John 19:28-37

IT IS FINISHED

Text: John 19:28-37

28

After this Jesus, knowing that all things are now finished, that the scripture might be accomplished, saith, I thirst.

29

There was set there a vessel full of vinegar: so they put a sponge full of the vinegar upon hyssop, and brought it to his mouth.

30

When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, he said, It is finished: and he bowed his head, and gave up his spirit.

31

The Jews therefore, because it was the Preparation, that the bodies should not remain on the cross upon the sabbath (for the day of that sabbath was a high day), asked of Pilate that their legs might be broken, and that they might be taken away.

32

The soldiers therefore came, and brake the legs of the first, and of the other that was crucified with him:

33

but when they came to Jesus, and saw that he was dead already, they brake not his legs:

34

howbeit one of the soldiers with a spear pierced his side, and straightway there came out blood and water.

35

And he that hath seen hath borne witness, and his witness is true: and he knoweth that he saith true, that ye also may believe.

36

For these things came to pass, that the scripture might be fulfilled, A bone of him shall not be broken

37

And again another scripture saith, They shall look on him whom they pierced.

Queries

a.

What did Jesus mean, It is finished?

b.

Why ask that His legs be broken?

c.

What is the significance of the blood and water?

Paraphrase (Harmony)

And it was now about the sixth hour, and a darkness came over the whole land until the ninth hour, the sun's light failing: And about the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani? which is, being interpreted, My God, my God, why has thou forsaken me? And some of them that stood by, when they heard it said, Behold, he calleth Elijah; After this Jesus, knowing that all things are now finished, that the scriptures might be accomplished, saith, I thirst. There was set there a vessel full of vinegar; so straightway one of them ran, and took a sponge, and filled it with vinegar, and put it on a reed, upon hyssop, and brought it to his mouth, and gave him to drink. And the rest said, Let be; let us see whether Elijah cometh to save him. When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, he cried with a loud voice, It is finished: and he said, Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit: and having said this, he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.
And behold the veil of the temple was rent in two from the top to the bottom; and the earth did quake; and the rocks were rent; and the tombs were opened; and many bodies of the saints that had fallen asleep were raised; and coming forth out of the tombs after his resurrection they entered into the holy city and appeared unto many.
Now the centurion, who stood by over against him, and they that were with him watching Jesus, that he gave up the ghost; when they saw the earthquake, and the things that were done, feared exceedingly, and glorified God, saying, Certainly this was a righteous man. Truly this was the Son of God.
And all the multitudes that came together to this sight when they beheld the things that were done, returned smiting their breasts. And all his acquaintance, and many women were there beholding from afar: among whom were both Mary Magdalene, and Mary the Mother of James the less and of Joses, and Salome; the mother of the sons of Zebedee, who when he was in Galilee, followed him, and ministered unto him; and many other women that came up with him unto Jerusalem.
The Jews therefore, because it was the Preparation, that the bodies should not remain on the cross upon the sabbath (for the day of that sabbath was a high day), asked of Pilate that their legs might be broken, and that they might be taken away. The soldiers therefore came, and brake the legs of the first, and of the other that was crucified with him: but when they came to Jesus, and saw that he was dead already, they brake not his legs: howbeit one of the soldiers with a spear pierced his side, and straightway there came out blood and water. And he that hath seen hath borne witness, and his witness is true: and he knoweth that he saith true, that ye also may believe. For these things came to pass, that the scripture might be fulfilled, a bone of him shall not be broken. And again another scripture saith, They shall look upon him whom they pierced.

Summary

The awful chasm of sin separating God and man now bridged by His perfect sacrifice, Jesus gives up His spirit as the body is put to death. The soldiers pierce His side so there can be no question about His death. All this fulfills what was prophecied concerning the Messiah by the prophets.

Comment

The Synoptics include many incidental words and scenes of the crucifixion which John has seen fit to omit. John omits the following:

a.

Jesus-' cry My God, My God, why hast thou forsaken me? and the reaction of the bystanders (cf. Matthew 27:46-47; Mark 15:34-35)

b.

