Commentaries and Other Bible Study Helps - Prayer Tents - Prayer Tents

18:1 The Kidron Valley is mentioned frequently in the Septuagint (though in the Gospels only in John; see 2 Sam. 15:23; 1 Kings 2:37; 15:13; 2 Kings 23:4, 6, 12). The Greek text indicates a wadi (sporadic brook) named Kidron, which occasionally runs during the rainy season in the Kidron Valley east of Jerusalem between the city and the Mount of Olives. The garden is likely to be identified with the orchard of "Gethsemane" on the Mount of Olives (see note on Matt. 26:36), which is how it is identified in the Synoptics (Matt. 26:36; Mark 14:32). The verse mentions that Jesus and his disciples entered, which may suggest Gethsemane was a walled garden.

18:3 The band of soldiers was dispatched to prevent a riot during the festival. The officers from the chief priests and the Pharisees (i.e., the temple police) were the primary arresting officers (cf. notes on 7:32; 7:45-46). Lanterns and torches were needed to track down a suspect thought to be hiding in the dark corners of the garden, and weapons were needed to overcome any armed resistance.

18:4 Jesus, confident of God's sovereign control, hands himself over to his captors. See also vv. 7-8.

18:5 Jesus' self-identification, "I am he," has connotations of deity (see notes on 6:20; 6:35; 8:24; 8:58). This is suggested by the soldiers' reaction in the following verse.

18:6 Falling to the ground is a common reaction to divine revelation (Ezek. 1:28; 44:4; Dan. 2:46; 8:18; 10:9; Acts 9:4; 22:7; 26:14; Rev. 1:17; 19:10; 22:8).

18:8-9 Jesus' statement summarizes 17:12, which in turn refers back to 6:39 and 10:28. Jesus is portrayed as the "good shepherd" who voluntarily chooses death to save the life of his "sheep" (cf. 10:11, 15, 17-18, 28). Their physical preservation symbolizes their spiritual preservation.

18:10 Peter's sword was likely the Roman short sword (gladius) that could be hidden under a person's garment (cf. Luke 22:38). ear. The short sword was for stabbing, not slicing, thus Peter probably intended to kill the soldier with a lethal blow to the head, but the servant was able to evade the sword, suffering only the loss of his ear. Luke adds that Jesus immediately healed the ear (Luke 22:51). Malchus. The name of this slave is recorded only in John's Gospel (cf. Luke 22:50-51 par.). However, the name Malchus is known in Josephus (from an earlier period) and in Nabatean and Palmyrene inscriptions. These occurrences make it likely that it was an Arab name.

18:11 Drink the cup serves as a metaphor for death and symbolizes God's wrath (see Ps. 75:8; Isa. 51:17, 22; Jer. 25:15-17, 28-29; 49:12; also Rev. 14:10; 16:19). Note that the cup given to Jesus is from the Father, and hence Jesus is prepared to drink it. In addition to the physical suffering of the cross, Jesus suffered the agony of bearing God's wrath, which was poured out on him as a substitute sacrifice and in payment for sins (see also notes on Rom. 3:25; 1 John 2:2; cf. Heb. 2:17; 1 John 4:10).

18:13 Under the Roman procurators three wealthy priestly families largely controlled the extremely important position of high priest. Annas (also known as "Ananus") was the patriarch of one of these powerful families of high priests (cf. Acts 4:6). He served as high priest during a.d. 6-15, and the high priesthood was subsequently held by five of his sons, including his son-in-law Caiaphas (see note on John 18:24). Annas's past stature merited his continued designation as "high priest" (Acts 4:6), and even after his deposition he retained significant control over his family's exercise of this position (so that Luke 3:2 can speak of "the high priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas"). Josephus mentions a monument of Annas (Jewish War 5.506), which has been plausibly identified with a highly decorated tomb found near the Kidron Valley.

18:14 Caiaphas. See 11:49-52.

18:15-16 The court (Gk. aulē) was an enclosed space open to the sky (i.e., a "courtyard"). The other disciple is probably none other than John himself, "the disciple whom Jesus loved" (cf. 20:2; 21:24; see also 13:23).

18:19 The high priest is Annas (see note on v. 13). Questioning Jesus about his disciples and his teaching suggests that the primary concern is theological, though political charges are later lodged as well (cf. 19:7, 12).

