1 THEN Pilate therefore took Jesus, and scourged [ Forty lashings or sometimes 40 minus 1. Remember that 40 represents "as long as it takes to complete the job at hand". 40 daya and 40 nights of the flood, 40 days in the wilderness for Christ, 40 years in the wilderness for the children of Israel. ] him.

2 And the soldiers platted a crown of thorns, and put it on his head, and they put on him a purple robe, [ Purple is known as a ‘royal' color because it was the hardest dye to extract. It came from sea snails, so only royalty could afford it. ]

3 And said, Hail, King of the Jews! and they smote him with their hands. [ These would have been elements of an coronation ceremony. The crown and the purple robe would have been parts of the substitute sacrifice. ]

4 Pilate therefore went forth again, and saith unto them, Behold, I bring him forth to you, that ye may know that I find no fault in him.

5 Then came Jesus forth, wearing the crown of thorns, and the purple robe. And Pilate saith unto them, Behold the man! [ This phrase means, “Behold the King!” When he used that phrase, the Jewish people understood he was referring to their King. The phrase “Behold the Man” was the Roman shout of acclamation if Caesar or the Emperor were to come within their midst. ]

6 When the chief priests therefore and officers saw him, they cried out, saying, Crucify him, crucify him. [ Crucifixion was used by the Romans as a source or deterrent for those who were either threat to the community or a threat to the culture itself. ] Pilate saith unto them, Take ye him, [ Or you will have to do it as I cannot still finad any fault with him. You will have to be the ones to take him away. ] and crucify him: for I find no fault in him.

7 The Jews answered him, We have a law, and by our law he ought to die, because he made himself the son of God. [ This is the first claim that the Jews have against Christ. SP they are accusing him of blasphemy. ]

8 ¶ When Pilate therefore heard that saying, he was the more afraid; [ Pilate became concerned. ]

9 And went again into the judgment hall, and saith unto Jesus, Whence art thou? [ Pilate asked Jesus who are you really? I would like to know. ] But Jesus gave him no answer.

10 Then saith Pilate unto him, Speakest thou not unto me? knowest thou not that I have power to crucify thee, and have power to release thee? [ Or why will you not answer me - don't you know that I have the power to crucify you as well I have the power to save your life. ]

11 Jesus answered, Thou couldest have no power at all against me, except it were given thee from above: [ Or you are in your position because of the purpose of God. God is teaching a little bit about government - Pauls brings this idea forward as well in Romans 13:1. ] therefore he that delivered me unto thee hath the greater sin. [ Christ tells Pilate that the greater sin is with those that are making you do this, there is really nothing that you can do here. ]

12 And from thenceforth [ From that time forward. ] Pilate sought to release him: but the Jews cried out, saying, If thou let this man go, thou art not Caesar’s friend: [ So this is the second argument that the Jews bring forward, Saying that well this man claims to be a King of the Jews and we can only have one King that is Caesar, so if you do nothing you are not being fair to Caesar. They are manipulating Pilate to get him to do what they want. They have put him in a corner that if he does not get rid of Jesus they will let Caesar know and Caesar will remove Pilate from his position so to speak. ] whosoever maketh himself a king speaketh against Caesar.

13 ¶ When Pilate therefore heard that saying, [ That Jesus had claimed to be the king of the Jews. ] he brought Jesus forth, and sat down in the judgment seat [ The place where the sentencing takes place. ] in a place that is called the Pavement, but in the Hebrew, Gabbatha.

14 And it was the preparation of the passover, and about the sixth hour: and he saith [ Pilate said. ] unto the Jews, Behold your King! [ Here's your King. ]

15 But they cried out, Away with him, away with him, crucify him. Pilate saith unto them, Shall I crucify your King? The chief priests answered, [ The High Priest. So they are Priests so what tribe would they have been from? They would have been Levites not from the tribe of Judah. So we really have the sacrifice here being brought forward by the high priests of the Levites. See 2 Ne 10:5. ] We have no king but Caesar. [ Again this is the voice of the priests not necessarily all of the Jews just the priests. So while Jesus is being crucified, the priests are sacrificing a pascal lamb at the temple as this is passover, at the very same time. So at passover it is the responsibility for the priests to choose a lamb without blemish, they have to lead the lamb to the sacrifice, they have to be the one who puts the lamb on the altar, they have to spread the blood around. These are the priests that are delivering Jesus up. This all stems back to when Christ raised Lazurius from the dead. The priests began to discuss that what will we do because this man is going to catch on and increase his following if we do not do something to have him taken out. So they realize that passover the time of coronation is coming up and that will be a good time to have him taken out and we can get the Romans to do it for us. At the very same time Caesar was to be coronated in Rome, Jesus was made a substitute sacrifice for Caesar. Jesus' own priesthood leaders conspired to have Him put to death as a substitute sacrifice. Christ, in Jerusalem, was fulfilling the prophecies which Caesar's coronation represented. There were further elements that indicated the fulfillment of prophecy: The substitute must be a stranger in town (Christ was from Galilee); the stranger must have blonde or auburn hair and blue eyes. These were the same things that characterized Abraham when he was to be the substitute sacrifice for Nimrod at Nimrod's coronation. This is what was happening when Abraham and Sarah entered Egypt at the time of Pharaoh's coronation. It was only in the Roman Empire that the soldiers of the king could play the game of kings and cast lots for the substitute's clothes (John 19:24; Ps 22:18). ]

16 Then delivered he him therefore unto them [ The Roman soliders who were the professionals at crucifixion. ] to be crucified. And they took Jesus, and led him away.

