Sunday School Lessons
May 2
Lesson 9 (KJV)
SPEAKING TRUTH TO POWER
DEVOTIONAL READING: 1 John 3: 23–4: 3a; Deuteronomy 18: 19–22 BACKGROUND SCRIPTURE: 1 Kings 22: 1–40
1 KINGS 22: 15–23, 26–28
15 So he came to the king. And the king said unto him, Micaiah, shall we go against Ramothgilead to battle, or shall we forbear? And he answered him, Go, and prosper: for the LORD shall deliver it into the hand of the king.
16 And the king said unto him, How many times shall I adjure thee that thou tell me nothing but that which is true in the name of the LORD?
17 And he said, I saw all Israel scattered upon the hills, as sheep that have not a shepherd: and the LORD said, These have no master: let them return every man to his house in peace.
18 And the king of Israel said unto Jehoshaphat, Did I not tell thee that he would prophesy no good concerning me, but evil?
19 And he said, Hear thou therefore the word of the LORD: I saw the LORD sitting on his throne, and all the host of heaven standing by him on his right hand and on his left.
20 And the LORD said, Who shall persuade Ahab, that he may go up and fall at Ramothgilead? And one said on this manner, and another said on that manner.
21 And there came forth a spirit, and stood before the LORD, and said, I will persuade him.
22 And the LORD said unto him, Wherewith? And he said, I will go forth, and I will be a lying spirit in the mouth of all his prophets. And he said, Thou shalt persuade him, and prevail also: go forth, and do so.
23 Now therefore, behold, the LORD hath put a lying spirit in the mouth of all these thy prophets, and the LORD hath spoken evil concerning thee.
26 And the king of Israel said, Take Micaiah, and carry him back unto Amon the governor of the city, and to Joash the king’s son;
27 And say, Thus saith the king, Put this fellow in the prison, and feed him with bread of affliction and with water of affliction, until I come in peace.
28 And Micaiah said, If thou return at all in peace, the LORD hath not spoken by me. And he said, Hearken, O people, every one of you.
KEY VERSE
Micaiah said, As the LORD liveth, what the LORD saith unto me, that will I speak.—1 Kings 22: 14
PROPHETS FAITHFUL TO GOD’S COVENANT
Unit 3: Courageous Prophets of Change
LESSONS 9–13
LESSON AIMS
After participating in this lesson, each learner will be able to:
1. Identify the roles of Ahab, Jehoshaphat, and Micaiah.
2. Compare and contrast how each of those three related to God’s truth.
3. Create a plan to pursue and apply God’s knowledge in the week ahead.
HOW TO SAY IT
Ahab Ay-hab. Ai Ay-eye.
Amon Ay-mun.
Arameans Ar-uh-me-uns.
Athaliah Ath-uh-lye-uh.
Israel Iz-ray-el.
Jehoram Jeh-ho-rum.
Jehoshaphat Jeh-hosh-uh-fat.
Joash Jo-ash. Josephus Jo-see-fus.
Micaiah My-kay-uh.
Naboth Nay-bawth.
Ramothgilead Ray-muth-gil-ee-ud.
Introduction
A. Truth Distorted
Have you ever sought out counsel that would tell you what you want to hear, rather than truth, so that you could press forward with your own agenda? Herein is an important lesson we can learn from George Washington.
As the first president of the United States, Washington had no precedent to follow when choosing the men who would shape his thinking and the new government. Wisely, Washington chose an eclectic group of people to fill cabinet positions and be his closest advisers. They were from different parts of the country, and they had different views on how the government should operate. Instead of choosing advisers exclusively from his state of Virginia, Washington chose to surround himself with people who had the same ultimate goals in mind. The varied opinions about how to achieve common goals helped President Washington make choices that were more informed and wiser.
Unfortunately, Ahab did not make similar decisions. He surrounded himself with false prophets who told him whatever he wanted to hear. But this lesson focuses on the one prophet who refused to compromise the truth.
B. Lesson Context
The role of the books 1 & 2 Kings is often misunderstood by the modern reader. Because they cover much of the same times and events as 1 & 2 Chronicles, we often read them as retelling the same story, slightly differently. (In fact, today’s text has a parallel in 2 Chronicles 18.) While there is truth to this, the original readers of 1 & 2 Kings actually associated them with 1 & 2 Samuel; in the Greek version translated before Christ, these four books are known as 1, 2, 3, and 4 Kingdoms. And although it’s natural to categorize these as books of history, we do well to remember that no book of the Bible seeks merely to give us a history lesson. Every book in the Bible intends to tell us something about God.
