Christ Crucified Part 2
John 19:16-30
Can you picture the dreadful scene? It is Friday in Jerusalem and a crowd has gathered at the place called Golgotha, Skull Hill. It was just outside the city gate and located by the side of a well-traveled road. The Romans liked to hold their crucifixions in public places. Killing people in public had a restraining effect on the masses.
This particular crucifixion started at 9 a.m. Three men on three crosses lifted up and hung there to die in shame. Although crucifixion was common in those days, this one was far from ordinary. Everyone’s attention was on the man in the middle, Jesus of Nazareth. The sign above His head read, “King of the Jews.” Some bystanders mocked and cursed at Him, while others wept, shrieked, and moaned. From the cross He spoke with tenderness and compassion. To those crucifying Him He said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do”; to His mother, “Woman, behold your son” as He entrusted her care to His beloved disciple.
At noon, the sky went black. For three hours darkness fell across the city of Jerusalem. On the middle cross Jesus looked nearly dead already. His body quivered uncontrollably. Then drawing in a tortured breath He shouted something–“My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” People in the crowd shouted back at Him. Moments passed, death drew near, then He rasped another sound, “I thirst.” The soldiers put some sour vinegar on a sponge and lifted it to His lips with a stalk of hyssop. He moistened His lips and took a deep breath. Then He spoke again. It was a quick shout. Just one word . . . Tetelestai . . . “It is finished.” Then He breathed out another sentence committing His Spirit to the Father. Then He was dead.
About this awful scene we sing praises to God. Songs like:
Jesus, keep me near the cross,
There a precious fountain;
Free to all, a healing stream,
Flows from Calv’ry’s mountain.
In the cross, in the cross
Be my glory ever,
Till my ransomed soul shall find
Rest beyond the river.
And,
In the cross of Christ I glory,
towering o’er the wrecks of time;
all the light of sacred story
gathers round its head sublime
And again,
Down at the cross where my Savior died,
Down where for cleansing from sin I cried,
There to my heart was the blood applied;
Glory to His name!
What is it about Jesus dying on the cross that is so glorious? Why do we sing, “Glory to His name!”?
Last time (Christ Crucified Part 1) I showed that in John’s account of the crucifixion of Jesus he wants us to understand the glory of the cross in the sense that it is the specific fulfillment of prophecy. God was glorified in Jesus Christ at the cross because He is the fulfillment of Old Testament types, foreshadows and prophecies.
We saw that Jesus was led away and slain as the Passover lamb of God. Jesus was the willing sacrifice who carried His own cross to His substitutionary death. He was the sin offering who died outside the camp to take away the sin of the world. He was the cure for our sin, being lifted up on the cross so that everyone who looks to Him and believes will not perish but have eternal life. He was numbered with the transgressors; crucified with sinners to make atonement for sinners. He became a curse being nailed to the tree, as He who knew no sin became sin for us (2 Cor. 5:21). He was stripped naked as soldiers gambled for His clothes so that we could be clothed in His righteousness (Phl. 3:9). He thirsted so that we could receive the gift of the water of life (John 7:38; Rev. 21:6; 22:17). All this Christ did in fulfillment of God’s purpose to save us for His glory.
Listen for the glory of God as I again read our passage, John 19:16-30:
16 Then he delivered Him to them to be crucified. So they took Jesus and led Him away. 17 And He, bearing His cross, went out to a place called the Place of a Skull, which is called in Hebrew, Golgotha, 18 where they crucified Him, and two others with Him, one on either side, and Jesus in the center.
19 Now Pilate wrote a title and put it on the cross. And the writing was: JESUS OF NAZARETH, THE KING OF THE JEWS. 20 Then many of the Jews read this title, for the place where Jesus was crucified was near the city; and it was written in Hebrew, Greek, and Latin. 21 Therefore the chief priests of the Jews said to Pilate, “Do not write, ‘The King of the Jews,’ but, ‘He said, “I am the King of the Jews.” ‘ ” 22 Pilate answered, “What I have written, I have written.”
23 Then the soldiers, when they had crucified Jesus, took His garments and made four parts, to each soldier a part, and also the tunic. Now the tunic was without seam, woven from the top in one piece. 24 They said therefore among themselves, “Let us not tear it, but cast lots for it, whose it shall be,” that the Scripture might be fulfilled which says: “They divided My garments among them, And for My clothing they cast lots.” Therefore the soldiers did these things.
