Triumphant Death of Christ
Fortifying the Foundations # 42
John 19:17-30[1]
8-1-04
The crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus—that is the heart and soul of Christianity. One reason I have been preaching through the Gospel of John is to make sure we never lose sight of what is important to God. The death of Jesus is important to God and it is important to you and me in a way that no other death can ever be. All of human history revolves around this one great event. Jesus is the “Lamb slain before the foundation of the world.”[2] Before the world was ever formed God’s heart was set on Calvary.
The Bible is about the Lamb slain before the foundation of the world. It is a road map to Jesus. It has one major theme: God’s plan of redemption for you and me. That’s why the Bible tells you nothing about dinosaurs.[3] The existence or non-existence of dinosaurs is irrelevant to your eternal destiny. The Bible is not a history of the world.[4] The Bible is God’s love story for mankind. It’s a revelation of God’s unwillingness to give up on humanity and His way of saving us from our own destruction. The Bible doesn’t get distracted with what may or may not be on other planets. The Bible is about you and your relationship with God. The Bible is a message from God telling you and me how we can know Him and spend eternity with Him. All of revelation revolves around one great event—the death and resurrection of Jesus. That’s why the closer you get to the cross the more revelation you find in the Bible and the further you get from it the less revelation you find.
John leads us to a close-up look at the cross in his gospel. We are invited to stand with him and consider what Jesus has done for us. We are invited to put our faith in Christ and His great sacrifice for us.
I. Pathway of Obedience (verses 16-22)
Our text begins with the Pilate’s soldiers leading Jesus through Jerusalem toward Calvary. It was common practice and most likely that a rope was placed around Jesus’ neck and he was led by the soldiers like an animal.[5] The cross was placed upon his bleeding back and the journey began. We are never told that the crown of thorns was removed from his head and it is probably still there.[6] The crowd grows as Jesus and the two criminals are led northward toward the Damascus gate.[7] In the background is that eerie sound of Middle Eastern women weeping and wailing for those being led away to their crucifixion.[8]
It is quite a contrast to see the proud soldiers marching arrogantly through the city and Jesus stumbling under the weight of the cross. The scene before us is a powerful reminder of the difference between what God values and what man values. Man does not seek a cross. He seeks a crown without a cross. Man does not seek rejection and apparent failure. He seeks popularity and success. Jesus is not being honored and led to the temple. He is being led outside the city to a place called Golgotha, the place of the Skull—the place where criminals are executed—the place of death. Don’t miss the relevance of this for you and me. Heb 13:12-14 makes this application, “And so Jesus also suffered outside the city gate to make the people holy through his own blood. 13Let us, then, go to him outside the camp, bearing the disgrace he bore. 14For here we do not have an enduring city, but we are looking for the city that is to come.” Those words “bearing the disgrace he bore” are not easy words for me to hear. If I’m not careful I’ll jump past words like that looking for something I want to hear. If I’m not careful I’ll find a revised version of Christianity that will tell me what I want to hear. Beware of a Christianity without a cross. It is attractive to the flesh but it is another gospel[9]. Jesus says to his disciples (Matt 16:24-27) "...If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will find it. What good will it be for a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul? Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul?” That statement tells me something my flesh does not want to hear. The way of God is not always a pathway of success according to human standards. That day on the Via Dolorosa the Roman soldiers looked more successful than Jesus. The priests and Pharisees looked more successful than Jesus. In fact, to the natural eye it looked like the end for Jesus.
One of the soldiers carried in his hand a plaque written in three languages (so that everyone there could clearly understand what it said). With slight variation depending upon which language you were reading the plaque said, “Jesus of Nazareth the King of the Jews.”[10] It was common practice to place over the head of one being crucified a statement of the crime that brought his punishment. It was also common practice for the plaque to be held up and the crime proclaimed as the person was being led to his crucifixion.[11] All of this was designed to warn others of the consequences involved in breaking the law. In fact, part of the idea behind the Romans using crucifixions for capital punishment was to send a message to the general population of what would happen if the resisted Roman authority.