The Old Testament narratives, 1 & 2 Kings included, were passed down with the intention of revealing truth about the relationship between God and His people. These books were read by the Babylonian exiles, who had many deep and painful questions regarding the benefits of being chosen by God. Jerusalem’s destruction and the exile of its people raised questions about God’s sovereignty and love.
The books we think of as history address these issues by telling the story of God’s people, picking up with the conquest of the promised land in Joshua and ending with the exile in 2 Kings. Collectively, the books tell the story of Israel’s persistent rebellions against the terms of the covenant, divine judgment in the form of the curses prescribed in Deuteronomy 27–28, Israel’s returns to God, and God’s resulting mercy.
First Kings 22 opens by describing a conversation between two kings: Ahab of northern Israel (reigned 874–853 BC) and Jehoshaphat of southern Judah (reigned 873–849 BC). Before launching a joint military initiative, Ahab decided to consult his prophets to learn whether God would give him victory (1 Kings 22: 10). Consulting God (or false gods) before battle was customary (examples: Judges 20: 18; 1 Samuel 23: 2; Ezekiel 21: 21). Ahab followed this practice, but he sought divine guidance from about 400 false prophets. These men were charged with discerning God’s will while having no access to Him! Their counsel was united: God would grant victory in the expected battle (1 Kings 22: 1–6). A favorable report, delivered from a unified front, would certainly convince the two kings of the veracity of their message!
But King Jehoshaphat was unimpressed by the verdict of the false prophets. Jehoshaphat’s reign was characterized by religious reform and the suppression of idolatry (2 Chronicles 17: 3–6). But he found himself in a compromised position because he had entered into a political alliance with the spiritually lapsed northern kingdom. In an attempt to do right, Jehoshaphat asked Ahab if he didn’t have a prophet of the true God who could be consulted. Ahab admitted that Micaiah was such a prophet.
I. A Sarcastic Prophecy
(1 KINGS 22: 15–16)
A. Leading Question (v. 15)
15. So he came to the king. And the king said unto him, Micaiah, shall we go against Ramothgilead to battle, or shall we forbear? And he answered him, Go, and prosper: for the LORD shall deliver it into the hand of the king.
Ahab despised Micaiah because of the series of negative reports that the prophet had made against the king. The unnamed prophet in 1 Kings 20: 35–43 was suggested by both the Talmud and the first-century Jewish historian Josephus to have been Micaiah. Little else is known about this prophet.
Ramothgilead was a city of refuge within the tribe of Gad (Deuteronomy 4: 43). It was located on a large plain, making chariot warfare possible (see 1 Kings 22: 31–38, not in our printed text). In Ahab’s day, the Arameans held the city (22: 3, not in our printed text). In the days of Rome, this people group came to be known as Syrians. Israel had some ethnic relationship to Arameans (see Deuteronomy 26: 5), including Bethuel who was Rebekah’s father (Genesis 22: 20–23). Despite these ancestral links, the Arameans were often opposed to Israel, either instigating or experiencing warfare with the nation (examples: Judges 3: 8, 10; 2 Samuel 8: 5–6).
Micaiah surprised the king, Ahab, by telling him exactly what he wanted to hear and what the other prophets had already told him. Based on Ahab’s prior characterization of Micaiah (1 Kings 22: 8, not in our printed text), we might also be surprised that Micaiah has immediately agreed with the majority of prophets affirming Ahab’s future success (22: 13–15).
What Do You Think?
What guardrails can we erect to avoid giving to others counsel that is actually in our own best interests?
Digging Deeper
What should you do if you see this problem in another person?
“WHAT DO YOU WANT TO HEAR?”
I like to ask my mom for her opinion. Generally, I ask her about something small, like which shoes look better. I hear my mom’s opinion and her reasons, but I am very quick to choose the other option. I do this because I already know what I want to hear; I just want someone else to agree with me. At this point, Mom essentially refuses to give me a real answer. She knows that I will disregard it and do what I want. Can you blame her? After my asking year after year what shoes look best and almost always choosing the other ones, why would she bother giving me her real opinion? It’s hard to blame Micaiah for his response to Ahab. Much like my mom, Micaiah was exhausted from telling Ahab God’s sovereign truth just to have it ignored in the face of what Ahab wanted to do all along. How often do we ask God for His truth, find it, and promptly choose what we wanted to hear instead of what He said? It’s time to start following God’s truth instead of merely asking for it.—L. G.
