It Is Finished

All right, well as we turn to God's Word, we're picking up where we left off in John's Gospel.

If you have your Bible with you, you can turn there.

If the screen stops working, the Bibles are in the seats in front of you.

We have been having a little bit of technical difficulties this morning.

Hopefully it all goes smoothly.

So we're in John chapter 19.

John 19 · chapter mention

And last Sunday we observed Jesus' trial before Pilate, the Roman governor.

We saw how the chief priests sought to have Jesus executed by crucifixion.

We watched as Pilate wrestled with this, finding Jesus to be not guilty, not deserving of that verdict.

And we watched the religious leaders of the Jews stir up the people so much that they demanded Jesus' execution.

And finally we saw how Pilate gave in.

We continue now with the story as witnessed and recorded by John the Apostle in John chapter 19 verse 16.

John 19:16

Finally, Pilate handed him over to them to be crucified.

So the soldiers took charge of Jesus.

Carrying his own cross, he went out to the place of the skull, which in Aramaic is called Golgotha.

There they crucified him.

And with him, two others, one on each side and Jesus in the middle.

So the Roman soldiers marched Jesus out of the city.

And Jesus is made to carry the wooden cross on which he will be crucified.

We notice here that John doesn't linger too much over this like the other three gospel writers do.

Matthew, Mark, and Luke give us other details.

John says Jesus carried his cross.

Some of those gospels tell us that he was only able to make it as far as the city gate.

And at that point there was a man named Simon from Cyrene who was just on his way into the city.

And the soldiers took that man named Simon and forced him to carry Jesus' cross for him.

We assume because he was too weak, unable to carry it himself.

Likely because the flogging he received was so severe.

And there's interactions that Jesus had with some of the people as he was proceeding out of the city that Luke tells us about.

Jesus speaks to them and tells them in Luke's gospel,

Don't cry for me.

Cry for yourselves.

Weep for yourselves and for your children.

And basically tells them that judgment is coming because of the wickedness of the people.

Verse 18.

There they crucified him and with him two others.

One on each side and Jesus in the middle.

Similar to the other gospel writers, John doesn't go into detail about how they crucified Jesus.

But simply tells us that they did.

They nailed him alive to a wooden cross and hung him up to die.

John takes notice that there were at least two others that were crucified at the same time as Jesus.

One on each side.

And again, John doesn't linger here.

He doesn't tell us about the brief exchanges between Jesus and the men on the cross like we hear about in Luke.

So what does John linger over here?

John makes a point of drawing our attention to the sign that was posted above Jesus' head on the cross.

Verse 19.

Pilate had a notice prepared and fastened to the cross.

It read,

Jesus of Nazareth, the king of the Jews.

Many of the Jews read this sign.

For the place where Jesus was crucified was near the city.

And the sign was written in Aramaic, Latin, and Greek.

The chief priests of the Jews protested to Pilate.

Do not write the king of the Jews.

But that this man claimed to be the king of the Jews.

Pilate answered, what I have written, I have written.

It may seem strange to us that John would spend so much time on this.

But John wants us to notice it.

He wants us to read what was written on the sign above his head.

Jesus of Nazareth.

The king of the Jews.

Matthew tells us that this was the charge that was written against Jesus.

This brings into view the purpose of crucifixion.

It was a form of public execution done to criminals.

And it was the custom to write the name of the person

and what they were guilty of on a sign above their heads.

It was intended to get the attention of people passing by.

This is what will be done to people who do such things.

Usually people guilty of murder or other heinous crimes.

This is why the sign was written in three languages.

They wanted everybody to know that if you defy Roman law,

if you commit a capital offense, this will be your fate.

And John tells us that many of the Jews read this sign.

Here lies the irony of this whole situation.

Three times prior to this,

Pilate has declared Jesus to be innocent

and undeserving of punishment.

As we heard last week,

so much of Jesus' interactions with Pilate

and Pilate's interactions with the leaders and the people

had to do with whether or not Jesus was the king of the Jews.

Let me just remind us again.

It was the first question that Pilate asked Jesus.

Are you the king of the Jews?

It was the subject of their conversation.

Jesus said,

My kingdom is not from this world.

