Introduction

The recognition of Jesus Christ as God is the key to all Christianity. Christianity is based on the fact of the deity of Jesus Christ. Any religion, or so-called Christian system, which rejects the deity of Christ (denying that He is God in the flesh), is accursed and is satanic. The theme of the entire New Testament is the deity of Christ. That fact is foundational to everything. Now, in a magnificent effort to seal that fact to the hearts of men, the Holy Spirit has given us the Gospel of John. This Gospel has one purpose: present Jesus Christ as God in human flesh--the deity of Jesus Christ. Therefore, throughout this Gospel, John selects those incidents, accounts, revelations, and words from the life of Christ which speak to the issue of His deity.

The four Gospels--Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John--are designed to present to us the life of Christ. Together, they give us a total picture; separated, they portray a specific aspect of Christ that each author has designed to emphasize. For example, in Matthew Jesus Christ is presented in deity as a King; in Mark, in humanity as a servant; in Luke, in humanity as a Son; and in John, in deity as God. So, there is a balance in the Gospels between the deity and the humanity of Jesus Christ.

John's theme is the deity of Christ. Consistent with that theme, John presents the majesty, glory, and deity of Christ on every page. No matter how debasing, degrading, humiliating, or shameful the event is, John manages to see the deity of Jesus Christ in and through it. Starting at John 19:16, we come to the most shameful, degrading, and humiliating event in all of the universe--the crucifixion of Christ. In this most humiliating picture, the deity of Jesus Christ is radiated with such perfection and magnificence that we are again provided with positive proof that Jesus Christ was in fact God in human flesh. There were many incidents surrounding the crucifixion that John could have selected, but consistent with his purpose and under the direction of the Holy Spirit, John selects four aspects of the crucifixion that reveal the deity of Christ. These four aspects are found in verses 16-30: First, The Specific Fulfillment; second, The Superscription; third, The Selfless Love; and fourth, The Supernatural Knowledge and Control. In the last lesson we saw...

I. THE SPECIFIC FULFILLMENTS (vv. 16-18, 23-24)

A. Jesus And The Cross (vv. 16-18)

1. LED TO SLAUGHTER 

2. HURRIED TO DEATH 

3. BORE HIS CROSS 

4. SUFFERED OUTSIDE THE CITY 

5. CRUCIFIED 

6. NUMBERED WITH TRANSGRESSORS 

B. The Soldiers And The Garments (vv. 23-24)

So, John picked out each of these little details of prophecy to show the absolute accuracy of every event that occurred at the cross of Jesus Christ. This proves that He is no ordinary man, and that He is not a victim, but that He is God in human flesh, moving step by step on the plan that He Himself established.

Second, we move to...

II. THE SUPERSCRIPTION (vv. 19-22)

The superscription is the sign that Pilate places over the head of Jesus Christ, as he acknowledges who He is. When anyone was to be crucified, they were marched through as many streets as possible on the way to the place of execution in order that the people might see the victim. In front of the victim there was a man who carried a placard. On the placard was written the crime for which the individual was to be crucified. However, in this case there was no crime because Jesus had committed no crime. Pilate had repeatedly made the statement, "...I find no fault in Him." Since there was no crime for Pilate to put on the placard, he saw this as a marvelous opportunity to take a shot at the Jews, whom he despised and loathed for blackmailing him into crucifying Jesus. So he uses this opportunity to throw a cynical, sarcastic, bitter barb at the Jews.

A. Pilate's Cynicism In The Superscription (vv. 19-20)

1. THE IRRITATION OF THE JEWS (v. 19)

"And Pilate wrote a title [`superscription'; Lk. 23:38], and put it on the cross. And the writing was, JESUS, OF NAZARETH, THE KING OF THE JEWS."

