Comeback: An Easter Devotional for TeensSample

"It Is Finished"

By Sean Fryer

“And He, bearing His cross, went out to a place called the Place of a Skull, which is called in Hebrew, Golgotha, where they crucified Him, and two others with Him, one on either side, and Jesus in the center.”—John 19:17–18

Put yourself in the place of Jesus. Imagine what this experience felt like. Imagine the unbearable pain . . . Before Jesus was hung on the cross, He was scourged, beaten with rods, and had a crown of thorns shoved on his head.  Isaiah 52:14 describes it this way: “Just as there were many who were appalled at him—his appearance was so disfigured beyond that of any human being and his form marred beyond human likeness.” Think about that for a second. He was tortured so badly that He didn't look like a human anymore. What did that pain feel like? It was so bad that they created a word to describe it: excruciating, which literally means “from the cross.” 

Crucifixion was a public spectacle. An ancient equivalent to our modern-day electric chairs and gas chambers, which, FYI, always have an audience (weird and disturbing, I know), people came to watch Jesus suffer a criminal's death. They cursed at Him, spit on Him, and mocked Him. So, not only is He dealing with a level of pain we’ve never experienced and can't even begin to understand, but the very people He is suffering for don’t seem to care. 

Look at His response. “Jesus said, 'Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing'" (Luke 23:34). That is why Jesus went through all of this. He did it for you! He did it to fulfill prophecy, to fulfill God’s plan, to offer us forgiveness, to provide a way to God for us. He did it in our place, to pay the price for our sins, the die the death that you and I deserve, to rescue us from sin, death, and hell, to redeem us and welcome us into the family of God! 

People often say that Jesus HAD to die for our sins. Understand, that is not true. He didn’t have to do it, He could have left us to experience the consequences for our sins, and He would have been just and right to do so. But He CHOSE to die for our sins because of His great, enduring, and immeasurable love for us! He knew it was the only way for us to be forgiven.

He gave up His spirit for us. Man didn’t kill Jesus, Jesus gave Himself because of His love for us. He tells us this very clearly in John 10:14–18: "I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me—just as the Father knows me and I know the Father—and I lay down my life for the sheep . . . 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.”

John 3:16 tells us, “For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life.” That’s what the cross represents: God’s love for us! He loved us so much that He sent His Son from Heaven to Earth to live a perfect life and offer Himself as a sacrifice. If you remember the story of Abraham and Isaac, right before Abraham is about to sacrifice his son, God stops him and says He will provide the sacrifice.  And He sure did in the form of Jesus. I am so thankful for this great love. 

“So when Jesus had received the sour wine, He said, “It is finished!” And bowing His head, He gave up His spirit.”—John 19:30

PAUSE: Spend a minute thinking about what Jesus must have been feeling during this time.

PRACTICE: Remember this story once a day. If you can remember what Jesus did for you once a day, you WILL draw closer to Him.

PRAY: Thank You Jesus for dying for me. Forgive me when I take it for granted. I appreciate what You’ve done and never want to take it lightly. Amen.