18:20 nothing in secret. Jesus' reply echoes God's words in the book of Isaiah (e.g., Isa. 45:19; 48:16). Jesus' point is not that he never spoke in private with his disciples but that his message was the same in private as in public; he was not guilty of a sinister conspiracy. John records instances of Jesus' teaching both in synagogues (cf. John 6:59) and in the temple area (Gk. hieron; cf. 2:14-21; 7:14, 28; 8:20; 10:23; see also note on 2:14).

18:22 One of the officers standing by was probably one of those who took part in Jesus' arrest (cf. vv. 3, 12). The striking was likely a sharp blow with the flat of the man's hand (cf. Isa. 50:6 in the Septuagint; Matt. 26:67; Acts 23:1-5). The rebuke may echo Ex. 22:28 (quoted by Paul in Acts 23:5; see also note on John 18:23).

18:23 When challenged regarding his response to the high priest, Jesus alludes to the law of Ex. 22:28 and denies having violated it. Truthful self-defense is not sinful but righteous.

18:24 Before Jesus can be brought to the Roman governor, charges must be confirmed by the official high priest, Caiaphas, who presided over the Sanhedrin (see note on 3:1). Caiaphas managed to retain control of the high priesthood for nearly 18 years (c. a.d. 18-36)--longer than anyone else in the first century (cf. Josephus, Jewish Antiquities 18.35, 95). He was certainly the high priest during Jesus' ministry, although he also consulted frequently with his father-in-law Annas (John 18:13; cf. Luke 3:2). Josephus's depiction of a high priestly house in the "upper city" of Jerusalem (Jewish War 2.426) has suggested to some scholars the possibility of identifying Caiaphas's house with some residence amid the wealthy Roman-era houses excavated atop Mount Zion. Others contend for the traditional site of Caiaphas's house beneath Saint Peter of the Cockcrow Church toward the base of Mount Zion. An archaeological find in 1990 raised the possibility that an elaborately decorated ossuary (a box for reburying the bones of the dead), which has the name "Joseph Caiaphas" crudely etched into its side, once contained Caiaphas's bones. This ossuary was found in a relatively modest tomb complex south of Jerusalem.

18:26 the man whose ear Peter had cut off. Cf. v. 10 and note.

18:27 rooster crowed. Cf. 13:38.

18:28 governor's headquarters. The location of this praetorium (the residence of a Roman governor) has long been identified with the Antonia Fortress on the northwest corner of the Temple Mount; this large fortress allowed immediate access to the temple in order to suppress any disturbance. Only portions of the walls of the original Antonia Fortress remain. However, many argue that the Palace of Herod (once the Jerusalem home of Herod the Great, but later in Roman hands--see Philo, Embassy to Gaius 299) was more lavish and afforded better accommodations for the Roman governor. It was used later by the governor Florus (Josephus, Jewish War 2.301). This palace fortress (today called the Citadel), which was located at the prominent Jaffa Gate at the western entrance to the old city, has since Jesus' day been through many rounds of destruction and rebuilding (beginning with the capture of Jerusalem in a.d. 70 and continuing until after the Crusader period [11th-13th centuries]). However, some original Herodian portions of the palace do still exist. Early morning probably means shortly after sunrise, when the Sanhedrin met in formal session and pronounced its verdict on Jesus (Matt. 27:1-2 par.). not be defiled. Jews could go inside a Gentile courtyard open to the sky (see John 18:15), but they could not go into a Gentile building or home with a roof on it without becoming ceremonially unclean. The reference to Passover may be to the entire Feast of Unleavened Bread, which lasted seven days (cf. Luke 22:1: "the Feast of Unleavened Bread . . . called the Passover"), and so "eat the Passover" probably means "continue to celebrate the ongoing feast" (cf. 2 Chron. 30:21). See also note on John 18:39. The other Gospels state that Jesus had already eaten the Passover Feast with his disciples (Matt. 26:17-29; Luke 22:1-23; see also John 13:1), but the current verse seems to refer to the Jewish leaders' desire to continue in the ongoing celebrations.

