John 19:28-30
The Death of Jesus
“After this, Jesus, knowing that all was now finished, said (to fulfill the Scripture), “I thirst.” A 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. When Jesus had received the sour wine, he said, “It is finished,” and he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.”
😇 Two things; when Jesus said “it has been finished (Τετέλεσται), He was referring to the Old Testament system of offerings that was meant to maintain our relationship with God. That has been concluded. This is good; the old way existed for a thousand years and we never quite got it right. We began to believe God loved us because we constantly offered sacrifices to cover our sin. That’s over. King David said “You will not delight in sacrifice, or I would give it; you will not be pleased with a burnt offering” (Psalm 51:16, 17).
There is nothing more we can do to appease God…no offering, no work, no sacrifice…those days are gone. Isaiah 53:5 says it all: “He was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.” Jesus did what we could not do for ourselves; He perfectly satisfied all of God’s demands. Jesus paid it all…
The only thing remaining is to offer a “sacrifice of praise”(Hebrews 13:15). The "sacrifice of praise" comes from a humble heart. It rises from a spirit that has chosen to honor God regardless of what life brings our way.
The other thing…nobody actually killed Jesus…He willingly gave up His Spirit. He could have removed Himself from the cross; the agony, but He didn’t. He wanted to die so we could live.
🙏🏼 Lord, God…I am yours. You did what I could not do for myself; you obliterated the sin that separated me from you. Help me feel the sense of liberation that is mine. Fill my heart with gratitude. Remind me that obedience is no longer the price of salvation but is now the evidence of my salvation. May your Holy Spirit fill me with that evidence daily, amen.
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