The words of Jesus, Into thy hands I commit my spirit. (cf. Luke 23:46)

c.

The rending of the veil of the Temple and the resurrected dead walking in Jerusalem. (cf. Matthew 27:51-53; Mark 14:38)

d.

The words of the Roman centurion. (cf. Matthew 27:54; Mark 14:39; Luke 23:47)

e.

The multitudes returning to Jerusalem smiting their breasts. (cf. Luke 23:48)

John, however, is the only gospel writer who includes the account of the breaking of the legs of the two thieves and the soldier piercing the side of the dead body of Jesus. There is a disputed variation which would cause Matthew 27:49 to read, And another took a spear and pierced his side, and there came out water and blood. But the manuscript evidence is so scant and insignificant that the translators of the K.J.V. and the A.S.V. and the R.S.V. have all omitted the reading from the text.

In John 19:28 we are informed that even on the cross and at the very apex of His suffering that which was uppermost in His mind was the fulfillment of all that the scriptures had prophesied concerning Him! When Jesus knew, that all things are now finished, He looked forward, in omniscience, to the complete work of redemption which would include even the burial and resurrection and ascension, (cf. John 1:42; John 1:47-48; John 2:24-25; John 5:6; John 6:64; John 16:30; John 21:17).

The entire ministry of Jesus and the work of redemption from His incarnation to the sufferings, death, burial, resurrection and establishment of the church and preaching the gospel to the Gentiles is all prophecied in the Old Testament (cf. Luke 24:43-49 and Acts 13:29). For any reader who desires more information on the prophecies fulfilled in the ministry of Jesus we recommend The Bible Handbook, by Halley, published by Zondervan.

When Jesus said, I thirst, John 19:28 seems to imply that in the very speaking of the words the scriptures which prophesied His redemptive work were being fulfilled. This being true it would seem that there was a deeper significance to His words than merely desiring to slake a physical thirst. Jesus suffered physically upon the cross and there is no denying that! But His real agony was the agony of the second death! Him who knew no sin he made to be sin on our behalf; that we might become the righteousness of God in him (2 Corinthians 5:21). The second death (eternal death) in Hell is eternal separation from God the FatherJesus suffered and experienced that on the cross and cried out, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? The second death includes torment and thirst (cf. Luke 16:23-24)Jesus suffered the torments of evil men and thirst upon the cross. The second death includes darkness (the outer darkness) and there was darkness over the whole land when Jesus was crucified.

When Jesus died upon the cross the penalty and sentence of the Law was paid and thus the Law was nailed to the cross (cf. Ephesians 2:11-22; Colossians 2:8-15). When Jesus died upon the cross and came forth from the tomb and sent forth the Spirit to proclaim the way of salvation all the promises of the covenant made to the patriarchs and reiterated in the Law and the prophets reached their climax (cf. Galatians 3:15-29; Acts 3:11-26) thus the Old Testament (covenant) has been fulfilled, abrogated (in its entirety 2 Corinthians 3:1-18) and superseded. This is why Jesus said, It is finished!

The vessel full of vinegar was probably a sour wine which the soldiers were in the habit of drinking. The soldiers had offered Him a mixture (probably as an anesthetic) of wine and myrrh just before they nailed Him to His cross (Matthew 27:34). This vinegar was touched to His lips and then He bowed His head and gave up His spirit, crying, It is finished! and, Father, into thy hands I commit my spirit! Note the emphasis on His death as a voluntary act. He gave up His spirit!

The Jews were meticulously careful that the Law should not be broken by allowing a body to hang upon a tree overnight (cf. Deuteronomy 21:23). And it would be even worse for such a violation to occur on the Sabbath (the day of Preparation being Friday). This was Friday evening and the sun was about to setwhen the sun went down it would be the Sabbath. It would also be a very special sabbath since it occurred within the Passover week. They were extremely scrupulous about this detail while they blatantly violated the weightier matters of the law such as justice, mercy and faith (cf. Matthew 23:23). There was not one ounce of justice or mercy or faith in them when they criminally attacked Jesus and tried Him illegally and sentenced Him on the basis of bribed witnesses.