This was Pilate's one chance for some bitter cynicism toward the Jews, who had destroyed him. You say, "What was so bad about the title?" There were several things bad about it in the eyes of the Jews.

a. JESUS OF NAZARETH

Jesus was not their king. Pilate, in obvious and insidious cynicism, put up on the title, "JESUS, OF NAZARETH...," knowing that the Jews had a saying, "...Can any good thing come out of Nazareth?..." (Jn. 1:46a). Nazareth was a hick town. Nobody who meant anything ever came from that place. That was where the hayseeds lived, not within the walls of pious, holy Jerusalem. It was ridiculous to assume that any king could ever come out of Nazareth. So the first part of the superscription was a rather subtle shot. But worse than that was...

b. THE KING OF THE JEWS

The Jews didn't like that a bit. Pilate definitely got some revenge with that. He wanted to mock them by showing them how debased they were in his eyes. He hung a beaten, bloody, and ugly so-called criminal on a cross, and then announced to the world that this man was "THE KING OF THE JEWS." If He was their king, then what did that make them? This was an effort on Pilate's part to lower, humiliate, and mock them. So, for a king he gave them a crucified criminal.

All of this was done to irritate the Jews. Pilate was getting back at the Jews for what they had done to destroy him as a man, something they had done so effectively. He knew that they had said, "...We have no king but Caesar" (Jn. 19:15b). And he knew that they never told the truth. They had pledged their allegiance in a sense to Caesar, but Pilate knew the real character of such a pledge. Pilate just wanted the opportunity to get the barb in, so he mocked them in a grim jest. To their horror, Pilate announces to the world and for all time that this is the king of the Jews, and they vehemently denied it.

2. THE ILLUMINATION OF THE TRUTH (v. 20)

a. For Everyone to See (v. 20a)

"This title then read many of the Jews..."

The hill of Calvary was just above a highway and just outside the city wall. It could easily be seen from the edge of the city, and it certainly could be seen by all the people on the paths and walkways outside the city. High and lifted into the sky was the cross, and on the top the superscription: "JESUS, OF NAZARETH, THE KING OF THE JEWS." Every Jew that went by saw it.

b. For Everyone to Read (v. 20b)

"...for the place where Jesus was crucified was near to the city, and it was written in Hebrew, and Greek, and Latin."

Everyone could read it. So, in the three languages of the ancient world--Hebrew, the language of religion; Greek, the language of culture; and Latin, the language of power-- Pilate wrote, "...THE KING OF THE JEWS." Pilate did this as a cruel mockery to get back at them for their destruction of him.

1) The Proclamation by Pilate

a) The Truth in Cynicism

What Pilate said in cynicism was truth. Again we have the same recurring principle: God uses the wrath of men to praise Him (Ps. 76:10). No sinner ever stood in the way of the purposes of God. Sinners, unbelievers, and evil people do not violate God's plans; He merely moves them in connection with His plans to accomplish His purposes. So Pilate, witless in his cynicism, announces to the world for all time the absolute truth that Jesus is "THE KING OF THE JEWS." The Jews had in fact killed their King.

b) The Truth in Reality

All through His life Jesus had been acknowledged as King. That is the whole point of the Gospel of Matthew--to present Jesus as King. Before He was ever born, the angel announced to Mary that He would have a Kingdom (Lk. 1:33). The Wise Men came from the East heralding Him as King of the Jews (Mt. 2:2). At the beginning of His last week alive, Jesus came riding into the city of Jerusalem and the people said, "...Blessed is the King of Israel..." (Jn. 12:13). "Pilate, therefore, said unto Him, Art Thou a king, then? Jesus answered, Thou sayest that I am a king. To this end was I born, and for this cause came I into the world..." (Jn. 18:37a). He was a King; He was the true King. Had there been a king in Israel at this time, He would have rightly been Jesus. His father Joseph was in the kingly line and by right would have been the king. Jesus had the right to reign. He was born of the seed of David--He was the King. So Pilate, in cynicism and superintended by God, announced the truth to the world.

2) The Prophecy of Caiaphas

Caiaphas was a scheming politician, and he thought he came up with a real good plan. In John 11, he came up with the idea to get rid of Jesus. The leaders were afraid that Jesus was going to stir up the people. In verse 48, they reasoned, "If we let Him thus alone, all men will believe on Him; and the Romans shall come and take away both our place and nation." They were afraid to lose their political positions. So, Caiaphas says to them, "...consider that it is expedient for us that one man should die for the people, and that the whole nation perish not" (v. 50). He is saying, "It's better for us to kill Jesus than to let Him start a revolution so that we lose the whole nation." He thought he was sharp. Verse 51 says, "And this spoke he not of himself; but, being high priest that year, he prophesied that Jesus should die for that nation." Caiaphas was high priest, so God just spoke a prophecy through his mouth. Caiaphas didn't even know what he was saying. He thought he had a great plot to kill Jesus in order to stop a Roman persecution, but in effect he was predicting the death of Jesus Christ on behalf of the nation. What Caiaphas thought was a clever, evil plot, God intended as a prophecy of the death of Jesus Christ in behalf of men. That is the same thing that happened to Pilate. What he thought he had stated in a very clever, cynical way, actually was the truth of God.

