The Humiliation of Jesus (John 19:1-16)

Philip, a disciple of Jesus, went down the desert road from Jerusalem to Gaza. As he went, he saw an Ethiopian man sitting in his chariot and reading from a scroll. Philip recognized that the man was reading from the Prophet Isaiah and asked him, “Do you understand what you are reading?” The man replied, “How can I unless someone guides me?” He asked Philip to sit with him and he read: “He was led as a sheep to the slaughter; and like a lamb silent before its shearer, so He opened not His mouth. In His humiliation His justice was taken away. And who will declare His generation? For His life is taken away from the earth” (Acts 8:32-33; Is 53:7-8). The Ethiopian asked Philip, “Does the prophet say this of himself or of some other man?” This morning, we will consider the humiliation of Jesus and, like Philip, preach Jesus to weary sinners. 

Jesus’ Humiliation?

The Baptist Catechism of 1689 tells us that the Bible teaches that Jesus is “our Redeemer [who] executes the offices of a prophet, of a priest, and of king, both in his estate of humiliation and exaltation.” What is Jesus’ estate of humiliation? It goes on to say, “Christ’s humiliation consisted in His being born, and that in a low condition (Luke 2:7), made under the Law (Gal 4:4), undergoing the miseries of this life (Is 53:3), the wrath of God (Matt 27:46), and the curse death of the cross (Phil 2:8), in being buried, and continuing under the power of death for a time (Matt 12:40). 

Humiliation before Pilate

Jesus was humbled before Pilate, according to the will of God, because He has become a sin offering. Jesus is the “sheep that is led to the slaughter” (Is 53). Observe what Jesus endured before Pilate and the soldiers. Pilate may have been the ultimate authority on earth, but he is not in control of the situation. He believed Jesus was innocent of the charges against Him (18:38), but the angry mob continued to call for His death. Pilate wanted to release Him as per the Passover custom (18:39), but the mob will not relent. They asked for a notorious criminal to be released instead of Jesus. Pilate, being a shrewd man, had another idea to try to appease the crowd; He would have Jesus scourged (19:1) and mocked. Pilate then presented Jesus to the mob as their king “wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe.” Pilate then said, “Behold, I am bringing Him out to you, that you may know that I find no fault in Him…Behold the Man!” He is terrified of the wrath of the mob and the damage they could do to his reputation. He is also afraid of Jesus when he found out that Jesus said He is the Son of God. Pilate knows that if he mishandles this situation, he could lose his job and maybe even his life. 

In contrast to Pilate, we see Jesus faithfully accepting His role as the suffering servant as foretold in Isaiah 52-53 who is led as a sheep to the slaughter (e.g., the Lamb of God). In all this Jesus did not sin or shrink back. Jesus does not fight to gain His release, but has set His will to do the Father’s will and to humble Himself to death (Phil 2). Pilate thought he was in control, but Jesus made it clear to Pilate: “You could have no power at all against Me unless it had been given you from above” (19:11). Jesus is the suffering servant. Isaiah 52:14 says, “Just as many were astonished at you, So His visage was marred more than any man, and His form more than the sons of men.” Unlike Pilate who was fearful and cowardly, Jesus suffered and was faithful.

Humiliation before the Mob

Jesus was humbled before the angry mob, according to the will of God, because He is the Passover Lamb. Observe what Jesus endured before the angry mob. Pilate mockingly presented Jesus before them as the King of the Jews. He did so hoping that the crowd’s anger would be appeased and he could let Jesus go without crucifying Him. When the “chief priests and officers saw Him, they cried out, saying, ‘Crucify Him, crucify Him!” Pilate once again told them that he believes Jesus is innocent and not worthy of crucifixion, but the Jews answered him, “We have a law, and according to our law He ought to die, because He made Himself the Son of God.” The Jews thought they were honoring God and His law, but they were dishonoring the Son of God. Peter said in Acts 4:13-15, “The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the God of our fathers, glorified His Servant Jesus, whom you delivered up and denied in the presence of Pilate, when he was determined to let Him go. But you denied the Holy One and the Just, and asked for a murderer to be granted to you, and killed the Prince of life.” The mob cried out in anger, but it was also what God determined must take place. It was the high priest, Caiaphas, who prophesied, “it is expedient for us that one man should die for the people, and not that the whole nation should perish” (12:49-50). What the mob did not know is that Jesus actually stood before the mob as the “Man of sorrows despised and rejected by men and acquainted with grief” (Is 53:3). He is the “lamb silent before its shearer, so He opened not His mouth. In His humiliation His justice was taken away.” (Is 53).  

Humiliation for Us

Jesus was humbled for us, according to the will of God, because it is through His sufferings that we are sanctified (set apart as holy) (Heb 2:10). If Jesus is truly the Son of God, why did He suffer so much? The Bible tells us that God the Father “made [Jesus] for a little while lower than the angels” (Heb 2:7). In Philippians 2 Paul writes about Jesus coming to earth in humility and looking not to His own interests, but to ours. Jesus knew we needed a Savior and He willingly came to “seek and to save the lost” (Luke 19:10). All of these actions are voluntary. Jesus chose to come into this world to be like us. Jesus endured the suffering of death (Heb 2:9). He was made perfect through suffering (Heb 2:10), He shares in flesh and blood along with other humans (Heb 2:14), He is made like His brothers in every respect (Heb 2:17). We are also told in Hebrews 2:18 that He suffered when tempted. Jesus endured this humiliation for us so that we could be sanctified for Himself.The humiliation of Jesus is good news for weary sinners because “He has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed Him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement of our peace was upon Him, and by His stripes we are healed” (Is 53:5). It was neither the nails nor the soldiers that kept Jesus on the cross, it was the love of God for the salvation of sinners. Jesus died so that we might be saved and once we are saved we can worship and serve Him forever. How then are we saved? You admit to God that you were a sinner and repent. You believe that Jesus is God’s own Son, and you confess your faith in Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord. Maybe today you are like the Ethiopian who is being drawn to Jesus for salvation? Maybe today you are like Philip who needs to share with others about Jesus? Paul wrote, “For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor, that you through His poverty might become rich” (2 Cor 8:9).