Facing Death

KEY VERSE: “When Jesus had received the vinegar, he said, It is finished, and he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.” —John 19:30, RSV

SELECTED SCRIPTURE: John 19:28-42

IT IS USUALLY true in connection with the loss of beloved friends or relatives that the little incidents that occurred and the things they said during the last few hours they were alive are long remembered by those to whom they were near and dear. This is more true of Jesus than of any other person who ever lived. Not only were the details of his death and the last words which he uttered recorded by four sacred historians, but they have been repeated and meditated upon by millions throughout the centuries, and have been a vital source of inspiration to all those who endeavor sincerely to follow in his steps.

The story never grows old, and every time we read it we walk those last weary steps with him from the judgment hall to Calvary, and we involuntarily flinch with pain as we think of the Roman soldiers piercing his hands and feet at they nailed the Master to the cross. We see the cross raised, and hear it sink with a sickening thud as it drops into the socket which holds it upright while the Son of God dies. And we cannot help offering a sigh of thankful relief as we hear those parched and quivering lips cry out, “It is finished.”

Through it all, Jesus held no resentment against his cruel enemies. To do so would have been paradoxical, for he was voluntarily dying in order that they might live. “He saved others,” they cried, “let him save himself.” Yes, he had saved others. One of the main purposes of his First Advent was to provide an opportunity of salvation for all others. He had demonstrated the very practical manner in which salvation would benefit the world by healing the sick and raising the dead.

And now, as he hung upon the cross, it was with a consciousness on his part that in giving up his own life in sacrifice, he was providing an opportunity of health and life everlasting for all mankind. How little, therefore, did his enemies realize that it was his love for them that kept him on the cross.

It is true only in part that his enemies did not know what they were doing. They did not know, of course, that it was necessary for Jesus to die in order to provide salvation for the world; but they did know—particularly the religious leaders of that day—that Jesus had done nothing worthy of death, and that they had brought about his death sentence in a fraudulent way to protect their own standing as leaders of the people. In other words, they were partially willful, hence cannot be forgiven except upon the basis of their repentance and sincere effort to make amends. We mention this point because the expression in verse 34, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do,” is spurious, not being found in the older manuscripts.

We saw in last week’s lesson that Jesus endured great “contradiction of sinners against himself,” and now we see further evidence of this. (Heb. 12:3) The superscription over the cross, “This Is the King of the Jews,” was looked upon as a mockery of the fact that Jesus was a king. At the same time it was also a just rebuke to his accusers, for it was this very issue that secured for them the death sentence upon the Master.

They wanted Pilate to have it read that Jesus said he was the king of the Jews, but he refused to make the change. Legally he had to refuse, because if in the view of the Roman law it was merely a case of a religious fanatic claiming to be king of the Jews, there would have been no real cause for crucifying him; so to make the cause of crucifixion valid the superscription had to remain as Pilate ordered.

“They gave him vinegar to drink” (Matt. 27:34), the record states, but he refused to drink it. (Mark 15:23) This mixture was used to deaden pain, and apparently Jesus reasoned that he had no right to do anything which would decrease the amount of suffering involved in being the sin-bearer of the world.

After they hung Jesus upon the cross, the guards and a few others waited for the Prince of Life to die. “Sitting down they watched him there,” the account reads. What a scene to watch! Little did they realize that they were watching the most outstanding manifestation of divine love that will ever be known to man. Nor did they realize that the death of the one whom they watched while he died provided an opportunity of everlasting life for them.

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