It was the title that Pilate gave publicly to Jesus.

Do you want me to release to you Barabbas or the king of the Jews?

Shall I crucify your king?

He said.

It's what Jesus was mocked for with the robe

and the crown of thorns by the soldiers.

Hail, king of the Jews!

They said.

And finally, it was why the religious leaders said

Pilate must condemn him

or be no friend of the emperor's.

We have no king but Caesar, they said.

Whether Jesus is the king of the Jews

is at the heart of all of this.

So it makes sense that this is what Pilate had written on the sign

and yet it's ironic, isn't it?

Jesus is being executed for what?

What crime has he committed?

The king of the Jews is not a crime.

The religious leaders tried to paint Jesus as guilty of sedition.

Guilty of undermining the emperor's authority and rule

with his claim to be king.

And yet Jesus has not participated in any kind of violent uprising

or military action.

He hasn't promoted any kind of rebellion against Caesar.

So we have to think about what this charge against Jesus meant

to those involved.

John tells us that the religious leaders

objected to what Pilate had written for the sign.

They protested.

Do not write the king of the Jews

but that this man claimed to be king of the Jews.

They wanted it to be clear that Jesus was not their king.

Not their Messiah.

But Pilate refused to change the sign.

I don't think he's too happy with these chief priests.

He's been working a good part of his day to figure all this out

and how he can release Jesus

since it's obvious that Jesus doesn't deserve this.

But these chief priests, they've been stirring up the people

and it's getting out of hand.

They've been posturing.

Trying to manipulate Pilate into having Jesus killed.

Like, if you let this man go, you are no friend of Caesar's.

So I think Pilate is quite happy to stick it to them

and to write on there

the opposite of what they are saying.

What he knows will offend them.

And we did see that Pilate was somewhat sympathetic

even to Jesus.

Possibly, maybe, we don't know.

He thought that Jesus should be their king

at least under the Roman government.

Finally, there's what God meant

by the sign posted above his head.

In the providence of God,

in the sovereign working and orchestrating of God,

the truth of who Jesus was and is

came to be written on the sign above his head.

Remember what the angel declared to Mary.

The angel said,

You will conceive and give birth to a son

and you are to call him Jesus.

He will be great and will be called

the son of the Most High.

The Lord God will give him the throne

of his father, David.

And he will reign over Jacob's descendants forever.

His kingdom will never end.

He was the king of the Jews.

He was God's chosen king for his people.

The promised Messiah.

This is at the heart of why he was crucified.

Yet as we heard last Sunday,

they rejected him as their Messiah,

as their king.

It's a powerful detail of Jesus' death

that John wants us to see.

Why did they kill him?

Not because he had done anything wrong

or was a criminal.

They executed him

because of who he really was.

The king of the Jews.

It was a blatant and clear rejection

of him as Messiah.

As the one God had sent.

The next thing John tells us about

at Jesus' crucifixion

is what they did with Jesus' clothing.

Verse 23.

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 who will get it.

This happened

that the scripture might be fulfilled

that said,

they divided my clothes among them

and cast lots for my garment.

So this is what the soldiers did.

When the soldiers crucified Jesus,

they took his clothes.

Let's pause for a moment

before we get to what they did

with his clothes.

Consider first that they took his clothes

away from him.

Crucifixion was not only excruciating,

it was utterly humiliating.

At the same time,

they took his clothes.

They stripped him naked,

right there in front of everybody,

and then they nailed his body

to the cross.

Most depictions of the crucifixion

in art or film

have Jesus wearing some sort of undergarment

while on the cross.

Perhaps we just assume

that they still had some sense of decency

back then,

which they afforded to criminals

at their execution.

Much more likely, though,

is that artists today

and filmmakers today

are being sensitive

to their audiences.

The whole point of this

was to publicly shame

the criminal

for his actions.

Stripping them naked

was part of how they achieved that.

And the Roman soldiers,

as we heard last Sunday,

they treated people on death row

with brutality.

They mocked Jesus.

They spit on him.

They beat him.

They tortured him

with the crown of thorns.

And so we can be pretty confident

that they took all of his clothes,

stripped him completely naked

before executing him.

