It Is Finished

John 19:28–30 ESV

After this, Jesus, knowing that all was now finished, said (to fulfill the Scripture), “I thirst.” A jar full of sour wine stood there, so they put a sponge full of the sour wine on a hyssop branch and held it to his mouth. When Jesus had received the sour wine, he said, “It is finished,” and he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.

There is something about last-second shots and “Hail Mary” passes that captivate our attention.

This past Monday night, we attended the end-of-season awards ceremony for Joseph’s basketball team. Joseph’s team was a developmental team - and it showed.

They only won two games in their whole season (but they did win their very last game) and … while I don’t think I am biased simply because I’m Joe’s father to say that Joseph was much better than almost all his teammates … his team as a whole did show much improvement over the season.

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But it was brutal as we watched this developmental team lose again and again. Then, one night in the middle of the season, Joseph’s team … was keeping up with the other team.

In fact, they kept it so close that at eight seconds before regulation time ran out … they were only down by three points!

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The ball was inbounded to Joe. He dribbled up the court with pressure from the defender.

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The coach says that on the sideline he was thinking, “Do I call time out or not?”

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The seconds ticked away.

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Joseph dribbled up within logo range.

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He shot the ball.

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And tied the game!

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The two minute overtime went by quickly. Both teams scored, but Joseph’s team was able to win their very first game of the season!

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In such moments like this, everything feels like it comes down to the final seconds.

Today we are looking at, if you will, the last eight seconds of Jesus’ life.  Scripture says that Jesus, knowing that all things had been fulfilled, said, “I am thirsty.”

The soldier offered Him some sour wine.

When Jesus had tasted it, He cried out, “It is finished!”  

He bowed His head and … gave up His spirit.

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Put yourself in the place of the Jewish people for a moment.  Now, I’m referring to the Jewish people who accepted Jesus as their Messiah.

So many years they had waited in anticipation for their conquering Messiah.  They thought Jesus was the One.  How they had waited to revenge the wrongs of the past.

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Think about the different ways the people had suffered under Roman rule. Remember the law Jesus referred to in his Sermon on the Mount - how Roman soldiers could require a Jew to carry their heavy backpacks for a mile?

Can you feel the humiliation, the anger, the resentment that many of the people must have felt?

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Or, consider hardworking farmers who were accosted by tax collectors time after time and charged unfair taxes. Yes, the agents were Jews, which made the insult even worse, but they were backed up by the power of the Roman Empire!

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If we could go back in time and have the opportunity to interview such first-century Jews, surely we would hear story after story after story of people mistreated by the evil Romans. How they had hoped that Jesus would be their Messiah!

After all, Jesus’ name means, “He saves.”  That’s who they needed – a Saviour.  But now the people watched bitterly as their conqueror’s body sagged limply on the Cross. There would be no last second shot to win the day for them.  Their hopes had suffered defeat.

The Cross appeared to mark the defeat of their "conquering" Messiah
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Scripture only specifically notes a few of Jesus’ followers who watched him die on the Cross. But we know that there were a number of people there.

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Jesus had healed many people of diseases. He had cast out demons. He healed the lame and raised the dead.

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Could some of those people who had experienced such dramatic healing have been there as Jesus hung on the cross?

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If so, can you imagine their shock and dismay as they watched their Healer … dying?

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One such person we know was at the Cross was Mary Magdalene.  Mary was once possessed by seven demons. It is possible she was the “sinful woman” of Luke 7 who anointed Jesus with perfume.

But one thing was certain: she loved the Master deeply.

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If we could talk with Mary at the foot of the Cross, what do you think she would say?

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Or, one must wonder, if we could even speak with her.

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Was she so overwhelmed with sorrow that all she could do was cry?

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Can you imagine the bewilderment of all those people whom Jesus had healed? Jesus had caused blind eyes to see. He had restored the withered man’s hand. He caused the lame to walk. He even raised the dead.

“Jesus, if you are really the Messiah, why can you not come down from the Cross?” the Pharisees mocked.

But Jesus didn’t answer.  Another last second opportunity missed – no victory today.  

The Cross appeared to mark the defeat of the people’s deliverer.

But if we could point out some other people for you to notice, we should point out Jesus’ disciples. Well, the Eleven – Judas Iscariot – you know about him.

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And… to find these disciples… except for John, one would have to leave the Cross and wander the streets of Jerusalem. Apparently, the others were not at the crucifixion.

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Consider Peter – big, burly, rough Peter. He told Jesus again and again that no matter what the others did, he would not betray Him.

Jesus told him just the night before that before the cock crowed twice he would betray Jesus three times.