17 And he bearing his cross went forth into a place called the place of a skull, [ It was along the side of the road that lead into town. Crucifixions were done there so that all that passed could see. Each one would have a sign above them with their crime so that others would see what happens to you if you exhibit that type of behavior, their crime. They were usually at the top of a stone quarry,. part of this comes from the traditions of stoning, I guess they wanted to make sure that they had enough rocks to get the job done. So in line with that tradition they would usually crucify people at or near the rock quarry. Golgotha was such a place. ] which is called in the Hebrew Golgotha:

18  Where they crucified him, [ The cross was the form of his death. ] and two other with him, on either side one, and Jesus in the midst.

19 ¶ And Pilate wrote a title, and put it on the cross. And the writing was, JESUS OF NAZARETH THE KING OF THE JEWS. [ This was the the reason why he was crucified, this was the inscription over his head. Those who were crucified had a inscription over their head suggesting their crime as a way to get people to stay in line, to not do the same things. ]

20 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.

21 Then said the chief priests of the Jews to Pilate, Write not, The King of the Jews; but that he said, I am King of the Jews. [ “The title so exhibited read: "This is Jesus the King of the Jews"; or in the more extended version rendered here "Jesus of Nazareth the King of the Jews." The inscription was read by many, for Calvary was close to the public thoroughfare and on this holiday occasion the passers-by were doubtless numerous. Comment was aroused; for, if literally construed, the inscription was an official declaration that the crucified Jesus was in fact King of the Jews. When this circumstance was brought to the attention of the chief priests, they excitedly appealed to the governor, saying: "Write not, The King of the Jews; but that he said, I am King of the Jews. Pilate answered, What I have written I have written." Pilate's action in so wording the title, and his blunt refusal to permit an alteration, may have been an intended rebuff to the Jewish officials who had forced him against his judgment and will to condemn Jesus; possibly, however, the demeanor of the submissive Prisoner, and His avowal of Kingship above all royalty of earth had impressed the mind if not the heart of the pagan governor with a conviction of Christ's unique superiority[… ]” Excerpt From: James E. Talmage. “Jesus the Christ / A Study of the Messiah and His Mission According to Holy / Scriptures Both Ancient and Modern.". ]

22 Pilate answered, What I have written I have written. [ Pilate tells the Priests I am not changing it to pacify you. ]

23 ¶ Then the soldiers, when they had crucified Jesus, took his garments, and made four parts, to every soldier a part; and also his coat: now the coat was without seam, woven from the top throughout.

24 They said therefore among themselves, Let us not rend it, but cast lots for it, whose it shall be: that the scripture might be fulfilled, which saith, They parted my raiment among them, and for my vesture they did cast lots. These things therefore the soldiers did.

25 ¶ Now there stood by the cross of Jesus his mother, and his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Cleophas, and Mary Magdalene.

26  When Jesus therefore saw his mother, [ Remember that Jesus is the firstborn of Mary, as a result he is responsible for the care of his mother, as well as his brothers and sisters after the death of their father. ] and the disciple standing by, whom he loved, he saith unto his mother, Woman, behold thy son! [ This would imply that Joseph was dead as Christ is showing his responsibility to his mother, because notice what Jesus says next. He speaks to John and asked John to take care of her from that time forward. ]

27 Then saith he to the disciple, [ John. ] Behold thy mother! And from that hour that disciple took her unto his own home. [ So John takes the stewardship over for the mother of Jesus from that time forward. So one interesting thing here is that we know from modern day scripture that John was not going to die, Jesus knew that so in putting John in charge he knew that his mother would always be taken care of. Tradition is that Mary lived and later dies in the house of Mary located in Ephesus, Turkey. ]

28 ¶ After this, [ Seeing his mother, and saying his last words to her as a mortal, I believe that he then turned his attention to his Father looking for the acknowledgment that he had completed the work of the atonement. ] Jesus knowing that all things were now accomplished, [ He received the acknowledgement from the Father that the sacrifice was enough, he had endured beyond the bands of the physical realm, and over come all. See also Matt 27:46 ] that the scripture might be fulfilled, saith, I thirst. [ Any correalation between the fact that he is the living water and he offers the words I thirst? " John affirms that Christ uttered the exclamation, "I thirst," only when He knew "that all things were now accomplished"; and the apostle saw in the incident a fulfilment of prophecy. Fully realizing that He was no longer forsaken, but that His atoning sacrifice had been accepted by the Father, and that His mission in the flesh had been carried to glorious consummation ” Excerpt From: James E. Talmage. “Jesus the Christ / A Study of the Messiah and His Mission According to Holy / Scriptures Both Ancient and Modern"Could the I thirst also been a way of saying " I long to be with thee", a plee to his Father in Heaven? He had done as he had been asked, he had completed the painful part of his mission, It was done now he wanted to go home. ]