25 Now there stood by the cross of Jesus His mother, and His mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. 26 When Jesus therefore saw His mother, and the disciple whom He loved standing by, He said to His mother, “Woman, behold your son!” 27 Then He said to the disciple, “Behold your mother!” And from that hour that disciple took her to his own home.
28 After this, Jesus, knowing that all things were now accomplished, that the Scripture might be fulfilled, said, “I thirst!” 29 Now a vessel full of sour wine was sitting there; and they filled a sponge with sour wine, put it on hyssop, and put it to His mouth. 30 So when Jesus had received the sour wine, He said, “It is finished!” And bowing His head, He gave up His spirit.
Today we will see the glory of God in Christ in three more events at the cross.
2. The inscription of Pilate
John draws our attention to the written charge against Jesus (John 19:19), “Now Pilate wrote a title and put it on the cross. And the writing was: JESUS OF NAZARETH, THE KING OF THE JEWS.” Pilate made sure everyone was able to read the sign (John 19:20), “Then many of the Jews read this title, for the place where Jesus was crucified was near the city; and it was written in Hebrew, Greek, and Latin.”
Whether Pilate intended it or not, the Jews were definitely offended by the sign (John 19:21-22), “Therefore the chief priests of the Jews said to Pilate, “Do not write, ‘The King of the Jews,’ but, ‘He said, “I am the King of the Jews.”’ But at this point, Pilate had been manipulated enough by the Jews, so he retorted (John 19:22), “What I have written, I have written”. Pilate’s decision was final.
And what a declaration it was! “The King of The Jews”. It wasn’t simply an accusation that He claimed to be this, but rather it was an affirmation that He was this! There—on a Roman cross—hung the promised King of the Jews; suffering for iniquities. And this is as the Scriptures promised. Long before—nearly ten centuries before in fact—God made the promise to King David:
“When your days are fulfilled and you rest with your fathers, I will set up your seed after you, who will come from your body, and I will establish his kingdom. He shall build a house for My name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. I will be his Father, and he shall be My son. If he commits iniquity, I will chasten him with the rod of men and with the blows of the sons of men. But My mercy shall not depart from him, as I took it from Saul, whom I removed from before you. And your house and your kingdom shall be established forever before you. Your throne shall be established forever” (2 Samuel 7:12-16).
Jesus Himself committed no sin. But He bore the sins of many. And just as the Scriptures promised that the King of the Jews—the Son of David—would be chastened with the blows of men, so Jesus suffered the blows of sinful men. And as David himself rejoiced to declare, God would not allow his holy Offspring to undergo decay (Psalm 16:9-11; see also Acts 2:22-35). Jesus truly was crucified as the King of the Jews.
So, like Caiaphas who inadvertently prophesied that Jesus should die for the nation, so Pilate unknowingly proclaimed the truth that Jesus is the King of the Jews and of all nations. Thus we see the glory of God in the fulfillment of scripture and in the inscription of Pilate. Next we see God’s glory in,
3. The compassion of Christ
We pick up the narrative in John 19:25,
25 Now there stood by the cross of Jesus His mother, and His mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene.
This is an interesting list because by comparing these names to those mentioned by Matthew, Mark, and Luke we can make some reasonable conclusions about the identity of these women. First, there is Mary, the mother of Jesus. Last mentioned is Mary Magdalene, a woman from whom Jesus had cast out seven demons (Mark 16:9). She will be the first to see Jesus alive after His resurrection (John 20). Then we also have listed “His mother’s sister” and “Mary … of Clopas.” Matthew and Mark both list “Mary the mother of James the Less and Joses” (Mark 15:40; Matt. 27:56). Matthew also lists “the mother of Zebedee’s sons,” James and John. Mark lists Salome. If these references are to the same women, then Mary, the mother of James the Less and Joses is the same woman as Mary, the wife of Clopas; and Salome is the mother of James and John and also the sister of Mary, the mother of Jesus. That would make James and John first cousins to Jesus.
These women were all stood with the Lord Jesus in His moment of greatest suffering. What a horrifying scene it must have been for these women to behold! And John—who we can presume to be the unnamed “disciple whom Jesus loved”—went on to write (John 19:26), “When Jesus therefore saw His mother, and the disciple whom He loved standing by, He said to His mother, ‘Woman, behold your son!’ Then He said to the disciple, ‘Behold your mother!’ And from that hour that disciple took her to his own home.” Even as He suffered the horrors of the cross, Jesus displayed great tenderness and love. Apparently Mary’s husband, Joseph, had already died, leaving Mary as a widow. In that culture, widows had difficulty supporting themselves. Jesus’ brothers, who were not yet believers, were probably not present at the cross. The beloved disciple John would be the one to care for Mary.
