words
Nobody had ever uttered such words from a Roman cross. They were directly exposed to the sayings of Christ as He hung beside them:
2. Gift #2: The Gift of Time
They were also given the gift of time, and there is mercy in time. When an event happens suddenly and unexpectedly, there is no time to prepare for it. But when a person can see an outcome on the horizon—even if it is not at the door just yet—there is time to prepare.
Personal Illustration:
I was with my father when he was given roughly nine months to live. I can remember his heart doctor leaving the room and leaving the two of us alone. My dad clasped his hands behind his back and stared out of the window. The following nine months were filled with questions about God and eternity. My dad wanted to make sure that he was going to heaven.
I watched as my father began to make end-of-life decisions, giving things away and letting us know his wishes. He would always return to the topic of salvation, constantly asking me, “Are you sure that Jesus forgives me for all of my sins?” I can remember thinking that the Lord had played a huge joke on me—calling me to be a pastor and evangelist just so I would be equipped to answer my dad’s theological questions.
About two weeks before he died, he fell very quiet, not really saying anything or talking to anyone. While I was with him one day, I asked him, “Dad, what have you been thinking about while you’ve been quiet all week?” He answered, “I’ve been talking to God.” He died the next day. My dad was given the gift of time. He had time to wrestle with what he thought about Jesus.
The Choice We Face Today
Both criminals were given the gift of time. We know for sure that one of them took advantage of that gift and believed that Jesus was indeed the King of the Jews, just as the sign above His head indicated:
The Apostle Peter put it this way in 2 Peter 3:9:
“The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.”
Application: Every one of us has been given the gift of time. If you are breathing oxygen right now, you are experiencing the gift of time. You have been exposed to the words of Jesus. What will you decide about Him? Is He the King of the Jews? Is He your King? You can make that decision today!
The Political Pressure on Pilate
Displaying rotting bodies on three crosses during Passover would have been unacceptable to the Jewish leaders, and Jesus presented an ongoing political nightmare for Pilate.
To give in to the Jews weakened Pilate's standing. Yet to ignore their threats and political power could cost Pilate his job and possibly his life. They claimed that Jesus directly opposed Caesar, and that releasing Him would mean Pilate was "no friend of Caesar" (John 19:12). In the end, Pilate gave in.
II. The Sovereignty over the Soldiers (John 19:32–37)
“Then the soldiers came and broke the legs of the first and of the other who was crucified with Him. But when they came to Jesus and saw that He was already dead, they did not break His legs. But one of the soldiers pierced His side with a spear, and immediately blood and water came out.” — John 19:32–34
Unwitting Fulfillment of Prophecy
The Roman soldiers disobeyed standard procedure by failing to break Jesus's legs, unwittingly fulfilling written scripture.
The Theological Truth: In their disobedience, the soldiers were mere pawns in the hands of the Lord. As Isaiah 14:27 reminds us: “For the Lord of hosts has purposed, and who will annul it? His hand is stretched out, and who will turn it back?”
The Physical Reality: "Blood and Water Came Out"
To understand the emphasis on physical details here, it helps to contrast the Gospels:
Confronting the Heresy of Gnosticism
By the time the Apostle John wrote his gospel, Gnosticism had spread throughout the Greco-Roman Empire. Gnostics viewed Jesus very differently than orthodox 1st-century Christians:
One of the major branches of Gnostic belief was Docetism—the belief that Jesus’s physical body and crucifixion were merely illusions.
Against this backdrop, John gives an eyewitness, detailed description of blood and water flowing from the side of Jesus immediately following Him being pierced with a spear. Jesus was fully human AND fully God. He was a real person who really physically suffered, then really physically died.
The Symbolism of Blood and Water
During the Day of Preparation, thousands of unblemished lambs were being slaughtered at the Temple. Their blood ran into installed drains that emptied into the Kidron Brook in the valley between the Temple Mount and the Mount of Olives—a visible stream of water mixed with blood.
“And he who has seen has testified, and his testimony is true; and he knows that he is telling the truth, so that you may believe. For these things were done that the Scripture should be fulfilled, ‘Not one of His bones shall be broken.’ And again another Scripture says, ‘They shall look on Him whom they pierced.’” — John 19:35–37
The Purpose: John records these details so that all of his readers might examine the overwhelming eyewitness evidence and believe!