18:29 Pilate was appointed by the emperor Tiberius and served as governor of Judea a.d. 26-36 (see note on Luke 23:1). The famous "Pilate inscription," found in Caesarea in 1961, identifies Pilate as "prefect" (a senior Roman governmental official) of Judea. Pilate went outside, respecting the religious sensitivities of the Jews (see John 18:28). This sets up a dramatic sequence in which Pilate goes outside to face the Jews and the crowds (v. 29), then goes inside to speak to Jesus (v. 33), then goes outside to the Jews again (v. 38), then goes back inside to Jesus (19:1), then goes outside again to the Jews and the crowds, bringing Jesus with him (19:4-5), then goes back inside with Jesus to speak to him privately (19:9-11), then comes back outside once again with Jesus (19:13), then finally yields to the Jews and gives Jesus to them to be crucified (19:16). Therefore many of Jesus' statements about himself in this section are uttered "backstage," out of the hearing of his Jewish opponents.

18:31 Like Gallio after him (Acts 18:14-15), Pilate is not interested in judging internal Jewish disputes. It is not lawful for us to put anyone to death. Prior to Jesus' execution (i.e., 40 years before the destruction of the temple), the Romans reportedly revoked the Sanhedrin's right to impose capital punishment (see Babylonian Talmud, Sanhedrin 1.1; 7.2; Palestinian Talmud, Sanhedrin 41a). Known exceptions to this judicial restraint on the Sanhedrin are explicable either as unofficial mob actions (cf. Stephen in Acts 7 and also previous attempts to stone Jesus) or as official Jewish actions when Roman oversight was weak (Josephus, Jewish Antiquities 20.200ff.). Aside from these events, the one other execution in Palestine reported in the NT was based on regal authority rather than on the authority of the Sanhedrin (Acts 12:1-2). The Sanhedrin clearly desired that Jesus' execution be done officially in keeping with Roman law. Therefore the Jewish leaders had to get approval from Pilate. But this presented a problem for them, since Pilate would not be interested in condemning someone for a religious crime such as blasphemy or claiming to be God (see Matt. 26:64; Luke 22:69-71; John 8:58-59; 10:33; 19:7). This meant they needed to bring a political charge against Jesus, so they essentially accused him of treason by saying that he claimed to be king in opposition to Caesar (see 18:33, 37; 19:3, 12, 15, 19).

18:32 By what kind of death he was going to die is reminiscent of the wording in 12:33 (regarding the death of Jesus) and is later echoed in 21:19 (regarding the death of Peter). Crucifixion was looked upon with horror by the Jews. It was considered the same as hanging (Acts 5:30; 10:39), for which Mosaic law enunciated the principle, "A hanged man is cursed by God" (Deut. 21:23; cf. Gal. 3:13). If Jesus had been put to death by the Sanhedrin, he would have been stoned, the OT sanction for blasphemy (Lev. 24:16; cf. John 10:33; Acts 7:57-58).

18:33 Regarding the headquarters, see note on v. 28. King of the Jews has clear political overtones. Pilate's question aims to determine whether Jesus constitutes a threat to Rome's imperial power.

18:36 Jesus' description of the nature of his kingdom echoes similar passages in Daniel (e.g., Dan. 2:44; 7:14, 27). See also John 6:15.

18:37 On the truth, see note on 14:6.

18:38 What is truth? Ironically, the one charged with determining the truth in the matter glibly dismisses the relevance of truth in the very presence of the one who is truth incarnate (see note on 14:6). Pilate apparently decides that Jesus is a teacher of abstract philosophical questions to which no one can find an answer, and thus decides that Jesus poses no threat to the Roman government. He waits for no answer from the only one who could give him the answer. he went back outside. See note on 18:29. I find no guilt in him. Pilate's exoneration of Jesus, repeated three times (cf. 19:4, 6; cf. Luke 23:4), sharply contrasts with the death sentence later pronounced on Jesus due to extensive Jewish pressure (cf. John 19:12-16) and is an example of John's skillful use of irony. See also note on 5:31-47.

18:39 As in v. 28 (see note), at the Passover refers to the entire festival.

18:40 Barabbas means "son of the father" (Gk. bar-abbas). Ironically, the people wanted Barabbas released rather than the true Son of the Father, Jesus. The word translated robber (Gk. lēstēs) sometimes means "insurrectionist," but the meaning "robber" is much more common in the NT (see 10:1, 8; also Matt. 21:13; 27:38; Luke 10:30; 2 Cor. 11:26). Each Gospel contributes something to the picture of Barabbas as a man who had committed multiple crimes, including robbery, insurrection, and murder (see Matt. 27:16; Mark 15:7; Luke 23:18-19).