John remembered this part

of the crucifixion.

They took his clothes.

Now here's what they did with them.

They divided them up like plunder,

says John.

Now we might have to wonder here,

why would they even want

the clothes of Jesus?

They would have likely been covered in blood

from when Jesus was flogged.

Truth be told,

we don't know

what was going on

in the minds of these soldiers.

Could it be that Jesus

had been such a popular figure

that they thought of having

an article of his clothes

as a sick sort of souvenir?

Something to be able

to brag about to others.

I was there.

I was one of the ones

who executed Jesus.

We don't know.

But evidently,

they wanted his under tunic

enough

to cast lots for it,

to roll dice for it.

It must have been

absolutely heart-wrenching

for John to watch this.

But as John reflected on all this,

he remembered the words

of Psalm 22,

a psalm written by King David

almost a thousand years

before all this.

John remembered a part

of that psalm

where God's chosen king,

David,

said,

They divide my clothes

among them

and cast lots

for my garment.

Here John is watching

as that very thing

is happening.

As the word of God

spoken long ago

through David

is fulfilled.

It's happening

right in front of his eyes.

They divided

Jesus' clothes,

plural,

and cast lots

for his garment,

singular.

Just as King David

described,

so it was happening now

with the son

of David.

God's ancient words

of prophecy

being fulfilled.

Now we come to

a very unique part

of this account,

something we only see

through John's eyes.

Verse 25.

Near the cross

of Jesus

stood his mother,

his mother's sister,

Mary,

the wife of Clopas,

and Mary Magdalene.

When Jesus saw

his mother there

and the disciple

whom he loved

standing nearby,

he said to her,

Woman,

here is your son.

And to the disciple,

here is your mother.

From that time on,

this disciple

took her

into his home.

So John tells us

that there were

some women

standing near

the cross

where Jesus

was hanging.

He mentions

four women,

one of whom

was Jesus'

own mother,

Mary.

And standing

nearby to Jesus'

mother was

this disciple

whom Jesus

loved.

Now,

I'm not going to

get into all this

this morning,

but a good

biblical case

can be made

that the disciple

whom Jesus

loved

was John,

the author

of this

account.

The later

writings of history

affirm that.

Tradition

agrees.

This is likely

John the apostle

referring to himself

in a way that

keeps

himself

anonymous.

I think that

John doesn't want

to do anything

to draw attention

to himself

at this moment.

He wants to

keep the spotlight

on Jesus.

Look up

to the man

on the cross.

Don't look at me

down on the ground

here.

So John was

there

near

the cross.

He was right

there witnessing

all of this

with his own eyes.

And something

happened in that

moment that John

just had to tell

us.

As Jesus

was suffering

on the cross,

Jesus looked

down and

saw his

mother.

And he

saw John

and he spoke

to each of them.

To his mom,

take

John

as your son.

And to John,

take

my mom

as your own

mother.

father.

This is a

sweet moment.

In the midst

of Jesus'

suffering,

his agony,

he is still

thinking of

others.

He's still

caring for

others.

He's thinking

of his dear

mother and

what it's like

for her to be

losing her son

in this moment.

And so,

take this

beloved

disciple of

mine,

John,

as your

son.

And John,

take my

mom as

your own

mom.

Look after

her.

Take care

of her.

We don't

know where

Joseph,

the earthly

father of

Jesus,

has been.

He's not

mentioned in

the gospel

accounts after

the beginning.

Did he die?

Was Jesus'

mother a

widow?

John tells

us that

from this

moment on,

this disciple

took Jesus'

mom into

his home.

And so,

history and

tradition probably

has it right.

They could

have just

verified this

after John's

writing.

Who is Mary

living with

today?

You know,

as I read

this,

I'm just

blown away

at how

truly loving

Jesus is.

His own

pain and

his own

suffering

cannot keep

him from

thinking of

others and

caring for

others.

Even as

he dies,

he's making

arrangements for

his mom to

be cared for.

It's amazing.

John now

fast-forward

a little bit

and time

passes on

as Jesus

hangs there

on the

cross.

Verse 28,

later,

knowing that

everything had

now been

finished and

so that

scripture would

be fulfilled,

Jesus said,

I'm thirsty.