B. The Jews' Contempt For The Superscription (v. 21)

1. FORFEITING THEIR TITLE (v. 21a)

"Then said the chief priests of the Jews to Pilate..."

They were no longer the chief priests of God. They had forfeited that title. They now had a new title--the chief priests of the Jews. I imagine they were very heated about what Pilate had written.

2. FORFEITING THEIR KING (v. 21b)

"...Write not, The King of the Jews, but, He said, I am King of the Jews."

That change makes a difference. One says He is King of the Jews, the other says He is an impostor--just faking or making a ridiculous claim. The idea that the King of the Jews, the hope of Israel, was being crucified was a bitter pill for them to swallow...even in cynicism. I am sure that the longer they stared at that sign, the more it ate away at them. Pilate was thinking, "I want the opportunity to make it appear like I'm crucifying their hopes." It was devastating to their pride to see this crucified criminal--despised and loathed--being publicly declared as their King. They had screamed, "...We will not have this man to reign over us" (Lk. 19:14b). They wanted Pilate to change the wording so that Christ would appear to be nothing more than an impostor. But Pilate, being so filled with hate and having tasted revenge, wouldn't move an inch.

C. God's Control Of The Superscription (v. 22)

"Pilate answered, What I have written, I have written."

Pilate thought he would just stand his ground. Little did he know that he was acting under the sovereign control of Almighty God to declare the truth.

1. THE STUBBORN STANCE OF MEN

You might say, "Pilate finally got some guts. He's not going to let anybody push him around." But this is so typical. Have you ever met someone who stands for what doesn't matter and lets everything that does matter slide by? Have you ever talked to someone who was absolutely dogmatic over which candidate is the best to the point of hitting you in the mouth? Then when it comes to living the Christian life, this same individual goes through it with little or no conviction about anything. There are some people in this world who are stubborn on the things that don't matter and weak on the things that are of supreme importance. And that was Pilate--a classic example.

Many kinds of arguments can take place even in your own home. What do we argue about? Usually we argue about the little things that don't make a bit of difference. You remain as stubborn as you can on some little nit-picking thing, and fracture what is really important--your love relationship. That is what Jesus said about the Pharisees, "Ye blind guides, who strain at a gnat, and swallow a camel" (Mt. 23:24). These people don't understand priorities; they stand on what doesn't matter. It is very easy to get sidetracked into this attitude. It is easy to be firm and strong on all kinds of political issues and business issues, but in your Christian life, which is what really matters, you ease your way through it. So, Pilate stood firm on what didn't matter. He took his stand at the wrong time and on the wrong thing.

2. THE SOVEREIGN SAYING OF GOD

The miracle of all this is that God controlled the superscription. It said exactly what God wanted it to say. The royal title of Jesus is affixed on the cross for all the ages, and nobody can change it. Indeed, Jesus Christ is the King.

a. Philippians 2:10 -- "That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth."

b. Revelation 19:16 -- "And He hath on His vesture and on His thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS."

Indeed He was a King. The Jews had killed their King--they had smashed their hopes and forfeited the immediacy of the Kingdom. Pilate was right. For all time the superscription stands, "THE KING OF THE JEWS".

Converting the Dying Thief

Perhaps the superscription was the instrument or text that God used to redeem that repentant thief. That thief looked over at Jesus, "And he said unto Jesus, Lord, remember me when Thou comest into Thy kingdom" (Lk. 23:42). God may have reached the heart of that thief with the text that Pilate wrote, "JESUS, OF NAZARETH, THE KING OF THE JEWS." If it had said, "He says He is King of the Jews," it would have produced enough doubt to halt his decision. So, once again, God uses the wrath of men to praise Him, even to the salvation of a dying thief.

Not only do we see the deity of Christ in The Specific Fulfillments and The Superscription, but third, in...

