John 19:25-30

Intro

Baseball is the best

So that video you just watched was of the 1992 National League Championship Series between the Pittsburgh Pirates and the Atlanta Braves. To give you some more details on the importance of this game, whoever wins this series gets to go play in the World Series. It’s a best of 7 series, so you have to win 4 times to be able to move on, and the Pirates had won 3 games and the Braves had won 3 games, so whoever was going to win this last game was going to win everything. The Pirates were up 2 - 0 going into the 9th and final inning. But the Braves were able to get the runs needed to win, and this game has went down in history as one of the greatest games in MLB history.

One of my favorite things about baseball is that you have to play every out. You can’t just hold on to the ball or try and run the time out so your opponent doesn’t have time to score. You have to get those last three outs if you want to take home the win. This is just one example of many 9th inning comebacks that have happened over the years. It goes to show that “it’s not over until it’s over.”

Tie-In “It is finished”

Tonight we are going to be reading and discussing the last words of Jesus on the cross. We will talk about the phrase, “it is finished.” What did Jesus mean? Why is this important?

But before we begin, let’s pray.

Context: Jesus on the Cross

If we back up to verse 17 in this chapter, we will see the beginning of Jesus’ crucifixion.

John 19:17–18 “Carrying the cross by himself, he went to the place called Place of the Skull (in Hebrew, Golgotha). There they nailed him to the cross. Two others were crucified with him, one on either side, with Jesus between them.”

So Jesus is hanging on a cross after being betrayed, beat, and mocked, as the crowd watches the three men being crucified begin their journey to death. We’ll pick up the story in verse 25.

Annotate Text 19:25-27

John 19:25–27 NLT

Standing near the cross were Jesus’ mother, and his mother’s sister, Mary (the wife of Clopas), and Mary Magdalene. When Jesus saw his mother standing there beside the disciple he loved, he said to her, “Dear woman, here is your son.” And he said to this disciple, “Here is your mother.” And from then on this disciple took her into his home.

In the crowd of people Jesus is able to speak directly to His mother, Mary, before His death. It’s interesting what Jesus says here, because until recently I don’t think I understood the full context of what was happening here. Now, some of the things I’m going to say are not recorded in the Bible, but are speculated by many Bible scholars and teachers. Don’t take these things as “gospel” but I do think it helps explain this passage.

We know that throughout the Gospel of John, John has chosen not to name himself but has instead chosen to call himself, “the disciple whom Jesus loved”. So we know from that context that Jesus is talking to John and Mary. We see that Jesus doesn’t refer to his mother by her name, but calls her “woman” which He also did at the wedding where Jesus turned water into wine. This would help signify a distance between Jesus as Mary’s son and Jesus as Messiah. Both are true, but Jesus’ ministry was still being completed while He was on the cross.

Jesus then tells Mary that John should take care of her like a mother, and tells John to take care of Mary as a mother. Which John writes that he did in fact take her into his home to take care of her. But my question is why is this important? What was the purpose of saying this in the middle of the crucifixion?

Knowing the cultural implications of how you treat your family members is helpful for us to know, so we are going to take a moment to discuss this in a section I’m going to call “This Cultural Moment”

This Cultural Moment: All in the Family

Caring for your Family: Family Dynamics

In Jesus’ time, the family was considered the fundamental social unit, typically consisting of extended family members living together in a patriarchal structure.

Show picture of typical Jewish house.

This is an example of what one of their houses could have looked like. The whole family was living in a house like this. The patriarchal structure meant that the oldest man — usually the dad or grandpa was typically the one running the family. He made the big decisions for everyone — where they lived, what jobs they worked, who they married. Sons were trained to take over someday. Daughters were usually married to help build family alliances. 

Unlike today, there were no retirement homes or social security to rely on when you got old. The responsibility fell onto the children. When your parents got old, you were supposed to take care of them — especially if you were the oldest son. It wasn’t seen as extra credit; it was your duty. Honoring your parents wasn’t just obeying them when you were young — it meant making sure they were safe, fed, and loved when they got old.

So looking back at our text, we can now see why it was important for Jesus to make sure His mother was taken care of after His death. But why did Jesus choose John? Why not Joseph? Or maybe one of Jesus’ brothers could have taken care of her?

So this is the part that is not in the Bible, but is generally assumed based on the context of the time period Jesus lived in. Most people believe that Joseph had already died and that Mary was a widow. Again, there is no specific verse, but Mary was probably younger that Joseph and since the Bible doesn’t mention much or anything about him after Jesus’ birth and we factor in that their life expectancy was not very good at this time, we can conclude that he probably was not in the picture. Even if he wasn’t dead, he would probably be too old to take care of Mary or any of the other family members.

So that explains Joseph, but what about Jesus’ brothers? We know that they should still be around because we talked about the time where they were picking on Jesus saying that He should go show off his “magic tricks” to the world. And that’s going to lead us to our answer: Jesus’ brothers were not believers at the time that Jesus was crucified. We know that later after the resurrection they became believers, but they still did not have faith that Jesus was the Messiah while He was on the cross.

Our family on earth is important, but our family in Christ is eternal.

This is why is was important to Jesus that John would be the one to watch over His mother. Dealing with the death of her son would already be a painful situation, but to have her other sons unbelief mocking her would have made things much worse. John was able to provide comfort and care to Mary’s soul, not just her physical needs.

