John 19:28-30 IT IS FINISHED
John 19:28-30 – The Death of Jesus
28After this, Jesus, knowing that all was now finished, said (to fulfil the Scripture), “I thirst.” 29A 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. 30When Jesus had received the sour wine, he said, “It is finished,” and he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.
JOHN tells us Jesus, knowing that all was now finished, cried out, with his last breath, “It is finished!”
• Matthew and Mark in their accounts tell us Jesus cried out in a loud voice. They did not tell us what He said.
• John gave us the content of this loud cry: “It is finished!”
Few people died this way. We pass on with a whimper or in silence.
• But Jesus, having been crucified for so long, garnered all His strength for this final breath. He was declaring His victory when He cried out, “It is finished!”
This was significant. He did not die a victim. He did not die defeated. His life wasn’t taken from Him; He gave it up on His own.
• John puts it very accurately, Jesus “bowed His head and gave up His spirit.”
• Jesus said it himself – John 10:18 “No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again. This charge I have received from my Father.”
These are the THREE thoughts I like to share today:
• Jesus died having completed the purpose for which He came.
• He died having fulfilled the commission God gave him.
• He died having revealed the Father’s heart for the lost world.
What was finished at the cross, with the death of Christ?
1. THE WORK OF REDEMPTION ACCOMPLISHED
This was the reason He was born. He came to seek and save the lost (Luke 19:10).
• He was born to die for sinners. He offered himself as the sinless sacrifice for the atonement of our sins. With His death, we are redeemed.
• We are forgiven today because Jesus shed His blood, died on our behalf and paid the penalty of sin.
The work of our salvation has been accomplished and it was achieved by the sinless Christ, the righteous for the unrighteous.
• In the past, the Jews had to bring an unblemished lamb to be sacrificed but the blood of animals cannot remove sin for good.
• It covers them momentarily but they had to do it again and again. Heb 10:4 says the blood of bulls and goats cannot take away sins.
• Heb 10:11-12 11And every priest stands daily at his service, offering repeatedly the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. 12But when Christ had offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God…
• When John the Baptist saw Jesus, he said, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!” (John 1:29)
Only the sinless and perfect man Jesus can do it. He doesn’t “cover” sins but “take it away” for good. We are made righteous in Christ.
• That’s the cry of Jesus. It is finished. The work of liberating man from the clutches of sins has been achieved by Jesus Christ.
It is finished, it stands finished, and it will always be finished.
• There is nothing to add to it. We can add nothing to it. The debt of sin has been paid in full. The account against us has been closed.
• If anyone comes and claims that he has to add to the work of Christ, he is mistaken and deceived. He is a false prophet.
We are called to believe what Christ has done on the cross for our salvation because it is finished. He is our Saviour and the only One.
• Jesus says, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” (John 14:6)
• Forgiveness of sin is available to all who are willing to trust in the sacrifice of Jesus.
• Acts 4:12 “And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”
You may not like the fact that Christianity is exclusive but that’s the truth. No one else died for our sins except Christ. No one else comes from God except Christ.
• There is no salvation outside of the Person and work of Jesus Christ on the cross.
• Our salvation is a divine act and not a human achievement. Believe in Jesus today.
Be forever grateful, dear church. And live like a grateful person. Give thanks to God for His grace and serve Him with your whole heart.
Jesus cried out with a loud voice, “It is finished!” From another perspective, it could also mean a personal call to the Father. “I’ve done it. I’ve finished it.”
• Remember the time He was praying in the Garden of Gethsemane, “Father, not my will, but yours, be done.” (cf. Luke 22:42) He drank the cup the Father gave him.
• Jesus has finally completed his commission from God.
2. THE WILL OF THE FATHER FULFILLED
We see His relationship with His Father throughout the Gospel. Jesus was obeying and doing the Father’s will.
• In John 4:34 Jesus said, “My food is to do the will of Him who sent me and to accomplish his work.”
• John 6:38-40 “38For I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will but the will of him who sent me. 39And this is the will of him who sent me, that I should lose nothing of all that he has given me, but raise it up on the last day.
40For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who looks on the Son and believes in him should have eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day.”
In Gethsemane He “fell on his face and prayed, saying, ‘My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will.’” (Matt 26:39)
• Matt 26:42 “Again, for the second time, he went away and prayed, “My Father, if this cannot pass unless I drink it, your will be done.”
• When Peter attempted to defend Him in the garden, Jesus said, “Put your sword away! Shall I not drink the cup the Father has given me?'” (John 18:11)
That assignment ended on the cross! And like a child who has finished the assigned and now returns to the Father with His report card, Jesus cried out, “It is finished!”
• The redemption of the world was accomplished. His obedience was complete. He fulfilled the Father’s will.
• Phil 2:8-9 says, “8…He humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. 9Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name…”
Learn from Jesus. The most fulfilling life we can live is to honour God and do His will.
• Paul said this at the end of his life - 2 Tim 4:7-8 “7I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. 8Henceforth there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will award to me on that day, and not only to me but also to all who have loved his appearing.
Can we be so satisfied at our last breath?
“It is finished” also marks the end of His life and His witness for the Father.
3. THE WITNESS FOR THE FATHER COMPLETED
Jesus finished the task, completed the Father’s assignment and accomplished the goal of revealing the Father to a lost world.
John 1:18 “No one has ever seen God; the only God, who is at the Father’s side, he has made him known.”
• Jesus tells Philip: “Whoever has seen me has seen the Father.” (John 14:9)
• In his prayer in John 17, Jesus said, “ 3 And this is eternal life, that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent. 4 I glorified you on earth, having accomplished the work that you gave me to do… 6 I have manifested your name to the people whom you gave me out of the world…” (17:3-4, 6)
• We know God as our heavenly Father today because of Christ.
Jesus fulfilled God’s will and His mission on earth. He completed it at the age of 33 when most of us are still figuring out what to do with our lives.
• He did what He needed to do for our salvation and completed it. We are grateful to Jesus for His sacrifice today.
So what is finished? The work of redemption. With that, the fulfilment of His Father’s will and lastly, the completion of His witness for the Father on earth.
CONCLUSION: What can we learn from this?
One, for the seekers and our world:
1. Salvation can be found in no one else. Put your trust in Jesus Christ, not in our good works or accomplishments. He is our only hope.
• Jesus’ work of redemption is finished and final. We have no other Saviour.
• Be forever grateful and live a life of gratitude to God. Honour Him and trust Him with all your heart.
Secondly, for all believers:
2. Learn from Jesus. Live a life of purpose by doing God’s will, so we can say, at the end with satisfaction, “It is finished!”
• Our lives matter and it matters to God. Treasure it and live it well.
• Don’t waste time on the trivial. Invest in things eternal and significant.
• Let others see Christ and experience His love through us.
• True fulfilment in life comes from obeying God and doing His will.
Prayer:
Dear heavenly Father, may our lives, like Christ, tell the story of Your great love for us, and the amazing salvation that You have provided for us in Christ.
In Jesus’ name, AMEN.
HYMN: JESUS PAID IT ALL
