Jesus, Crucified for Our Sins

 John 19:16b-42
Key Verse 19:30

“When he had received the drink, Jesus said, 'It is finished.'  With that, he bowed his head and gave his spirit.”

As shepherd Jonathon mentioned in his message last week, our Easter message  is covered in three parts.  Last week on Easter Sunday we heard the message on the arrest and trial of Jesus.  This week we look at the the death of Jesus on the cross, and next week is the resurrection of Jesus.

This weeks passage describes the death of Jesus on the cross.  The death of Jesus, brings to completion,  the key part of God's redemption plan for man.   Jesus death, paid the price for the sin of mankind.  As the time approached, the night before his crucifixion, Jesus prayed, “Father the time has come.  Glorify your son, that your son my glorify you.” (John 17:1b).  Jesus also prayed, “ I have brought you glory on earth by completing the work you gave me to do.” 

Through this passage, may God help us to accept through Jesus death on the cross, our sins are forgiven.  May God help us to live as servants delivering this message of Jesus death on the cross, to university and college students, helping them to capitalize on this blessed and complete redemption which God has provided through Jesus Christ.  

I. Jesus was crucified(16b-27)

Vs. 17, 18, say, “Carrying his own cross, he went out to the place of the Skull(which is Aramaic is called Golgatha).  Here they crucified Jesus and with  two others – one on each side and Jesus in the middle.”  In the first part of John 19, the soldiers twisted together a crown of thorns, put it on Jesus head, and put a purple robe on him.  They struck him in the face and went up to him again and again saying, “Hail, king of the Jews!”  After Pilate handed Jesus over to be crucified, the soldiers took charge of him, and Jesus was lead to the place of crucifixion carrying his own cross.

When they arrived at the place of the Skull, they crucified Jesus.  In vs. 18, it says that Jesus was crucified with two other men, criminals.  In Isaiah 53:12b it says,“because he poured out his life unto death, and was numbered with transgressors.”   Jesus was the sinless Son of God.  Yet, he was crucified with two other criminals.  Jesus was crucified in the middle with a criminal on each side of him.  It appears that the way Jesus crucified with the other criminals, it made him appear as the ring leader.  In this way, while being crucified, Jesus was humiliated even more.

Crucifixion is also one of the most agonizing ways to die.  These days, when the death penalty is administered , through the use of lethal injection, death occurs within about 15 minutes or so.  If someone is hanged, which was used until until recently in Texas, the convicted criminal would die even sooner.  Yet, back in the days of the Roman empire, crucifixion was used.  In addition to being a method of execution, it was as a way to deter people from a life of crime.  When a criminal was crucified, they were affixed  or attached to the cross by ropes, nails or a combination of the two.  They could be hanging on the cross for hours to more than a day.  They were kept on the cross, until their legs could no longer support them.  This would cause them do die by suffocation.  In the case of this passage, the bodies would have to taken down earlier.  So they would break the legs, causing them to die in shock, or by suffocation.  According to tradition Jesus hands and feet were nailed to the cross.  Then cross was dropped into he hole, and the weight of his body, tore at the nails.  His blood flowed down ,slowly as he gasped for air with each breath.

At the top of the cross was fixed a sign, with a title describing their crime, such as, “thief, or murderer.”  The sign at the top of Jesus cross the read,“Jesus of Nazareth, The King of the Jews.”  When the chief priests saw this, they protested to Pilate.  They wanted the sign to say something like, “Jesus of Nazareth who claimed to be the king of the Jews.”  Yet, Pilate said to them, “What I have written, I have written.”  Last week we heard how Pilate was in a position, where he had to either stand on the side of truth and let Jesus go, or he had to give in to the demands of the Jewish religious leaders.  Pilate finally gave into the demand  of the Jews.  Here it appears that while Jesus was dying on the cross, Pilate gained the courage to take his stand.  He had the sign at the top of Jesus cross read, “Jesus of Nazareth, The King of the Jews.” Though a small gesture, God used Pilate to proclaim  that Jesus is the king of the Jews.   

