Jesus’ Work is NOT Finished – EVIL MUST GO!
Rev. Dr. Michael H. Koplitz
John 19:17-30
John 19:17 They took Jesus, therefore, and He went out, bearing His own cross, to the place called the Place of a Skull, which is called in Hebrew, Golgotha. 18 There they crucified Him, and with Him two other men, one on either side, and Jesus in between. 19 Pilate also wrote an inscription and put it on the cross. It was written, “JESUS THE NAZARENE, THE KING OF THE JEWS.” 20 Therefore many of the Jews read this inscription, for the place where Jesus was crucified was near the city; and it was written in Hebrew, Latin and in Greek. 21 So the chief priests of the Jews were saying to Pilate, “Do not write, ‘The King of the Jews’; but that He said, ‘I am King of the Jews.’” 22 Pilate answered, “What I have written I have written.”
John 19:23 Then the soldiers, when they had crucified Jesus, took His outer garments and made four parts, a part to every soldier and also the tunic; now the tunic was seamless, woven in one piece. 24 So they said to one another, “Let us not tear it, but cast lots for it, to decide whose it shall be”; this was to fulfill the Scripture: “THEY DIVIDED MY OUTER GARMENTS AMONG THEM, AND FOR MY CLOTHING THEY CAST LOTS.” 25 Therefore the soldiers did these things.
But standing by the cross of Jesus were His mother, and His mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. 26 When Jesus then saw His mother, and the disciple whom He loved standing nearby, He said to His mother, “Woman, behold, your son!” 27 Then He said to the disciple, “Behold, your mother!” From that hour the disciple took her into his own household.
John 19:28 After this, Jesus, knowing that all things had already been accomplished, to fulfill the Scripture, said, “I am thirsty.” 29 A jar full of sour wine was standing there; so they put a sponge full of the sour wine upon a branch of hyssop and brought it up to His mouth. 30 Therefore when Jesus had received the sour wine, He said, “It is finished!” And He bowed His head and gave up His spirit.
John’s Gospel has Jesus saying “It is finished” as in his last words. From the point of view of the people at the foot of the cross and the disciples who dispersed, it would have appeared that Jesus’ ministry was over. But is that what Jesus said? The Peshitta, which is the Aramaic version of the New Testament, has Jesus’ last words being a single word: “done.” That made me think about what Jesus was saying to the people then and to us today.
If I look at the word “done” I can see a difference in the meaning. Jesus said that the prophecies that were in the Hebrew Scriptures, the Old Testament, about him were done. Everything that Isaiah’s book predicted about the Messiah had come true. His birth, childhood, ministry, and now his death were all recorded hundreds of years before his time. The pain and suffering on the cross were the last part. He was known as the Messiah to many people. He healed lepers, the crippled, and many other people. Everything that he said and did was for humanity’s benefit.
Jesus brought the Kingdom of heaven to the people as a new idea. It is the idea of love, grace, and peace. It is an understanding that every person has value, especially to the LORD. There is no distinction between the souls of the rich and the poor. A soul is a soul. Every soul is worthy of redemption. God’s Messiah hung on a cross, proving that. Unfortunately, at that moment, it was difficult for the followers to understand what had just happened and what was their response going to be.
One disciple was brave and stayed with his rabbi, even though he could have been grabbed by the Roman authorities and crucified also. Church tradition says that the disciple was John. He tried to comfort Jesus’ mother in that time of tragedy. Jesus knew she needed to be cared for and gave that task to John, who accepted it without question or comment.
The words “it is finished” show that a termination occurred. Jesus' message of God’s love for all humanity is not a message that has an end point. God’s love for us is a never-ending love that will span eternity. Then what did Jesus’ mean? He meant that his physical ministry was over. Remember that Jesus was with the disciples for forty days after his resurrection. He continued to teach them and encourage them to not only live by his words but also to teach others how to live because Jesus’ methods offered redemption. Jesus shows us how God wants us to live. We are to love one another.
In today’s world, that seems like an insurmountable task. I wrote this message on October 10, 2023 and war is occurring in Ukraine and now Israel. Terrorists launched a shameful sneak attack on Israel. There are countries whose leaders have stated that they want to destroy Israel and all Jews. This hatred is not a part of Jesus’ kingdom of heaven. Rather, it is the evil from which Satan unleashes upon the world.
I was reading the writings of Rabbi Stiensaltz yesterday and he said that we must take extra precautions against Evil Inclination. This is the evil power that exists in the world. It can invade anyone at any time. He said that even righteous people can be infected by Evil Inclination. When a person absorbs Evil inclination and then performs acts of evil a Klippot forms around them. Klippot is Hebrew for “shell.” Consider it a barrier which will not allow positive energy to enter a person’s soul. This soul will turn toward Satan and become pure evil.
It was with a sad heart that I was researching this narrative this week. The images and videos coming out of the Near East are frightening. It is a reminder of what happened in Europe in the 1930s and 40s. Evil is alive and in some parts of the world is thriving.
How can people who say they believe in the God of Abraham act this way? Steinsaltz said it is evil that has taken over. A part of Jesus’ ministry was to help us to recognize Evil Inclination and to protect ourselves from it. We may not be able to stop the evil of the world. However, we can work on ourselves to ensure that Evil Inclination does not infect us.
Look up to Jesus. He was a man of peace in an evil world. His message can be interpreted as anyone can release themselves from Evil Inclination. He warned us that Evil Inclination will strike without warning. Therefore, we need to be prepared. That preparation is knowing the Bible which spells out how to combat Evil Inclination. Learn and follow the ways of Jesus. You will never be disappointed and know that you are pleasing our God.
