KEY THOUGHT:
It Is Finished. Jesus completed his mission.
How will we respond to his finished work?

PASSAGE EXPLANATION

Vs 16b-23 [King of the Jews]
Pilate wanted to insult jews/they were insulted/but he actually proclaimed the truth that they had rejected…Jesus was The King and Messiah

Vs 23-24 [Soldiers and Clothes]
The mockery of Jesus was horrible: soldiers, religious leaders, people in the crowd, the thieves
Prophecies fulfilled: dividing garments/casting lots [Psalm 22:18] || (all of Ps 22 is tied to crucifixion)

Vs 25-27 [The Four Women]
Who were they?
1.Mary (Jesus' Mom)
2. Her sister (Salome/wife of Zebedee/mother of James and John)
3.Mary (wife of Clopas/Alphaeus/Mother of James the Lesser, Judas aka Thaddeus, Simon the Zealot)
--> ...So Jesus had 5 cousins as part of the 12 disciples (John the Baptist was a relative too!)
4.Mary Magdalene (7 demons)

BEHOLD YOUR MOTHER || makes sense he would give her to John, the one he loved so much || Don’t know how old John was, but Jesus and John were relationally close || John only disciple mentioned at Cross || John only disciple that wasn’t martyred || boiled in oil miraculously unscathed || died of old age in exile on island of Patmos

Vs 28-37 [The Death of Jesus]
Knowing that all was now finished || what a sense of accomplishment || he ran his race, he accomplished the mission, everything was done that needed to be done
—> “IT IS FINISHED” —- other gospels “said with a loud voice…”
—> Gave up His spirit || did not die by succumbing to the pain and body shutting down || Roman crucifixion was designed to be the most painful, agonizing way to die || suffocation || design of cross, heaving up and down, breathing, possible to live a couple of days, agonizing on the cross || Jesus, “gave up his spirit” (other gospels “Father into your hands I commit my spirit” || he was in control all the way to the end…he willingly gave up his life, his spirit…it wasn’t taken from him, he wasn’t murdered, he voluntarily gave up his life || obedience to fathers will || love for Father || love for US
—> Broken legs/prophecy || Spear in side/prophecy || both of these things John recorded to show that Jesus was actually dead, not swooned, was an actual human being, he really and truly died
—> John as an eyewitness…vs 35… ‘that you also may believe’ || again John writing all of this down, as an eyewitness, telling the truth…why?…so that we might also believe all that is written about JESUS!

Vs 38-42 [Jesus Was Buried]
—> Two Men… 1] Joseph of Arimathea // a SECRET disciple of Jesus // rich (MT 27) // well respected part of the Sanhedrin Council (LK 23:50) // a good and righteous man // owned a new tomb 2] Nicodemus // Pharisee (JN 3) // had 75 lbs of spices
—> Buried… || Jesus was laid in the tomb that Joseph owned || other gospels tell us a stone was rolled in front of opening to close it off || religious leaders feared the disciples would steal the body and fake a resurrection asked Pilate to post guards ||

1 Cor 15:3-4 “For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ DIED for our sins in accordance with the scriptures, that he was BURIED, that he was RAISED on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures…”

The Response… [Matthew 27]
45 Now from the sixth hour there was darkness over all the land until the ninth hour…50 And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice and yielded up his spirit. 51 And behold, the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. And the earth shook, and the rocks were split. 52 The tombs also were opened. And many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised, 53 and coming out of the tombs after his resurrection they went into the holy city and appeared to many. 54 When the centurion and those who were with him, keeping watch over Jesus, saw the earthquake and what took place, they were filled with awe and said, “Truly this was the Son of God!”

The Earth:darkness (noon to 3), @ “it is finished” statement…earth shook, rocks split, temple curtain torn in two from top to bottom
The Dead People/Saints:tombs broke open, dead came to life
The Living People:soldiers…surely this is the son of God || crowd…went to their home “beating their breasts” (LK 23:48)

Interesting comparisons to note: Lots of potential symbolism
1. Adam and Eve were given the Garden to live in and that is where they disobeyed the Fathers will// Jesus spent time in the garden praying to do the Father’s will // and was eventually placed in a tomb in a garden

2. Adam and Eve sinned by eating fruit of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil/Jesus took on the penalty of sin on a tree

3. Jesus crucified at Passover/connection to passover lamb, lamb of God, no broken bones like the passover lamb, without blemishes/impurities like the passover lamb, died as a substitute like the passover lamb, was fed wine with a HYSSOP branch which was commonly used to spread blood on the doorpost

PERSONAL APPLICATION

Jesus finished ‘IT’… What was ‘IT’ …‘IT’ was the mission the Father gave him. To be the substitute for us, to pay the penalty, the debt, that was owed because of sin. To repair the relationship that was broken because of sin between us and the Father. He did IT.

Q: How will we respond to his finished work?

1] Believe. Follow. [trust Jesus]
* I am the WAY, TRUTH, LIFE || JN 14:66 "Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me."

*I am the RESURRECTION AND LIFE || JN 11:25-26 "Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, 26 and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?”

*I am the DOOR/GATE || JN 10:9-10 "I am the door. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture. 10 The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly."

* I am the BREAD OF LIFE || JN 6:35 “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst."
—> If you have been on this journey with us through the Gospel of John, you have heard over and over the message of Jesus. Don’t reject his love and forgiveness one more day…

2] Worship. Obey. [love Jesus]
*WORSHIP WITH YOUR LIFE…BE THANKFUL
Romans 12:1“I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.”
Col 2:6 “Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him, 7 rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving.”

*ABIDE IN JESUS/Remain in Jesus/stay connected to Jesus || [JN 15:5] 5 I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.

*Bear SOME fruit, MORE fruit, MUCH fruit, ABIDING Fruit || JN 15

*BE A DISCIPLE…FOLLOW ME (Live on Mission) || JN 12:26 "If anyone serves me, he must follow me; and where I am, there will my servant be also. If anyone serves me, the Father will honor him. || JN 8:1212 Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”

*MAKE A DISCIPLE…LOVE OTHERS || MT 28:19-20 "Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” || Jesus JN 17 || 18 "As you SENT me into the world, so I have SENT them into the world."