Then Jesus came out, wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe. And Pilate said to them, “Behold the Man!”
John 19:5
Now it was the Preparation Day of the Passover, and about the sixth hour. And he [Pilate] said to the Jews, “Behold your King!”
John 19:14
Behold the Man! Clothed in a purple robe,
Though He arrays the flowers of similar hue.
Behold the Christ, crowned with thorns,
Though He created the tree from which they grew.
Behold our sin, borne in His Body on the cross,
Silently, lovingly, suffering in our stead.
Behold the Lamb, taking away our sins,
Though He was holy, innocent and exalted.
Behold our Lord, the Son of righteousness,
Clothed with resplendent light and majesty.
Behold our King, conquering death and darkness,
Rising with healing in His wings.
br: Behold the Lamb, who was slain;
Clothed in humility and glory—
Worthy is He to receive Heaven’s praise!
Behold the Son of Man, reigning in glory;
And from His throne flow might and honor and all power.
Behold Jesus Christ, coming in victory,
Saying, “Behold, I am alive forever and ever!”
Behold the Son of God! His splendor fills the land,
See His face as brilliant as the sunrise.
Behold the rays of light flashing from His hands,
As He comes to take unto Himself, His bride.
C.A. TAYLOR
Behold the Man
It was an April morning in Jerusalem, and the city was thronged with pilgrims to the Feast. From all over the land, and from distant lands, the Jews had come in multitudes to celebrate again the Divine deliverance from Egypt and the birth of their nation as the chosen people of God. At such a time religious fervor ran high, and was even intensified by the fact that the holy land was now under the heel of Rome. Ancient hopes were more warmly cherished, ancient promises were more eagerly rehearsed of the coming of God’s King, whose name should be ‘Wonderful, Counsellor, the Mighty God, the Everlasting Father, and the Prince of Peace.’ Each of these great names stirred men’s hearts like the sound of trumpets and the roll of drums. And now, on this April morning of the feast, there is gathered in front of the Roman governor’s palace a raging mob, and before them stands one of their own race, robed in purple and crowned with thorns, and to Him the governor points in mockery saying, ‘Behold your King!’ It is perhaps little to be wondered at that such a travesty, such a flouting of their most sacred hopes, roused the Jews to fury and to the horrible cry, ‘Away with Him!’
Even so, on that April morning in Jerusalem, only a single eye in all the multitude had discernment to see the vision of the thorn-crowned King. John, the beloved disciple, was there, and Pilate’s words struck a strange chord in his heart. Beneath the mockery they seemed to him the expression of eternal truth. ‘Behold your King!’ When the words fell on his ear, then from the depth of his soul he responded, ‘Yea, I behold and confess my King.’
And so, most strangely, through St. John’s record Pilate comes before us as the herald of Christ. In the words of Matthew Henry, ‘Pilate, though he was far from meaning so, seems as if he were the voice of God to them. Christ, now crowned with thorns, is here, as a king at his coronation, offered to the people.’ It cannot but be felt to be a most significant thing that the Roman governor, the representation of world power, should be seen pointing to Jesus and announcing Him to be a King. Men have often uttered words which were truer than they knew, and had meanings far other than they dreamed. So was it when the Roman governor uttered the words, ‘Behold your King!’ We do well to give heed to them, and ponder their deepest meaning that we also, with St. John, may be led to see the vision of our King.
Pilate had previously uttered another memorable word, ‘Ecce Homo, Behold the Man.’ That is the word which, perhaps above any other, has caught the ear and imagination of our age. Jesus, the ideal man, the representative of humanity at its best—that is a vision which has captivated many hearts. But Christian faith implies something more Divine and at the same time more personal. Jesus is not merely the human ideal; He is our heavenly King. And to this end Pilate’s words are recorded, and all the gospels are written, that we through them may be led to see the Vision of our King.
JAMES HASTINGS
The Speaker’s Bible -John vol. 2