III. The Commitment of the Secret Believers (John 19:38–42)
“After this, Joseph of Arimathea, being a disciple of Jesus, but secretly, for fear of the Jews, asked Pilate that he might take away the body of Jesus; and Pilate gave him permission. So he came and took the body of Jesus. And Nicodemus, who at first came to Jesus by night, also came, bringing a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about a hundred pounds. Then they took the body of Jesus, and bound it in strips of linen with the spices, as the custom of the Jews is to bury.” — John 19:38–40
Joseph of Arimathea: Counting the Cost
Joseph of Arimathea was a wealthy, prominent member of the Sanhedrin, the supreme judicial council of the Jews. Yet verse 38 notes he was “a disciple of Jesus, but secretly, for fear of the Jews.”
He had an immense amount to lose if discovered aligning with a man who was just executed by the Roman Empire for insurrection and condemned by the Jewish leaders for blasphemy. It meant risking political and social suicide: the loss of his position, loss of wealth, and potential arrest.
Joseph likely used his high status to secure an audience with Pilate. Pilate—who had been warned by his wife to have nothing to do with Jesus, and who had symbolically washed his hands of the execution—was perhaps anxious to do something good in the midst of all the tragedy. He granted custody of Jesus’s body to Joseph.
Operating "secretly," outside the knowledge of his Sanhedrin colleagues, provided Joseph a path of least resistance to secure the body of Jesus for burial in his own family tomb. This was not cowardice, but being smart and careful.
Nicodemus: Seeking Truth
Nicodemus was also a member of the Sanhedrin who had previously come to Jesus by night (John 3:1–2). His strategy of meeting at night provided an opportunity for an uninterrupted conversation with Jesus, away from the crowds and the prying eyes of his colleagues, so he could ask important theological questions.
Application: Wise as Serpents
In Matthew 10:16, Jesus instructs:
“Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves. Therefore be wise as serpents and harmless as doves.”
It is fruitless to destroy a conversation about Jesus before it even starts through loud, over-the-top declarations that trigger immediate argumentation and resistance to the gospel. It is far more fruitful to be humble and kind, preserving your influence.
As 1 Peter 3:15 encourages:
“But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear.”
Conclusion (John 19:41–42)
“Now in the place where He was crucified there was a garden, and in the garden a new tomb in which no one had yet been laid. So there they laid Jesus, because of the Jews’ Preparation Day, for the tomb was nearby.” — John 19:41–42
Sunday, July 19, 2026
Scripture: John 19:31–42
I. The Condemned (John 19:31)
“Therefore, because it was the Preparation Day, that the bodies should not remain on the cross on the Sabbath (for that Sabbath was a high day), the Jews asked Pilate that their legs might be broken, and that they might be taken away.” — John 19:31
The Reality of the Crucifixion
Consider the scene: three men on crosses. One of them is the Son of God—and He is dead. The other two are awaiting their demise, a process that could normally take days.
The typical Roman method was to crucify a criminal and leave them hanging on the cross to die from extreme exposure to the elements— direct sun by day, bitter cold at night—or to be consumed by animals like vultures, crows, and ravens, and swarmed by insects.
Yet both criminals had a final destination. One had already been promised Paradise by Jesus; the other refused to believe.
The Two Gifts Given to the Criminals
Thinking through the situation of these two men on the cross, both were given two profound gifts.
1. Gift #1: Immediate Access to Jesus and His Words
Nobody had ever uttered such words from a Roman cross. They were directly exposed to the sayings of Christ as He hung beside them:
- “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do.” (Luke 23:34)
- “Assuredly, I say to you, today you will be with Me in Paradise.” (Luke 23:43)
- “Woman, behold your son! Behold your mother!” (John 19:26–27)
- “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?” (Matthew 27:46; Mark 15:34)
- “I thirst.” (John 19:28)
- “It is finished.” (John 19:30)
- “Father, into Your hands I commit My spirit.” (Luke 23:46)
2. Gift #2: The Gift of Time
They were also given the gift of time, and there is mercy in time. When an event happens suddenly and unexpectedly, there is no time to prepare for it. But when a person can see an outcome on the horizon—even if it is not at the door just yet—there is time to prepare.
