The Death of Death

The Death of Death / John 19:28-30

March 24th, 2024

This morning we find ourselves in part two of our three part sermon series “Golgotha to Glory,” We are making our way up the hill to the place that is called Golgotha. In just a moment, we will look upon the account of Jesus’ crucifixion specifically from John’s perspective according to his gospel account. I have titled our time together this morning “The Death of Death …”

One thing I’ve come to love and appreciate about all four gospel accounts is how they all tell one main story - which is the story of Jesus’ life - but they do it from different perspectives, with specific people in mind, also with specific purposes in mind, and they each have specific details. And when you piece together those details, you get a pretty big picture.

We saw that a little bit last week when I took you back to Matthew 27:19-20 to see that Pilate was afraid because his wife had told him not to mess with the righteous man because she had a dream about that very situation then night before. And verse 20 told us that the chief priests had pressured and persuaded the crowd to free Barabbas and choose to execute Jesus. Which are two details that John does not record in his gospel.

If you would, join me in John 19 where we will begin reading at verse 17. I’d like to focus on verses 28-30, but let’s back up so we can hear the story. (READ)

For a brief moment, let me take you back to the year 2008 when a great American philosopher Kenny Chesney released a song called “Everybody Want to Go to Heaven.” Incase you have forgotten how it goes, or perhaps you’ve never heard it before, let me share the lyrics with you. (READ)

Now, in presenting this song to you this morning, I am not implying or condoning that type of behavior… which is living however you want throughout the week and then try to make a mends for your lifestyle by showing up to church and dropping a $20 in the plate. That’s not how getting into heaven works! Why? Because the Bible doesn’t tell us that it works that way!

It seems that this particular idea is common in our world and our culture. Most people believe there are many ways to heaven, so whichever one you choose is just fine. But for some, Christian and non-Christian, Kenny’s song rings true in their hearts. They think “Hey, I can live however I’d like as long as I try and be a good person and you know, if I pop into church every now and then it’ll be okay. I can just drop an extra bill in the offering plate.”

But on top of all that … and the problem that I have with Kenny’s message is that it teaches or communicates to those who hear it that living hear on earth is fun. In fact, it’s so fun that it’s better than being in heaven in the presence of Jesus for all of eternity. Don’t misunderstand me, I enjoy this life. I enjoy the life I have because it was given to me by God. I’ve had plenty of good times and fun moments. And I want to enjoy God’s good gifts and be fruitful while I am here on earth.

But the truth is this: This life is a sad comparison to all that awaits us in heaven! …. ….

I tried to think of a way I could compare Kenny Chesney’s song to what the Bible shows. And while this may not be the best illustration, I’ll give it a shot. Imagine if one day someone walked up to you and said “Hey I’d like to offer you a once in a lifetime dream deal. Basically, you’d never have to work again. You could move to anywhere in the world, you’d have unlimited financial resources which allow you to never have to worry about travel expenses, food expenses, etc, etc.

You could have anything and everything you wanted. You’d never have to worry about your health again. And not only would your experiences & surroundings bring you daily happiness, you’d be mentally & emotionally stable because all of your worries would disappear. In short order…this person is offering you some type of perfect life (i.e. paradise).

And at the end of their offer, you respond by saying “Ahh that sounds great, but can you come back next month. I’m kind of busy enjoying this messed up version of life now.” Hopefully you get the picture

Kenny’s song came to mind as I was studying this week and it caused me to think about the perception that most people have about heaven. Unfortunately, even some Christians have this same mentality. And that mentality is “Yes, I want to go to heaven, but I just don’t want to go now.” This mentality is a problematic because in one way or another it contradicts the words of Paul in the book of Philippians where he says “For me to live is Christ and to die is gain.”

Well if dying is gain, then why do we dread it? The answer to that simply is because we’re human. We were not designed to die, but sin brought that curse upon us. And this is precisely why Jesus came to earth. He came to fix our separation. He came to rectify and reconcile! He came to be the bridge between God and man. And he came to be our Savior by giving his life as a ransom.

But … before we sing and celebrate the resurrection of Christ, we need to grasp the weight of Christ’s death at the cross of Calvary. Brother and sisters, this morning, we are treading on holy ground. Not necessarily the ground of this church building, but the place where the crucifixion of the Son of God takes place… a place called Golgotha. And we have to go there before we get to Glory. This moment in history does not need to be taken lightly. This is a moment of the greatest trauma and yet it is also a moment of the highest praise and celebration.