I am somewhat amused when I think of the way Pilate irritated the chief priests with this plaque. He had them in a dilemma and I think he enjoyed every minute of it. To appreciate the situation you have to think back a moment on the trial that took place at Pilate’s palace. Pilate could find no fault in Jesus but he gave in to the demand that Jesus be crucified when they said to him, “We have no king but Caesar.” Now if that be true then they have no legitimate complaint for what Pilate wrote.[12] They would have to live with Pilate’s decision and that gave him a small victory over them.
II. Providence of the Almighty (verses 23-24)
When the soldiers arrive a Calvary (which is the Latin word whereas Golgotha is the Aramaic word). The place was probably named Golgotha because of the rock formation that looked like a human skull. Golgotha means place of the skull. Jesus’ hands were tied to the cross and a nail driven through each hand or wrist. Sometimes one nail was used for both feet and sometimes a separate nail was used for each foot.[13] Josephus and other historians comment on the horrors of crucifixion. But none of the gospel writers tries to arouse our pity or play on our emotions in their description of Jesus crucifixion. They simply and faithfully report the facts of what happened.[14] It is not pity or sentimentality that they are seeking to invoke. It is faith. And faith in Christ comes through a revelation of the deeper meaning of his death than mere human sentimentality.
Why did Jesus die? What was the real significance of his death? There is nothing more important for you and me to understand than the answers to those questions. Jesus’ death was like no other death in the history of mankind. In his death he tasted death for every man.[15] There is something going on at his crucifixion that infinitely greater than a martyr’s death. We admire the way Stephen laid down his life in his testimony for Christ. But what Stephen did is insignificant compared to what Christ did.
That day at Calvary the greatest exchange of all eternity took place. Gal 3:13 “Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, for it is written: ‘Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree.” The sin of the world was imputed to Christ—and the punishment for that sin was laid upon him. For six hours Jesus endured the cross. For the last three of those hours a supernatural darkness fell upon the earth. It reflected the darkness and pain Jesus was enduring at a far deeper level than just the physical pain of crucifixion. I am not minimizing the physical pain. He was fully human and when he said, “I thirst”, he was indeed thirsting as a human being. But we must not stop there. In the depths of his soul Jesus bore my hell and your hell, the just for the unjust. The punishment for my sin was inflicted upon him.[16] If I miss that point, if I do not discover the personal application toward my own eternal destiny—I can weep for a thousand years in sympathy for his pain and it will not benefit me. John wrote his gospel so that “...you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.” (John 20:31) Have you embraced the cross on that basis? Have you seen Jesus as the one voluntarily taking your punishment so that you may be justly forgiven? Therein is the value of the cross—our personal salvation for the penalty and power of sin.
Once Jesus was placed on the cross the four soldiers began to divide up his clothing.[17] These were the usual spoils that went to the soldiers in this kind of situation. I think at that point these soldiers thought they were just carrying out their duty in the normal course of a day. They saw nothing particularly unusual about divided the clothes among themselves. When they came to the seamless tunic, it was simply logical to cast lots for it rather than tearing it into four pieces that would be worthless. But there is something very important that we must see here. We must see that above and beyond their decisions was divine providence guiding the whole event. They had no idea that the decision to roll the dice for Jesus’ tunic was actually the fulfillment of a 1000-year-old prophecy. Ps 22:18 “They divide my garments among them and cast lots for my clothing.” All of this was detailed confirmation that Jesus was the promised Messiah. John is pointing this out to provide factual basis for our faith. He is also showing us how the providence of God overshadows the affairs of men. There is no inconsistency when we say that wicked men slew Jesus and at the same time say that Jesus was delivered up by God’s set purpose and foreknowledge. In fact, that is exactly what Peter said to Israel in Acts 2:22-24
"Men of Israel, listen to this: Jesus of Nazareth was a man accredited by God to you by miracles, wonders and signs, which God did among you through him, as you yourselves know. 23This man was handed over to you by God’s set purpose and foreknowledge; and you, with the help of wicked men, put him to death by nailing him to the cross.”