A jar of

wine vinegar

was there,

so they

soaked a

sponge in

it,

put the

sponge on

a stalk

of the

hyssop

plant,

and lifted

it to

Jesus'

lips.

When he

had received

the drink,

Jesus said,

it is

finished.

With that,

he bowed

his head

and gave

up his

spirit.

So John

tells us

about Jesus'

final moments

leading up

to his

death.

John

remembered

that Jesus

was thirsty,

and after

saying so,

a drink of

wine vinegar

was given

to him.

This word

refers to

an inexpensive,

a cheap,

sour wine

that people

in the

lower ranks

of society

would often

drink in

those days.

And they

lifted this

up on the

stalk of a

hyssop plant

to his

lips,

and this

seems to

prepare Jesus

for his

last words

from the

cross.

It is

finished.

Could be

that these

were the

words that

Jesus spoke

with the

loud cry

mentioned

by Mark

before

breathing

his last.

It is

finished.

finished.

These are

rich and

meaningful

words.

And we

know from

how Jesus

has been

speaking that

he doesn't

just mean

finally my

suffering is

over.

This word

for finished

he has

already been

using the

previous night

in his

prayer.

John 17

John 17:4

verse 4,

he was

praying to

his father.

He said,

I have

brought you

glory on

earth by

finishing the

work you

gave me to

do.

It's the

same word.

It is

finished.

It is

accomplished

is what

Jesus means.

Mission

completed.

My work

is done.

And upon

saying this

Jesus bows

his head

and gives

up his

spirit.

I know

I've said

this many

times.

So many

times I've

lost count.

But what a

thing to say

in this

moment.

we don't

think of

death as

the completion

of our

work.

We think

of that

as kind

of, you

know, it's

tragedy.

It's the

loss of our

opportunity to

live and to

work.

But Jesus,

knowing that

he's about

to die,

claims his

own death

as the

accomplishment,

the completion

of his work.

he knew

he came

to do

this.

He knew

he was

here to

offer his

life as

a sacrifice

of atonement

for the

sins of

people.

And so

staring his

own death

in the face,

knowing what

it will

achieve,

he embraces

it and

declares,

mission

accomplished.

I mean,

what a

holy thing.

such a

unique thing

about Jesus

as he

dies.

It's a

sign that

he really

was sent

from heaven.

Notice

the way

that John

describes

Jesus

dying.

With

that,

he bowed

his head

and death

overtook

him.

No.

With

that,

he bowed

his head

and gave

up

his spirit.

Literally,

handed over

his spirit.

I don't

think this

is coincidence.

Death

did not

overtake

Jesus

like a

greater

power

overtaking

a lesser

power.

No.

Jesus

handed over

and gave

up

his spirit.

He allowed

death,

the lesser

power,

to have

his body

and surrendered

his spirit

to the

hands

of his

father.

Remember

what Jesus

said

back in

John

John 10:14

chapter

10

verse 14

and 15.

I am the

good shepherd

and I lay

down my

life for

the sheep.

No one

takes it

from me

but I lay

it down

of my own

accord.

I have

authority to

lay it down

and authority

to take

it up

again.

Just like

Jesus said

in the

garden of

Gethsemane

at his

arrest,

he could

have called

upon his

father in

this moment,

come down

from the

cross,

healed his

wounds,

struck down

his enemies.

They couldn't

take his

life from

him.

But just

like in

Gethsemane,

shall I not

drink the

cup the

father has

given me.

And so

Jesus

willingly,

voluntarily

surrenders

his life

to death

and hands

over his

spirit

from his

body

to God.

Now John

has more

to tell us

about that

day.

We're going

to save it

for next

Sunday.

In the

time we

have left,

let's linger,

let's reflect

a little

on this

suffering and

this death

of Jesus.

what's the

meaning of

all this?

Well,

John's already

shared some

of that.

To recap,

this is the

true king

of the Jews,

chosen and

sent by

God,

yet rejected

by his

people.

And this

isn't happening

outside the

great plan

of God.

John tells

us twice

in this

account,

this happened

so that

the scriptures

might be

fulfilled.

So that

what God

declared

long ago

would be

completed.