In this moment, Jesus has secured our eternal salvation. But it wasn’t easy. To pay the debt for the acts of sinful creatures, Jesus was going to have to go through the Father’s greatest level of punishment and wrath. And because God is holy and perfect, and just and righteous, He Will Not Spare His Son!

For the remainder of my time, I’d like to do two things. First, I am going to attempt to paint a picture and take us to Golgotha by sharing what others have written about Roman crucifixion and a few written accounts of the death of Jesus. And second, I would like to bring a few things to your attention involving the death of Jesus.

Now, I’m breaking one of my own rules in preaching when it comes to quotes. But this is a special occasion. So just hang with me …

In her book, “The Crucifixion: Understanding the Death of Jesus Christ”, Fleming Rutledge explains this about this

“Crucifixion as a means of execution in the Roman Empire had purposed to eliminate it’s victims from consideration as members of the human race. It cannot be said too strongly: that was its function. It was meant to indicate to all who might be toying with subversive ideas that crucified persons were not of the same species as either the executioners or the spectators and were therefore not only expendable but also deserving of ritualized extermination."

She goes on to say:

“The mocking and jeering that accompanied crucifixion were not only allowed, they were a part of the spectacle and were programmed into it. In a sense, crucifixion was a form of entertainment. Everyone understood that the specific role of the passersby was to exacerbate the dehumanization and degradation of the person who had been thus designated to be a spectacle. Crucifixion was cleverly designed — we might say diabolically designed — to be an almost theatrical enactment of the sadistic and inhumane impulses that lie within human beings.”

Amy Blossom is a wife and mother. She stepped out of healthcare after spending 20 years in it taking care of others. She writes and blogs now where she shares her thoughts and insight to the Scriptures

Jesus’ crucifixion involved so much more than just nailing Him to the cross. Before any of that occurred, He was beaten within an inch of His life with a nine-tailed whip that had metal tips on the end of every strap. He was strapped to a block while soldiers beat the shard tips of the whip into His back, buttocks, and legs. The metal tips would tear into His flesh and then rip both His skin and muscles away as the soldiers pulled the whip back - just to thrash it into His skin again.

This initial beating alone was enough to cause hypovolemic shock. Hypovolemic shock occurs when there is a loss of approximately 20% or more of the body’s blood supply. This blood loss depletes oxygen to the body because the heart is prevented from pumping more blood which contains the oxygen needed. Hypovolemic shock causes nausea, dizziness, profuse sweating, confusion, and loss of consciousness.

Yet, Jesus allowed them to continue…

The blood from these wounds would be flowing into His eyes causing burning and making it difficult to see. The soldiers covered Him with a purple robe and mocked Him by saying: "Hail, the King of the Jews!" (Mark 15:18). They hit Jesus on the head with a reed, spit on Him and humiliated Him beyond belief. But still, Jesus said nothing...

As if that was not enough, Jesus was forced to carry a wooden beam to the place of His crucifixion. This beam would have been extremely heavy and after the beating Jesus would have been immensely weak.”

And after making the painful and exhausting trip up to Golgotha, the soldiers would then nail him to a cross and crucify him.

Amy goes on to say this:

“The nails were driven into Jesus’ wrists and pierced the main nerve running through the arm. When Jesus would push up to breathe, His wrists rotated against the nail, which would irritate the nerves and cause intense pain in His arms. The open nerves were exposed to the thick metal which produced a constant, recurring excruciating pain that had to be endured every time Jesus pulled up to breathe.

The vertical beam that would hold the horizontal beam was already standing in the ground. Jesus was nailed to the horizontal beam while it was still flat on the ground. With His wrists nailed into the horizontal beam, the beam was lifted and then hammered into the vertical beam. When this happened, Jesus’ feet still were not nailed into the vertical beam.

At this point, Jesus’ shoulders would have dislocated because He had no leverage to push His body up. The weight of His hanging body, once it was raised, would have pulled His shoulders out of socket. The result of this was that His arms would extend at least 6 inches beyond their normal span of reach.”