Look at vs. 23-24, shows the soldiers behavior beneath the cross.  They divided up his clothes and cast lots for his garments.  These soldiers were selfish, greedy, and childish.  While Jesus was hanging on the cross, dying in excruciating pain, they were casting lots to see who among them would get his clothes.  Yet, John saw this from the perspective of fulfilling prophecy.  Ps. 22;18 says, “
18 “They divide my garments among them and cast lots for my clothing.” 

Vs. 25-27 show while the other disciples deserted Jesus, the women who followed Jesus, stayed with  him.  These women were Jesus' mother, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene.  The apostle John was also there. These women were the ones who served and supported Jesus ministry.  They shared in Jesus' joy, his sorrow, glory and pain.  While Jesus was at his darkest moment, these woman stayed with him, as he was dying on the cross.  When Jesus saw his mother there with the disciple whom he loved, he said to her, “Dear woman, here is your son.”  To John he said, 'Here is your mother.”  This really shows Jesus heart for fallen mankind.  When Jesus was dying, he understood the pain his mother was experiencing, watching her son die.  He also understood the pain of his disciple John, who was referred to as the disciple he loved.  Many times we experience some kind of small discomfort, such if you have a cold, or in my finger, I have a small splinter that really stings.  Its easy for us to think we can't think of other peoples problems, but only give thought to our own.  In my case,  I don't have a job, or money.  How can I think of serving campus mission.   Yet, when we have faith in Jesus who died on the cross for our sins, we can overcome ourselves, and be truly mindful of the needs of others.  In Isaiah 53:4a it says, “Surely he took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows,"   

II.  IT IS FINISHED  (28-42)

Look at vs. 28-30.  This passage describes the last moments of Jesus life.  Taking a look at Mark 15, it tells us that Jesus was crucified at the third hour, which is 9 am our time.  Darkness came over the whole land from the sixth hour to the ninth hour, which corresponds to between noon and three in the afternoon.  So Jesus was on the cross for about 6 hours.  In this passage, from vs. 28, Jesus knowing that everything was finished, to fulfill Scripture, he said, “I am thirsty.”  So they soaked a sponge in some wine vinegar, and lifted it to Jesus lips.  When Jesus had received the drink, he said, “It is finished.”   Then Jesus bowed his head, and gave up his Spirit.  When Jesus said, “It is finished,”  Jesus meant that his mission  as the lamb of God, the perfect sacrifice for mans sins had been completed.   God had provided the way for man to be forgiven of his sins was.

Taking a  quick glimpse at some points in God's redemption history, Lets take a look at Gen.3  In Gen. 3,  Adam and Eve sinned in the Garden breaking their relationship with God. In Gen. 3:15b , God promised, “I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers;  he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel.”  God promised that through the offspring of woman, He would crush the head of Satan.  In Gen. 12:3b, when God called Abram, God promised him that all peoples on earth would be blessed through his offspring.   Then we see God building the nation of Israel, through the patriarchs, their slavery in Egypt, and the Exodus..  In Exodus, and Leviticus we see the establishment of the tabernacle and the system of offerings, where sin was to be atone for.. God was trying to help his people understand, that sin was not free, but needed to be atoned for.    Although this sacrificial system we see in the Old Testament era, was imperfect, it was a shadow of the ultimate sacrifice to come.  ]Jesus who came through the line of Abraham, is the perfect and final sacrifice for mans sin.  This is why just before he died on the cross Jesus said, “It is finished.”  Jesus death on the cross payed for all the past, all present and future sins of mankind.  John the Baptist understood this truth, and In John 1:29, when John the Baptist saw Jesus coming toward him, he said, “Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!”  