19:1 After the Jewish phase of the trial and the interrogation by Pilate, Jesus' sentencing begins. On "Pilate," see note on 18:29. flogged him. Jesus was beaten both before being sentenced (19:1) and after being sentenced to death (e.g., Matt. 27:26; Mark 15:15). Some interpreters think this first beating is the same as the severe "scourging" that Jesus received in Matt. 27:26 and Mark 15:15. However, it seems unlikely that Pilate would have administered so violent and severe a punishment to someone who had not yet been condemned to death (see John 19:16) and whom Pilate was still trying to release (see vv. 4, 10, 12). It seems more likely, therefore, that this flogging was what the Romans called fustigatio, the lightest form of flogging administered for minor crimes. Thus John 19:1 and Luke 23:16 use the verbs mastigoō and paideuō (respectively) to refer to this lighter flogging, whereas Matt. 27:26 and Mark 15:15 use a different word, phragelloō ("scourged") to refer to the much more severe beating that Jesus received after Pilate pronounced the sentence of death (the Roman verberatio, which was the most horrible kind of beating, administered in connection with capital punishments, including crucifixion).

19:2 The crown of thorns represents a mock crown ridiculing Jesus' claim of being a king. The thorns would sink into the victim's skull, causing blood to gush out and distorting a person's face. The purple robe (cf. Matt. 27:28; Mark 15:17) similarly represents a mock royal robe. Purple is the imperial color (1 Macc. 8:14). The soldiers' actions are in stark, ironic contrast to the fact that Jesus truly is the King.

19:3 Hail, King of the Jews! mimics the "Ave Caesar!" ("Hail, Caesar!") extended to the Roman emperor.

19:4 went out. See note on 18:29.

19:5 Behold the man! (Latin Ecce homo!) probably conveys the sense, "Look at the poor fellow!" (In other words, "What possible threat could this man pose to the government or to anyone else?") In his mock regal garments, Jesus must have been a heartrending sight. But in the context of John's Gospel, the statement may also highlight Jesus' identity as one who is truly the perfect man, and in that case Pilate's words are recorded to show the irony of the situation. Traditionally the location of this event has been identified with the Ecce Homo Arch, which marks the traditional site for the Antonia Fortress on the Via Dolorosa in Jerusalem. However, most scholars believe the pavement in this locale to be later than the time of Jesus and the arch to be Hadrianic (i.e., 2nd century). See also note on v. 13.

19:6 Crucify him, crucify him. On crucifixion, see note on Matt. 27:35. Take him yourselves. Pilate uses sarcasm, being fully aware that the Jews do not have the authority to impose the death penalty (see note on John 18:31).

19:7 The Jews' comment recalls Lev. 24:16: "when he blasphemes the name, [he] shall surely be put to death." See also note on John 5:18, as well as 8:59; 10:31, 33.

19:8 Pilate was even more afraid. Cf. the reference to Pilate's wife's dream (Matt. 27:19).

19:9 his headquarters. See note on 18:28. Where are you from? Jesus' origins were frequently at issue in his dealings with his opponents (e.g., 7:27-28; 8:14; 9:29-30). For John, there are clear spiritual overtones to Pilate's question (cf. 18:36-37). Jesus' silence before Pilate is reminiscent of the depiction of the servant of the Lord in Isa. 53:7 (cf. Mark 14:61; 15:5; 1 Pet. 2:22-23).

19:11 In typical Jewish fashion, Jesus uses from above as a circumlocution for God (see note on 5:32). Jesus instructs Pilate that God rules over all, and that Pilate's authority is derived from God. He who delivered me over to you probably refers to Caiaphas, the high priest (see 18:24, 28). Greater sin implies that there are also lesser sins (cf. Lev. 4:2, 13; 5:17; Num. 15:30; Ezek. 8:6, 13; Matt. 5:19; 23:23).

19:12 Pilate remained unconvinced of Jesus' guilt and sentenced him to die only after intense Jewish pressure (vv. 13-16). Caesar's friend. "Friend" here is likely a technical term suggesting that Pilate, in his role as an imperial procurator, was not responding as a good "client" to his "patron" Caesar. "Caesar," originally the last name of Gaius Julius Caesar (d. 44 b.c.), became the title of subsequent Roman emperors (cf. v. 15; Matt. 22:17, 21).