B. Frustrated Retort (v. 16)
16. And the king said unto him, How many times shall I adjure thee that thou tell me nothing but that which is true in the name of the LORD?
King Ahab interpreted Micaiah’s affirming response as a bald-faced lie, not even meant to be believed. Ahab’s asking how many times implies that Micaiah had fallen into the pattern of sardonically telling the king whatever it was he wanted to hear.
The king ironically demanded that Micaiah fulfill his prophetic duty and only relay God’s word (Deuteronomy 18: 18). But Ahab wasn’t interested in hearing God’s actual will. He only used his prophets to legitimize the plans that were already in his heart (see 1 Kings 22: 22, below).
II. A Sincere Prophecy
(1 KINGS 22: 17–23)
A. God’s Truth, Part 1 (v. 17)
17. And he said, I saw all Israel scattered upon the hills, as sheep that have not a shepherd: and the LORD said, These have no master: let them return every man to his house in peace.
Micaiah dropped his act, causing the atmosphere in the room to immediately darken. Israel would be thrown into as much disarray as sheep without a shepherd (see 1 Kings 22: 28, below). When they realized they had no master, the army would scatter—not haphazardly but every man to his house. Returning in peace might mean that, though leaderless, the army would be better off without their previous master. Or it might simply mean that the fighting would be over for a time.
B. King’s Irritation (v. 18)
18. And the king of Israel said unto Jehoshaphat, Did I not tell thee that he would prophesy no good concerning me, but evil?
Ahab’s response to Micaiah’s prophecy suggests that the prophet was brought to court more as a jester or curiosity than as a legitimate adviser. Ahab’s heart was so hardened against God that he was able to dismiss Micaiah’s warning as just one more evil thing the prophet said about the king of Israel.
King Jehoshaphat’s nonreaction is equally disturbing. Jehoshaphat worshipped the God of Israel and took measures to suppress idolatry in his nation (see Lesson Context). But here he failed to advise the other king to heed the word of the Lord. The northern kingdom enjoyed military prowess during this period of their combined histories. With their allies, Israel held off the encroaching Assyrian Empire. The alliance between Israel and Judah was secured by the marriage of Ahab’s daughter Athaliah to Jehoshaphat’s son Jehoram (2 Kings 8: 16–18). So we see two kings, one idolatrous and one godly, who witnessed the testimony of God’s true prophet and for their own reasons refused to alter their foolhardy plans.
What Do You Think?
What are some proper ways to react to those who expect us to tell them what they want to hear rather than what they need to hear?
Digging Deeper
How would your response differ, if at all, to someone who is in authority over you rather than the other way around? Why?
C. God’s Truth, Part 2 (vv. 19–23)
19. And he said, Hear thou therefore the word of the LORD: I saw the LORD sitting on his throne, and all the host of heaven standing by him on his right hand and on his left.
Unlike verse 15, here Micaiah uses the word of the Lord formula to reveal that what followed came from God, not the prophet’s own mind. All the host of heaven may refer to angels (see Psalms 103: 20–21; 148: 2; Luke 2: 13); another possibility is that the phrase refers to the heavenly bodies worshipped as gods by pagan nations (see Deuteronomy 4: 19; 2 Kings 17: 16; 21: 3; Jeremiah 19: 13). Whether real angels or fictitious deities, the image is that God is the only one sitting on a throne. This is a visual image of God’s sovereignty over everything, real or imagined.
20. And the LORD said, Who shall persuade Ahab, that he may go up and fall at Ramothgilead? And one said on this manner, and another said on that manner.
This verse makes explicit what was implied in 1 Kings 22: 17, above: Ahab would die on the battlefield. Such a sentence was just since Ahab had followed the ways of his evil queen, Jezebel, and led the northern kingdom into the idolatrous worship of Baal (1 Kings 16: 31–33). Unlike Ahab’s prophets, who all answered the king in unison, God’s court was filled with lots of ideas, giving various plans for how to lure Ahab to his death.
21. And there came forth a spirit, and stood before the LORD, and said, I will persuade him.
From among the council, a volunteer stepped forward and expressed willingness to take up the task of luring King Ahab into battle, and, by extension, to his death. Keeping in mind that court members might be composed of fictitious deities, the exact identity of the spirit is less significant than is his depicted role in the unfolding spiritual drama (compare and contrast Job 1: 6–12; 2: 1–7).
22. And the LORD said unto him, Wherewith? And he said, I will go forth, and I will be a lying spirit in the mouth of all his prophets. And he said, Thou shalt persuade him, and prevail also: go forth, and do so.
