The question is, If Mark tells us that Jesus was crucified at ‘‘the third hour,” and Matthew in accordance with Mark’s testimony, says, “from the sixth hour there was darkness over all the land unto the ninth hour,” how can John possibly be correct in saying that the trial of our adorable Lord before Pilate was not ended till “about the sixth hour”?
If, however, it be true, as is generally accepted, that John’s gospel was the last book of Scripture which was written, say about thirty years after the destruction of Jerusalem, and by that time the Jewish mode of reckoning a day, from about six of one evening to about six in the next evening, had pretty generally given away to the Roman mode of reckoning a day, as we now do from midnight to midnight, then all thought of discrepancy in these passages of Scripture vanishes. This would make the ending of the trial to be at six in the morning, and the time of crucifixion to be nine.
Accepting, then, the above-named thought that John, unlike the other evangelists, used Roman time, and that about three hours intervened between the end of the trial and the actual crucifixion of our precious Lord and Savior, let us from the brief Scripture record we have, what transpired during these three hours. What hours of sorrow and suffering they must have been to Him!
First of all, we read, after the wicked trial by infuriated men, led on by Satan, that the holy sufferer was “scourged,” which must have taken up some time; then He was brought into the Pretorium, and the whole band of soldiers were gathered unto Him. There they stripped Him of His own clothes, and put on Him a scarlet robe. There too they “platted a crown of thorns,’’ “put it upon His head, and a reed in His right hand: and they bowed the knee before Him and mocked Him, saying, Hail, King of the Jews!” The enmity of the heart of man to the Holy Son of God was further manifested by their spitting upon Him, and taking the reed and smiting, Him upon the head. All this outrage and other indignities must have extended over some time, for, in addition to all that we have noticed it is said. “After that they had mocked Him,” intimating that the Savior was publicly held in derision for some time. Lastly, we find that they took the robe from off Him, and put His own raiment on Him, and led Him away to crucify Him.
All through these three hours the two malefactors were most likely being tried by Pilate for, as our Lord was the first to be crucified, it is more than probable that He had the precedence in the trial. The whole account seems to imply this. And as the scriptures of the prophets could not but have their fulfillment, the thieves must be crucified with Him, for He must not only bear the sins of many, but “be numbered with the transgressors.” Considering all these things, the three hours’ interval between the end of the Savior’s trial and His crucifixion may easily be accounted for.
The Lamb of God is now led on to Calvary, hearing His own cross till they compelled a man of Cyrene to bear it after Him. On the road, He addressed the weeping women, and enjoined them not to weep for Him, but for themselves and their children, because of what was coming upon them. Then reaching Calvary, He was most cruelly nailed to the cross, fulfilling truly the words of the prophet, ‘‘He was oppressed, and He was afflicted; yet He opened not His mouth: He is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so He openeth not His mouth.’’ It was also blessedly true that “He made intercession for the transgressors,” and that “He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities,” for “it pleased the Lord to bruise Him” (Isa. 53:5-125But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed. 6All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all. 7He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth. 8He was taken from prison and from judgment: and who shall declare his generation? for he was cut off out of the land of the living: for the transgression of my people was he stricken. 9And he made his grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death; because he had done no violence, neither was any deceit in his mouth. 10Yet it pleased the Lord to bruise him; he hath put him to grief: when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in his hand. 11He shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied: by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many; for he shall bear their iniquities. 12Therefore will I divide him a portion with the great, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong; because he hath poured out his soul unto death: and he was numbered with the transgressors; and he bare the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors. (Isaiah 53:5‑12)). After hanging three hours on the cross in agony and shame, there was darkness over the whole land from the sixth to the ninth hour, at the close of which, He so bitterly felt the anguish of being forsaken of God as our Sin-bearer, that He cried out, “Eloi, Eloi, lama Sabachthani?” and having fulfilled what had been written of Him, He said, “It is finished,” committed Himself to the Father, and gave up the ghost. The rending of the veil in the temple was, no doubt, God’s own testimony to the eternal efficacy of the death of the cross, by which He can now come out to sinners with the gospel, and the believer draw nigh to God by the blood of Jesus.
Looking briefly at the other parts of John’s Gospel in which hours are named, we noticed that our Lord said, in John 11, “Are there not twelve hours in a day?” which may be regarded as true, whether we look at time according to the Jewish or Roman mode of calculation.
In John 1, we read that the two disciples came to Jesus “about the tenth hour,” which looks like ten in the morning, for they abode with Him that day, and we are not told of anything having been done by them on that day before that hour (John 1:35-3935Again the next day after John stood, and two of his disciples; 36And looking upon Jesus as he walked, he saith, Behold the Lamb of God! 37And the two disciples heard him speak, and they followed Jesus. 38Then Jesus turned, and saw them following, and saith unto them, What seek ye? They said unto him, Rabbi, (which is to say, being interpreted, Master,) where dwellest thou? 39He saith unto them, Come and see. They came and saw where he dwelt, and abode with him that day: for it was about the tenth hour. (John 1:35‑39)).
In John 4, we find our Lord wearied with His journey, sitting on the well “about the sixth hour.” The time seems to have been six in the evening, for the disciples were gone away into the city to buy food, which might have been for the evening meal. After this the Lord went into the city, and many of the Samaritans believed, and besought Him to tarry with them; a kindness often shown in the East when the day was far spent (John 4:6,8,31,406Now Jacob's well was there. Jesus therefore, being wearied with his journey, sat thus on the well: and it was about the sixth hour. (John 4:6)
8(For his disciples were gone away unto the city to buy meat.) (John 4:8)
31In the mean while his disciples prayed him, saying, Master, eat. (John 4:31)
40So when the Samaritans were come unto him, they besought him that he would tarry with them: and he abode there two days. (John 4:40)).
At the close of John 4, we are told, that the nobleman’s son was healed “at the seventh hour,” which most probably was seven in the evening. Our Lord said unto him, “Go thy way, thy son liveth ... . and he went his way.” Now as Capernaum was a distance of several miles from Cana of Galilee, if he took his journey that night so as to reach his home in the morning, then it can easily be understood that when his servants met him, they should have said, “Yesterday at the seventh, hour the fever left him.” “So the father knew that it was at the same hour, in the which Jesus had said unto him, Thy son liveth; and himself believed, and his whole house” (John 4:46-5446So Jesus came again into Cana of Galilee, where he made the water wine. And there was a certain nobleman, whose son was sick at Capernaum. 47When he heard that Jesus was come out of Judea into Galilee, he went unto him, and besought him that he would come down, and heal his son: for he was at the point of death. 48Then said Jesus unto him, Except ye see signs and wonders, ye will not believe. 49The nobleman saith unto him, Sir, come down ere my child die. 50Jesus saith unto him, Go thy way; thy son liveth. And the man believed the word that Jesus had spoken unto him, and he went his way. 51And as he was now going down, his servants met him, and told him, saying, Thy son liveth. 52Then inquired he of them the hour when he began to amend. And they said unto him, Yesterday at the seventh hour the fever left him. 53So the father knew that it was at the same hour, in the which Jesus said unto him, Thy son liveth: and himself believed, and his whole house. 54This is again the second miracle that Jesus did, when he was come out of Judea into Galilee. (John 4:46‑54)).
(Continued)