Many people, however, may struggle with this simple truth.  Some people may feel inadequate.   They might feel in their heart, “Oh I haven't served many bible studies, or 'Oh I haven’t raised even 1 disciple of Jesus”, or “Oh, I’ve never really helped the poor, or others when they are in need.”  People might worry about many things, some of which may be important.  Nevertheless, each persons sins were forgiven through Jesus death on the cross.  All one has to do to be forgiven of their sins, is to simply accept Jesus death on the cross as paying for their sins.

I myself grew up in the Catholic church.  In the catholic church, of course they study the gospels, the Old Testament, the epistles and the whole bible very well.  They also have a lot of unique information on the lives of the saints, which is very insightful, inspiring, and interesting.  Yet, one thing I remember about the catholic church, is that I always had the feeling that in addition to Jesus death on the cross, there was something else I needed to do in order to be forgiven for my sins.  At one point in my catechism class, they gave each of us a scapular, which is kind of a cloth necklace.  They taught us that if you die wearing this necklace, you will surely go to heaven.  So I kept this scapular on my bedposts, thinking that I would keep it, and start wearing it when I became a senior citizen.  That is if I made it to being a senior citizen.  Yet, somehow I lost this scapular.   In a little bit of distress, a bit later I went to a catholic teacher, and asked if I could get another scapular.  Yet, when I asked the teacher about getting another scapular, she didn't know what I was talking about.  So I though, “Oh, you mean that scapular is no longer needed for salvation.”  Basically in the Catholic church, the one big thing that troubled me, was trying to find that one thing that needed to be added to crucifixion of Jesus, in order to be forgiven and saved.  It seemed that this one thing always changed or was modified, so that you never really knew what it was.  I  never really knew what that one thing was.  This of course is because, there is no other thing that needs to be added to the death of Jesus, for the forgiveness of sins.

Later when I studied the Bible while attending Cal State Long Beach, I finally understood that it is only through Jesus death on the cross, that one can be forgiven of their sins.  It isn't Jesus death combined with something else.  When Jesus was talking to Nicodemus in John 3, Jesus said in vs. 3:14,15 “Just at Moses lifted up the snake in the desert, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life.”  The point from this verse is very simple  When we believe in  Jesus who died on the cross, we can have eternal life.  Through Jesus death on the cross, Jesus completely provided a way for each person to be forgiven of their sins, and to be adopted into the the family of God.

This is the key message that we need to accept for ourselves.  This is also the key message that we need to share among the students on all the university and college campuses throughout Southern California and beyond.  Students work so hard to somehow make a way for themselves in this society.  This is proper and necessary.  Yet, more importantly, students need to hear the message, that through Jesus death on the cross, their sins are forgiven, and they can have an eternal dwelling place in heaven.  May God give us strength and spirit to continually invite students to bible study, and to a new life as a member of  God's family.  Until just recently, I had a job where I was driving all over this country, but I lost that job.  Despite not having a job at this time, may God help me to resume campus mission and share the message of Jesus crucifixion with students on our college and university campuses..  

Look at vs. 31-37.  It was preparation day and the Jews did not want the bodies left on the crosses during the Sabbath.  So the Jewish leaders asked Pilate to have the legs broken and the bodies taken down.  So the soldiers went to the first man and broke his legs and then those of the other.  When they came to Jesus, and found that he was already dead, they didn't break his legs.  Instead one of the soldiers pierced Jesus side with a spear, bringing a sudden flow of blood and water.  

In vs. 38-42, we see Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus, both members of the Sanhedrin, the Jewish ruling council.  They didn't support the decision to have Jesus crucified.  Though these two men  believed in Jesus, they kept their belief in secret.     Now after Jesus' death, Nicodemus and Joseph came out of the closet to take a stand for Jesus. They asked Pilate for permission to take down Jesus' body so they could provide him a proper burial.  

We can take heart from Nicodemus.  Many times our bible students leave bible study for one reason or another.  We start to think about all of our character flaws, and problems.  We despair, thinking the bible study was for nothing.  Yet, you never know.  Sometime in the future, some of our previous bible students may gain faith, and take a stand on the side of Jesus.(1 Cor. 15:58b)

One Word:  It is finished.