Psychologists today might say that the spirit enticed Ahab with the king’s own confirmation bias. This false belief arises from choosing only to consider evidence that confirms what a person already wanted to believe. In this case, the lying spirit unified all the king’s prophets in order to strengthen the evidence that favored Ahab’s false hope: that he would have victory over his enemies.
The Lord giving approval to this plan is one example of God’s sovereign right to judge evildoers. Although Ahab had humbled himself following the theft of Naboth’s vineyard (see 1 Kings 21), old habits apparently die hard. Ahab did not want to listen to the prophet of the Lord, preferring the pleasant prophecies of his old prophets. Ironically, if Ahab chose to listen to Micaiah now, the prophecy would not have come true! But the man’s character was known not only to the prophet but also to God (see 22: 29–38).
23. Now therefore, behold, the LORD hath put a lying spirit in the mouth of all these thy prophets, and the LORD hath spoken evil concerning thee.
Micaiah presented Ahab with a message of judgment. But implicit in that message was the opportunity for repentance (compare Jonah 3). Mercifully, Ahab was given the opportunity to admit his sinful state, repent, and break off his doomed campaign.
The Lord used Ahab’s character and the deference of the king’s prophets to deceive the man. God never lies, but He does work through humans to accomplish His purposes, whether they do good or ill. God also never does moral evil, but He can put events into motion that from a human perspective are catastrophic. In this case, the lying spirit intensified human dynamics already in play to ensure that Ahab would be fooled.
III. A Sure Prophecy (1 KINGS 22: 26–28)
A. King’s Fury (vv. 26–27)
26. And the king of Israel said, Take Micaiah, and carry him back unto Amon the governor of the city, and to Joash the king’s son.
Ahab’s response was anything but one of repentance. Referencing the governor of the city and the king’s son lets the reader know that Ahab was so determined to silence Micaiah that he evoked both local and national authorities to ensure the prophet’s secure incarceration.
27. And say, Thus saith the king, Put this fellow in the prison, and feed him with bread of affliction and with water of affliction, until I come in peace.
Micaiah was to remain in his cell and be given grim rations until Ahab returned safely from battle. Ahab’s sentence assumed that his triumphant return would expose the jailed prophet as a charlatan. Though Ahab expected to return in peace, the prophecy had revealed that only his men would do so (1 Kings 22: 17, 28).
Ahab’s command had the effect of silencing the prophet. The king knew that if word got out that he himself was under divine judgment, it could lead to poor troop morale on the eve of battle or even embolden a rival to attempt a coup. Plus, the king just didn’t like the prophet.
What Do You Think?
What can you do, if anything, to prepare in advance for times of affliction?
Digging Deeper
Which part of Matthew 24: 9–13 is most helpful in answering this?
QUANTITY OVER QUALITY
When I was younger, I stayed with my grandparents for a week. My grandma was not feeling very well, and a confidante convinced her that I was a very disrespectful child. My grandma reported this to my parents. I was in a lot of trouble, but I continued to defend what I knew to be true. I was innocent of these charges!
Due largely to my grandparents’ position of authority, they were initially believed. However, my aunt had also spent time with me that week. She advocated for me and presented the truth to my parents. I was released from my punishment.
Micaiah was the small, lone voice of truth. Since that truth did not align with the majority of authoritative voices, he was placed in prison. In the world today, voices tell us lies every day. But truth is still truth, and we can heed its voice if we desire. What crowds are preventing you from heeding God’s truth?—L. G.
B. Prophet’s Promise (v. 28)
28. And Micaiah said, If thou return at all in peace, the LORD hath not spoken by me. And he said, Hearken, O people, every one of you.
The question of whether Micaiah spoke the truth would be determined on the battlefield. If Micaiah truly spoke for God, then Ahab would die, never returning home in peace as the king assumed. Micaiah was so confident in what he’d heard from God that he challenged those present to be witnesses. Ahab’s death would not only vindicate Micaiah, but God as well.
Ahab died, just as Micaiah said (1 Kings 22: 29–38). Micaiah’s fate in prison is unknown.
What Do You Think?
How should you go about testing the statements of one who claims to speak for the Lord?
Digging Deeper
What texts in addition to Deuteronomy 13: 1–3; 18: 21–22; Matthew 7: 15–20; Mark 13: 21–23; 2 Peter 1: 19–2: 3; and 1 John 4: 1–3 help you frame your answer?
Conclusion
A. Truth Displayed
Today’s passage illustrates the timeless struggle to relate to the truth properly. The individuals in today’s lesson provide us with three stances that people exposed to God’s truth can take.