The Romans employed a very grim method to put to death those who lingered too long after having been crucifiedthey smashed their limbs (legs) with an iron mallet until they died. One contemporary doctor has said, The shock attending such cruel injury to bones can be the coup de grace causing death. This was applied to the two malefactors crucified with Jesus but the soldiers, seeing that Jesus was already dead, did not break His legs. This also fulfilled a prophecy made in Numbers 9:12 and Exodus 12:46.

The emphasis John wishes to make when he records his eyewitness account that the legs of Jesus were not broken and the piercing of His side and the blood and water flowing is the actual death of Jesus. Jesus did not swoonHe died a physical death. What caused His death is not of primary importance to John. He is not interested in the medical diagnosis or autopsy. Of primary importance is the eyewitnessed, historically verified fact that He did die.

There is one theory as to the medical cause of His deaththis is the theory of death due to a broken or ruptured heart. This theory is discussed in the International Standard Bible Encyclopedia article entitled Blood and Water, in Hendriksen's commentary on John's gospel, in an article by R. C. Foster in the Christian Standard, April 10, 1965. This is the theory that Jesus died from a ruptured heart in consequence of great mental agony and sorrow. Hendriksen says, Such a death would be almost instantaneous, and the blood flowing into the pericardium (the sac or membrane surrounding the heart) would coagulate into the red clot (blood) and the limpid serum (water). This blood and water would then be released by the spear-thrust. But to quote R. C. Foster, We should rejoice that the physical cause of Jesus-' death is not a matter of faith. At the center of the gospel is the historic fact, -Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures-' (1 Corinthians 15:3).

There are some commentators who believe that the blood and water which flowed from His side are to be connected symbolically to the three witnesses of 1 John 5:6-8. We believe, however that the three witnesses of John's first epistle concern baptism (Jesus was baptized and gave baptism as a command to be obeyed by all who desire salvation), the Lord's Supper (which is a remembrance of the blood of Christ shed for our sins) and the Word of God (which is the Word of the Spirit bearing witness here on earth). The testimony of John in John 19:35 is simply a re-emphasis that he, John, was an eyewitness to the actuality of the death of Jesus, The significance of the blood and water is to show that there was no possibility of any life remaining in the One who had been pierced.

In a tract entitled, A Study in Prophecy, published by Hermon House, 56 Second Ave., New York 3, N. Y., there are listed all the prophecies fulfilled in the ministry of Christ. We list here only those prophecies which were fulfilled specifically at the crucifixion:

a.

Nailed to the cross (Psalms 22:16; John 19:18; John 20:25).

b.

Forsaken by God (Psalms 22:1; Matthew 27:46)

c.

Mocked (Psalms 22:7-8; Matthew 27:39-44)

d.

Gall and Vinegar given Him to drink (Psalms 69:21; Matthew 27:34)

e.

Garments parted and lots cast (Psalms 22:18; Matthew 27:35)

f.

Numbered with transgressors (Isaiah 53:12; Mark 15:27-28)

g.

Intercession for His murderers (Isaiah 53:12; Luke 23:34)

h.

His expiration (Isaiah 53:12; Matthew 27:50)

i.

Not a bone of Him Broken (Exodus 12:46; Psalms 34:20; John 19:33-36)

j.

Pierced (Zechariah 12:10; John 19:34-37)

k.

Buried with the rich (Isaiah 53:9; Matthew 27:57-60).

The two points of emphasis made in this section (John 19:28-37) are: (a) the physical death of Jesus was actual and complete; (b) His death was voluntary and according to foreknowledge and plan of God and fulfilled a number of prophecies made hundreds of years before.

Quiz

1.

Name some of the words and scenes of the crucifixion omitted by John.

2.

What did Jesus mean when He said, I thirst? Was it physical altogether?

3.

Did Jesus suffer anything beyond the physical pain upon the cross? Explain.

4.

What did He mean when He said, It is finished?

5.

Why were the Jews so concerned about Jesus hanging on the cross overnight?

6.

Is it possible that Jesus died of a broken heart? explain!

7.

What are the two major points of emphasis in this section?