IT IS FINISHED
John 19:1-42
Key verse 30 – “When he had received the drink, Jesus said, “It is finished.” With that, he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.”
Easter is around the corner. This Sunday is Palm Sunday, leading to the holy week when Jesus entered Jerusalem to die for our sins. It is a period for us to reflect on who Jesus is to us and what He did for us. Jesus is our Savior. He finished His salvation mission when He died on the cross to pay the price for our sins. This finished work made salvation possible for all who put their faith in Him.
For the next three weeks leading to our Spring Conference, we will study John gospel chapters 19, 20 and 21. We will learn about Jesus’ death, burial and resurrection, and how we can show practical love for Him by taking care of people.
John 19 tells of Jesus’ suffering, crucifixion, and burial. Many prophecies were fulfilled as He was falsely accused, beaten, mocked, and then nailed to the cross with two other criminals. Jesus never did or said anything wrong. Then why was he crucified? God had a purpose. Jesus was not a victim, Jesus chose to die. It was for our salvation. In His last moments on the cross, Jesus declared, “It is finished!!” and He died. May we learn the love of Jesus Christ Who completed our salvation. May we draw near to our Savior by faith.
1. Jesus Was Crucified (1-27)
Vs. 1-3 – Then Pilate took Jesus and had him flogged. The soldiers twisted together a crown of thorns and put it on his head. They clothed him in a purple robe and went up to him again and again, saying, “Hail, king of the Jews!” And they slapped him in the face.
In the course of Jesus’ ministry on earth, He taught the people the truth about God. He showed them His love through many miracles, healing their sickness and feeding them with abundant food when necessary. Despite His good works, the Jewish Leaders hated Him because His lifestyle and teachings exposed their pride and hypocrisy. So they planned to kill Him.
In the previous chapter, Jesus was betrayed and arrested. All His disciples left Him, and the Jewish Leaders presented Jesus as a criminal for the Roman Governor to condemn Him and kill Him.
Pilate examined Jesus and found no basis for a charge against him. Jesus was truly innocent, but Pilate was under pressure to please the crowd, so he handed Jesus to the soldiers for them to punish Him. Combined study from Matthew 27, Mark 15, and Luke 23 showed that Jesus suffered both physical and emotional pain. The soldiers flogged Him. Jesus was beaten beyond recognition. Isaiah 52:14 – His appearance was so disfigured beyond that of any human being and His form marred beyond human likeness.. This is how God made Jesus who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God. (2Cor.5:21) Amen.
Next, they mocked Him, clothed Him in purple (royal), put a crown of thorns on His head and they slapped Him in the face. The soldiers mocked Him saying; ‘Hail, king of the Jews!’ Their plan was to disgrace Him, but Jesus is truly the King of the Jews. In fact, He is the King of the world! In John chapter 1, we learn that through Jesus Christ, all things were made. This places Jesus as the head over all things. He is King of kings and Lord of lords. The Jews and soldiers could not understand this truth, the Jewish leaders didn’t like Jesus. Jesus did not fit their idea of a good king, so they condemned and mocked their King. Even though they intended to mock Jesus, they were advertising His true identity as King. Later in vs.19, Pilate also placed a bold written notice on Jesus’ cross; THE KING OF THE JEWS, the sign was written in Aramaic, Latin and Greek, and he refused to take it down. It was the message that God wanted the world to know. It is because this king of the Jews is the King of all kings, and the Lord of all lords. He is our eternal King. So while the enemy planned to disgrace Jesus, they ended up declaring His true position as King of kings / King of the Jews. Praise God!
[Vs. 4,6a] – Once more Pilate came out and said to the Jews gathered there, “Look, I am bringing him out to you to let you know that I find no basis for a charge against him.” As soon as the chief priests and their officials saw him, they shouted, “Crucify! Crucify!”
Pilate tried again to release Jesus, but the people continued to insist that He be crucified. They shouted, ‘Crucify! Crucify!’ The Jewish leaders insisted that according to their law Jesus must die, because He claimed to be The Son of God.
It was a big dilemma for Pilate, he knew Jesus was innocent, but he was afraid of the crowd that rejected Jesus. Pilate tried to question Jesus but Jesus did not respond. So Pilate said, “Don’t you realize I have power either to free you or to crucify you?” But Jesus answered, “You would have no power over me if it were not given to you from above. Therefore the one who handed me over to you is guilty of a greater sin.”
