John 19:3 Commentary - Dr Peter Masters

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John 19:3

Comments

See the audacity of unbelief as they dismiss the Son of God, the King of kings. You can also see the military pride involved here, the patriotism of the Roman soldiers. ‘Here we are in the capital city of the Jews and here is their vaunted king and healer, and we are going to show as Roman soldiers our authority and our superiority over him.’ You can see the tragedy of this situation in these verses as they say – ‘Hail, King of the Jews!’ with heavy scorn and sarcasm and punch him.So the common soldiery punch him and jeer him. And yet, who were these soldiers? When you think about it they were appallingly paid, they were miserably poor people, many of them press-ganged as it were in those days. They were grimly accommodated, they lived in the most awful conditions, they were treated by their officers and their superiors and by Caesar like dirt. They were just what in a later age came to be called cannon-fodder, and if they were injured and no use as soldiers they were just discarded into poverty. The lot of the ordinary Roman soldier was a terrible one, and yet in this moment of pride they say, ‘We are Roman soldiers. Let’s put this individual down and stamp our authority and superiority over him.’ They think they are the greatest and yet they are the most miserable people in many ways.

Application

It is the same today as unbelievers. We go jauntily through life. We scorn Christ, we reject him just as they did, even speak against him, maybe jeer or criticise him. And yet who are we? We are rather like they are. We are unbelievers in a fleeting life for which we pay dearly with only fleeting pleasures and joys and we sacrifice eternity for this life. We read the books of the modern atheists, and there are these terrible criticisms of the Bible and of faith but they are all so ignorant and so easily answered. But what do they have which is positive? A miserable life which means nothing, which is only for now, which has no purpose, no meaning, no eternal future. Like those Roman soldiers, they are people who are nothing at all and had nothing, imposing their superiority over Christ. Are you in that position? Do you turn away from the faith, sneer at high and holy things? Well, I did. But who are you and what have you got and what will this life do for you?

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John 19:3 Commentary and Bible Study