Personal Illustration:
I was with my father when he was given roughly nine months to live. I can remember his heart doctor leaving the room and leaving the two of us alone. My dad clasped his hands behind his back and stared out of the window. The following nine months were filled with questions about God and eternity. My dad wanted to make sure that he was going to heaven.
I watched as my father began to make end-of-life decisions, giving things away and letting us know his wishes. He would always return to the topic of salvation, constantly asking me, “Are you sure that Jesus forgives me for all of my sins?” I can remember thinking that the Lord had played a huge joke on me—calling me to be a pastor and evangelist just so I would be equipped to answer my dad’s theological questions.
About two weeks before he died, he fell very quiet, not really saying anything or talking to anyone. While I was with him one day, I asked him, “Dad, what have you been thinking about while you’ve been quiet all week?” He answered, “I’ve been talking to God.” He died the next day. My dad was given the gift of time. He had time to wrestle with what he thought about Jesus.
The Choice We Face Today
Both criminals were given the gift of time. We know for sure that one of them took advantage of that gift and believed that Jesus was indeed the King of the Jews, just as the sign above His head indicated:
- “Lord, remember me when You come into Your kingdom.” (Luke 23:42)
- “Assuredly, I say to you, today you will be with Me in Paradise.” (Luke 23:43)
The Apostle Peter put it this way in 2 Peter 3:9:
“The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.”
Application: Every one of us has been given the gift of time. If you are breathing oxygen right now, you are experiencing the gift of time. You have been exposed to the words of Jesus. What will you decide about Him? Is He the King of the Jews? Is He your King? You can make that decision today!
The Political Pressure on Pilate
Displaying rotting bodies on three crosses during Passover would have been unacceptable to the Jewish leaders, and Jesus presented an ongoing political nightmare for Pilate.
To give in to the Jews weakened Pilate's standing. Yet to ignore their threats and political power could cost Pilate his job and possibly his life. They claimed that Jesus directly opposed Caesar, and that releasing Him would mean Pilate was "no friend of Caesar" (John 19:12). In the end, Pilate gave in.
II. The Sovereignty over the Soldiers (John 19:32–37)
“Then the soldiers came and broke the legs of the first and of the other who was crucified with Him. But when they came to Jesus and saw that He was already dead, they did not break His legs. But one of the soldiers pierced His side with a spear, and immediately blood and water came out.” — John 19:32–34
Unwitting Fulfillment of Prophecy
The Roman soldiers disobeyed standard procedure by failing to break Jesus's legs, unwittingly fulfilling written scripture.
- The Bones of the Passover Lamb Were Not to Be Broken:
- “In one house it shall be eaten; you shall not carry any of the flesh outside the house, nor shall you break one of its bones.” (Exodus 12:46)
- “They shall leave none of it until morning, nor break one of its bones. According to all the ordinances of the Passover they shall keep it.” (Numbers 9:12)
- “He guards all his bones; not one of them is broken.” (Psalm 34:20)
- His Side Was to Be Pierced:
- “And I will pour on the house of David and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem the Spirit of grace and supplication; then they will look on Me whom they pierced. Yes, they will mourn for Him as one mourns for his only son, and grieve for Him as one grieves for a firstborn.” (Zechariah 12:10)
- “Behold, He is coming with clouds, and every eye will see Him, even they who pierced Him.” (Revelation 1:7)
The Theological Truth: In their disobedience, the soldiers were mere pawns in the hands of the Lord. As Isaiah 14:27 reminds us: “For the Lord of hosts has purposed, and who will annul it? His hand is stretched out, and who will turn it back?”
The Physical Reality: "Blood and Water Came Out"
To understand the emphasis on physical details here, it helps to contrast the Gospels:
- Luke’s Gospel Perspective: Luke is the physician, the doctor, and his gospel is filled with descriptions of human sickness, bodily healing, and physical forms—focusing on tangible, flesh-and-bone realities. Luke mentions fevers, leprosy, and paralysis. He details crippled limbs straightening, a bent woman standing up straight, and Zacchaeus’s short stature. He highlights Jesus’s physical childhood and growth.