King Ahab is easily vilified due to his idolatry, miscarriages of justice, and antipathy toward God’s prophets. However, whenever we find ourselves willfully in rebellion to the truth, we see shades of Ahab within our own spirits. When we find ourselves in this precarious state and are then admonished by concerned friends, we should realize that this is a form of God’s mercy, even when their words challenge and inconvenience us (Proverbs 27: 5–6). Yet we need to be alert to possible Ahab-like tendencies in others and be prepared to admonish those who clearly ignore God in their choosing of unholy paths.
In Jehoshaphat, we have a case study of a person who desired to please God but lacked consistent, faithful follow-through. All believers, from senior ministers to occasional pew-fillers, can find themselves walking in this king’s shoes. That happens when we are hesitant, for whatever reason, to execute a God-given plan. Any of us can find ourselves tempted as Jehoshaphat was. So when we encounter a fellow believer in a similar situation, the correct response is to offer encouragement and wise counsel.
As a prophet, Micaiah was bound by the simple adage that he was only to preach the word that God gave him and not add or subtract from that word (compare Deuteronomy 4: 2). We see Micaiah’s ability to think and speak independently in the face of a hostile crowd of 400 false prophets, two powerful leaders, and a prevailing climate of wickedness. The prophet’s outspokenness reminds us that speaking truth can result in very negative consequences. Micaiah was aware of this, but was still obedient to God. We can build a life centered on truth through the regular study of God’s Word. That’s how we discipline ourselves to hear the voice of the Lord and to obey that voice—one opportunity at a time.
Many people today, as in Micaiah’s day, prefer to question God’s truth rather than their own sinful patterns. This isn’t to say that doubt and confusion are never legitimate. But we must be aware of the possibility that sometimes our “confusion” over truth has the function of legitimizing ungodly behavior. We must echo apostle Paul’s words, “Let God be true, but every man a liar” (Romans 3: 4).
What Do You Think?
Which thought in today’s text do you have the hardest time coming to grips with? Why?
Digging Deeper
Considering Romans 15: 4; 1 Corinthians 10: 1–4; and 2 Timothy 3: 16–17, what extra effort will you expend to resolve this uncertainty?
B. Prayer
God, we thank You for revealing Your truth. Now we ask that Your truth be revealed in our words and actions. Help us not only to be people knowledgeable of Your Word, but also be people who make decisions that are consistent with Your Word. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.
C. Thought to Remember
Our commitment to truth is measured in our actions.
KID’S CORNER
Everyone Is Important to God
Sunday, May 2, 2021
John 19:17-27
John 19:17-27
(John 19:17) They took Jesus, therefore, and He went out, bearing His own cross, to the place called the Place of a Skull, which is called in Hebrew, Golgotha.
Translators of the NRSV began this sentence with the concluding words in John 19:16, “So they took Jesus.” John saw no need to repeat what we learn from Matthew, Mark, and Luke that on the way to the cross the soldiers forced “a man from Cyrene named Simon” to carry the cross of our suffering Savior the rest of the way to Golgotha (Matthew 27:32, Mark 15:21, Luke 23:26). Two thousand years later, we do not know the location of The Place of the Skull. Most believe the place was named because of its appearance and shape. It may also have been named Golgotha because it was a place of death. We do learn from John 19:41 that Golgotha was in or close to a garden cemetery, “Now there was a garden in the place where he was crucified, and in the garden there was a new tomb in which no one had ever been laid.” Jesus prayed with His disciples in a garden where the soldiers arrested Him. He died on a cross in a garden, and His followers buried Him in a garden tomb. From this garden tomb, He arose from the dead, and then He appeared to Mary Magdalene in this garden. The hymn “In the Garden” written by C. Austin Miles commemorates the meeting of Jesus and Mary Magdalene in the garden after He rose from the dead. Jesus suffered and died for the forgiveness of our sins in a garden.
We cannot help but remember that Adam and Eve first met with God in a garden. They sinned for the first time in the Garden of Eden, and their sin brought death into the world. After they sinned, God promised to send them and the world a Savior to reverse the consequences of sin. When God spoke to the serpent in the garden, God spoke of the Savior He would send. In Genesis 3:15, God promised, “I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will strike your head, and you will strike his heel.” The serpent, the devil who tempted Jesus and entered Judas to betray Jesus, had his head struck when Jesus died on the cross for our forgiveness and when He rose from the dead to give eternal life to all who believe in Him. By comparison to the final victory Jesus had over the devil when He died and rose again in a garden, what the devil did to Jesus can be compared to striking Jesus’ heel. As we continue our study, John will reveal additional applications from the Scriptures.