29 Now there was set a vessel full of vinegar: and they filled a spunge with vinegar, and put it upon hyssop, [ Maybe this is meant to be symbolic as hyssop because hyssop comes from small bushy plants with very flexible branches. They would not have the strength to carry the weight of a sponge. So he most likely did not mean a literal hyssop branch. However if we recall the hyssop branch would have been obvious to someone in the time of Christ. That is that Hyssop was used in many purification rituals, but most importantly for smearing the blood of the passover lamb on the doodr posts. So here John is symbolizing that Jesus was the literal passover lamb, even to the point that he emphasis that Jesus died on the cross at 3 PM. which is the same time that lambs were sacrificed at the temple. So most likely John was trying to emphasis passover symbolism. ] and put it to his mouth.

30 When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, he said, It[ The atonement. ] is finished: [ Or I have done everything that was required of me to do. See D&C !9:2-3. See John 18:11 which is a follow up what Christ said when he was about 12 years old at the temple - that he was here about gis Father's business.. He at this point that his atoning sacrifice had been accepted by the Father. see verse 28. “Sweet and welcome as would have been the relief of death in any of the earlier stages of His suffering from Gethsemane to the cross, He lived until all things were accomplished as had been appointed.” (Talmage, Jesus the Christ, p. 662.)] and he bowed his head, and gave up the ghost. [ The actual death of Jesus appeared to all who were present to be a miracle, as in fact it was. This marvel, coupled with the earthquake and its attendant horrors, so impressed the centurion that he prayed to God and solemnly declared: "Certainly this was a righteous man. Luke 23 Physical and spiritual death come as a result of sin. So if a person commits no sin Like Christ then death has no power over him. ]

31 The Jews therefore, because it was the preparation, that the bodies should not remain upon the cross on the sabbath day, (for that sabbath day was an high day,) [ It was passover sabbath - or High Sabbath. It occurs after Passover each year, so right after Passover was the High Sabbath by default. After Christ died Wed evening. They hurried to get the body of Jesus in the sepulcher. From Wed night to Thursday night was the High Sabbath which was always the evening after Passover(Nissan 14). After 6 pm it was dark again. The next day Friday morning the women would go to market and purchase more spices. They had to stop everything by 6pm as now the Saturday Sabbath had arrived. The first chance Mary had of dressing the body was Sunday Morning. Imagine her surprise when she saw the stone rolled away and that is when Mary Magdalene met Jesus that morning. Good Friday came about because people always thought the Sabbath meant the Saturday Sabbath, However; the Jews have something called the High Sabbath which is specifically called out in this verse. ] besought Pilate that their legs might be broken, and that they might be taken away.

32 Then came the soldiers, and brake the legs of the first, [ When a person is crucified they are really suffocated to death, they can push up off their feet to get a breath. It might be very painful to push into the nails in your feet but they would continue to do that until all strength was gone. However, toward the end to finish things off so that they could not push off with their feet they would break the legs of the person on the cross, now they could no longer push up to get a breath. ] and of the other which was crucified with him.

33 But when they came to Jesus, and saw that he was dead already, they brake not his legs: [ This remember is one of the requirements of a pascal lamb, that no bones could be broken. The animal could be divided at the joints or between the joints. Thus fulfilling the prophecy that there would be no broken bones in the Sacrifice of Christ. ]

34 But one of the soldiers with a spear pierced his side, and forthwith came there out blood and water.

35 And he that saw it bare record, and his record is true: and he knoweth that he saith true, that ye might believe. [ So John is saying why he wrote this record, he saw it and he knows that it is true. ]

36 For these things were done, that the scripture should be fulfilled, A bone of him shall not be broken. [ Symbolic of the pascal lamb as part of the passover. The pascal lamb cannot have any bones broken in its preparation. ]

37 And again another scripture saith, They shall look on him whom they pierced.

38 ¶ And after this Joseph of Arimathaea, [ He is fairly wealthy as he owns a tomb and is willing to put Christ in it. Most likely part of the Sandedrin. He owns the garden area around the tomb as well. ] being a disciple of Jesus, but secretly for fear of the Jews, besought Pilate that he might take away the body of Jesus: and Pilate gave him leave. He came therefore, and took the body of Jesus.

39 And there came also Nicodemus, [ Part of the Sandedrin. Influencial and powerful person.] which at the first came to Jesus by night, and brought a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about an hundred pound weight.

40 Then took they the body of Jesus, and wound it in linen clothes with the spices, as the manner of the Jews is to bury.

41 Now in the place where he was crucified there was a garden; and in the garden a new sepulchre, wherein was never man yet laid.

42 There laid they Jesus therefore because of the Jews’ preparation day; for the sepulchre was nigh at hand.