III. THE SELFLESS LOVE (vv. 25-27)

A. The Courageous Representatives (vv. 25-26a)

All of the cross isn't cruelty and bitterness. Here we meet a little group of people standing at the foot of the cross.

1. THEIR PROXIMITY TO THE CROSS (v. 25a)

"Now there stood by the cross of Jesus..."

When John says, "...by the cross...," he means "right against the cross." At the most, Jesus' feet would be three feet off the ground. These people would be gathered right at the feet of Jesus, within touch of Him and in easy sound of His voice.

2. THEIR PLACE WITH CHRIST (vv. 25b-26a)

a. The Women (v. 25b)

"...His mother, and His mother's sister, Mary, the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene."

You say, "Where are the virile, courageous, and fearless men?" Men have no premium on courage. We like to think we do, that we are courageous, bold, and fearless. Men, we don't have any monopoly on courage. There are some women in this world who show courage like few men do--courage in the midst of tremendous odds. I think of the wives of the missionaries who were slaughtered in South America, who went to the tribes and brought those natives to a knowledge of Jesus Christ. That's courage!

So the women gather by the cross. Let me introduce them to you.

1) His Mother

Jesus' own mother was there. Mary was told by Simeon some thirty years before that someday her own heart would be pierced through also (Lk. 2:35). Now there is no question about the fact that Jesus was pierced, but was Mary to be pierced as well? I believe that this piercing of Mary occurred as she stood at the foot of the cross and felt much of the pain that her son felt.

a) Her Savior

Mary doesn't appear much in the Gospels during the ministry of Jesus. One time that she does appear, she receives a mild rebuke from Jesus for trying to mother Him. Throughout His ministry, He is saying to her, "Mary, I am your Redeemer. The son-mother relationship has run its course; now it must be a Redeemer-disciple relationship." In John 2:1-11, when Jesus first began His ministry, He went to a wedding in Cana. While He was there, they ran out of wine to drink. In verse 3 she went to Him and said, "They ran out of wine." In verse 4 He said to her, "Woman, wait until My time." Why did He say, "Woman"? Was that an unkind, harsh, and discourteous term? No, it was a very dignified term. He was saying, "Mary, My ministry has begun. The mother-son relationship has ceased, and now we have a Redeemer-disciple relationship." Mary needs to be redeemed by Jesus just like anyone. Mary needed a Savior just as much as you do. So, at the very beginning of His ministry, Jesus makes sure that Mary understands that He is to her a Savior as He is to anyone who comes in faith.

b) Her Suffering

As Mary stood by the cross, I'm sure she was pained, paralyzed, and baffled. But she stood there without crying in hysteria and uncontrollable anguish. Jesus was her son--the little fellow that she loved, and cherished, and raised. He had a place in her heart like nobody else because He was not only her child, but He was her perfect child. She loved Him as only a mother could love a perfect child. Now she suffered in unbroken silence. The crowd was screaming and mocking, the thief was taunting, the soldiers were gambling for His clothes, her son was bleeding, and she was watching.

2) His Mother's Sister, Mary, the Wife of Clopas

3) Mary Magdalene

She was Mary from Magdala. Christ had cast seven demons from her (Mk. 16:9).

It is interesting that they all had the name Mary. Mary comes from the word which means "bitterness." It took a lot of courage to be at the cross. They could have been accused of guilt by association. You say, "Where did they get the courage?" There is a principle in Scripture that applies here: "...perfect love casteth out fear..." (1 Jn. 4:18). They had no fear because their love for Christ was so perfect. Fortunately, there was one man there, all the others were long gone.

b. The Man (v. 26a)

"When Jesus, therefore, saw His mother, and the disciple standing by, whom He loved..."

Now we meet this disciple, but his name is not given, just the disciple "whom He loved." Who would he be? John 13:23 says, "Now there was leaning on Jesus' bosom one of His disciples, whom Jesus loved." John never names his name, but calls himself one "whom Jesus loved." That's an exciting thought! He didn't say, "I'm the one that loves Jesus." He gets more excited about Jesus' love for him than his own love for the Lord. John was excitable. This guy was excited about his relationship, and excited about what God was doing in his life. Here he says, "I'm the one whom Jesus loves." I'm glad that's my identity, too. I'm glad I can introduce myself as the one whom Jesus loves. It's a mystery, but it's a joy. There could be no greater title for anyone. John is the tender, loving one. Evidently his love for Christ superseded in some measure the love of the other disciples, because he was at the cross.