(John 19:18) There they crucified Him, and with Him two other men, one on either side, and Jesus in between.
Again, John did not always repeat what the writers of the synoptic gospels (Matthew, Mark, and Luke) recorded. Obviously, those crucified with Jesus were convicted criminals. In John 18:32, Jesus foretold He would die as a criminal by crucifixion. In John 12:32-33, Jesus foretold: “‘And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself.’ He said this to indicate the kind of death he was to die.” He would be lifted up on a cross and die; He would not be stoned to death by the Jews. Two thousand years later, Jesus still does what He foretold: He draws people to himself. Psalm 22:16-17 describes some of what Jesus experienced as He suffered on the cross: “For dogs are all around me; a company of evildoers encircles me. My hands and feet have shriveled; I can count all my bones. They stare and gloat over me.” The KJV, the NASB, and the NIV translate more accurately, “they pierced my hands and my feet.” Through Isaiah, God foretold why Jesus would die. See especially, Isaiah 53:11-12, “Out of his anguish he shall see light; he shall find satisfaction through his knowledge. The righteous one, my servant, shall make many righteous, and he shall bear their iniquities. Therefore I will allot him a portion with the great, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong; because he poured out himself to death, and was numbered with the transgressors; yet he bore the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.”
(John 19:19) Pilate also wrote an inscription and put it on the cross. It was written, “JESUS THE NAZARENE, THE KING OF THE JEWS.”
Unintentionally, but unknowingly influenced by God, Pilate wrote the truth on a placard that he placed on Jesus’ cross. Whereas most placards, if used, would proclaim the convict’s crime to deter others, Pilate did not convict Jesus of a crime. He only did what the chief priests demanded of him after they threatened him. God used Pilate to proclaim the truth about Jesus. Jesus was from the town of Nazareth in Galilee. Jesus was and is the Messiah that God promised to send into the world, the King of the Jews.
(John 19:20) Therefore many of the Jews read this inscription, for the place where Jesus was crucified was near the city; and it was written in Hebrew, Latin and in Greek.
God influenced Pilate to write the inscription in Hebrew (the official language of the Jews), in Latin (the official language of the Romans), and in Greek (the universal language that the once conquering Greeks had spread around the known world so everyone could speak to one another in Greek). Latin was a language of law, while Greek was a language of commerce and philosophy. Likewise, the New Testament was written in Greek so people of all nationalities, races, and religions who knew Greek could read the good news about Jesus and come to believe in Him. All who passed by Jesus as He hanged on the cross outside the city could go into the city and tell others that the King of the Jews had been crucified. Perhaps only to insult the chief priests, Pilate deemed it important for every person of every important language (at that time) to read about Jesus. God deems it important for people all around the world to learn who Jesus is, the Lord and Savior of the world, by being able to read the good news about Jesus and the Bible in their own language. Hence, Bible translators work and hope to work for many years to translate the Bible for every language group.
When the Apostle Paul preached the good news about Jesus in the Book of Acts, he explained what happened in Acts 13:27-30, “Because the residents of Jerusalem and their leaders did not recognize him or understand the words of the prophets that are read every sabbath, they fulfilled those words by condemning him. Even though they found no cause for a sentence of death, they asked Pilate to have him killed. When they had carried out everything that was written about him, they took him down from the tree and laid him in a tomb. But God raised him from the dead.”
(John 19:21) So the chief priests of the Jews were saying to Pilate, “Do not write, ‘The King of the Jews’; but that He said, ‘I am King of the Jews.’”
Perhaps Pilate intended to offend the chief priests and those who demanded Jesus’ crucifixion with his placard on Jesus’ cross. Whatever Pilate may have intended, God used Pilate, a Roman governor, to announce the truth about Jesus. The chief priests wanted the placard to announce that Jesus’ crime was saying He was the King of the Jews, but Pilate had told them repeatedly that he found no case against Jesus and he wanted to release Him.
(John 19:22) Pilate answered, “What I have written I have written.”
Pilate wrote what he wrote because Jesus had not committed a crime. Pilate had done what they wanted, and he was determined not to be intimidated or threatened by the chief priests again regarding Jesus. Without knowing it, Pilate wrote what God wanted.
(John 19:23) Then the soldiers, when they had crucified Jesus, took His outer garments and made four parts, a part to every soldier and also the tunic; now the tunic was seamless, woven in one piece.
