Torture
John 19:1-8 gives John's account of the torture that Jesus suffered at the hands of the Romans. Pilate had Jesus scourged first. After being whipped raw, the soldiers made a crown of long thorns and pushed it onto His head and robed him in purple to mock Him as being a king in name only. While He was so dressed, they beat him with their hands.
After they had their sport, Pilate took Jesus out to show the chief priests and officers of the Jewish people, hoping that what he had done would appease the people's anger at Jesus. However, the Jewish leaders cried out again for Him to be crucified. Pilate tried to wash his hands of what had happened to Jesus by declaring that he found no fault in Jesus, and told them to crucify Jesus themselves if they so desired. They declared that by Jewish law, Jesus was supposed to be killed because Jesus was equating Himself with God, but they weren't in a position to do it themselves. When Pilate heard their response, He was even more afraid of what he was allowing and ordering to happen. I would be amazed if he had no clue about all the miracles and healing that Jesus had performed over the last three years, and Pilate had to wonder.
Civil Trial
John 19:9-15 details a bit more about the civil proceedings that were going on in Pilate's court. Pilate asked Jesus where He was from. To Pilate's eyes, He was clearly a man, but He wasn't acting like any other man who had appeared before Pilate in similar circumstances. When Jesus wouldn't answer his question, he wanted to be sure that Jesus understood the position He was in. He wanted the prisoner to know that without a doubt Pilate was able to set Jesus free or have Jesus killed. Pilate was an important person and there was just no way that a prisoner should be standing in front of him and not begging for his life. He'd probably seen that hundreds of times before.
Jesus answer shocked him. Jesus declared that Pilate wouldn't have any power at all against Jesus except it was allowed by God above. Jesus goes on to partially absolve Pilate though by saying that although what Pilate was doing was sinful, since Jesus was innocent, the Jewish leaders who had delivered Jesus to Pilate and put Pilate in the position he was in was guilty of the greater sin. And that answer really worried Pilate, because it was so unlike the answer He expected. Jesus was whipped, bloody, bruised from being beaten, and I imagine He looked Pilate straight in the eye and told Pilate off, just like any leader would who knew He had a legion of angels at His disposal if He so chose. When you look at what one angel did in the Old Testament, Jesus knew that He had nothing to be worried about. He could choose to have the planet purged of humanity, or He could save humanity. The choice was His and He chose saving us.
I know that Bill Cosby has a bit of a bad reputation these days, but to inject just a bit of humor and reality, I remember his Himself sketch where his father declares "I brought you into this world, and I can take you out. And it don't make no difference to me, I'll make another one look just like you." How many of us would have taken that option instead of going through the torture and dying for a people who had just rejected us? I am very thankful that Jesus was who He was, our creator, our savior, and obedient to the will of the Father to reconcile mankind back to God.
At any rate, Pilate was concerned enough by the response from the one who had kept silent during all the rest of the attacks and torture, that he started trying to figure out how to release Jesus instead of crucifying Him. The crowd of Jewish officials, however, played on Pilate's nervousness about Pilate's own position in the power structure of Rome, and told Pilate that they would call him out as not being Caesar's friend if Jesus wasn't killed. The Jewish leaders then frankly declared that they didn't acknowledge Jesus as king - their only king was Caesar, which really had to way on Pilate's mind.
Crucifixion
So Pilate caves in John 19:16, and they take Jesus away to be crucified. In John 19:17-24. we have Jesus being led away, carrying a cross that He would be crucified on leading towards Golgotha where the crucifixions were done. Other gospels record that Jesus was weak enough from blood loss that He was unable to carry the cross the whole distance and another was pressed in to carry it.
Pilate wrote an inscription declaring the Jesus of Nazareth was the King of the Jews and had it put on the cross. To make sure that everyone knew what it said, he had it written in Hebrew, Greek, and Latin. The saying infuriated the Jewish leaders as they had made it clear that Jesus was not their king. But Pilate silences their complaints with a simple declaration that his decision was final. How Pilate could write that and still crucify Jesus is a wonder of the ages. But Pilate at least got it partially right. He should have written Jesus of Nazareth, God Incarnate. That would have probably caused a riot.
The soldiers part His garments, fulfilling prophecy that Jesus garments would be divided by lot, but not destroyed.
Last Charges
John 19:25-27 records that the Jesus mother, his mother's sister, Mary the wife of Cleophas, and Mary Magdalene were standing near. Jesus orders Jesus to take care of his mother to try to give her comfort as her beloved son met an end He didn't deserve. John then takes Mary to his house from that point forward.
Death
In John 19:28-30, Jesus says He is thirsty, and got a sponge filled with vinegar to slack His thirst. After that, He chooses the time that He gives up His life, declares It is finished, and dies.
In John 19:31-37, a bit more of the process is described. The soldiers come around to break the legs of the people who were not yet dead in order that they would die more quickly, for the Jews to handle any burials needed before Passover. But when they came to Jesus they saw He was dead and stabbed Him through the side with a spear to make sure. Water and blood came out when they did this, but again, Old Testament prophecy was fulfilled which said no bones would be broken and they would look on the one they pierced.
This gospel doesn't go into a few of the details that others do, which include an earthquake in Jerusalem at the time of Jesus death, darkness, and the veil of the temple being rent from top to bottom.
I would bet that Pilate drank himself into a drunken stupor as all the physical events like the darkness and the earthquake were going on after all the doubts he had had about Christ. But he had done what he had done and there was no taking it back. So to, everyone today must make a choice to accept Jesus blood, death, and resurrection as the means of getting right with God, or not. Too many today say no. Others think if they are just a good person, it will be enough. And yet, Jesus is the only tried and true method of covering all of our sin and being able to stand before God with our robes cleansed by Jesus.
All have sinned. Good works are important for Christians, and we should all do more of them, but salvation is not of works, but by the grace of God and faith. God doesn't want anyone boasting about how good they were in heaven. Especially not after what Jesus went through. Regardless of how good we feel about what we've accomplished for Christ on earth, I'm pretty sure there won't be much boasting in heaven about anything. The Holy Spirit leads hearts to Him. He's the one really doing any work we might claim. And when we stand with all those who have struggled, perhaps been martyred for their stand, but in any case finished their race without falling away, most of our accomplishments for the majority of Christians who didn't face death will seem pretty small in comparison.
Burial
Joseph of Arimathaea, begged Pilate to release the body of Jesus for burial. Other gospels record that Pilate was surprised He had died so quickly. Nicodemus comes with a very expensive amount of spices and myrrh and aloes to anoint Jesus body for burial. And they buried him in a garden tomb and then went about the Passover celebration. It should be noted, that Christ died on a Wednesday. The first day of the Passover after the preparation day is a special sabbath, when no work could be done. On Friday, the women got the rest of the spices together before the normal weekly sabbath starting Friday at sundown and running until Saturday sundown. Thus, Jesus was in the tomb the day of Thursday, Friday, and Saturday (sundown Wednesday through sundown Saturday) fulfilling His prophecy that He would be in the earth three days, just like Jonah. Thus, from John 19:38-42 we reach the point where Jesus has completed God's plan and died for our sins. Hallelujah that He was willing to do this for us.