B. The Changed Relationship (vv. 26b-27)

"...He saith unto His mother, Woman, behold thy son! Then saith He to the disciple, Behold thy mother! And from that hour that disciple took her unto his own home."

Jesus gave Mary a new son. From the moment of His death, He would cease to be the earthly son of Mary, so He replaced Himself in Mary's life with John. There are some beautiful thoughts here.

1. THE CARE OF CHRIST'S LOVE

As He died, Jesus, the King of love, selflessly cared for those who stood at His feet. This is almost incomprehensible. Here was Jesus, occupied with the most stupendous task in the history of the universe, under a burden which no creature could possibly have sustained or endured, enduring in a matter of several hours what it would take all the individuals throughout all eternity in hell to endure, and in the midst of it all He thought not of Himself but only for His mother and His beloved disciple. That is just a little insight into the caring love of Jesus Christ.

This is wonderful to know. When you and I get into problems, we sometimes think that Jesus is too busy running the universe to care about us. Don't believe it for a moment! In this passage, He gives us a classic and exciting indication that when He is the busiest, He is the most sensitive to the care that we need. Be assured of the loving, tender care of Jesus for you on an individual basis. He showed it to us at the cross.

2. THE COMMITMENT OF CHRIST'S LOVE

a. Severing the Human Relationship

Now, when Jesus said, "Woman...," He was not being discourteous. He had already given her a preview of their future relationship in Mark 3:31-35. Jesus was speaking at a place when Mary came to get Him with her other children--His brethren. Someone brought the message that His mother wanted to see Him. "And He answered them, saying, Who is My mother, or My brethren?...For whosoever shall do the will of God, the same is My brother, and My sister, and mother" (vv. 33, 35). The point is this: When Jesus began His ministry and moved toward the cross, all human relationships with Jesus were severed, and everyone became related on the basis of being a disciple--one who needed to be redeemed. Mary was in the same situation.

b. Starting the Spiritual Relationship

Paul says, "...know we no man after the flesh; yea, though we have known Christ after the flesh, yet now henceforth know we Him no more" (2 Cor. 5:16). In other words, after the resurrection, a fleshly relationship no longer mattered, but a spiritual one. The same was true for Mary.

1) Replacing Mary's Son

Sonship to Mary ended with Jesus' death, so He gave Mary a new son, John. At this point, Jesus couldn't commit Mary to His own half brothers. John 7:5 says, "For neither did His brethren believe in Him." The Word of God even names His half brothers (Mt. 13:55). Jesus had half brothers. Mary was not a perpetual virgin; she was just a woman. Mary had other children who were the half brothers of Jesus (in the sense that Jesus' Father was the Holy Spirit and not Joseph). Jesus' brethren were real children of Mary. But Jesus could not turn Mary over to His own half brothers because they did not believe in Him. This must have been grievous to the heart of Mary.

2) Redeeming Jesus' Brethren

The wonderful joy of this situation occurs in Acts 1:14: "These all continued with one accord in prayer and supplication, with the women, and Mary, the mother of Jesus, and with His brethren." By that time the whole family had become disciples of Jesus Christ. But before that occurred, Jesus committed Mary in tender, loving care to John because He knew that she would be alone since His brothers did not yet believe.

3. THE CHARACTER OF CHRIST'S LOVE

Here is a glimpse of the kind of love that is divine. Human love is preoccupied with its own no matter how great it is. We become preoccupied. We stub our toe and we become self- centered. Imagine bearing all the sin of all the universe and still being able to care about everybody around you. That is beyond imagination. But that's what Christ did. That is deity, not humanity. So Jesus commits John to Mary, bringing the two people who loved Him the most together to strengthen each other. Even in death, Jesus showed more concern for others than for Himself.

John 13:1 says, "Now before the feast of the passover, when Jesus knew that His hour was come that He should depart out of this world unto the Father, having loved His own who were in the world, He loved them unto the end." That statement became the pattern for all of chapters 13-19--His love for others. In the upper room, He got down and washed the disciples' feet (13:4-5). Then He spoke about His love for them--how He would give them a Comforter, come back and get them, and give them His peace and joy (Jn. 14:1-31). He just kept loving them. In the Garden when the Romans were threatening even the security of the disciples, Jesus worked out the details to deliver the disciples from being captured by the Romans (Jn. 18:8-9). Then, even on the cross He cared for those whom He loved. Jesus was always selfless and always caring--the majesty of His incarnate love.

