John 19:28-30 (NIV)
Later, knowing that all was now completed, and so that the Scripture would be fulfilled, Jesus said, “I am thirsty.” A jar of wine vinegar was there, so they soaked a sponge in it, put the sponge on a stalk of the hyssop plant, and lifted it to Jesus’ lips. When he had received the drink, Jesus said, “It is finished.” With that, he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.
Jesus had been 100% faithful in everything and had completely drained the cup of God’s wrath against the sins of mankind (Matthew 26:42). Now, only two things remained to be done.
The first was to completely fulfill the prophecy in Psalm 22. This Psalm, through written by David around a thousand years before the events of that day, clearly depicted all the horrors of crucifixion and all the suffering that Jesus was undergoing.
In Psalm 22:15 (NIV), David wrote, “My strength is dried up like a potsherd, and my tongue sticks to the roof of my mouth.” Jesus didn’t have to simulate that kind of powerful thirst. The whipping He had undergone as well as the massive additional blood loss He had experienced as a result of the spikes being driven through His wrists and ankles had resulted in severe dehydration and raging thirst. But to ensure that the Scriptures would be confirmed as fulfilled, He simply stated through His parched lips, “I am thirsty.”
There was no rule against providing a little liquid to those on the crosses. It would not affect the outcome and would likely not even significantly extend the time for dying. So, the soldiers soaked a sponge in one of their jugs of sour wine, called posca, put the sponge on a short stick, and lifted it to Jesus lips. Jesus received the wine, not to save His life, or even to assuage His thirst, because He knew that He had only moments to live. He received it simply because it was offered.
All that was left was the final proclamation of His faithfulness and of God’s grace: “It is finished!” The word was not spoken softly, but was shouted in a loud voice. Matthew 27:50 and Mark 15:37 both report the shout, but only John was there to hear the word that was shouted.
The Greek word John used contains the sense of completion, of reaching the goal, of completing an assigned task. It was also used in Greek culture to indicate that a debt was paid in full, completely fitting for what Jesus had accomplished through His suffering and death.
Three of the four gospel writers (Matthew 27:50, Luke 23:46, John 19:30) depict Jesus as not simply dying. Instead, their choice of words either strongly imply or outright state that Jesus willingly and purposefully gave up His life now that He had accomplished everything He had come to do. This precisely fulfilled Jesus’ words in John 10:17-18 (NIV): “The reason my Father loves me is that I lay down my life–only to take it up again. No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down and authority to take it up again. This command I received from my Father.” Nowhere in the process was Jesus ever a victim. He had come to do a job, and He accomplished it fully, down to the very last detail.
Father, that last point really speaks to my heart. So often we portray Jesus as a martyr, a victim of the unscrupulous religious leaders who wrongfully accused and convicted Him. But He wasn’t a victim. In His arrest, His trial, and even in His crucifixion and death, He was the one in control. He could have called the whole thing off (Matthew 26:53-54), but the job was crucial, pivotal to Your plan of salvation. So, He willingly walked the path to the very end, confident that since He was right in the center of Your will the whole journey, it would all work out exactly right in the end. Lord, help me to live every moment of every day in exactly that same obedience and confidence. Amen.
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