The soldiers (at the foot of the cross) decided in their own free will to gamble with one another over Jesus’ seamless garment. But God had decided it long before that. That says two things to me. One, everybody is responsible for every decision he or she makes. Second, God is always in control and nothing man can do will ever change that. Nothing the devil can do will ever change that. I may not always comprehend his ways. But if I understand Isaiah 55:8-9, that should not surprise me. It was probably when these soldiers were gambling over his garment that Jesus said, “Father, forgive them: for they know not what they do.”[18]
III. Provision for the Natural (verses 25-27)
As Jesus looked down from the cross five devoted followers stood before him. It is likely that when Pilate sentenced Jesus to be crucified, John had gone to Mary’s house to tell her and the others what had happened.[19] Some from that group went with him to Calvary: Jesus’ mother, (Mary): her sister-in-law also named Mary (the wife of Cleopas), the apostle John and his mother, and Mary Magdalene.[20] I am always encouraged when I see Mary Magdalene in scripture. She had not been a perfect person. Jesus had cast seven demons out of her. Yet her devotion to Christ brought her to the cross and to the empty grave.[21] If ever there was evidence of the power of Christ to forgive sin, Mary Magdalene is good evidence for the case. There she stands in a place of honor near Jesus’ mother Mary.
There is no record of Jesus’ mother, Mary saying anything as she looked up at her son on the cross. There is a silent strength in her time of pain.[22] No doubt she thought about the prophecy that dear, old Simeon had given her when she brought Jesus to the temple as a child. "This child is destined to cause the falling and rising of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be spoken against, so that the thoughts of many hearts will be revealed. And a sword will pierce your own soul too." (Luke 2:34-35) That sword was piercing her heart at that very moment.
Do you not see the utter unselfishness of Jesus as he addresses her need from the cross? “Woman, behold your son.” “Son, behold your mother.” There is Jesus enduring pain and sorrow beyond our comprehension and still he takes care of those around him. He speaks salvation and comfort to one of the thieves next to him. He provides for the care of his mother through his friend and disciple, John. As the oldest son Jesus had taken responsibility for his widowed mother. We know at this point his natural brothers did not believe in him and would not have taken that instruction from him.[23] But Jesus saw to it that Mary would be cared for by John. And we are told in that same verse that John took her into his own home. Notice the place Mary holds in scripture. It is a place of great honor but never is she seen as a mediator between God and man. In fact, she has to be cared for by John and we don’t hear about her again except in Acts 1:14 where she is listed among the other believers in prayer on the day of Pentecost.[24]
Jesus is an example of one who took care of spiritual matters while he took care of natural responsibilities as well. Sometimes people use their spirituality as an excuse for neglecting natural responsibilities. A mother who neglects her children in the name of spirituality is not fulfilling God’s plan for her life. A husband or wife who neglects his or her spouse in the name of spirituality is not following Christ’s example. On the other side of the coin, the man who will not provide spiritual leadership in his home because he is busy making a living is missing it as well. It is possible to be faithful to both our natural and spiritual responsibilities at the same time. I did not say it is always easy. But my observation is that wholeness is only experienced by doing both.
John is only gospel writer who gives us this directive for Mary and John. During Jesus’ first 3 hours on the cross (from 9:00 AM to Noon) 3 of the 7 Sayings are recorded.
(1) “Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do.” (Lk 23:34)
(2) “Today shalt thou be with me in Paradise.” (Lk 33:43)
(3) “Woman, behold they son; son, behold thy mother.” (Jn 19:27)
IV. Proclamation of the Victory (verses 28-30)
At noon a supernatural darkness fell upon the earth as Jesus was paying the penalty for our sin. During the next 3 hours (from Noon until 3:00 PM when he died) the horror of wrath and judgment flooded his soul. It was during that time that Jesus spoke his last 4 sayings on the cross.
