John 19:28–33 (WEL) After this, Jesus, seeing that all things were now completed, said (so the Scripture might be fulfilled), “I am thirsty.” 29 A full jar of vinegar was standing there, and they filled a sponge with vinegar, stuck it on a hyssop branch, and put it to his mouth. 30 Then when Jesus had received the vinegar, he said, “It is finished!” He bowed his head and gave up his spirit. 31 Because it was Preparation Day, and in order that the bodies should not remain on the crosses on the Sabbath (for that Sabbath Day was special), Pilate was asked that their legs be broken and their bodies taken away. 32 So the soldiers came and broke the legs of the first and the other one who was crucified with him. 33 But when they came to Jesus, they saw that he was already dead and didn’t break his legs.
V28 After this, Jesus, seeing that all things were now completed, said (so the Scripture might be fulfilled), “I am thirsty.”
The Lord Jesus realized that everything regarding His ministry to this point in time has now been fulfilled.
Principle: We also should finish what we started to the best of our ability and circumstances.
“I am thirsty” is a quote from Psalm 22:15 and Psalm 69:21.
Comments:
(Holman Commentary) “Carson observes that ‘Jesus’ knowledge that all was now completed is the awareness that all the steps that brought him to this point of pain and impending death were in the design of his heavenly Father, and death itself was imminent’ (Carson, p. 619).”
Albert Barnes makes a comment about the extreme thirst of those who are crucified: “A Mameluke, or Turkish officer, was crucified, it is said in an Arabic manuscript recently translated, on the banks of the Barada River, under the castle of Damascus. He was nailed to the cross on Friday, and remained until Sunday noon, when he died. After giving an account of the crucifixion, the narrator proceeds: ‘I have heard this from one who witnessed it; and he thus remained until he died, patient and silent, without wailing, but looking around him to the right and the left, upon the people. But he begged for water, and none was given him; and the hearts of the people were melted with compassion for him, and with pity on one of God’s creatures, who, yet a boy, was suffering under so grievous a trial. In the meantime the water was flowing around him, and he gazed upon it, and longed for one drop of it.’
V29 A full jar of vinegar was standing there, and they filled a sponge with vinegar, stuck it on a hyssop branch, and put it to his mouth.
The Greek word for vinegar is G3690 ὄξος oxos, which means (AMG’s Comprehensive Dictionary of New Testament Words) “sour wine used as drink in the Roman army; also translated: sour wine, wine.” At the crucifixion, the soldiers offered the Lord a mixture of vinegar and gall to alleviate His sufferings, but having tasted it, He would not drink it (Matthew 27:34). Later, Jesus received the vinegar that they presented to Him on a sponge (Matthew 27:48; Mark 15:36; Luke 23:36; John 19:29, 30), that the Scripture might be fulfilled (see Psalm 69:21; John 19:28).
This drink was for the soldiers and now offered to the Lord Jesus. Instead of a real drink, they tormented Jesus by giving a wet sponge. The drink was a fermented wine.
A note about hyssop:
(Nelson’s Illustrated Bible Dictionary) “A species of marjoram and a member of the mint family. Hyssop was an aromatic shrub under one meter (three feet) tall with clusters of yellow flowers. It grew in rocky crevices and was cultivated on terraced walls. ‘From the cedar tree of Lebanon even to the hyssop that springs out of the wall’ (1 Kings 4:33). Bunches of hyssop were used to sprinkle blood on the doorposts in Egypt (Exodus 12:22), and in purification ceremonies (Leviticus 14:4, 6, 51–52). David mentioned it as an instrument of inner cleansing (Psalm 51:7). It was used at the Crucifixion to relieve Jesus’ thirst (John 19:29).
V30 Then when Jesus had received the vinegar, he said, “It is finished!” He bowed his head and gave up his spirit.
The Greek word for finished is G5055 τελέω teleō, which means (Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament Based on Semantic Domains (Louw & Nida)) “to bring an activity to a successful finish— to complete, to finish, to end, to accomplish.”
What was finished? It was Jesus’s ministry on the cross as the Passover Lamb (1 Corinthians 5:7). Compare Isaiah 53:3–8.
The penalty for sin is death, both physical and spiritual. Physical death is a one-time event (Hebrews 9:27), but spiritual death is conscious eternal punishment (Matthew 25:46. See Romans 6:23, Ezekiel 18:4, 2 Thessalonians 1:9).
Jesus Christ paid this penalty for all humans, and it is applied to those who will place their faith and trust in Him. See Romans 5:1, Acts 16:31, Galatians 2:16, and Philippians 3:9.
V31 Because it was Preparation Day, and in order that the bodies should not remain on the crosses on the Sabbath (for that Sabbath Day was special), Pilate was asked that their legs be broken and their bodies taken away.
Preparation Day is the day before the Sabbath when Jews get the house, their family, and themselves ready for the Sabbath, including preparing food and a ceremonial bath. Preparation Day for the Passover included slaughtering the lambs, ceremonial clothing, and bath. (Holman Illustrated Bible Dictionary) “The Feast of Passover was immediately followed by the holy convocation of the Feast of Unleavened Bread (Lev. 23:1–7). No one worked on either of these holy days, so a day of preparation was set aside to prepare for the holiday period (John 19:14).”
V32 So the soldiers came and broke the legs of the first and the other one who was crucified with him.
The Jews required all executed bodies removed and buried before sunset. (Amplified Study Bible Notes) “According to Jewish law (Deuteronomy 21:23), it was necessary to remove the bodies of executed criminals before sunset. To avoid breaking the law, the Jews requested that the legs of the condemned be broken so that the men would die quickly and could be removed from their crosses. With his legs broken, a victim could no longer lift his body in order to breathe and would soon suffocate.”
V33 But when they came to Jesus, they saw that he was already dead and didn’t break his legs.
Jesus physically died, but He yielded His spirit, not just waiting for death.
The Greek word for yield, gave up in verse 30 is 3860 παραδίδωμι paradidōmi, which means hand over in various senses. It can be voluntary or involuntary. Involuntary would be handing someone over to law enforcement as in John 19:11.
Jesus’s death is voluntary. To whom or what did Jesus hand over, deliver, give up His spirit to? He gave His spirit to His Father (Luke 23:46). In Luke 23:46, Jesus gave His spirit to His Father and His body to the tomb. Giving up His spirit in this case is entrusting His spirit to the Father. Jesus’s spirit went to Paradise.
We learn:
- Jesus died voluntarily.
- Jesus completed His commission regarding His body, an offering for sin.
Questions:
- How do you react to Jesus’s death?
- Do you trust God with your life?