And we

heard also

from Jesus

himself in

the moment

just before

he died

that the

death he's

about to

die is

his work

now

finished.

But what

is that

work?

Why did

he have to

die like

this?

what I

want to

do here

now is

to just

simply

quickly

go back

through a

couple

pieces of

John's

gospel and

just read

a few

verses to

you that

explain the

significance

of his

death.

Because

Jesus has

been talking

about it

all the way

through.

Why did

Jesus die

on the

cross?

Hear the

words of

John the

baptizer

again.

Behold

the Lamb

of God

who takes

away the

sin of

the world.

Hear again

what Jesus

said to

Nicodemus.

Just as

Moses lifted

up the

snake in

the wilderness

on the

wooden pole,

so the

Son of

Man must

be lifted

up that

everyone who

believes may

have eternal

life in

him.

For God

so loved

the world

that he

gave his

one and

only Son

that whoever

believes in

him shall

not perish

but have

eternal

life.

Hear again

what Jesus

said to

his disciples

in Samaria.

John

John 4:34

chapter 4

verse 34.

My food,

he said,

is to do

the will

of him

who sent

me and

to finish

his work.

Don't you

have a

saying?

It's still

four months

until harvest.

I tell you,

open your

eyes and look

at the fields.

They are ripe

for harvest.

Even now

the one

who reaps

draws a

wage and

harvests a

crop for

eternal life.

Hear again

what Jesus

said to the

crowd at

Capernaum.

He declared

to them,

I am the

bread of

life.

Whoever

comes to

me will

never go

hungry and

whoever

believes in

me will

never be

thirsty.

Your

ancestors

ate the

manna in

the wilderness

yet they

died.

but here

is the

bread that

comes down

from heaven

which anyone

may eat

and not

die.

I am

the living

bread that

came down

from heaven.

Whoever

eats this

bread will

live forever.

This bread

is my

flesh which

I will

give for

the life

of the

world.

Whoever

eats my

flesh and

drinks my

blood has

eternal life

and I will

raise them

up at the

last day.

hear again

his words to

the Pharisees.

John chapter

John 10:11

10 verse

11.

I am the

good shepherd.

The good

shepherd lays

down his

life for

the sheep.

I am the

good shepherd.

I know my

sheep and my

sheep know me

and I lay

down my

life for

the sheep.

Hear what

Jesus said to

his disciples.

John chapter

John 12:23

12 verse

23.

The hour

has come for

the son of

man to be

glorified.

Very truly I

tell you unless

a kernel of

wheat falls to

the ground and

dies it remains

only a single

seed.

But if it

dies it

produces many

seeds.

Now my

soul is

troubled and

what shall I

say?

Father save

me from this

hour?

No.

It was for

this very

reason I

came.

to this

hour.

Here again

how John

describes this

final day

leading up to

Jesus' death.

John chapter

John 13:1

13 verse

1.

Jesus knew

that the hour

had come for

him to leave

this world and

go to the

Father.

Having loved

his own who

were in the

world he loved

them to the

end.

hear again

what Jesus

said to his

disciples later

that night.

John 15

John 15:13

verse 13.

Greater love

has no one

than this

to lay down

one's life

for one's

friends.

And finally

hear again

Jesus' words

to his

Father in

his prayer.

John 17

John 17:19

verse 19.

for them

my disciples

I set

myself apart

that they

too

may be

truly

set apart.

All along

God has been

speaking

preparing us

telling us

the meaning

of what would

happen

with Jesus

at the cross.

he died

as a

sacrificial

lamb

to atone

for sins

to secure

eternal

life

for all

who will

believe.