(4) “My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?” Isaiah 53 tells us why, “He was wounded for our transgression, bruised for our iniquities.” There on the cross Jesus was making atonement for you and me. And at no time was the Son of God more lovely in the eyes of the Father than when he laid down his life in perfect obedience for our salvation. (Matt. 27:46 & Mk 15:34)
(5) “I thirst.” (John 19:29)
(6) “It is finished.” (John 19:30 Matt. & Mark tell us it was spoken with a loud voice.)
(7) “Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit.” (Lk 23:46)[25]
John 19:28 “After this, Jesus, knowing that all things were now accomplished, that the Scripture might be fulfilled, said, ‘I thirst!’” (NKJV) Earlier Jesus had been offered a sedative mixed in wine that was commonly given to those being crucified to ease their pain. Jesus refused that offer. He would taste the full cup of suffering that the Father had given him to drink. But at this point “knowing all thins are now finished” having fulfilled the will of the Father he is free to express his thirst and receive the liquid in the sponge.[26] In preparation for this message I learned that the feet of those being crucified were only about a foot or two off the ground.[27] So extending the sponge to his mouth would not be difficult for the soldier to do.
Immediately after this Jesus shouted one word right before he died. The word in the Greek is “tetelestai” which means more than “It’s over”.[28] This was not a sad word of defeat. It was the triumphant shout of victory. “It is finished!” What was finished? The work the Father had sent him to do was finished. The price for our redemption was completely paid. When you and I are struggling in our personal battles we must not forget the victory shout of our Commander. My faith is in something that was finished 2000 years ago. My standing before God is based upon something completed by my Savior on the cross that day. I am not trying to gain standing with God through my own good conduct. I am living in relationship with God because of my Savior’s perfect obedience to the Father. When the devil tries to tell you that you’re not going to make it, shout with everything that is in you, “It is finished!” Two thousand years ago it was finished and it remains finished unto this day.[29]
Have you embraced the finished work of Christ on that cross in a personal way? Have you acknowledged your need for what he did that day? Jesus blood was shed for you on that cross. He invites you to come to him right now and receive his love. If you are here this morning and you have now received Christ as your Lord and Savior I want to give you the opportunity to do that right now.
TEXT: John 19:17-30
Carrying his own cross, he went out to the place of the Skull (which in Aramaic is called Golgotha). 18Here they crucified him, and with him two others-one on each side and Jesus in the middle. 19Pilate had a notice prepared and fastened to the cross. It read: JESUS OF NAZARETH, THE KING OF THE JEWS. 20Many of the Jews read this sign, for the place where Jesus was crucified was near the city, and the sign was written in Aramaic, Latin and Greek. 21The chief priests of the Jews protested to Pilate, "Do not write `The King of the Jews,’ but that this man claimed to be king of the Jews." 22Pilate answered, "What I have written, I have written." 23When the soldiers crucified Jesus, they took his clothes, dividing them into four shares, one for each of them, with the undergarment remaining. This garment was seamless, woven in one piece from top to bottom. 24"Let’s not tear it," they said to one another. "Let’s decide by lot who will get it." This happened that the scripture might be fulfilled which said, "They divided my garments among them and cast lots for my clothing." So this is what the soldiers did. 25Near the cross of Jesus stood his mother, his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. 26When Jesus saw his mother there, and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby, he said to his mother, "Dear woman, here is your son," 27and to the disciple, "Here is your mother." From that time on, this disciple took her into his home. 28Later, knowing that all was now completed, and so that the Scripture would be fulfilled, Jesus said, "I am thirsty." 29A jar of wine vinegar was there, so they soaked a sponge in it, put the sponge on a stalk of the hyssop plant, and lifted it to Jesus’ lips. 30When he had received the drink, Jesus said, "It is finished." With that, he bowed his head and gave up his spirit. NIV
Richard Tow
Grace Chapel Foursquare Church
Springfield, MO
www.gracechapelchurch.org
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[1] Text was presented earlier in the service using DVD from Visual Bible International (www.gospelofjohnthefilm.com ). Text is provided at the end of this message for easy reference. All quotes are from the New International Version unless otherwise noted.
