Mission accomplished! John 19 v 28-30
It is a good feeling to finish a job, and especially if it’s a difficult or dangerous job. And the job Jesus was given by the Father was more difficult, more painful and more terrible than any mission any human being has been given, before or since.
The thirst
Read John 19:28
Now Psalms 69:21. This is probably the scripture Jesus was fulfilling. It describes the terrible sufferings of an innocent man. There are few human sufferings more acute than thirst.
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TIME OUT... Read John 4:13 and John 7:37.
• What was Jesus offering on both these occasions?
• What was Jesus sorely lacking as He died?
As we look at the cross, we understand that Jesus can only give “living water” to others because He Himself suffered this terrible thirst on the cross. Our life is at the cost of His death, our living water at the cost of His thirst.
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The completion
Read John 19:30
Jesus had said (in John 4:34) that the only thing that mattered to Him was to finish the mission the Father had given Him—to glorify His Father by saving His people.
• What is so wonderful about Jesus' last words?
• What does it teach us about the cross?
We cannot add anything to the finished work of Christ on the cross. He has done everything that is necessary for our sins to be forgiven and for us to become sons and daughters of God. To try to add something (by being religious, going to church, reading our Bibles, living moral lives…) is like trying to improve a Monet painting by adding some brushstrokes of our own. However much care we take, we won’t merely not be able to add to the masterpiece: we’ll deface and destroy it.
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APPLY
Check that in your own heart you are not thinking you can help Jesus save you.
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The final breath
At the end of verse 30 Jesus “gave up his spirit”. The Son of God stopped breathing and died. But His last words also remind us of His control over events, even with His hands pinned to a wooden plank. He suffered in our place, experiencing hell until the full measure of our sin had been paid for and “it was finished”. And then, His mission complete, He ceased to
breathe. And even that was His choice.
What a Saviour!
This devotional is taken from Explore—a daily Bible-reading devotional from the good book company which enables you to engage with Scripture and which will encourage, equip and inspire you to live for Christ. Explore features contributions from pastors such as Dr Timothy Keller, Mike McKinley and Tim Chester.
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