He laid

down his

life

for his

people

to protect

them

to save

them

to bring

about a

great

harvest

a great

ingathering

of people

set apart

specially

for God

and again

and again

and again

we hear

of how

his

love

is why

he is

doing

this work

for God

so loved

the world

having loved

his own

who were in

the world

he loved

them to

the end

greater

love

has no

man than

this

to lay

down

his life

for his

friends

so again

I want to

call all

of you

to see

him there

hanging

on the

cross

dying

because

he loves

you

to

atone

for

your

sins

do you

know

do you

believe

that he

did it

out of

that

deep

strong

love

for you

it

is

finished

salvation

has been

secured

for all

who will

put their

trust

and hope

and faith

in the

Lord

Jesus

have you

done

that

if not

I urge

you

do it

today

for those

of us

who have

done it

already

hear this

wonderful

news

again

for every

sin

for every

failure

of this

past

week

this past

month

this past

year

Jesus

died

and made

full

atonement

it's

finished

it was

finished

at the

cross

you're

free

your guilt

is gone

the Lamb

of God

Jesus

died

to make

it so

you're

forgiven

praise the

Lord

give thanks

to the

Lord

for he

is good

his love

endures

forever

are you

walking in

that freedom

in that

forgiveness

that was

accomplished

for you

at the

cross

the cross

is where

that great

burden

of our

guilt

and sins

was dealt

with

permanently

once for

all

are you

still carrying

that burden

around

with you

or have

you let

it fall

to the

ground

trusting

Christ's

work

for you

is

finished

I want

to end

this morning

by reading

an excerpt

from John

Bunyan's

allegory

Pilgrim's

Progress

if you know

the story

there comes

a moment

when the

main character

a man

named

Christian

arrives

at the

cross

and I'll

read it

for you

there's a

couple

old words

here

one of

them is

sepulchre

which means

a burial

place

or tomb

and the

other is

raiment

which means

clothing

Christian

ran

dust

till he

came

at a

place

somewhat

ascending

and upon

that place

stood a

cross

and a

little below

in the

bottom

a sepulchre

so I

saw in

my dream

that just

as Christian

came up

to the

cross

his

burden

loosed

from his

shoulders

and fell

from off

his back

and began

to tumble

and so

continued to

do till

it came

to the

mouth

of the

sepulchre

where it

fell in

and I

saw it

no more

then was

Christian

glad

and lightsome

and said

with a

merry heart

he has

given me

rest

by his

sorrow

and life

by his

death

then he

stood still

a while

to look

and wonder

for it was

very surprising

to him

that the

sight of

the cross

should ease

him

of his

burden

he looked

therefore

and looked

again

even till

the springs

that were

in his

head

sent the

waters

down

his

cheeks

now

as he

stood

looking

and weeping

behold

three shining

ones

came to

him

and saluted

him

with peace

be to

you

so the

first

said to

him

your

sins

are

forgiven

the

second

stripped

him

of his

rags

and clothed

him

with

change

of

raiment

the

third

also

set

a

mark

on

his

forehead

and

gave

him

a

roll

with

a

seal

upon

it

which

bid

him

look

on

as

he

ran

and

that

he

should

give

it

in

at

the

celestial

gate

so they

went

their

way

then

Christian

gave

three

leaps

of

joy

and

went

on

singing

thus

far

did

I

come

laden

with

my

sin

nor

could

ought

ease

the

grief

that

I

was

in

till

I

came

hither

what

a

place

is

this

must

hear

be

the

beginning

of

my

bliss

must

hear

the

burden

fall

from

off

my

back

must

hear

the

strings

that

bound

me

crack

blessed

cross

blessed

sepulcher

blessed

rather

be

the

man

that

there

was

put

to

shame

for

me

amen

look

to

the

cross

and

look

again

keep

on

looking

to

the

cross

never

stop

looking

to

the

cross

it's

there

the

burden

of

our

guilt

and

sins

was

dealt

with

forever

by

Jesus

blessed

cross

blessed

sepulcher

blessed

rather

be

the

man

that

there

was

put

to

shame

for

me

let's

pray

what a

holy

moment

you have

given us

to look

at

father

through

the eyes

of john

who stood

near the

cross

i pray

that you

wouldn't

let us

pass

this

by

as

just

a

thing

written

in

a

book

but

i pray

that

the

truth

of

what

happened

there

would

fill

our

souls

that

your

love

would

pour

into

us

and

that

we

would

know

it

to

its

depths

and

that

we

would

know

with

great

assurance

that

yes

we

are

forgiven

our

sins

are

gone

and

we

have

life

forever

now

with

you

thank

you

for

the

cross

to

Jesus

be

the

glory

amen