[2] Revelation 13:8 and John 1:29
[3] Of course this is debated, as a quick search on the Internet will reveal. For a brief discussion of this see http://www.gospelcom.net/rbc/ds/q1112/page5.html accessed 7-30-04.
[4] The Bible does contain volumes of historical facts and Christianity itself is based upon the historical fact of Jesus death and resurrection. But primary purpose of the Bible is not to provide history but to reveal the way of salvation.
[5] Charles Spurgeon, A Treasury of Spurgeon on the Life and Work of Our Lord, Vo. VI (Grand Rapids: Baker Book, 1979) p.429. Sermon entitled “The Procession of Sorrow”.
[6] Spurgeon, p. 441. Sermon entitled “The Great Cross-Bearer and His Followers”.
[7] Alfred Edersheim, The Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah, Vol. II (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1884) p. 585.
[8] Luke 23:27
[9] II Cor. 11:4 & Gal. 1:6
[10]Leon Morris, Reflections of the Gospel of John (Peabody, Mass.: Hendrickson, 2000) p. 659.
[11] H. L. Drumwright, Jr., “Crucifixion”, in The Zondervan Pictorial Encyclopedia of the Bible, Volume One (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1975) p. 1042. Drumwright does indicate that sometimes the one being crucified was required to carry the plaque (titulus) but Alfred Edersheim (p. 583 & 590) indicates that a soldier or might carry it. The fact that this was put on the cross leads most authorities to conclude that Jesus’ cross was + shaped rather than x shaped or T shaped (Edersheim p. 584).
[12] Morris, p. 661
[13] Edersheim, p. 589.
[14] Morris, pp. 655, 657-658. Edersheim (p. 587) and G. Campbell Morgan (p. 292) make similar comments.
[15] Heb. 2:9; 9:12; I Peter 2:24; 3:18; Rms 5:9; Eph. 1:17
[16] Old Testament sacrifices foreshadowed this. See Lev. 16 and Isaiah 53.
[17] Edersheim p. 582-583 indicates that the detail of four soldiers were under the command of a centurion. Also see Mark 15:39 & Luke 23:47.
[18] Edersheim, p. 593
[19] F.B. Meyer, Gospel of John (Ft. Washington, PN: Christian Literature Crusade, 1983) p. 349-350. Edersheim estimates a more detailed account of these movements by examining the way John, as an eyewitness, records the event (pp. 601-602).
[20] Arthur Pink, Exposition of the Gospel of John Vol. III ( Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1975) p. 602. John’s mother Salome was sister of Jesus’ mother, Mary. So James and John were Jesus’ cousins.
[21] Mk 16:9
[22] Pink, p. 238
[23] John 7:3-5
[24] Pink, p. 239, 242.
[25] A.T. Robertson, A Harmony of the Gospels for Students of the Life of Christ (New York: Harper & Row, 1950) pp. 228-235.
[26] G. Campbell Morgan, The Gospel According to John (Los Angeles: Revell Co.) p. 296
[27] Edersheim, p. 589.
[28] Spiros Zodhiates, The Complete Word Study Dictionary: New Testament (Iowa Falls, IA: World Bible Publishers, Inc., 1994) p. 1375.
[29] In our first service we used a video clip from the movie, “Ben Hur: Side B) to communicate the significance of Jesus’ death on the cross. The clip is at the end of the movie (Begin ch 59 (01:10:09) Ends at chap.60 (01:17:03).