Jesus lectured Pilate that all power belongs to God. God is The Sovereign Ruler, Whose Kingdom lasts forever. The one who handed Jesus over to Pilate can be understood as the Jewish religious Leaders or perhaps Judas Iscariot (Matt.26:24 – The Son of Man will go just as it is written about him. But woe to that man who betrays the Son of Man! It would be better for him if he had not been born.”) Jesus emphasized that the sin of those who handed him over was greater because their actions were motivated by a deeper understanding of His true nature and a conscious decision to reject him. (So, does this mean we are not bound by this Word?) Are we innocent of this greater sin? Anytime we make a conscious decision that rejects The Word of God, it can be classified as greater sin.
Vs. 12 – Pilate tried to set Jesus free, but the Jewish leaders kept shouting, “If you let this man go, you are no friend of Caesar. Anyone who claims to be a king opposes Caesar.”
After Pilate got this threat from the people, he prepared to give judgement from the judge’s seat called Gabbatha. Judgement from this point is sealed and unnegotiable. And Pilate succumbed to pressure from the people, so he handed Jesus over to be crucified.
Like Pilate, we may face times when we need to stand for truth or settle for unrighteous options. Such times tell us where our heart lies – do we acknowledge our relationship with Jesus, or do we prefer sin. For Pilate, it was a game of politics (a game of numbers). His political strategy was likely to be so friendly with the subjects so that they will not rebel against his government. So he was interested in pleasing the majority, even though it was sinful. His decision was made out of fear and self-interest. After his several acts of compromising true justice, he likely got a title from the people; ‘friend of Caesar,’ maybe ‘friend of the Jews.’ This is how the world honors and rewards the ungodly, the corrupt judges, the sinful person. But this is not the kind of accolade/honor believers should get.
If you choose to stand for truth, you may get such titles as;
‘Enemy’ – Matt. 10:22 – ‘You will be hated by everyone because of me, but the one who stands firm to the end will be saved.’
‘Spoiler’ – Acts 17:2b – These men who have turned the world upside down have come here..
James 4:4 says, ‘..don’t you know that friendship with the world means enmity against God? Therefore, anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God.’
We should rather be ‘friends of Jesus.’
John 15:15 – I no longer call you servants, ..instead I have called you friends… Halleluyah.
Verse 17 tells us: “Carrying his own cross, he went out to the place of the Skull (which in Aramaic is called Golgotha).” The other gospel accounts tell us that a man was forced to help Jesus carry his cross. But here the author tells us that Jesus carried his own cross. This was the normal procedure. The criminal had to carry his own cross to the place of execution. Jesus carried his cross to Golgotha/Calvary, and all the way, He did not change His mind, He was focused on finishing His salvation mission.
In vs.18, Jesus was crucified. Two other criminals were crucified by His sides. This way, they labelled Him a criminal. In Luke 23:37 – “If you are the king of the Jews, save yourself.” Once again, Jesus did not give in to that temptation because He was focused on finishing the salvation sacrifice. They crucified Jesus between two other criminals. This was shameful, but Jesus took our sin and the shame that’s involved.
In vs. 23-24, when the soldiers crucified Jesus, they took his clothes, dividing them into four shares, one for each of them, with the undergarment remaining. This garment was seamless, woven in one piece from top to bottom. “Let’s not tear it,” they said to one another. “Let’s decide by lot/gambling who will get it.” In Psalm 22:18, written about 1000 years earlier by King David. David wrote, “They divide my clothes among them and cast lots for my garment.” And that is exactly what the soldiers did. Jesus’ death fulfilled many prophecies in the Bible. This is another point that tells us Jesus died according to God’s set purpose and foreknowledge.
2. It Is Finished! (28-42)
Read vs.28,30 – Later, knowing that everything had now been finished, and so that Scripture would be fulfilled, Jesus said, “I am thirsty.” When he had received the drink, Jesus said, “It is finished.” With that, he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.
Again, we see several prophecies fulfilled around the cross:
– (Psalm 69:21) Jesus said ‘I am thirsty’ and they offered Him wine vinegar
– (Psalm 34:20) They did not break His legs since He was already dead
– (Zechariah 12:10b) He was pierced with a spear leading to a flow of blood and water from His side.
