Dead (19:28-30)

Christ Died (19:28-30)

Our Lord knew what was happening. He was in total command as He obeyed the Father’s will. He had rejected the wine, which was always given to those about to be crucified to deaden the pain (Matt. 27:34). He said, “I thirst” to fulfill the Scriptures (Ps. 69:21). He was in real physical pain, for He had a real human body. He had just endured three hours of darkness when He experienced the wrath of God and the separation from God (Matthew 27:45–49). There were physical reasons for His thirst (Ps. 22:15), but there were spiritual reasons as well (Ps. 42:1–2).

One of the soldiers took pity on Jesus and wetted His lips with the cheap vinegar wine the soldiers drank. Let us not picture Jesus hanging many feet up in the air, almost out of reach. His feet were perhaps three or four feet above the ground, so it would be simple for the man to put a sponge on the end of a reed and give Jesus a drink. Today we can “give Jesus a drink” by sharing what we have with those in need (Matt. 25:34-40).

There are strong messianic overtones to Psa 69. cf. Ps 69:3 “My throat is dried up." In John 15:25 Jesus refers to Psalm 69:4, and Psalm 69:8 should be related to John 7:3–5. Psalm 69:9 is quoted in John 2:17, and Psalm 69:21 is alluded to in John 19:28–29. Note the emphasis on “reproach” (Psa 69:7–10, 19–20) and the image of the “deep waters” (Psa 69:14–15; and see Luke 12:50).

During His time on the cross, our Lord made seven statements; they are called “the seven words from the cross.” First, He thought of others: the ones who crucified Him (Luke 23:34), the believing thief (Luke 23:39–43), and His mother (John 19:25–27). The central word He spoke connected with His relation to the Father (Matt. 27:45–49), and the last three statements were concerning Himself: His body (John 19:28–29), His soul (John 19:30; cf. Isa. 53:10), and His spirit (Luke 23:46).

But the vinegar drink did not quite satisfy His thirst, and yet it gave Him the power to utter that shout of triumph in a loud voice: “It is finished!” "Tetelestai" is in the Greek text, which means "It is finished"; it stands finished, and it always will. It is true that our Lord's sufferings were now completed, but much more is implied in this dramatic word. Now many of the Old Testament types and prophecies were fulfilled, and the once-for-all sacrifice for sin was complete.

The word "tetelestai" is unfamiliar to us, but it was used in daily life by various people at that time. A servant would use it when reporting to his or her master, “I have finished the work you gave me to do” (see John 17:4). If a priest examined a sacrifice of an animal and found it perfect, this word would apply. Jesus, of course, is the perfect lamb of God without spot or blemish. When an artist finishes a picture, or a writer a manuscript, he or she might say, “It is finished!” The crucifixion of Jesus “completes the painting” that God had been painting, the story He had been writing for centuries. The cross provides us with the key to the ceremonies and prophecies of the Old Testament.

One of the most meaningful senses of "tetelestai" was the one used by the merchants: “The debt is paid in full!” Jesus, in giving Himself on the cross, met the righteous demands of a holy law fully and paid our debt in full. The Old Testament sacrifices did not take away sins; they only covered them with the blood of the sacrifice. But the Lamb of God did shed His blood, and that blood can take away the sins of the world (John 1:29; Heb. 9:24-28).

The death of Jesus Christ is a major theme of the Gospel of John (John 1:29, 35–36). Even before Jesus officially began His ministry, John the Baptist announced it. Our Lord is first mentioned in John 3:14, where there is certainly that image of crucifixion (see also John 8:28; 12:32). Jesus often spoke of “taking up the cross” (Matt. 10:38; 16:24). Peter’s confession of faith was followed by Jesus’ clear prediction of His death (Matt. 16:21), and later Jesus told the disciples He would be crucified (Matt. 20:17–19).

In John’s gospel, we have a number of pictures of the Lord’s death. The slaying of the lamb (John 1:29), the destroying of the temple (John 2:19), the lifting up of the serpent (John 3:14), the shepherd laying down his life for the sheep (John 10:11–18), and the planting of the seed in the ground (John 12:20–25). These pictures tell us that Jesus’ death was not an accident; it was a divine appointment. He was not murdered in the strictest sense of the word: He gave His life willingly for us. His death was an atonement, not an example. He actually did the work of redemption on the cross.

Some unbelievers have suggested that Jesus did not actually die but only “swooned” on the cross and revived in the “cool tomb.” But there are too many witnesses that Jesus Christ did die. The centurion (Mark 15:44–45). All the gospel writers. The angels (Matt. 28:5, 7). The Jews (Acts 5:28). Christ Himself (Luke 24:46; Rev. 1:18). The worshiping hosts in heaven (Rev. 5:9, 12). Naturally, the death of Christ appears in the letters of Paul, Peter, and John.

He didn’t die by accident: He yielded His spirit freely (John 19:30; see also 10:17-18). He ‘gave himself’ (Gal. 2:20). He gave Himself as a ransom (Mark 10:45), a sacrifice to God (Eph. 5:2), and a propitiation for sin (1 John 2:2). In Luke 9:31 His death is called "decease," which is "exodus" in the Greek, suggesting the Passover lamb and deliverance from bondage. It will take an eternity to tell all that happened when Jesus Christ died on the cross.