John 19:17-30

This is what Jesus ministry has been leading to, it is the central reason for his coming; to bear our sins on the cross, to be the’ Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world’ (1:29).

The blunt matter of fact recounting of the crucifixion belies the horror of it all as the glorious Son of God is cruelly killed between two criminals. Pilate, still clearly annoyed at the Jewish priests, writes his sign to provoke them, which of course it does. It is with huge irony that it speaks the truth, Jesus is the king of the Jews.

The events connected to the crucifixion are John tells us, a fulfilment of Old Testament scripture in particular Psalm 22 and Psalm 69:21, other gospel accounts reference parts of Psalm 22.

In the midst of this suffering Jesus takes care of his mother, an extraordinary act of selfless love at a moment of extreme distress. Finally, he bows his head and gives up his spirit fulfilling his words (Jn.10:18) that he would lay down his life of his own volition; his sacrifice is voluntary.

The words it is finished have rung out across the years since Jesus’ death. They declare both an ending but also a beginning. A new age has come where salvation is available to all who choose to believe, whether Jew or Gentile.

(If you have never read Psalm 22 I would encourage you to do so and see how many references to the crucifixion you can find there).

Response: Choose a word, phrase, idea or action that strikes you as significant at this moment in your life and spend a few minutes reflecting on it.