John 19:35 - Printer Friendly

ESV: He who saw it has borne witness — his testimony is true, and he knows that he is telling the truth — that you also may believe.

NIV: The man who saw it has given testimony, and his testimony is true. He knows that he tells the truth, and he testifies so that you also may believe.

NASB: And he who has seen has testified, and his testimony is true; and he knows that he is telling the truth, so that you also may believe.

CSB: He who saw this has testified so that you also may believe. His testimony is true, and he knows he is telling the truth.

NLT: (This report is from an eyewitness giving an accurate account. He speaks the truth so that you also may continue to believe. )

KJV: And he that saw it bare record, and his record is true: and he knoweth that he saith true, that ye might believe.

NKJV: And he who has seen has testified, and his testimony is true; and he knows that he is telling the truth, so that you may believe.

John does not explicitly name himself, preferring the typical third-person view of ancient literature. However, there are ample clues that he is identified by phrases such as "whom Jesus loved" (John 13:23), "the disciple whom [Jesus] loved," (John 19:26), and so forth. John began this gospel by declaring that the writer had witnessed these events first-hand (John 1:14). This is a claim John will repeat in his letters (1 John 1:1–2; Revelation 1:1–2).

In this case, the disciple in question was at the foot of the cross (John 19:26) when Jesus died (John 19:30). He was also there to see soldiers break the legs of the other condemned men (John 19:32), but not Jesus, who was already dead (John 19:36). He was there to see a spear stabbed into Jesus' side, resulting in a gory flood of bodily fluids (John 19:34).

John's reason for including this declaration seems to have two purposes. In one sense, this expresses the horror of what He saw. Intense awareness that one has seen something awful is part of the trauma eyewitnesses experience. After seeing some significant event, most especially distressing ones, witnesses often emphasize the fact that they saw it: "it happened right in front of me," "I watched the whole thing," "I saw everything," and so forth. John saw His beloved Master maimed and murdered, then watched a soldier mutilate the corpse. That would have been harrowing, to say the least.

The other reason John emphasizes this point is the main purpose of his gospel in the first place (John 20:30–31). The disciples of Christ wanted others to know the truth, and to be confident in it (1 John 5:13). Others might deny some of these events, but John can say with absolute certainty that he was there when it happened (2 Peter 1:16).

John 19:31–37 graphically confirms Jesus was dead before being taken from the cross. To speed up the execution, allowing the bodies to be buried before the Sabbath, soldiers break the legs of the other condemned men. Jesus, however, is clearly dead already. This is verified when a soldier stabs Jesus through the side with a spear. John notes two Old Testament references which allude to this as part of the Messiah's death. Only John, a direct eyewitness to this part of the crucifixion, includes this detail.

Pilate recognizes Jesus' innocence, but fears the mob assembled by Jewish religious leaders. He attempts to satisfy them by having Jesus viciously whipped and mocked. This only results in more cries for Jesus' death. The governor then shifts to protect his own reputation, ordering Jesus to be crucified on a charge of being "King of the Jews." John is directly present as Jesus is executed. He notes the fulfillment of several prophecies as Jesus dies. Once He is confirmed to be dead, Jesus' body is taken by two friendly members of the ruling council. They hastily bury Him in the borrowed crypt of a rich man.

When Jesus was first brought to Pilate, His innocence was obvious (John 18:36–38). However, the mob refuses to be satisfied with anything less than crucifixion. Pilate gives in to these demands. John, who is present for the entire gory spectacle, notes several instances of fulfilled prophecy (Psalm 22:18; Psalm 69:21; Exodus 12:46; Zechariah 12:10). Jesus is then buried in the borrowed tomb of a rich man (Isaiah 53:9) to complete yet another Old Testament prediction. A guard will be posted to ensure no one steals the body (Matthew 27:62–68), which will only serve to confirm that Jesus' eventual resurrection was a true miracle (John 20:1–8).

The disciple John wrote the gospel of John decades after the gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke were written. The author assumes that a reader is already familiar with the content of these other works. So, John presents a different perspective, with a greater emphasis on meaning. John uses seven miracles—which he calls "signs"— to prove that Jesus is, in fact, God incarnate. Some of the most well-known verses in the Bible are found here. None is more famous than the one-sentence summary of the gospel found in John 3:16.