Recap of 3/24/13 (John 19:4-30):
1. The Jews insist on Jesus’ death. Their charge against Him was blasphemy
because He claimed to be equal to God, thus making Himself God. He had indeed made that claim and if His
claim were not true He would indeed be guilty of blasphemy. But it is true He is God incarnate. “He is either an imposter or Divine”
(Erdman). Those are the only choices.
2. Pilate, out of self-interest, and in the
interest of His position with Rome, condemns Jesus to death though he knows Him
to be innocent. Jesus had often warned
in His teaching about the temptation to choose worldly success and acclaim over
God’s approval. This is a temptation we
all face, especially those at the start of their careers. A question we must ask ourselves is: “What am
I willing to sacrifice for worldly success?”
It boils down to a question of priorities, choices, and goals.
3. Jesus was crucified between two thieves, one
of whom came to faith during the hours on the cross. As he saw Jesus’ demeanor through-out the
ordeal, an ordeal Jesus did not deserve, and as he heard Jesus repeatedly
forgive those who treated Him so, he came to faith.
4. From the cross just preceding His death,
Jesus said “It is finished,” a Greek term found in the papyri of that day which
meant “paid in full.” The work of
redemption was complete. The price of
sin had been fully paid. As the innocent
Lamb of God, Jesus suffered and fully paid the penalty of sin, our sin. “the Greek word translated “It is finished!”
was a familiar word in that day. Bankers
used it when the final payment had been made on a debt. Jesus completely paid
the debt we owed, and it will be remembered against us no more forever. “ (Wiersbe)
