John 19:22 - Printer Friendly

ESV: Pilate answered, “What I have written I have written.”

NIV: Pilate answered, 'What I have written, I have written.'

NASB: Pilate answered, 'What I have written, I have written.'

CSB: Pilate replied, "What I have written, I have written."

NLT: Pilate replied, 'No, what I have written, I have written.'

KJV: Pilate answered, What I have written I have written.

NKJV: Pilate answered, “What I have written, I have written.”

History suggests Pontius Pilate relied heavily on violence and cruelty as governor of Judea. Incidents in his administration demonstrate contempt for Judaism. He was removed from this position not long after Jesus' crucifixion, likely for provoking more civil unrest. However, Pilate was by no means stupid. He knew Jesus was innocent (John 18:36–38) and that His enemies were pursuing a personal feud (Matthew 24:18). It was only by political maneuvering that Jewish religious leaders were able to get what they wanted: a death sentence for Jesus of Nazareth (Matthew 27:24).

Once he realized his position, Pilate seems to have shifted to political maneuvers of his own. His main tactic is repeatedly referring to Jesus as "King of the Jews," even over the objections of Jesus' accusers (John 19:14–16). Pilate even uses this as the "official" reason for Jesus' crucifixion, placing a label to that effect on the cross (John 19:19). This allows Pilate to claim that Jesus is being executed as a message to any would-be rebels.

Jesus' enemies (John 11:48–53) are offended at this label, which is just another bonus for Pilate. They would prefer it be stated that Jesus "claimed" to be King (John 19:21), so they can deny that any Jews really accepted Him in that role. Now that the crowd has gotten what they want, however, Pilate is not going to budge on something like this inscription.

John 19:17–30 describes Jesus' unjust execution by crucifixion. The Roman governor, Pilate, ironically puts a sign on Jesus' cross proclaiming Him "King of the Jews." This angers Jewish religious leaders, but the governor refuses to take the sign down or change the wording. As Jesus calls out to John to care for His mother, Mary, soldiers gamble for what's left of His clothes. Jesus pronounces the completion of His atoning sacrifice and dies. Matthew 27:31–56, Mark 15:22–41, and Luke 23:32–49 cover this same series of events.

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 gospel of John was written by the disciple John, decades later than the gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke. 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”—in order to prove that Jesus is, in fact, God incarnate. Some of the most well-known verses in all of the Bible are found here. None is more famous than the one-sentence summary of the gospel found in John 3:16.