Jesus cried out: "It
is Finished!"
Intro: As we read about Jesus, sentenced to die by the cruel
Roman torture of crucifixion, and all that then happens to Him, let us take
time to consider that He did not have to do it! He willingly gave His
life for us, because of His great love for us. Read the following scriptures as
we begin the week's readings, all taken from the New Living Translation:
Romans 5:8 "God
showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still
sinners"
Isa 53:5,6 "But he was pierced for our
rebellion, crushed
for our sins. He was beaten so we could be whole. He was whipped so we could be
healed. All
of us, like sheep, have strayed away. We have left God’s paths to follow our own.
Yet the Lord laid on him the sins of us all."
1 Pet 2:21-25 "He (Christ) never sinned, nor ever
deceived anyone. He did not
retaliate when he was insulted, nor threaten revenge when he suffered.
He left his case in
the hands of God, who always judges fairly. He personally carried our sin in his body on the cross, so
that we can be dead to sin and live for what is right. By his wounds you are healed.
Once you were like
sheep who
wandered away. But now you have turned to your Shepherd, the Guardian of your souls."
Day 1: John 19:1-11
"Behold the Man!" Pilate, the Roman
governor, may consider Jesus to be innocent, and yet he still allows Him to be
whipped and tormented by the cruel Roman soldiers. Jesus, with lashes down his
back, and blood from the thorns streaming down His head and face is brought out
to the Jewish authorities. Think of what this signifies: the blood from His
whipping ("His stripes") to bring us physical healing, and the thorny
crown a picture of His suffering for the healing, cleansing and renewing of our
minds. Jesus is fully man – and, as a perfect man, endures all this to take our
guilt and shame. Pilate finds no fault in Him, but the Jewish leaders, filled
with hate, shout for Jesus to be crucified. Their loathing and their proud
religious ideas will not let them look beyond the fact that they consider He
has committed blasphemy by saying He is the Son of God. What is Jesus' answer when
Pilate challenges Him that he, Pilate, has the power to set Him free or crucify
him? Jesus IS indeed the Son of God and He is obeying His Father and loving
His children to the very end.
Day 2: John 19:12-16
"Behold your King!" The sixth hour is 12 noon
– Jesus has been up all night and a prisoner since the early hours of the
morning. Now Pilate, failing to have Jesus released, and wanting to stay in
favour with the Jewish authorities, gives in to them and sends him to be
crucified. The Jews meanwhile are suddenly being terribly loyal to the Roman
emperor! Enemies of the Son of God, the Messiah, will still breathe falseness and
lies today. For no legal reason whatever, Pilate delivers an innocent man to
death on a cross! Jesus is going willingly, laying down His might and
authority, to die so that sinners who believe in Him might go free.
Day 3: John 19:17-22
"Bearing His own cross…" Jesus, already wounded
and weak, staggers under the weight of the Cross. Because of Him, we no longer have to carry
the weight of our guilt and pain! They then nail Jesus to that cross. Our minds
cannot comprehend the torture of such a death. The inscription stating that
this IS the King of the Jews, is in all the major languages of the day.
Pilate, without knowing it, is telling the whole world that this Man is dying
for them to be their King! Remember John 3:16? It is happening. Jesus is going
through with it – for every single person in the whole world – for you and for
me!
John, writing this account for us, was personally there at
the foot of the Cross! Jesus' mother was there, supporting Him in His worst
trial. Can you imagine the tenderness in His heart, as in the midst of all His
pain, He cares for her future well-being and puts her safely in John's care, to
love her with a son's love. Jesus shows us right to the end, how He cares about
each one of us individually, looking after our personal emotional, physical and
spiritual well-being. Jesus, again fulfilling what the Scripture has said, calls
out "I thirst". Of course, He would have had agonising physical
thirst, but He was going through this that we might never thirst again!
(Remember John 4:14?) All the thirst of sinful mankind for acceptance,
significance, security, approval and peace is answered through Jesus Who
thirsted on the cross for us. Father is taking us into His close family because
Jesus went through this on the Cross for us.
Day 5: John 19:30
"It is finished" Jesus, of His own
volition and obeying His Father to the end, gave up His life to His Father,
trusting HIM completely. This verse stands on its own. Jesus had FINISHED all
the Father had given Him to do. The Greek word here for "finished"
means 'accomplished and completed', but also means "a debt is
discharged", "the payment is made". Jesus has paid the debt for
all our sins. He has redeemed us to become sons and daughters of our Father.
All we have ever thought and done wrong, and all the evil within our being, has
been cleansed and dealt with forever and ever, because "It is
FINISHED"!
Day 6: John 19:31-42
Religious pride was happy to crucify Jesus, but not happy that
His body should be on a cross on their 'holy' day. Scripture is being fulfilled
once again as Jesus' heart and lungs are pierced. Blood and water flow for
cleansing and new life. His heart is broken that our broken hearts may be
healed. Let's bring Him our sorrows and griefs. He will heal us. After all
this, 2 men decide to come out publically in their devotion to Jesus. A bit
late, some might say! But they did Him a great service in providing a tomb and
laying out and wrapping His body with preserving spices. From now on, do you
think that Joseph and Nicodemus would be strong followers of Jesus? Perhaps now
Nicodemus began to understand what Jesus was telling him in John 3. Read John
3:14-21 again. Nicodemus had come into the light! Think of any situation in
your life where you need to "come into the light" and stand up for
Jesus.
Day 7: John 20:1-10
Resurrection morning! The stone is rolled away!
The tomb is empty! Mary Magdalene, is the first at the tomb before daylight.
John himself is one of the disciples who runs to find the grave empty! The
linen shroud is just lying there! And the head bandages where Jesus' head would
have rested. How amazing! No one could just get out of tight wrappings like
that - and a dead person certainly couldn't!! John writes "he saw and
believed!" Later he writes in his first letter, "That which we have
seen and heard, we declare to you…" What we are reading here is firsthand
witness. It is not hearsay or rumour – it is the true witness of John himself. But they do not know what to do next, so they
just go back to their lodging place! They do not know what to do next – but
just wait and see what follows!
Summary:
Heb 12:2-3 …looking unto
Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set
before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the
right hand of the throne of God.
For consider Him who endured such hostility from sinners against
Himself, lest you become weary and discouraged in your souls.
Don't
be weary and discouraged – look to JESUS! He died so that He could have the joy
of everlasting companionship with you! So that he and His Father would be ONE
together with US!
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