- John’s Gospel Perspective: John’s writings emphasize that Jesus was fully human while remaining fully God, writing specifically to counter the rise of Gnosticism in the Greco-Roman world.
Confronting the Heresy of Gnosticism
By the time the Apostle John wrote his gospel, Gnosticism had spread throughout the Greco-Roman Empire. Gnostics viewed Jesus very differently than orthodox 1st-century Christians:
- They viewed Jesus as a divine teacher rather than a Savior who sacrificed His life for the sins of the world.
- They rejected the idea that a divine being was able to suffer and die.
- They believed Jesus came only to reveal secret knowledge (gnosis) needed to free human souls.
- They believed Jesus only appeared to have a human body, but was actually purely a spirit who left no footprints when He walked.
- They rejected the idea that Jesus physically suffered and died on a cross.
One of the major branches of Gnostic belief was Docetism—the belief that Jesus’s physical body and crucifixion were merely illusions.
Against this backdrop, John gives an eyewitness, detailed description of blood and water flowing from the side of Jesus immediately following Him being pierced with a spear. Jesus was fully human AND fully God. He was a real person who really physically suffered, then really physically died.
The Symbolism of Blood and Water
During the Day of Preparation, thousands of unblemished lambs were being slaughtered at the Temple. Their blood ran into installed drains that emptied into the Kidron Brook in the valley between the Temple Mount and the Mount of Olives—a visible stream of water mixed with blood.
“And he who has seen has testified, and his testimony is true; and he knows that he is telling the truth, so that you may believe. For these things were done that the Scripture should be fulfilled, ‘Not one of His bones shall be broken.’ And again another Scripture says, ‘They shall look on Him whom they pierced.’” — John 19:35–37
The Purpose: John records these details so that all of his readers might examine the overwhelming eyewitness evidence and believe!
III. The Commitment of the Secret Believers (John 19:38–42)
“After this, Joseph of Arimathea, being a disciple of Jesus, but secretly, for fear of the Jews, asked Pilate that he might take away the body of Jesus; and Pilate gave him permission. So he came and took the body of Jesus. And Nicodemus, who at first came to Jesus by night, also came, bringing a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about a hundred pounds. Then they took the body of Jesus, and bound it in strips of linen with the spices, as the custom of the Jews is to bury.” — John 19:38–40
Joseph of Arimathea: Counting the Cost
Joseph of Arimathea was a wealthy, prominent member of the Sanhedrin, the supreme judicial council of the Jews. Yet verse 38 notes he was “a disciple of Jesus, but secretly, for fear of the Jews.”
He had an immense amount to lose if discovered aligning with a man who was just executed by the Roman Empire for insurrection and condemned by the Jewish leaders for blasphemy. It meant risking political and social suicide: the loss of his position, loss of wealth, and potential arrest.
Joseph likely used his high status to secure an audience with Pilate. Pilate—who had been warned by his wife to have nothing to do with Jesus, and who had symbolically washed his hands of the execution—was perhaps anxious to do something good in the midst of all the tragedy. He granted custody of Jesus’s body to Joseph.
Operating "secretly," outside the knowledge of his Sanhedrin colleagues, provided Joseph a path of least resistance to secure the body of Jesus for burial in his own family tomb. This was not cowardice, but being smart and careful.
Nicodemus: Seeking Truth
Nicodemus was also a member of the Sanhedrin who had previously come to Jesus by night (John 3:1–2). His strategy of meeting at night provided an opportunity for an uninterrupted conversation with Jesus, away from the crowds and the prying eyes of his colleagues, so he could ask important theological questions.
Application: Wise as Serpents
In Matthew 10:16, Jesus instructs:
“Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves. Therefore be wise as serpents and harmless as doves.”
It is fruitless to destroy a conversation about Jesus before it even starts through loud, over-the-top declarations that trigger immediate argumentation and resistance to the gospel. It is far more fruitful to be humble and kind, preserving your influence.
As 1 Peter 3:15 encourages:
“But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear.”
Conclusion (John 19:41–42)
“Now in the place where He was crucified there was a garden, and in the garden a new tomb in which no one had yet been laid. So there they laid Jesus, because of the Jews’ Preparation Day, for the tomb was nearby.” — John 19:41–42
Posted in Pastor Adam Gomez
Crossroads Church of Denver
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