19:13 The Greek for judgment seat here (bēma) implies a raised area used for official judgments (cf. Matt. 27:19); also, the name Gabbatha plausibly indicates a "raised place." The exact locations of the Stone Pavement and the judgment seat, however, are uncertain.

19:14 The day of Preparation of the Passover may refer to the day preceding the Sabbath of Passover week (cf. Matt. 27:62; Mark 15:42; Luke 23:54; see notes on John 18:28; 18:39). Thus all four canonical Gospels concur that Jesus' Last Supper was a Passover meal eaten on Thursday evening (by Jewish reckoning, the onset of Friday). About the sixth hour means about noon, but it is only an approximate statement since people did not keep precise time. Mark 15:25 has "the third hour" for the crucifixion, and various solutions have been proposed. The answer may simply be that the actual time was around 9:30-10:00 a.m. and John knew this, but his intention here was not to pinpoint the exact time but to note that it was nearing the time ("about" the middle of the day on "the day of Preparation") when the Passover lambs would begin to be sacrificed in Jerusalem, thus highlighting a direct connection with Jesus as "the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world" (John 1:29). Behold your King! Pilate's words again show the stark irony of the situation (cf. note on 19:5).

19:15 By professing to acknowledge Caesar alone as their king, the Jewish leaders betray their national heritage (in which God himself is their ultimate King; cf. Judg. 8:23; 1 Sam. 8:7) and deny their own messianic expectations based on the promises of Scripture. See also note on John 19:12.

19:16 Upon pronouncement of the sentence, the person was first scourged (see note on v. 1) and then executed.

19:17 Jesus set out carrying his own cross until he collapsed on the way, whereupon Simon of Cyrene was pressed into service (cf. Matt. 27:32 par.). He went out is in keeping with the Jewish requirement that executions take place outside the camp or city (Lev. 24:14, 23; Num. 15:35-36; Deut. 17:5; 21:19-21; 22:24; cf. Heb. 13:12). Place of a Skull translates the Aramaic Gulgulta; the Latin equivalent used in the Vulgate is "Calvary." See also note on Matt. 27:33.

19:18 On crucifixion, see notes on 18:32; Matt. 27:35. Jesus' crucifixion between two criminals is reminiscent of Ps. 22:16 ("a company of evildoers encircles me") and Isa. 53:12 ("numbered with the transgressors").

19:19 The purpose of the inscription was to indicate a person's specific crime, presumably to deter others from committing similar acts. the King of the Jews. Pilate's words again are true in a much more profound way than he or the Jewish people realized, which is another example of John's frequent use of double meaning and irony (see notes on 3:14; 4:10; 8:24; 11:50-51; cf. also 3:7-8).

19:20 the place . . . was near the city. See note on v. 17. Aramaic was the language most widely understood by the Jewish population of Palestine; Latin was the official language of the Roman occupying force; and Greek was the "international language" of the empire, understood by both Jews and Gentiles. The trilingual nature of the inscription thus ensured the widest possible awareness of the official reason why Jesus was being crucified.

19:23 Similar to several later events related to the crucifixion (see vv. 28-37), the soldiers' actions fulfilled Scripture (see note on v. 24; cf. note on 12:37-40).

19:24 John quotes Psalm 22 (the psalm most frequently quoted in the NT), in which the psalmist David provides numerous prophetic details of the execution scene that are fulfilled in Jesus' crucifixion nearly 1,000 years later. This is the first of several references to Jesus as the righteous sufferer in keeping with the experience of the psalmist (cf. John 19:28, 36, 37). By dividing Jesus' garments among them and by casting lots for his tunic, the Roman soldiers unwittingly fulfilled Scripture, continuing John's theme of Jesus' enemies unknowingly participating in God's plan of redemption. The soldiers' reasoning was that they did not want to tear Jesus' tunic, which was formed out of one piece of cloth (vv. 23-24). John's account of Jesus' crucifixion reflects several details of Ps. 22:15-18, which mentions the sufferer's thirst (v. 15), his "pierced . . . hands and feet" (v. 16), and his bones (v. 17). (Cf. Matt. 27:35-43.) This cluster of references strikes a strong note of prophetic fulfillment.

19:25 On Jesus' mother, see vv. 26-27 and 2:1-5. His mother's sister may be Salome, the mother of the sons of Zebedee mentioned in Matthew and Mark. On Mary the wife of Clopas, cf. Luke 24:18. Regarding Mary Magdalene, see John 20:1-18 (cf. Luke 8:2-3).

