I had a hard time writing about John 19. It is a chapter that is heartbreaking and difficult to read, yet I tend to take my time while reading it, trying to soak in every word and feel their weight on my heart. I don’t think I will ever be comfortable reading chapters 17-19. In fact, I hope I never get to a point where I can skim through them and move on with my day without thinking twice.
As we begin chapter 19, Jesus receives the iconic crown of thorns. The critics and leaders finally won, or so they thought. Pilate even tried to give Jesus a way out by proclaiming his innocence to the disgruntled crowd, but mob mentality was more powerful. We see this play out in verse 8-11:
“When Pilate heard this, he was more frightened than ever. He took Jesus back into the headquarters again and asked him, ‘Where are you from?’ But Jesus gave no answer. ‘Why don’t you talk to me?’ Pilate demanded. ‘Don’t you realize that I have the power to release you or crucify you?’ Then Jesus said, ‘You would have no power over me at all unless it were given to you from above. So the one who handed me over to you has the greater sin.’”
In the midst of it all, Jesus never shied away from his mission. He never backed down, and he remained bold and steadfast until the very end. He knew this was the only way to save us.
When Pilate gave up and handed Jesus over to the crowd, He was forced to carry the cross to Golgotha, where he would soon hang between two criminals and await his final breath.
Verses 28-30:
“Jesus knew that his mission was now finished, and to fulfill Scripture he said, ‘I am thirsty.’ 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. When Jesus had tasted it, he said ‘It is finished!’ Then he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.”
Does your heart break when you read these words? Do you understand the gravity of what it means that Jesus is your Savior? He traded his life for yours. He took on our sin, experienced his beloved father turn his back on him, and felt the pain we deserve(d) so our story doesn’t have to be consumed with inescapable pain, suffering, and turmoil. Can you even begin to fathom that type of love?
What does the term “It is finished” mean to you? Is it a seasonal phrase you post on Facebook or Instagram each Easter to caption your pastel-themed family photo? Maybe it’s on a piece of art decorating your house or in a lyric of a worship song you hear on the radio. Maybe it’s what you proclaim in your head each evening when you finish making dinner for your family. While significant in signifying Jesus’s last breath before returning to Heaven to be with His Father, have you considered the depth with which this phrase impacts our lives as Christians? Does it impact your life at all?
After being humiliated, beaten, abused, scoffed at, and harassed, Jesus took his final breath on earth and his rightful place in Heaven as the King that He is. Although his earthly appearance reflected that of a lost battle, we know the opposite to be true. In his broken, disheveled, and weak state Jesus won the war against darkness and took away the power of sin.
Freedom and victory in Christ are not solely found in Heaven once our earthly lives end. It’s so much more than that. Freedom starts NOW. It’s breaking the chains in our lives and being set free from addiction, manipulative/abusive relationships, habitual sin, controlling anger, bitterness, selfishness, complacency, ignorance, hatred, the list goes on. Nothing we face in our lives is as powerful as that of our God. The battle was won as an innocent man hung on a cross while bleeding for sins He did not commit. Victory is here. It is finished.
Food for thought:
1. Have you become complacent and apathetic when it comes to what Jesus did for you on the cross? Has your life been impacted by the relationship you have with Jesus?
2. In what areas of sin do you need to proclaim victory over and say, “It is finished”?
Today's Contributing Author: Kendra Murray
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