So, we have seen Jesus' deity in The Specific Fulfillments, The Superscription, The Selfless Love, and last we see it in...

IV. THE SUPERNATURAL KNOWLEDGE AND CONTROL (vv. 28-30)

Omniscience belongs only to God. Omniscience means "the knowledge of everything." God knows everything. Second, omnipotence belongs only to God. That means God has everything in control. God knows everything and controls everything--that's His deity. In these next three verses you will see that Jesus knows everything and controls everything. This is His deity in action.

A. Performing The Final Act (vv. 28-29)

1. THE KNOWLEDGE OF THE PROPHECY (v. 28a)

"After this Jesus, knowing that all things were now accomplished..."

How did He know that? He knew because He had omniscience--He knew everything. Jesus Christ was on a divine schedule with an omniscient eye looking to fulfill every detail of prophecy. He knew exactly where He was in that schedule.

2. THE FULFILLMENT OF THE PROPHECY (vv. 28b-29)

a. Christ's Response to God's Plan (v. 28b)

"...that the scripture might be fulfilled, saith, I thirst."

In total awareness of every fact in the universe, Jesus knew that according to God's plan, everything was fulfilled except one scripture. Psalm 69:21 said of Christ in His death, "...and in My thirst they gave Me vinegar to drink." He knew that scripture had not yet been fulfilled. At the beginning of His crucifixion they had tried to give Him gall (Mt. 27:34), which is a sedative, but He wouldn't take it so He could suffer the total pain without any kind of deadness. But now He knows that this scripture needs to be fulfilled, so He says, "...I thirst." Now the soldiers didn't have to respond, but they did because they were under divine impetus. God was moving to fulfill the prophecy.

b. The Soldiers' Response to God's Control (v. 29)

"Now there was set a vessel full of vinegar; and they filled a sponge with vinegar, and put it upon hyssop, and put it to His mouth."

The soldiers responded to what Jesus told them to do. They were acting under divine control. He not only knew what prophecy needed to be fulfilled, He made the soldiers fulfill it. They acted in response to the total control of God.

The Significance of Hyssop

The soldiers put the vinegar on hyssop. It is a long reed with a bushy end. Hyssop is very significant to all Jews because it takes them back to the scene of Exodus 12:22. The angel of death was going to pass over Israel, and God said to the people of Israel, "Take hyssop, dip it in blood, and strike the blood on the doorposts and the lintel." Any time hyssop appears, to the Jewish mind it is reminiscent of the great sacrifice of the Passover lamb. How fitting that hyssop should be a tool at this sacrifice of the final and greatest Passover Lamb.

So, the soldiers gave Him the vinegar to drink, and with that Jesus fulfilled every single prophecy. He was in full knowledge of every detail, and He was in full control of everything He did and everything the soldiers did. Someone wrote, "Far more than pains that racked Him then was the deep, longing thirst divine, that thirsted for the souls of men, dear Lord--and one was mine!" When Jesus had put that vinegar to His mouth and drank, the plan was complete.

B. Proclaiming The Final Victory (v. 30)

"When Jesus, therefore, had received the vinegar, He said, It is finished [Gk. tetelestai]; and He bowed His head, and gave up the spirit."

Now that is the climax. That's no groan and curse of a victim; that's the proclamation of a victor, that's the shout of triumph: "It is finished." Jesus knew everything was done because He knew everything. He had control of every detail, He had mapped out every detail in eternity past, and every detail occurred exactly as He had planned.

1. LAYING DOWN HIS LIFE

Verse 30 says, "...and He bowed His head...." This was no jerk of the head--no sudden slump. He bowed His head. The Greek word means "to pillow your head." It refers to the gentle placing of the head on a pillow. Jesus just decided, "It's done. Now I'll die," and He bowed His head and gave up His spirit. In John 10:18, He said this regarding His life: "No man taketh it from Me, but I lay it down of Myself...." In the truest sense, nobody killed Jesus--He laid His life down. He had finished everything, so He just died. He controlled His own death. That is omnipotence.

