John Calvin Commentary John 19

Then Pilate therefore took Jesus. Pilate adheres to his original intention; but to the former disgrace he adds a second, hoping that, when Christ has been scourged, the Jews will be satisfied with this light punishment. When he strives so earnestly, and without any success, we should recognize in this the decree of Heaven, by which Christ was appointed to death.

Yet his innocence is frequently testified to by the judge, in order to assure us that he was free from all sin, and that he was substituted as a guilty person in place of others, and bore the punishment due to the sins of others. We see also in Pilate a remarkable example of a trembling conscience.

He acquits Christ with his mouth, and acknowledges that there is no guilt in him, and yet inflicts punishment on him, as if he were guilty. Thus, those who do not have enough courage to defend what is right with unshaken constancy must be driven back and forth, and led to adopt opposite and conflicting opinions.

We all condemn Pilate; and yet, it is shameful to relate that there are so many Pilates in the world, who scourge Christ, not only in his members, but also in his doctrine. There are many who, for the purpose of saving the lives of those who are persecuted for the sake of the Gospel, wickedly compel them to deny Christ. What is this, but to expose Christ to ridicule, so that he may lead a dishonorable life?

Others select and approve of certain parts of the Gospel, and yet tear the whole Gospel to pieces. They think that they have done very well, if they have corrected a few gross abuses.

It would be better that the doctrine should be buried for a time, than that it should be scourged in this manner, for it would spring up again in spite of the devil and of tyrants; but nothing is more difficult than to restore it to its purity after it has once been corrupted.

And the soldiers, platting a crown of thorns. This was unquestionably done by the authority of Pilate, in order to affix a mark of infamy on the Son of God for having made himself a king; and also to satisfy the rage of the Jews, as if he had been convinced that the accusations which they brought against Christ were well founded. Yet the wickedness and insolence of the soldiers is indulged more freely than had been ordered by the judge; as ungodly men eagerly seize on the opportunity of doing evil whenever it is offered to them. But we see here the amazing cruelty of the Jewish nation, whose minds are not moved to compassion by so piteous a spectacle; but all this is directed by God, in order to reconcile the world to Himself by the death of His Son.

Take you him. He did not wish to deliver Christ into their hands, or to abandon him to their fury; only he declares that he will not be their executioner. This is evident from the reason immediately added, when he says that he finds no guilt in him; as if he had said, that he will never be persuaded to shed innocent blood for their gratification. That it is only the priests and officers who demand that he shall be crucified, is evident from the circumstance that the madness of the people was not so great, except insofar as those bellows contributed afterwards to kindle it.

We have a law. They mean that, in proceeding against Christ, they do what is right, and are not motivated by hatred or sinful passion, for they perceived that Pilate had indirectly rebuked them. Now, they speak as in the presence of a man who was ignorant of the law; as if they had said, “We are permitted to live according to our own manner, and our religion does not permit any man to boast of being the Son of God.” Besides, this accusation was not altogether lacking plausibility, but they erred greatly in its application.

The general doctrine was undoubtedly true: it was not lawful for men to assume any honor that is due to God, and those who claimed for themselves what is unique to God alone deserved to be put to death. But the source of their error related to the person of Christ, because they did not consider what titles are given by Scripture to the Messiah, from which they could easily have learned that he was the Son of God, and did not even trouble themselves to inquire whether or not Jesus was the Messiah whom God had previously promised.

We see, then, how they drew a false conclusion from a true principle, for their reasoning is flawed. This example warns us to distinguish carefully between a general doctrine and its application. There are many ignorant and unstable persons who reject the very principles of Scripture if they have once been deceived by the appearance of truth; and such license spreads too rapidly in the world every day. Let us, therefore, remember that we ought to guard against deception, so that true principles may retain all their force, and that the authority of Scripture may not be diminished.

On the other hand, we can easily find a reply to wicked men who falsely and improperly cite the testimony of Scripture, and the principles they draw from it, to support their bad designs. This is just as the Papists, when they highly praise the authority of the Church, bring forward points on which all God's children agree.

They maintain that the Church is the mother of believers, that she is the pillar of truth, that she ought to be heard, and that she is guided by the Holy Spirit. All this we ought to admit; but when they wish to claim for themselves all the authority that is due to the Church, they wickedly, and with sacrilegious arrogance, seize what does not belong to them at all.

For we must inquire into the basis of their assumption that they deserve the title of 'The Church'; and here they completely fail. Similarly, when they exercise furious cruelty against all the godly, they do so on this pretext: that they have been appointed to defend the faith and peace of the Church. But when we examine the matter more closely, we plainly see that there is nothing they care less about than the defense of true doctrine, that they are least concerned about peace and harmony, and that they only fight to uphold their own tyranny. Those who are satisfied with general principles, and do not attend to the circumstances, imagine that the Papists are right in attacking us; but investigation of the matter quickly dispels that smoke by which they deceive the naive.

He was the more afraid. These words may be explained in two ways. The first is that Pilate dreaded that some blame would be attributed to him if a tumult arose because he had not condemned Christ. The second is that, after hearing the name of the Son of God, his mind was moved by religion. This second view is confirmed by what immediately follows: