The Death of Jesus - John 19:28-37

John 19:28-37

©Copyright October 31, 2021, by Rev. Bruce Goettsche

If you have ever watched a Biblical movie on the life of Christ (like The Passion of the Christ or the Jesus Movie) you know that a good portion of the film is devoted to the events surrounding the crucifixion of Christ. Some movies work hard to make sure we feel some of the agony that Jesus went through. Others focus on the people who surrounded the cross.

This morning we will look once again at the significance of the cross. Why spend so much time on this subject? This one event fulfills Biblical prophecy and is the foundation on which we build our faith.

As always, it is good to compare the various gospel writers. Let’s review what are called by some, the seven last words of Christ on the cross.

1. Father Forgive Them for they do not know what they are doing (Luke 23:34)

2. Today, you will be with me in paradise (Luke 23:42)

3. “Dear woman, here is your son.” 27 And he said to this disciple, “Here is your mother.”

4. My God, My God, why have you forsaken me? (Matthew 27:46)

5. I thirst

6. It is Finished

7. Into your hands, I commend my spirit (Luke 23:46)

Three of these are recorded in the gospel of John. The first was Jesus’ request that John takes care of his mom for Him. Rick talked about this encounter last week. The second phrase recorded by John was “I Thirst.”

28 Jesus knew that his mission was now finished, and to fulfill Scripture, he said, “I am thirsty.” 29 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.

We are going to look today at why these events are significant.

His Death Established the Authority of Scripture

The plea, I thirst, is significant for a couple of reasons. First, it fulfilled Scripture. Psalm 22, written several hundred years before Jesus came to earth, appears to describe the death of Jesus with eerie detail.

1 My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?

Why are you so far away when I groan for help? (1)

15 My strength has dried up like sunbaked clay.

My tongue sticks to the roof of my mouth. (15)

18 They divide my garments among themselves

and throw dice for my clothing. (18)

Our text also says, 36 These things happened in fulfillment of the Scriptures that say, “Not one of his bones will be broken,” 37 and “They will look on the one they pierced.” This was again pointing to Exodus 24:6; Psalm 22:17; Psalm 34:20; Zechariah 12:10)

Why is this significant? It is essential because it shows the crucifixion God foresaw and was part of His plan to save the world. The Bible tells us the plan of redemption (or God’s rescue plan) was decided on before creating the world. As Rick pointed out last week, Jesus chose to die as a payment for our sin. Things were never once “out of control.”

One author writes,

All [prophetic fulfillment] combine to prove the same thing. They prove that the death of our Lord Jesus Christ at Golgotha was a thing foreseen and predetermined by God. Hundreds of years before the crucifixion, every part of the solemn transaction was arranged in the Divine counsels, and the minutest particulars were revealed to the Prophets. From first to last it was a thing foreknown, and every portion of it was in accordance with the settled plan and design. (J. C. Ryle Expository Thoughts 314-315)

The fulfilled prophecies point us to the inspiration of the Word of God. How else do you explain the prophetic vision of the crucifixion? We can rely on the words of the Bible because Jesus did and because prophecy proves its accuracy.

Jesus was given the “sour wine” or “wine vinegar,” as the NIV has. His thirst is a reminder that this is a real man hanging on the cross here. Jesus, the Son of God, did not leave the body before the crucifixion, and HE did not exempt Himself from the pain. God the Son endured all the agonies of the trial, beatings, and the cross.

He was Triumphant

This next verse is one of the most potent and magnificent verses in the Bible,

30 When Jesus had tasted it, he said, “It is finished!” Then he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.

The Greek word for “it is finished” is the word tetelestai. The term is used twice in today’s text, first in verse 28 when his work was finished and then here in verse 30. This word is far more significant than we might think on the surface. The Greek word indicates an action that has been completed, and it comes from a word that means “end” or “goal.”

The word was also sometimes used in the Greek commercial world. It would be stamped on a purchase or written on a receipt to show that something had been “paid in full.”

By this declaration, Jesus is saying He has paid for our salvation in full; God’s plan is finally fulfilled; The debt has been paid! Please hear this! The cross was not Jesus making the down payment for our salvation (waiting for us to pay the rest. Like a parent who says they will match whatever their child comes up with for the payment on the car. Instead, Jesus says the price is paid in full! There is no payment left! To stick with our illustration, you wake up in the morning, and the new car is in the driveway without you having to pay anything!

Salvation is not merely started – it is finished. Those who turn Christ as Savior and Lord find their debt is already paid. The mortgage of our salvation is not re-negotiated. It is paid in full! To make the analogy more accurate, the mortgage and all future taxes are paid.

This is not how most people view salvation. They believe the death of Jesus is necessary for salvation, but there is some part of their salvation they must pay themselves. Some people believe Jesus just made the down payment, and now they have to pay the rest of the loan by living a “good enough” life.

Still, others believe Jesus died to make up the difference in what we could pay ourselves. In other words, some people get closer to earning salvation than others. This gives room for a certain measure of smugness if you believe you “earned” more of your salvation than someone else did. These people misunderstand the finished nature of Christ’s work.

Paul asks in Romans 3,

27 Can we boast, then, that we have done anything to be accepted by God? No, because our acquittal is not based on obeying the law. It is based on faith. (27)

In Ephesians 2:9 we read,

9 Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it.

Stop for a minute and think about what it would be like if you never had to fret about whether you had done enough to warrant God’s grace? What if you never had to be afraid your stained past might keep you out of Heaven? What if you really believed that Jesus finished the work of redemption on the cross?

Would you get lazy? Perhaps some people would. I think most people would be set free to honor and serve the Lord. You could rejoice in your salvation rather than be tentative because you just didn’t know if you had “made it.”

The other thing that would happen is you would fall before the Lord with humility because you had received a gift you did not deserve and could not earn. You would cease all boasting and instead of pointing to yourself you would be pointing to Jesus. Instead of trying to “look devout” in worship you would truly worship as a way of honoring and thanking the One who made it possible for you to be free.

This is a gamechanger! The work of salvation was FINISHED on the cross!

He Really Died

31 It was the day of preparation, and the Jewish leaders didn’t want the bodies hanging there the next day, which was the Sabbath (and a very special Sabbath because it was Passover week). So they asked Pilate to hasten their deaths by ordering that their legs be broken. Then their bodies could be taken down. 32 So the soldiers came and broke the legs of the two men crucified with Jesus. 33 But when they came to Jesus, they saw that he was already dead, so they didn’t break his legs. 34 One of the soldiers, however, pierced his side with a spear, and immediately blood and water flowed out. 35 (This report is from an eyewitness giving an accurate account. He speaks the truth so that you also may continue to believe.)

The day of preparation was the day prior to the Sabbath or the Passover. This is when Jews generally purified themselves, prepared their food, and carried out their chores (since they could not do these things on the Sabbath). THIS day of preparation was even more significant because it was preceding Passover and the Sabbath! This made it twice as holy. No one wanted to miss Passover just like no one would want to be quarantined for Covid and miss out on Christmas. Like Christmas, Passover was a “once a year” event.

The Day of Preparation was the reason for the rush to trial (and so they could do it without the followers of Jesus knowing about it), and for the eagerness to make sure those on the cross were dead.

The cause of death for a crucifixion was asphyxiation. The weight of the body on the cross finally makes it impossible to breath. For awhile, you could (in great pain) push up with your feet. It was possible you would be on the cross for days and be attacked by birds.

Because the land would be defiled by people hanging on the cross during Passover (and it is not a particularly scenic view for tourists) they hastened the death of prisoners by breaking their legs so they could not push up any longer.

After Jesus said “it is finished,” he said “Father into your hands I commit my spirit” and He put his head down and died. When the soldiers came to break the legs of Jesus, they saw He was already dead. To verify Jesus was dead, a guard shoved a spear up under his ribs. Blood and water flowed out.

The majority opinion is this blood and water represented the piercing of the sac of fluid that serves as a “shock absorber” for the heart called the pericardium, and the heart itself. The reason this is significant is it proves Jesus really was dead. Over the years there have been various theories that Jesus did not really rise from the dead but actually was in a coma and later revived in the tomb (and then apparently pushed the rock out of the way and looked in appearance like someone who had risen from the dead rather than as an exhausted man who had been tortured.)

John is likely the witness he mentions. He wants us to know that He is not merely passing on what he heard (or read on Facebook). He was an eyewitness. The soldiers knew, and so did John, that Jesus had died.

Hopefully you find these details interesting and maybe even helpful in understanding what took place at the cross but is there any practical response we should make to these facts?

Practical Response

The first practical response is: if Jesus suffered and died for me, I should be willing to live for Him.The more we reflect on the cross, the more His love should motivate us.

We will do lots of things because we love someone. You probably did many things you never thought you would do when you were dating. It was because of your feelings for the other person. It made you want to do what was pleasing to them. The more we feel and grasp the love God has for us, the more fervently we should want to honor Him with our lives.

Second, we see the reminder that as Jesus was fully in control of this tragic situation, so He is in full control of the situations in our lives. At times it doesn’t feel like it. Circumstances come our way that are painful and discouraging but our Lord weaves all these things together to make us who He made us to be and to use us in the ways He wants to use us.

The logic is simple: God never leaves us nor forsakes us. He is ruler over all things. He has our best interest at heart. Or as we so often repeat: 1. God is in Control 2. He loves me and 3. He never makes a mistake.

I wake up to a Jason Gray song most days that reinforces these truths. The chorus says,

Cause every trial and triumph That I’ve been through Were just the chapters in the story of my rescue And whether I was brave Or afraid Your love was strong Through every mountain and valley to where I stand You took each moment and made me just who I am And from here I can see You were with me all along And it’s so clear to me now Every moment belongs

If we believe these truths we see in the cross, we will adopt certain practices,

1. We will look for the blessing rather than whine about the discomfort. I believe every trial is also an opportunity for growth and ministry. Look for those opportunities.

2. We will remind ourselves that we have not seen the finished picture yet. People who do any kind of sewing or do quilts know the underside of a piece is often not all that attractive. But when you see it from up top . . . it is beautiful. We are living, if you will, on the underside of life. Remind yourself to be patient.

3. We will be steady rather than erratic. I have tried to learn over the years to remain calm in a crisis; to listen to what is actually said or happening, rather than to panic. We are not in control in many situations in life . . . but He is always in control.

Third, if the payment for our sin is finished (which it is), we can stop working to get INTO the Kingdom of Heaven and start enjoying our lives as citizens OF the Kingdom of Heaven.

People spend their lives fretting about eternity. They are constantly adding and readding the points they think they have earned for Heaven. They wonder if they have earned enough points. They beat themselves up over their failures and they magnify every flaw. This is not the life God wants for us. It is not the life Jesus died to give us.

When we went to Ireland a few years ago we spent a lot of time anxiously wondering what it would be like. I wondered about security at the airport, the comfort of the transatlantic flight, I wondered about changing our money into something we could use. However, once we landed in Ireland and got our feet on the ground . . . it was delightful. We learned to find our way around. We enjoyed the sights, and we were able to build memories that will last us for a long time.

When it comes to Kingdom living . . . the journey is over. Jesus took care of that. We are now in and of the Kingdom. It is time to enjoy and live like a good citizen of God’s Kingdom. But what does it mean to enjoy His Kingdom?

1. It means enjoying spending time together with other believers.

2. It means communicating freely with the Lord throughout the day.

3. It means being quick to repent from our acts of rebellion.

4. It means telling others what we have seen and heard of Christ.

5. It means being able to relax.

The death of Christ on the cross must have been gruesome. What Jesus suffered for us to be made new is staggering. We will never be able to comprehend it fully. It is an incredible gift. All we CAN do is embrace the gift and follow the giver, so it doesn’t seem as if He died for nothing.