2. FINISHING HIS WORK

a. The Conclusion of the Work

You say, "What does Jesus mean when He says, `It is finished'?" It means that the work of redemption was done. All things had been done which the law of God required; all things fulfilled which prophecy predicted; all things brought to pass which the types foretold; all things accomplished which the Father had given Jesus to do; all things performed that were necessary for redemption. Everything was done, nothing was left. The ransom was paid, the conflict was endured, the wages of sin were paid, and divine justice was satisfied. There was nothing more to do, so He died to rise again.

b. The Completeness of the Work

When Jesus said, "It is finished," He meant it. He meant that there could be nothing added to what He had done. There are many people who think that you receive Jesus Christ first, and then you add works for salvation or add good deeds to stay saved. When He said, "It is finished," He meant exactly what He said. The beginning and the end of salvation was finished by the work of Jesus Christ. You and I can add absolutely nothing to that work. It would be idiotic for me to take a felt-tipped pen and try to repair the Mona Lisa, or for me to take a hammer and chisel and try to fix up Michelangelo's Moses. They are masterpieces. They have been accomplished. I'm not going to add anything to them. The same thing is true of salvation. Jesus finished it on the cross. All you have to do is have faith in His finished work. You can't add anything to it.

So, Jesus Christ is the victor, and we see Him in glory. Is it any wonder that after seeing the crucifixion with all the revelation of Christ's majesty and deity displayed, that the shocked and stunned centurion said, "...Truly, this was the Son of God" (Mt. 27:54b)?

Focusing on the Facts

1. What specific aspect of Jesus Christ does each of the Gospel writers portray? 

2. What is the superscription? Why did Pilate choose to write it, considering Jesus had committed no crime? 

3. What was the wording of the superscription? Why did this wording irritate the Jews? 

4. What were the three languages that the superscription was written in? Why did Pilate use these particular languages? 

5. What was ironic about the cynicism that Pilate intended in the superscription? 

6. Why did Jesus have the right to be King of Israel? 

7. Why did the Jews want Pilate to change the wording of the superscription? 

8. What was wrong about Pilate's refusal to change the wording of the superscription? 

9. What had the Jews forfeited by killing their King? 

10. Who were the women that gathered at the cross of Jesus? 

11. What did Simeon mean when he told Mary that her heart would be pierced? (Lk. 2:35)

12. What was Jesus attempting to communicate to Mary throughout His ministry? (Jn. 2:3-4)

13. Why did the three women have the courage to be at the cross? 

14. Why was John at the cross and not any of the other disciples? 

15. Why did Jesus commit Mary into John's care? Why couldn't He commit her into the care of His brothers? 

16. Who does omniscience and omnipotence belong to? What does each mean? 

17. What was the one prophecy that had to be fulfilled before Jesus could die? 

18. Why was hyssop significant to the Jews? Why was it significant that hyssop was used as a tool at the crucifixion of Christ? 

19. What phrase in John 19:30 proves that Jesus laid down His life? 

20. What did Jesus mean when He said, "It is finished"? (Jn. 19:30)

Pondering the Principles

1. As a Christian, what are your priorities? List them, starting with the most important first. Read Mark 12:28-31. Which of the priorities in your list do not come under the heading of either of these two commandments? If some don't, then they are probably not important priorities as far as God is concerned. Have you ever taken a stand on some issue that was not important? Have you neglected some of the priorities that God considers important for some of the priorities you felt were important? Evaluate your list. Do you need to make some changes in your list based on Mark 12:30-31? Be faithful to continually evaluate your priorities so that they will line up with God. And be sure to follow through on them.

2. Memorize 1 John 4:18: "There is no fear in love, but perfect love casteth out fear, because fear hath punishment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love." Has there been a time that you have been very courageous in the face of physical danger? in the face of spiritual danger? What gave you the courage? You may soon face a situation like the women at the cross faced, standing for their love of Christ despite impending danger. Your experience may not be as severe, but how will you respond? Prepare yourself for that time by spending this time in prayer with God.

3. Set aside a good amount of time and read through John 13-19. As you read, write down each time that Jesus reveals His selfless love for us. After you have finished, review your list. Then write out a response to this: How much does Jesus love me? Be sure to put your response in a place where you can always refer back to it.