One of the benefits of being one of the soldiers who crucified a convict was being able to divide their possessions, mostly only clothing, among themselves, and the opportunity to pass the time by gambling—no crucified man was going to come down from a cross. But notice once again the comparison between what Jesus suffered for the forgiveness of our sins and the behavior of Adam and Eve. In Genesis 3, we learn that after they sinned, Adam and Eve felt ashamed for they were naked, and they tried to cover themselves with fig leaves sown together; then, they hid from God. On the other hand, the soldiers tried to bring shame upon Jesus (as they did upon all the convicts they crucified) when they stripped off His clothing before they hanged Him on the cross. God forgave Adam and Eve (though they still had to die one day in the future), and God provided a better covering for them. When He made them garments of skin, God showed them what it meant to die. One of their animal companions had to die (as a sacrifice for them, to cover them, because they had sinned). Our loving God could justly and mercifully forgive them because Jesus, God’s only Son, would come into the world and die a sacrificial death on the cross, a shameful death, that He might forgive them and us for our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. In 1 John 1:9, John promised, “If we confess our sins, he who is faithful and just will forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” Jesus’ sacrificial death and resurrection made it possible for all who believe in Him to be cleansed and someday dressed in white. In Revelation 7:13-15, John wrote, “Then one of the elders addressed me, saying, ‘Who are these, robed in white, and where have they come from?’ I said to him, ‘Sir, you are the one that knows.’ Then he said to me, ‘These are they who have come out of the great ordeal; they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. For this reason they are before the throne of God, and worship him day and night within his temple, and the one who is seated on the throne will shelter them.’”
(John 19:24) So they said to one another, “Let us not tear it, but cast lots for it, to decide whose it shall be”; this was to fulfill the Scripture: “THEY DIVIDED MY OUTER GARMENTS AMONG THEM, AND FOR MY CLOTHING THEY CAST LOTS.”
In John 5:39-40, Jesus said to the Jews, “You search the scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that testify on my behalf. Yet you refuse to come to me to have life.” Previously, we read how Paul described the residents of Jerusalem and their leaders: “they did not recognize him or understand the words of the prophets that are read every sabbath [the Hebrew Scriptures, the Old Testament], they fulfilled those words by condemning him.” In Psalm 22:18 and John 19:24, we read how these soldiers unknowingly fulfilled the Scriptures: “they divided my clothes among themselves, and for my clothing they cast lots.”
(John 19:25) Therefore the soldiers did these things. But standing by the cross of Jesus were His mother, and His mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene.
At the foot of the cross, four soldiers crucified and mocked Jesus, but four women who loved and followed Jesus also stood near the foot of the cross. Jesus’ mother, Mary; Jesus’ aunt (Mary’s unnamed sister); Mary, the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene.
(John 19:26) When Jesus then saw His mother, and the disciple whom He loved standing nearby, He *said to His mother, “Woman, behold, your son!”
Jesus certainly was not disrespectful when He called His mother, “Woman.” Jesus, the Son of God, was born and had to be born of a woman to fulfill Scripture. To fulfill Genesis 3:15, Jesus had to be the offspring, the child, of a woman. Jesus was not an immaterial being or spirit that could not suffer, as later heresies claimed. Jesus suffered as a real flesh and blood human being, just as we suffer, for a reason, as Paul wrote in Galatians 4:4-7, “But when the fullness of time had come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, in order to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as children. And because you are children, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, ‘Abba! Father!’ So you are no longer a slave but a child, and if a child then also an heir, through God.”
Jesus loved His mother, and He loved the one disciple of His who accompanied His mother to the foot of the cross for love of Jesus and His mother. Jesus’ brothers did not yet believe in Him, as John explained in John 7:5, “For not even his brothers believed in him.” In Matthew 12:50, Jesus explained the nature of His family: “For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother.” Jesus first spoke to His mother and told her that from that moment John would be her son. His mother and John did the will of His Father in heaven. He would be the one that she should look to physically to meet her needs. Later, she would receive the Holy Spirit and Jesus would be closer to her than He had ever been before.
(John 19:27) Then He *said to the disciple, “Behold, your mother!” From that hour the disciple took her into his own household.
As He suffered and died, Jesus showed that He loved and cared for those He gave His life to save, that included the practical and spiritual care of His mother by John. Quite simply, John revealed that Jesus gave His mother into his care—should Jesus’ brothers ask. John immediately did what Jesus requested: he met her needs in his own home and made her part of his family. He may have delayed his missionary travels and made his home in Jerusalem in order to serve the newly forming Christian Church and to care for Mary until she died. Thus, he kept his promise to Jesus.