Perhaps our Lord—even in His greatest moments of suffering—knew that His precious mother not only needed someone to provide care for her in His absence, but also a son for her to love. He brought the two together at the cross.
So we see the glory of God in the compassion of Christ Jesus for His mother. Finally we see the glory of God in Christ crucified because there we see,
4. The exclamation of victory
We turn our attention now to Jesus’ final word from the cross (John 19:30): tetelestai: “It is finished!” Why did Jesus say this? John tells us in John 19:28, “After this, Jesus, knowing that all things were now accomplished …” “Accomplished” in verse 28 is from the same word as “finished” in verse 30. Back in John 17:4 Jesus had prayed, “I have glorified You on the earth. I have finished the work which You have given Me to do.” In John 4:34 Jesus told His disciples, “My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me, and to finish His work.” Jesus had now accomplished, finished, the work that the Father had given Him to do.
“It is finished!” was not a feeble sigh of defeat. The other gospel writers emphasize that is was a loud cry, like a shout of triumph (Matt. 27:50; Mark 15:37; Luke 23:46). And in it lies our hope! So what does it mean?
It is finished means every prophecy about His life and death has been fulfilled! (John 19:28)
It is finished means that every requirement of God’s righteous law has been met! (Matt. 5:17; Rom. 8:4; 10:4)
It is finished means that sin has been atoned for! (Heb. 9:12; 10:12)
It is finished means Satan has been defeated! (John 12:31; 16:11; Heb. 2:14; 1 John 3:8)
It is finished means our sin debt had been paid in full. (Eph. 1:7)
It is finished means that God’s holy and just wrath has been satisfied! (Rom. 3:25; 1 John 2:2)
It is finished means His work of redemption has been completed! (1 Pet. 1:18-19)
It is finished means that we can add nothing to our salvation (Eph. 2:8-9)
(This paragraph “It is finished…” adapted from MacArthur, 356)
Donald Grey Barnhouse (Let Me Illustrate [Revell], p. 245) tells about visiting a 16th century Augustinian monastery and palace near Madrid, Spain, called El Escorial. It is a magnificent building where the kings of Spain have been buried for centuries. The architect who built it made an arch so wide and flat that it frightened the king. He ordered the architect to add a column that would uphold the middle of the arch. The architect argued that it was not necessary, but the king insisted. So the column was built. Years later, the king died and the architect then revealed that the column was a quarter of an inch short of the arch, which had not sagged in the slightest. Guides pass a sliver of wood between the arch and the column to show that in over 400 years, the arch has not moved.
Like that arch, our salvation has a master designer behind it. It did not just happen, but was carefully planned and carried out by God. And like the arch, it is totally sufficient in and of itself. The arch didn’t need the help of a column to stand, it only detracted from the sufficiency and beauty of the arch. The finished work of Jesus Christ in His death and resurrection is perfect and sufficient without any human works needed to supplement it.
After His victory cry, John reports (John 19:30), “And bowing His head, He gave up His spirit.” Jesus gave His life on the cross. Consciously, willingly, He commended His spirit to the Father. Jesus had said (John 10:18), “No one takes it from Me, but I lay it down of Myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This command I have received from My Father.” Jesus was no helpless victim, He gave up His life at His own will in obedience to the Father.
J. C. Ryle comments (Expository Thoughts on the Gospels[Baker], pp. 290-291):
He that can read a passage like this without a deep sense of man’s debt to Christ, must have a very cold, or a very thoughtless heart. Great must be the love of the Lord Jesus to sinners, when He could voluntarily endure such sufferings for their salvation. Great must be the sinfulness of sin, when such an amount of vicarious suffering was needed in order to provide redemption.
I could never adequately express the fathomless meaning of Christ’s death on the cross. But the words of Stuart Townend’s hymn express the gratitude I feel:
How deep the Father’s love for us,
How vast beyond all measure,
That He should give His only Son
To make a wretch His treasure.
How great the pain of searing loss –
The Father turns His face away,
As wounds which mar the Chosen One
Bring many sons to glory.
Behold the man upon a cross,
My sin upon His shoulders;
Ashamed, I hear my mocking voice
Call out among the scoffers.
It was my sin that held Him there
Until it was accomplished;
His dying breath has brought me life –
I know that it is finished.
I will not boast in anything,
No gifts, no power, no wisdom;
But I will boast in Jesus Christ,
His death and resurrection.
Why should I gain from His reward?
I cannot give an answer;
But this I know with all my heart –
His wounds have paid my ransom.
