JOHN—NOTE ON John 19:14 The day of Preparation of the Passover may refer to the day preceding the Sabbath of Passover week (compare Matthew 27:62; Mark 15:42; Luke 23:54; see note on John 18:28). Thus all four Gospels agree that Jesus’ Last Supper was a Passover meal eaten on Thursday evening (by Jewish reckoning, the beginning of Friday). About the sixth hour means about noon. This is an approximate statement since people did not keep precise time. Mark 15:25 has “the third hour” for the crucifixion. Various solutions have been proposed. The answer may simply be that the actual time was around 9:30–10:00 A.M. and John knew this but chose to emphasize that it was nearing the time when the Passover lambs would begin to be sacrificed in Jerusalem. Thus he highlights a direct connection with Jesus as “the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world” (John 1:29). Behold your King! Pilate’s words again show the irony of the situation (see note on 19:5).

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