One turn of phrase that stood out to me and I think John is emphasizing because of its importance in demonstrating his message about Jesus is in Chapter 19, verse 30. It says, “After Jesus had taken the wine he said, ‘It is fulfilled’; and bowing his head he gave up his spirit.” I found this verse to be a major emphasis of John’s telling, because it underlined Jesus’s sacrifice for humanity.
Instead of just saying that Jesus died on the cross, John makes sure to note that “he gave up his spirit.” By saying this, it is understood that Jesus’s passion, death, and resurrection was a sacrifice for his people and that it was something that was voluntary. With this emphasis, we can better understand Jesus as the sacrificial lamb and come to a deeper relationship with Jesus who was willing to die for us.
One character in particular that I think John uses to advance his message is Pilate. Although Pilate ultimately caves to the Jews we see him come to the understanding that Jesus was something more than just an ordinary criminal. By having this Roman leader come to this realization, John is showing that Jesus’s work was widespread and that his message was not only meant for one group of people, but rather meant to be spread to the ends of the earth.
John Seida 