Peter ran in the Garden of Gethsemane. All the disciples ran. But Peter remembered his resolve, and so he turned around and followed Jesus at a distance.

Then while Jesus was on trial Peter warmed himself outside at the fire. There, Peter was accused three times of being Jesus’ disciple.

In panic, Peter denied ever knowing Jesus. He cursed profusely in his effort to cover himself. Then Jesus looked at Peter. One must wonder if Peter was still weeping.

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Can you picture the other disciples - most likely in hiding? Can you see the agony and shame written on their faces? They must have moved like they were in a dream. Surely, they jumped at any loud noises like the soldier just home from the war.

Picture Thomas. He was the quiet one. Can you see the resolve growing in his eyes? What must he have been thinking?  Thomas was known for his pessimism.

Remember what he said before Jesus and his disciples started on their way to Bethany, where Lazarus was raised from the dead?  Didn’t he say something like, “Let us also go, that we may die with him?” (NIV)

No last second shots to win the game today. Jesus had died.

The Cross appeared to mark the defeat of the disciples’ Lord and Teacher, but God was doing something they could not yet see.

But before we leave this gloomy scene, consider some people whose spirits were strangely lifted by this horrible tragedy.

“Where?” you ask, “who?”

Look right over there. Yeah, you can see them, can’t you?

Those men in the elaborately designed robes. See the ones in the elegant, rich clothing?

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You can’t miss them once you see them, can you?

Maybe some were doubled over in laughter – their latest pun.  The others may have simply stood with gloating, gleeful smiles across their faces.

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Who were these who have no respect for the dying -- the dead?

Who were these who are almost literally laughing in the funeral parlor?

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The Pharisees, of course.

Their hatred and jealousy finally saw their time being fulfilled. Their well-laid plans finally bore fruit. Jesus, that Sabbath breaker, that subversive teacher, had finally been rid from the earth.

No last minute, last second shot to win this day.

The Cross appeared to mark the defeat of the Pharisees’ most hated enemy.

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Yes, it might feel good to throw insults their way.  It would relieve the pain we feel if we could throw some dirt and rocks at those puffed up, hypocritical... !  

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But we can’t. If we did anything, we might be the next in line for crucifixion!

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Come, let’s go. Let’s leave this place. But before we do, let us notice one more character in this grim scene.

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Now, you won’t be able to see him with your naked eyes. He is not human – he is spirit.

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Wonder what that old wicked Lucifer was doing at that moment. Was he throwing a party? Was he heehawing? Was he rolling on the floor with laughter?

“Look at Jesus,” he must have screeched, “dying on a Cross!  Ha, ha, ha, ha!”

What was it like for Jesus to die on the cross?

While Scripture is brief, historical and medical reflections like the following help us grasp the weight of what He endured…

What is crucifixion? A medical doctor provides a physical description: The cross is placed on the ground and the exhausted man is quickly thrown backwards with his shoulders against the wood.

The legionnaire feels for the depression at the front of the wrist. He drives a heavy, square wrought-iron nail through the wrist and deep into the wood.

Quickly he moves to the other side and repeats the action, being careful not to pull the arms too tightly, but to allow some flex and movement.

The cross is then lifted into place.  The left foot is pressed backward against the right foot, and with both feet extended, toes down, a nail is driven through the arch of each, leaving the knees flexed. The victim is now crucified.

As he slowly sags down with more weight on the nails in the wrists, excruciating, fiery pain shoots along the fingers and up the arms to explode in the brain--the nails in the wrists are putting pressure on the median nerves. As he pushes himself upward to avoid this stretching torment, he laces the full weight on the nail through his feet.

Again he feels the searing agony of the nail tearing through the nerves between the bones of his feet. As the arms fatigue, cramps sweep through the muscles, knotting them in deep, relentless, throbbing pain. With these cramps comes the inability to push himself upward to breathe. Air can be drawn into the lungs but not exhaled.

He fights to raise himself in order to get even one small breath. Finally carbon dioxide builds up in the lungs and in the blood stream, and the cramps partially subside. Spasmodically he is able to push himself upward to exhale and bring in life-giving oxygen.

Hours of this limitless pain, cycles of twisting, joint-rending cramps, intermittent partial asphyxiation, searing pain as tissue is torn from his lacerated back as he moves up and down against the rough timber.

Then another agony begins: a deep, crushing pain deep in the chest as the pericardium slowly fills with serum and begins to compress the heart.

