Jesus really was the King of the Jews, though the Jewish leaders did not receive Him as their king. However, the soldiers only said this in mockery. Their purpose was to abuse and derail Him; imagine their surprise when, after this life, they discovered that Jesus was, indeed, the King of the Jews.

Pilate did not like seeing an innocent man die, but, then, Jesus was just a man! Pilate's attitude was about to change. The Jewish leaders pushed Pilate to order the death penalty.

Almost it seemed that Pilate might be persuaded to free Jesus after he heard that Jesus claimed to be the Son of God. What changed his mind? The veiled threats of the Jewish leaders stopped Pilate.

Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews was the title written by Pilate on the cross of Jesus. He caved to the wishes of the Jewish leaders in allowing Jesus to be crucified, but, in a sense, he still had the last word.

In the 19th chapter of John, we have a rather remarkable aside. In the retelling of this scene at the cross, John tells us that these things happened, that the Scriptures might be fulfilled.

Jesus' death was imminent, and huddled nearby were three Marys: Mary the Mother of Jesus, Mary the wife of Cleophas, and Mary Magdalene. They looked on in horror as they saw Jesus' life draining from Him.

Wounded, bleeding, with so little strength remaining, Jesus gave up the Ghost, or as the New King James Version states, He gave up His Spirit.

John 19:36 is a fulfillment of Psalm 34:20, and John 19:37 is a fulfillment of Zechariah 12:10. Do you think the Psalmist or Zechariah knew the significance of what they were writing?

As the 19th chapter of John comes to a close we are privy to this rather touching account of Jesus' burial by Joseph of Arimathaea and Nicodemus. Time was short as the Sabbath was quickly approaching, so the men found a new sepulchre in a nearby garden for the burial of their Lord.