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Two Parts of Redemption
John 19:28-42
We
have spent the better part of a year to get to this point of the story,
Jesus Christ and Him Crucified. The redemption of mankind came in three
parts and all are of equal importance. We who believe in Christ believe
that He Died, was Buried, and was Resurrected. Today we will focus on
the first two.
The Death John 19:28-30
Jesus knew what was going on; He was fully in control as He obeyed the
Father’s will. Earlier He had refused to drink the pain-deadening wine
that was always offered to those about to be crucified. But it was
prophesied that He would drink in Psalm 69:21, so when the time was
right He said, “I thirst.”
Jesus was enduring real physical suffering, He had a real human body and
felt pain just like you, or I would. But He was enduring more than
physical pain. According to Matthew’s account, He had just emerged from
three hours of darkness when He felt the wrath of and separation from
God. There were physical reasons for His thirst, but there were
spiritual reasons as well.
The drink of vinegar did not quench His thirst, but it did enable Him to
utter that shout of triumph, in a loud voice, “It is finished!”
In the Greek text the word tetelestai () means, “It is
finished, it stands finished, and it always will be finished!” While it
is true that our Lord’s sufferings were now finished, there is much more
included in this dramatic word. Many of the Old Testament types and
prophecies were now fulfilled, and the once-for-all sacrifice for sin
had now been completed.
While this word is unfamiliar to us, it was used by in everyday life in
those days. A servant would use it when reporting to his or her master,
“I have completed the work assigned to me”
How Would This Apply To Christ? His task was complete.
When a priest examined an animal sacrifice and found it faultless, this
word would apply.
How Would This Apply To Christ? Jesus, of course, is the perfect Lamb of
God, without spot or blemish.
When an artist completed a picture, or a writer a manuscript, he or she
might say, “It is finished!”
How Would This Apply To Christ? The death of Jesus on the cross
“completes the picture” that God had been painting, the story that He
had been writing, for centuries. Because of the cross, we understand the
ceremonies and prophecies in the Old Testament.
Perhaps the most meaningful meaning was that used by the merchants: “The
debt is paid in full!”
How Would This Apply To Christ? When He gave Himself on the cross, Jesus
fully met the righteous demands of a holy law; He paid our debt in full.
None of the Old Testament sacrifices could take away sins; their blood
only covered sin. But the Lamb of God shed His blood, and that blood can
take away the sins of the world.
As we have noted before John in his gospel rushed to get us to the cross
but he has talked about it throughout his whole gospel: the slaying of
the lamb (John 1:29); the destroying of the temple (John 2:19); the
lifting up of the serpent (John 3:14); the shepherd laying down his life
for the sheep (John 10:11-18); and the planting of the seed in the
ground (John 12:20-25).
These are not by coincidence. These pictures make it clear that Jesus’
death was not an accident; it was a divine appointment. He was not
murdered in the strictest sense: He willingly gave His life for us. His
death was an atonement, not just an example. He actually accomplished
the work of redemption on the cross.
The Burial John 19:31-42
Two groups of people were involved in our Lord’s burial: the Roman
soldiers, and the Jewish believers. It was not unusual for victims to
remain on the cross in a lingering death, so the Jewish religious
leaders did all they could to hasten the death of Jesus and the two
thieves. However, our Lord was in control; and He dismissed His spirit
at “the ninth hour,” which was 3 p.m.. The last three “words from the
cross” were spoken within a short period of time just before He laid
down His life.
It is remarkable that the Roman soldiers did not do what they were
commanded to do—break the victims’ legs—but they did do what they were
not supposed to do—pierce the Savior’s side! In both matters, they
fulfilled the very Word of God! The bones of the Passover lamb were not
to be broken (Ex. 12:46; Num. 9:12; and note Ps. 34:20), so Christ’s
bones were protected by the Lord. His side was to be pierced (Zech.
12:10; Rev. 1:7), so that was done by one of the soldiers.
John saw a special significance to the blood and water that came from
the wound in the side. For one thing, it proved that Jesus had a real
body and experienced a real death. By the time John wrote this book,
there were false teachers in the church claiming that Jesus did not have
a truly human body.
There may also be a symbolic meaning: the blood speaks of our
justification, the water of our sanctification and cleansing. The blood
takes care of the guilt of sin; the water deals with the stain of sin.
When the soldiers were through with their work, our Lord’s friends took
over; and from that point on, as far as the record is concerned, no
unbelievers touched the body of Jesus. God had prepared two high-ranking
men to prepare His body for burial and to place it in a proper tomb. Had
Joseph and Nicodemus not been there, it is likely that the body of Jesus
would have been carried off to some obscure ditch. If the friends of any
victims appeared, the Romans were only too happy to give them the bodies
and get them off their hands.
Joseph of Arimathea
What do we know about Joseph of Arimathea?
He was rich (Matt. 27:57),
He was a prominent member of the Jewish council (Mark 15:43),
He was a good and righteous man who had not consented to what the
council did (Luke 23:50-51),
He was a member of that “believing minority” of Jews who were praying
for Messiah to come (Mark 15:43)
He was a disciple of Jesus Christ (John 19:38).
It was he who asked for the body of Jesus and, with his friend
Nicodemus, gave the Savior a decent burial.
But there are some mysteries about Joseph that perplex us and invite
closer investigation. Why did he have a tomb so near to a place of
execution? Most pious Jews wanted to be buried in the Holy City, but a
rich man like Joseph could certainly afford a better site for his final
resting place. Imagine his relatives coming to pay their respects and
having to listen to the curses and cries of criminals on crosses not far
away!
Matthew, Luke, and John all tell us that the tomb was new and had never
been used. It was “his Joseph’s own new tomb” he had hewn it out for
himself or was it for Jesus?
We have already met Nicodemus. It is interesting to notice that each
time he is named, he is identified as the man who came to Jesus by night
in John 3. But the man who started off with confusion at night ended up
with open confession in the daylight! Nicodemus came out of the dark and
into the light and, with Joseph, was not ashamed to publicly identify
with Jesus Christ.
Now when the two men touched the dead body of Christ they defiled
themselves and could not participate in Passover. But, what difference
did it make? They had found the Lamb of God!
It seems evident that Joseph and Nicodemus carefully planned their
activities at Calvary. They certainly could not secure a tomb at the
last minute, nor would they be able to purchase sixty-five pounds of
costly spices so quickly during the Passover when many merchants would
not be doing business. No sooner had Jesus died than Joseph went to
Pilate and received permission to take the body. Nicodemus stayed at the
cross to make sure nothing happened to his Lord’s body. The two men
might even have been waiting in the new tomb, with the spices and
wrappings, ready for the moment when the Savior would lay down His life.
Haste was important and the men worked quickly. They could not give
Jesus’ body the full ministry of washing and anointing that was
traditional, but they did the best they could. It was important to get
the body safely away from the Romans and the Jewish leaders. They
planned to return after the Sabbath and complete the burial procedures.
But that would be unnecessary.
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