Life Through Death

DEVOTION

THE GOSPEL OF JOHN

LIFE THROUGH DEATH

John 19:25-30

25 Near the cross of Jesus stood his mother, his mother's sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. 26 When Jesus saw his mother there, and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby, he said to his mother, "Dear woman, here is your son,"  27 and to the disciple, "Here is your mother." From that time on, this disciple took her into his home. 28 Later, knowing that all was now completed, and so that the Scripture would be fulfilled, Jesus said, "I am thirsty."  29 A jar of wine vinegar was there, so they soaked a sponge in it, put the sponge on a stalk of the hyssop plant, and lifted it to Jesus' lips.   30 When he had received the drink, Jesus said, "It is finished." With that, he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.

NIV

It is interesting John records these three words of Jesus and omits the words recorded by other gospel accounts, such as the time Jesus says, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”. Perhaps John thought they others covered that sufficiently and his interest, as always, was to show the divinity of Jesus. Yet those words of Jesus were still a teaching moment for the people around the cross, which Jesus was always teaching a truth. He was quoting Psalm 22 and the whole of that psalm is about him, and his lordship, but also about everything which is happening at this very moment. The Psalm speaks about people hurling insults and men casting lots for his clothes. About dogs surrounding him, who would be the Pharisees, everything in that Psalm is about Jesus and he knew people would know that Psalm. When Jesus said those words, it was never about him feeling the Father had forsaken him, he and the Father are one, which many time Jesus had said, “I am in the Father and the Father is in me, I and the Father are one” In addition we have been told that he would never forsake us, nor leave us, that he would be with us until the end. If God had turned his back on Jesus because he had all the sin of the world on him, then whenever we commit a sin, then does God turn his back on us too? That is absurd. So then God never forsook Jesus either. It was not about Jesus feeling forsaken, it was about Jesus teaching he was divine. Now about his carrying for his mother, he was not disrespectful, calling her woman, in fact, he was being very thoughtful, as Jesus always is. Had he called her mother, he would have caused her even more pain, seeing her son on the cross. This son she bore without ever being with a man. This son she knew was the Son of God. The term woman or man in that culture was the same as we would say, madam or sir. It is also interesting he entrusted her care to John. He is the only disciple who died a natural death. From this exchange, we have to believe Joseph was already dead and his mother needed to be looked after and John would be the only disciple who would live until she would die. As far as his saying, “I am thirsty”, it surely could have been because of the suffering he has undergone, the heat of the day, the fact he was hanging on a cross, but more importantly he was again proving he was the Messiah. He was quoting from Ps 69:21 21 “They put gall in my food and gave me vinegar for my thirst”. Jesus was always about caring for people and telling them he was the way, the truth, and the life. He is the Messiah, the Savior of the world. After he has accomplished all that he needed to do in accordance with the will his Father, he says, “It is finished” and he gave up his spirit. No man took his life, he gave his life up so that we can have life. John 15:13 “Greater love has no one than this that he lay down his life for his friends”. This was exactly what Jesus was doing, laying down his life for his friends, us. What was meant for evil, was for the good of all mankind, Just as Joseph had told his brothers back in Egypt, he was a type of Jesus, ensuring the life of his people. Jesus ensured our life by his death.