With His shoulders dislocated, His body hung in a slumped position, which forced His chest cavity to protrude. An extended chest cavity allowed Jesus to inhale, but exhaling was nearly impossible. The inability to exhale caused an increase in carbon dioxide throughout the body. Increase carbon dioxide puts the body into acidosis which leads to the failure of the central nervous system, among other things.

The natural way for our vital organs to receive oxygen is through the flow of blood. Proper movement of the arms and legs and their interaction with gravity is what enables this process. The cross prevented Jesus from natural movement. The stationary arms and legs, combined with gravity’s work of pulling the blood downward, prevents the vital organs from receiving the proper flow of oxygen.

The organs respond to this unnatural position by sending warning signals to the brain that something is very wrong. The warning signals are sent through the nerves that lead to the pain centers of the brain. So, with all the other excruciating tortures that His body endured on the cross, the oxygen-deprived organs are sending unimaginable pain signals to the brain.

These things did not happen in sequence - with one occurring and the then the next - giving Jesus time to prepare. Every single bodily response to crucifixion happened at the same time. The combined effect of all of these things happening to the body at once is beyond comprehension. The pain and suffering are indescribable with words.”

The death of Jesus by means of crucifixion is a central theme in the NT. Through the faithful & obedient death of Christ, God is able to grant sinners the forgiveness of their sin and give them eternal life. BUT in order for sinful man to be forgiven … in order for you and I to receive grace and be given eternal life … Someone first had to do the work. Someone first had to finish the work in the scope of time and space. And not just anyone. Only a righteous man could finish this work. And this righteous man is the one we call Jesus. And in His final moment, as he hung on the cross, he prepares to take his last breath and Jesus utters the words “It is finished.”

Now, for the last few moments of our time, I’d like for us to think about what really went on that day when Jesus sacrificially went to the cross and died a criminal’s death. As I studied and read this week, one thought I had several times was how remarkable Jesus’ words were. I’ve been a Christian for a little over 20 years now and this week allowed me to be in awe of the words we have recorded in the Bible.

Generally speaking, most of us know what was said. But have you ever thought about what was not said? You‘ll recall how last week I told you how significant Jesus’ silence was when Pilate asked him several question. Well here, again this week, the significance of this test is what Jesus didn’t say. Jesus never groaned or complained at any point. He never tried to play the card of “I don’t deserve this.” Nor did He ever say “You better not do this or you’re going to pay.” He didn’t request of legion of angels to rescue Him. The Bible gives us the words of Jesus and pretty much all of them or outward focused.

But the statement I’d like to focus on for a moment is “It is finished.” you see, in this moment, Jesus was executing the death of death. He was putting death to death.

The Greek word “tetelestai” is the word here that means it is finished. In Jesus’ day, it was a term that was used to communicate that a specific task or job had been completed. If a painter is given a job to paint a picture or a home, they would say I am done; I have completed the work that was given to me. There was nothing left, everything has been done and accounted for.

But it doesn’t stop there. The word also carried a legal or monetary sense. Not only would someone use the word to say that they are done, but someone might use it to explain that a debt had been paid. When a debt was paid in full, one might say the word “tetelestai.”

Now, having this in mind, you can’t help but ask yourself “Well, what is the work that Jesus finished?” “What did Jesus complete in that moment?” Well, I’m so glad you asked! I would like to think that most of us here this morning know exactly what Jesus completed… and you’re not wrong. But this is why I decided to conclude our time together in this way. When Jesus announced His work is done, it safe for us to conclude that He meant the work of salvation. And that is right! But as I have said before, Jesus did so much more than just secure your salvation in his death. So let me briefly share with you six things that the death of Jesus did in the scope of history.

I. The Death of Jesus Defined Love

Joseph Scheumann once said “Jesus’ death wasn’t just an act of love, it defines love.” When an innocent man goes voluntarily in place of guilty men to a point of an embarrassing, shameful, sorrowful, and excruciatingly painful death… dear friends, that is love!

The Bible says in 1 John 3:16 “By this we know love, that He laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers.

John 3:16 says “For God so loved the world that He gave His only son.

And finally, Paul says in Romans 5:8 “but God demonstrates His love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”

We love because He first loved us. So let us strive towards a more Biblical concept of love and not a worldly one. And that means calling love what love is. Brothers & sisters, you don’t love that new car you have. Sisters, you don’t love that purse you got for Christmas. Brothers, you don’t love your favorite shotgun or fishing pole. Let’s call it what it is … we like those things. We don’t define love, God does!

