Jesus on His Knees

The last hours of Jesus’ life before His death likely found Him on His knees often.   While most of these situations do not mention Him being on His knees, it seems logical that He would be.

#1 The first time we see Him on His knees is when He did so to wash the feet of His men.  What an incredible scene to see the God of creation and glory on His knees doing the work of a servant or slave to serve His creation who so often had failed Him – this service included washing the feet of the one who would betray Him – Judas.

John 13:4-5, Jesus…rose from supper and laid aside His garments, took a towel and girded Himself.  After that, He poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples’ feet,

#2 Leaving the supper, Jesus led His men to the Brook Kidron where He likely kneeled to pray:

John 17:1, Jesus…lifted up His eyes to heaven, and said: “Father, the hour has come.”

#3 Then Jesus moved into an olive grove and fell to His knees to pray not once but three times:

Matthew 26:39, He went a little farther and fell on His face, and prayed, 26:42, Again, a second time, He went away and prayed 26:44, So He left them, went away again, and prayed the third time

#4 Jesus was arrested and brutalized by the temple guard.  Some of their doings would have taken His strength and dropped Him to His knees:

John 18:22, And when He had said these things, one of the officers who stood by struck Jesus with the palm of his hand, saying, “Do You answer the high priest like that?”

Isaiah 50:6, I gave My back to those who struck Me, And My cheeks to those who plucked out the beard; I did not hide My face from shame and spitting.

#5 Jesus was later tied to a post where He was subjected to Roman lashes removing the skin and muscles from His back exposing His rib cage.  If not to His knees, His knees buckled.

John 19:1, So then Pilate took Jesus and scourged Him.

#6 Already very weakened, to have thorns driven into His skull would likely buckle His knees:

John 19:2-3, And the soldiers twisted a crown of thorns and put it on His head, and they put on Him a purple robe. Then they said, “Hail, King of the Jews!” And they struck Him with their hands.

#7 While it doesn’t say He fell, He might have stumbled to His knees causing the soldiers to force Simon into carrying His cross:

Luke 23:26, Now as they led Him away, they laid hold of a certain man, Simon a Cyrenian, who was coming from the country, and on him they laid the cross that he might bear it after Jesus.

#8 At Golgotha, the soldiers most likely threw Him down – maybe first to His knees.

Luke 23:33, And when they had come to the place called Calvary, there they crucified Him,

Greg Morris of Desiring God writes this about Jesus on His knees:  From heaven’s view, this moment [Jesus on His knees washing feet] must have outstripped Jesus’s many signs and wonders thus far. The angels had stood by when the Son created the world, when “the morning stars sang together and all the sons of God shouted for joy” (Job 38:7). What was multiplying bread compared to speaking the land and wheat into existence? The calming of a storm to the very creation of seas and wind and waves with a mere word? They already knew their God had power to raise the dead; they knew him as the God of all life.

But this sight was different. The King of kings played the part of slave of slaves. Had their eyes seen anything like it since he took on human flesh? Armies of angels watched their Captain — the eternal God from the Father’s right hand — bend before his creatures to wash their feet, hours before those feet fled in fear. Here bowed an act beyond omnipotence, an act Matthew Henry named a “miracle in humility.” Former wonders proved he was God; this proved what kind of God he was.