– (Isaiah 53:9) He was buried in the grave of the rich.
When Jesus said, “I am thirsty.” He showed His humanity. After much loss of blood and water, His body was severely dehydrated. He was thirsty. The one who is the source of living water became thirsty for us, fulfilling scripture.
God’s Word is fulfilled in Christ to help us believe. Have faith in God, soon we will experience the fulfillment of different promises of God in the Bible, especially His promise of eternal life for those who believe.
Vs.30 – When he had received the drink, Jesus said, “It is finished.” With that, he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.
John records this “It is finished” as Jesus’ last words. The Greek word for ‘It is finished’ is Tetelestai, which means; ‘to bring to an end, finish, or complete. Some scholars suggest that “tetelestai” might have been used on ancient receipts to indicate ‘paid in full.’
What is “it” that Jesus finished? “It” is the will of God for our salvation. Jesus made the only way for sinners to be forgiven, cleansed, and we become children of God with an inheritance in heaven. Jesus finished our salvation and secured eternal life for all who believe in him. Jesus finished the Father’s work, which He gave Him to do. In John 17:4 Jesus said to His Father God, “I have brought You glory on earth by finishing the work You gave Me to do.”
Salvation is what humans need the most. Jesus died on the cross as the Lamb of God to take away the sin of the world. Jesus’ top disciple Peter later understood and wrote, “He himself bore our sins in his body on the cross, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; by his wounds you have been healed” (1Pe 2:24). Again, Peter wrote, “For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God” (1Pe 3:18).
Jesus finished our salvation on the cross. He is asking us to have faith that we are saved by Him. That’s all we need for salvation. There is nothing more we must do to be saved from our sins and to have the promise and gift of eternal life. Only to believe in Jesus Christ. “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast” (Eph 2:8-9). Other things like righteous works and serving God’s mission is a fruit of salvation. So, one way to confirm that you have put your faith in Jesus is that you will sincerely love His Word and do your best to serve His mission of saving others (feed my sheep, feed my lamb – John 21:15-17).
I thank God Who saved me completely through the finished work of Jesus on the cross. I believe and I try to show my love daily for Jesus through obedience to His Word and serving God’s mission of teaching the Bible / feeding God’s flock. All glory be to God. In Jesus I see an example for me to always finish any good mission that God assigned to me. I pray for God’s help.
Vs.38 – Later, Joseph of Arimathea asked Pilate for the body of Jesus. Now Joseph was a disciple of Jesus, but secretly because he feared the Jewish leaders. With Pilate’s permission, he came and took the body away.
Finally Jesus was buried in a royal fashion. His death and burial introduced us to two of Jesus’ secret disciples. They were top officials of the Jews:
– Joseph of Arimathea: He was a secret disciple of Jesus because he feared the Jewish leaders. With Pilate’s permission, he came and took the body of Jesus away.
– Nicodemus: He was with Joseph. Jesus had spoken to Nicodemus earlier (John 3) about the need to be born again. He brought a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about seventy-five pounds (embalming).
Taking Jesus’ body, the two men wrapped it, with the spices, in strips of linen, in accordance with Jewish burial customs. Where Jesus was crucified was a garden, and in the garden a new tomb, never used before. Because it was the Jewish day of Preparation and since the tomb was nearby, they laid Jesus there. Joseph and Nicodemus were secret Christians among their peers. But when Jesus died, they took a stand; they went against their colleagues to identify with Jesus. They became bold. The suffering and death of Jesus changed them. They risked everything to ask Pilate for Jesus’ body and to bury Jesus. It was their last show of respect. They knew Jesus didn’t deserve to die. They seem to be too late to follow Jesus however, since Jesus was dead. But we know they made the right choice. It is never too late for anyone to make a decision to follow/identify with Jesus.
In conclusion, although the Jews and Pilate tried to humiliate and kill Jesus, they only fulfilled the plan of God. Their actions helped Jesus finish the salvation mission as His pain brought us Grace. Jesus paid the full price for all our sins. We can trust His finished work for our salvation and the salvation of campus students, our family and friends. Amen.
Key verse 30 – “When he had received the drink, Jesus said, “It is finished.” With that, he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.”