John 19:30

‘When Jesus therefore had received the sour wine, he said, “It is finished”, and he bowed his head and yielded up his spirit.'

All the Gospels tell us that ‘Jesus cried again with a loud voice'. Only John tells us what He said. “It is finished”, ‘tetelestai', is the same verb as used in John 19:28. All was now finished. God's will had been done. As the final words in Psalms 22 tell us ‘He has done it'. God's work had been accomplished, and Jesus had successfully completed His mission. The means of the world's salvation had now been provided, and we can only bow in wonder. Interestingly we know from papyri that tetelestai would be written across invoices to indicate ‘paid in full'. He had given His life as a ransom for many (Mark 10:45).

‘And he bowed his head and yielded up his spirit.' As He had said earlier, no one would take His life from Him, He would freely offer it up Himself (John 10:18). Here then He bowed His head and gave consent to His death and then deliberately yielded Himself into the hands of the Father. He was in control to the end

As we conclude this passage we should note that John has laid stress on two sayings which both reflect Jesus' humanity, care for His mother and thirst. Amidst all the pointers to Christ's divinity he wants us to know that Jesus was truly human. This was no demigod who strode the clouds and watched from afar but a living, human person dying a human death.