Sunday, May 2, 2021
John 19:17-27
This title then read many of the Jews: for the place where Jesus was crucified was nigh to the city: and it was written in Hebrew, and Greek, and Latin (John 19:20—KJV).
Therefore many of the Jews read this inscription, for the place where Jesus was crucified was near the city; and it was written in Hebrew, Latin and in Greek (John 19:20—NASB).
Many of the Jews read this inscription, because the place where Jesus was crucified was near the city; and it was written in Hebrew, in Latin, and in Greek (John 19:20—NRSV).
The Bible shows how God sometimes uses people who do not know Him to tell the truth about Him. God did no harm to Pilate and Pilate did no harm to himself when he put a placard on Jesus’ cross that read: “Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews.” Pilate might have done so with impure motives; that is, to insult the chief priests who wanted Jesus crucified, but God used it for good. From that day forward Pilate might have thought a great deal about what he wrote, for the chief priests wanted him to change the placard to read: “This man said, I am King of the Jews,” but Pilate refused. Throughout history Christians have been tempted to change the meaning of what they read in the Bible, but most refuse. God used Pilate to show how He wanted the truth about Jesus proclaimed to everyone, not just one nation or religion, for He inspired Pilate to write the truth in Hebrew (the official language of the Jews), in Latin (the official language of the Romans), and in Greek (the universal language at that time, which made it possible for people of all races to talk to one another). When Pilate used the three most widely known languages on the placard, God showed that He loved and wanted to help people of all languages, nations, and races by the death and resurrection of His Son. Many people saw the placard about Jesus, and when they returned to Jerusalem, they told others about Jesus—everyone is important to God.
Thinking Further
Everyone Is Important to God
Sunday, May 2, 2021
John 19:17-27
Name _________________________________
1. In 8 to 10 words, how might you improve on this truth that
Pilate put on the cross of Jesus: “Jesus of Nazareth, the King of
the Jews”?
2. What does it mean to you today when you think about
Pilate’s inscription written in Hebrew, in Latin, and in Greek?
3. What is one way John shows that the Bible is important and
Jesus’ coming the way He did is important?
4. Who stood near the cross of Jesus? What do you think their
presence meant to and did for Jesus?
5. As He hanged on the cross, in what ways did Jesus show His
love?
Word Search
Everyone Is Important to God
Sunday, May 2, 2021
John 19:17-27
Name _________________________________
I N O I T P I R C S N I A D S
S Q H W G B E F J K B R Y L S
K Y F C N L J W C M X D P G E
U S Z L I W I R Z P E S V J L
L Q A R K X U S C N B Q E H M
L C V E S C N H E D M R X V A
V I X W I L R L E S U S E J E
L R E F H N A X G B E D Z N S
D J I D E D I V I D R A G A U
L E Z C G A E S T O L E F Z W
D P J A H T O G L O G C W A D
R B M C L O P A S J N U V R G
X V X H A Q W G L A T I N E S
R B C W S V N Y I Q N L J T L
Y M A Y B R G R E E K P N H N
Skull
Golgotha
Crucified
Inscription
Nazareth
King
Jews
Hebrew
Latin
Greek
Divided
Seamless
Lots
Clopas
Magdalene
True and False Test
Everyone Is Important to God
Sunday, May 2, 2021
John 19:17-27
Name _________________________________
Circle the True or False answers. Correct the False statements by restating them.
1. Jesus carried His cross and walked toward Golgotha. True or False
2. People called The Place of the Skull by its Greek name Golgotha.
True or False
3. Pilate put a sign on the cross that read, “This man said, ‘I am King of the Jews.’” True or False
4. Those who saw Jesus crucified learned that He was from Nazareth.
True or False
5. Mary Magdalene told John how Jesus was crucified. True or False
6. The wife of Clopas saw Jesus crucified. True or False
7. Four soldiers crucified Jesus and four women who followed Jesus stood and watched them. True or False
8. Jesus’ mother and Jesus’ aunt saw Jesus crucified. True or False
9. The soldiers gambled for Jesus’ clothing, but did not tear His seamless tunic. True or False
10. Throughout the Gospel of John, he emphasized that Jesus fulfilled
Scripture. True or False
True and False Test Answers
- True
- False
- False
- True
- False
- True
- True
- True
- True
- True
Prayer
God, we thank You for revealing Your truth. Now we ask that Your truth be revealed in our words and actions. Help us not only to be people knowledgeable of Your Word, but also be people who make decisions that are consistent with Your Word. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.