It is now almost over--the loss of tissue fluids has reached a critical level--the compressed heart is struggling to pump heavy, thick, sluggish blood into the tissues--the tortured lungs are making a frantic effort to gasp in small gulps of air. He can feel the chill of death creeping through his tissues. . .Finally he can allow his body to die.

All this the Bible records with the simple words, "And they crucified Him." (Mark 15:24).

Adapted from C. Truman Davis, M.D. in The Expositor's Bible Commentary, Vol. 8

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What was the devil’s reaction to Jesus’ death on the Cross? Sometimes the devil is portrayed as laughing, rejoicing that his enemy has been crucified.

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After this graphic portrayal of the suffering Jesus must have undergone, we can see why the devil might laugh. He hates Jesus.

Scripture doesn’t tell us exactly what Satan felt—but it does tell us what happened: through the cross, God disarmed the powers of darkness.

ChatGPT

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Is it possible the devil actually feared this day?

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Was this a day in which the devil hid in the deepest recesses of Hell, shuddering in anticipation of what was going to happen?

Did the devil understand Scripture better than humanity?

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Did he understand that Jesus’ death on the Cross was intentional rather than accidental?

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Maybe it does not really matter. The results were the same.

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Notice some interesting words the apostle John penned in his gospel.

John 19:28 says, “After this, Jesus knowing.”  

John 19:28 ESV

After this, Jesus, knowing …”

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Jesus was aware of His situation. He knew what was going on. He realized that all the Scripture had been prophesied concerning Himself had been fulfilled up to that point.

To continue fulfilling scripture, Jesus said, “I thirst.” Jesus received the vinegar. He bowed His head. He gave up His spirit.

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One might think that a man suffering like Jesus did would be so delirious, so out of it, that He could not take the deliberate actions that He did.

Look at Jesus’ cry at the last second.

“It is finished.”

It was not finished before Jesus had proclaimed it to be finished.  It was not finished until Jesus had proclaimed it to be finished.  

Jesus was in control! His death was not accidental. It had been planned before the beginning of time! His death was a voluntary sacrifice.

“The word finished is the same as ‘paid in full.’” (LAB)

Jesus paid in full the penalty for our sins.  No longer do we need to fear death and hell. Christ has provided our ransom. No longer do we need to struggle in the misery of sin. Christ has paid it all!

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Sin separates God and man. God created this universe for His glory and created humanity to enjoy fellowship with him.

As an enemy of God, Satan’s greatest desire is to ruin the lives of as many men, women, boys and girls he can.

The devil knows God is holy. The devil knows God cannot stand sin. The devil knows that we as sinners will fall under the wrath of almighty God. The devil knows that without God’s grace, we are damned to hell forever and ever.

But because of God’s grace – the death of Jesus Christ on the old rugged Cross – sin’s penalty is paid for and its’ power has been broken.

Those last seconds of Jesus’ life here on earth – those precious seconds in which He gasped for air, those seconds marked the defeat of sin’s power. For Jesus’ death on the Cross meant victory for God’s plan. Jesus won!

“And, sitting down, they watched Him there, The soldiers did; There, while they played with dice, He made His sacrifice, And died upon the Cross to rid God’s world of sin.

“He was a gambler too, my Christ, He took His life and threw It for a world redeemed.  And ere His agony was done, Before the westering sun went down, Crowning that day with its crimson crown, He knew that He had won. (BBC 220)

Big Idea: The Cross marked the victory of God’s plan for our salvation!

Colossians 2:13–15 ESV

And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses, by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross. He disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them in him.

On that gloomy, sad day of defeat, Jesus won! We won! He paid the price we should have paid. He took our punishment. And now he offers us forgiveness of sin and eternal life.

We accept his victory by trusting Jesus Christ as our Lord and Saviour, admitting our sins to him, asking His forgiveness, and committing our lives to Him.

Yes, in so many ways, Jesus’ death on the Cross appeared to be defeat - defeat of a conquering messiah, defeat of the miracle-working healer, defeat of their great Lord and Teacher.

For those who aligned themselves against Jesus, it was a welcome defeat.

But in reality, we find the greatest victory of all time.

Let us then celebrate today Christ’s victory over sin and death. As we remember Christ’s death this Passion Week, let us rejoice that with God our seeming defeat can be turned into victory.

Let us live in His victory and let us seek to share His victory with others!

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Would you please stand?

Do you know Jesus as your Lord and Saviour this morning?  Is your life a life of defeat because you have not received His grace into your life?

If God is speaking to your heart, if He is convicting you of sin, I urge you to come to this altar, confess your sins to Jesus, ask Him to forgive you, and accept Him as your Lord and Saviour.