II. The Death of Jesus Purchased a Group of People

This one could almost be a sermon on its own, but I can’t not include it in this sermon. So I will attempt to be concise, but give you the big picture. Here it is … in His death, Jesus accomplished a goal. His death was 100% effective in its purpose. It actually ransomed a definitive group of people. His death didn’t just purchase the possibility of a group of people. It secured a group of people that God the Father had promised Jesus in eternity past. Listen to how Jesus explained it in John 6:37-38.

“All that the Father gives to me will come to Me, and the one who comes to me I will certainly not cast out. For I have comes down from heaven, not to do my own will, but the will of Him who sent me.”

III. The Death of Jesus Removed Our Sin

The theological term that is often used to describe this concept is expiation. It’s a fancier word that basically says something has been removed. And specifically here, Jesus has removed our sin and guilt in his sacrificial death.

When Christ hung on that cross, our sin and our shame was placed on Him. Earlier in John’s gospel (John 1:29), he says “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!” And the author of Hebrews confirms this truth by saying that “But as it is written, he has appeared, once for all at the end of the ages to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself.” But removing our sins is one thing, and it is a wonderful thing. But Christ’s death takes it one step further ….

IV. The Death of Jesus Appeased the Wrath of God

The word I wanted to use was the word propitiation. But that is often harder to say and harder to spell. So I chose the word “appeased” because they basically mean the same thing. Expiation communicates the removal of sin, but propitiation explains the removal of God’s wrath. And this is a big deal because we’re thinking about the wrath that we so rightly deserve! But God defines love, He shows us love, He sends us love, love dies in our place, and now love has removed God’s wrath and turned it into favor… or pleasure if you will. If you are in Christ Christian in this room, you can go to bed tonight and know that God is fully pleased with you. Not because of your righteous efforts, but only because of Christ!

Paul lays this out for us in a wonderful passage in Romans 3 (READ 3:21-26)

V. The Death of Jesus Reconciled Us to God

It just keeps getting better, doesn’t it? We’ve seen how Christ’ death removed our sin, it also removed God’s wrath and replaced it with pleasure. But it also removed our alienation. We are no longer estranged from our Creator. We have been brought back into fellowship with Him.

Our sin had separated us from God, but the death of Christ reunites us to God. The apostle Paul confirmed this reality in Romans 5:11 where he said “For while we ere enemies, we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved by his life.”

And I suppose we could have stopped there, but there is more! Notice finally that …

VI. The Death of Jesus Redeemed Us

In his death and resurrection, we are redeemed. But the truth we need to hear this morning is this - when we were redeemed, we were set free! We have been set free from the bondage of sin. We were captives to sin and slaves to the evil one. Now, having believed in the Lord Jesus Christ and having been changed by Him, we are slaves to a righteous King … and He has set us free!

This means we literally have the ability to say no to sin. As captives and slaves to sin we were in bondage… we were shackled! But Christ broke those shackles free and now we have the power to say no and not be under the curse and power of sin. Yes, we struggle with sin and yes we will still fall into sin. But know dear Christian, Christ purchased your redemption. You’re free from the guilt of sin, you’re free from the curse of sin, and you’re free from the power of sin. So live as victors in this broken world that will be fully and completely redeemed at the return of Christ.

I will leave you a few words from Matt Carter & Josh Wredberg. Both men are pastors and authors and have combined forces to produce a commentary on the Gospel of John.

“The cross of Christ cannot simply be a moment in history. Though we study it, we must do so differently from the way we would study medieval architecture. It’s fine for a Christian to be bored in a class on British literature, but it’s tragic if the cross of Jesus Christ produces nothing more than a yawn and a shrug of the shoulders. The crucifixion of Jesus Christ is a real historical event, but it can’t be consigned to dusty shelves in the back of a library or cobwebbed corners of our minds. Nearly two thousand years after the fact, we read the Gospel accounts of the crucifixion and understand that they were written so we would respond in faith. Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John didn’t record this event as a memento for their grandkids. They wrote these Gospel accounts so people would read them and respond by believing in Jesus Christ.”