So my question is this: Are you in need of a spiritual family to help take care of you? The reason that I care so much about having Godly adult leaders in our student ministry is not just so I can have some help on Wednesday nights. I want there to be a variety of believers, in different stages of life, that you can go to if you need guidance. As much as I would love to walk alongside you in whatever you may be going through or whatever questions you have, I want you to know there is more than just me that cares about you in this room. Don’t pass up an opportunity to learn from the leaders here, we want to help.

After John records Jesus’ words to Mary and himself, he goes on to say this:

Annotate Text: John 19:28-30

John 19:28–30 NLT

Jesus knew that his mission was now finished, and to fulfill Scripture he said, “I am thirsty.” A jar of sour wine was sitting there, so they soaked a sponge in it, put it on a hyssop branch, and held it up to his lips. When Jesus had tasted it, he said, “It is finished!” Then he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.

Scripture Fulfilled

“I am thirsty.” Psalm 69:21

Psalm 69:21 “But instead, they give me poison for food; they offer me sour wine for my thirst.”

So let’s look at the other lines in this Psalm that correlate with Jesus:

People hate him without cause, His enemies destroy him with lies, He endured insults for the sake of God, He was humiliated, Even my own brothers pretend they don’t know me, Passion for your house has consumed me

So while David was writing a Psalm for the worship leaders of their time to sing at their worship services, God inspired the writing of this and then now we see these phrases represented in Jesus.

Revelation song prayer example

Hyssop Branch

The importance of the hyssop branch is something we can miss that the Jewish people would have seen a significant symbolism. In Exodus, during the plagues that were effecting the Egyptians and Pharoah, we learn about the Passover. Hyssop branches were an important part of this story.

Show pictures of hyssop branches

Hyssop branches were used to apply lamb's blood to doorposts, symbolizing protection from death. The blood on the doorpost is what the “angel of death” looked at to know if the house should be “passed over” or not.

Jesus was the ultimate passover lamb. What animal sacrifices would have be done year after year, Jesus sacrifice spans from beginning to end. We who are found in Christ are treated like the Israelites who were a part of the first Passover in Exodus. The blood of Jesus covers our sins and makes us righteous in the eyes of God so that the death we deserve is not given to us. We don’t get what we bought with our sin, that debt has already been paid for.

It is Finished

And here is where we get the famous phrase as Jesus dies on the cross. The word in Greek is Tetelestai (Teh-Teh-leh-stahy). It’s an accounting term that means something has been “paid in full”. Whatever the task was, it has been completely finished.

This was not the despairing cry of a helpless individual or the last gasp of a worn out life. These were the declarations of the Redeemer who had completed everything He set out to do. The price of all sin had been paid in full.

In the Gospels of Matthew and Mark, Jesus is recorded saying, “My God, My God, why have you forsaken me?” while on the cross. Some say that this is because when Jesus took on the sin of the world God the Father could not look at Jesus anymore because God cannot take part in sin. But I think there is another biblical reference here that Jesus was making to the crowd watching Him on the cross.

That line is the opening line of Psalm 22 which we don’t have time to dive into, but just like Psalm 69 the references to Jesus are incredible. But Psalm 22 also finishes with this verse:

Psalm 22:31 NLT

His righteous acts will be told to those not yet born. They will hear about everything he has done.

When sin entered the world in the garden of Eden, Eve is asked by God “What have you done?” After she eats the fruit being deceived by the serpent. If the story ended at what we had done, there would be no hope for us. But that wasn’t the end.

While mankind completely failed in sin, Jesus completely fulfills as Savior.

John then records that Jesus “gave up His spirit”. That word literally means “to hand over”. Jesus willingly took our place

Jesus didn’t die because we were “bad” and He wanted us to be “good”. Jesus died because we were dead and He wanted us to be alive.

There are a lot of “good” people who don’t have Jesus as the Lord of their life who are at risk of being eternally separated from Him, even though by our earthly standards they meet the qualifications of being “good”. But outward actions do not indicate an inward transformation.

Matthew 23:27–28 ““What sorrow awaits you teachers of religious law and you Pharisees. Hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs—beautiful on the outside but filled on the inside with dead people’s bones and all sorts of impurity. Outwardly you look like righteous people, but inwardly your hearts are filled with hypocrisy and lawlessness.”

If you are here tonight and you do not have a testimony of your belief in Jesus, I pray that you would not wait another second not knowing where you will spend eternity. Don’t wait, believe in faith in what Jesus accomplished on the cross and give your life to Him.

Ending

In baseball, you have to play every inning. Every out. Every at bat until the game is over. And once the game is over, you can’t go back. There is nothing else to play.

As we seek to honor Jesus on earth, but sometimes fail, let us find our strength and our hope that the victory has already been won. We might have to stay on the field and we might strike out a few times, but we know what the score will be at the end. When Jesus entered the game, He sacrificed Himself so that we could make it home safely.

Family Group Questions:

What does Jesus' care for His mother during His crucifixion reveal about His character?

He cares deeply about all people, especially in our times of suffering.

What role do you think godly leaders play in your life and spiritual growth?

Help you in times of need, there for guidance and support.

How can knowing that Jesus' sacrifice paid for sin “in full” influence your understanding of sin?

Nothing that we have done, or can do, is too big for Jesus to forgive. He took the payment for all sin, not just some of it.