19:26-27 In keeping with biblical injunctions to honor one's parents (Ex. 20:12; Deut. 5:16), Jesus made provision for his mother, who was almost certainly widowed and probably in her late 40s or early 50s, with little or no personal income. On the address Woman, see note on John 2:4.

19:28-29 The reference to Scripture being fulfilled builds on v. 24 (see note there), most likely in allusion to Ps. 69:21: "for my thirst they gave me sour wine to drink" (cf. Matt. 27:34, 48; see also Ps. 22:15). The sour wine (Mark 15:36) Jesus is offered here was used by soldiers to quench their thirst and is different from the "wine mixed with myrrh," a sedative that Jesus was offered (and refused) on the way to the cross (Mark 15:23). Hyssop was a plant classified in 1 Kings 4:33 as a simple shrub that could grow from the crack of a wall. It was used for the sprinkling of blood on the doorposts at the original Passover (Ex. 12:22).

19:30 Jesus received the sour wine, probably to moisten his parched throat in order to be able to proclaim a loud cry of triumph at the end of his suffering. It is finished proclaims that all the work the Father had sent him to accomplish (cf. 4:34; 9:4) was now completed, particularly his work of bearing the penalty for sins. This means there was no more penalty left to be paid for sins, for all Jesus' suffering was "finished" (see Heb. 1:3; 9:11-12, 25-28). The term gave up, which emphasizes the voluntary nature of Jesus' self-sacrifice (see notes on John 2:19; 10:17), echoes the description of the death of the suffering servant in Isa. 53:12. His spirit does not mean the Holy Spirit but Jesus' own human spirit, which he voluntarily released from his body that it might return to the presence of God the Father (see Luke 23:43, 46). His spirit would remain in heaven with the Father until it returned to his body at his resurrection "on the first day of the week" (John 20:1).

19:31 On the day of Preparation, see note on v. 14. That Sabbath was a high day (i.e., a special Sabbath) because it was the Sabbath of Passover week. The Jews' request was based on Deut. 21:22-23 (cf. Josh. 8:29), according to which bodies of hanged criminals were not to defile the land by remaining on a tree overnight. legs might be broken. The Romans typically left decaying bodies on crosses long after death (see note on crucifixion on Matt. 27:35). However, on certain ceremonial occasions (such as the emperor's birthday, see Philo, Against Flaccus 83), they could take the bodies down early, and breaking the legs would facilitate a quick death by preventing a person from prolonging his life by pushing himself up with his legs to be able to breathe. Arm strength soon failed, and asphyxiation ensued. The excavated bones of a crucified man from Givat ha-Mivtar (discovered near Jerusalem in 1968), whose legs had been broken, provide confirmation of this practice.

19:34 The flow of blood and water indicates that Jesus truly died as a fully human being with a genuine human body (cf. 1 John 5:6-8). The spear (Latin hasta) was about 6 feet (1.8 m) in length and was made up of an iron point or spearhead joined to a shaft of light wood, such as ash. See also note on John 19:36.

19:35 See notes on 5:31-47; 13:23; 21:24.

19:36 Not one of his bones will be broken. After vv. 24, 28 (see notes), this is now the third scriptural proof cited by John to indicate that Jesus' death fulfills Scripture (Ps. 34:20; also Ex. 12:46, reiterated in Num. 9:12). Jesus escaped the breaking of his legs, and the spear piercing his body likewise failed to break any bones.

19:37 The second of two texts fulfilled by the Roman soldiers' actions in v. 34 is Zech. 12:10: They will look on him whom they have pierced (also cited in Rev. 1:7).

19:38 Joseph of Arimathea, a wealthy member of the Jewish ruling council (Matt. 27:57), asks Pilate for Jesus' body, fulfilling another Scripture: "they made his grave with the wicked and with a rich man in his death" (Isa. 53:9). On Arimathea, see note on Luke 23:50-51.

19:41 Regarding the place where Jesus was crucified, see notes on vv. 17, 20. Garden points to an elaborate structure (cf. note on 18:1); a gardener is mentioned in 20:15. tomb. See note on Mark 15:46.

19:42 Regarding the Jewish day of Preparation, see note on v. 14. The Sabbath was rapidly approaching, when all work must cease, including that of carrying spices or transporting a corpse. The use of a rich man's tomb (cf. Matt. 27:57) fulfills Isa. 53:9.