John 19:23-30
Jesus Is the Savior
Prepared by Dr. John E. Marshall
John 19:23 (Holman) When the soldiers crucified Jesus, they took His clothes and divided them into four parts, a part for each soldier. They also took the tunic, which was seamless, woven in one piece from the top.
Soldiers who served as executioners received the clothes of crucified criminals as compensation for their effort. Jesus' clothes were the last material things He owned in the whole wide world. He literally gave up everything for us.
The mocking crowd gazed on God's Son, who was clothed only in total humiliation. Our Master allowed Himself to be undressed that we might someday be dressed in white robes (Revelation 3:18). We will not be naked in Heaven. We will wear robes to remind us righteousness was not inherent in us. We had to put it on as a gift. Our robes will be white because Jesus' robe is red (Rev. 19:13-14).
Jesus' tunic, instead of being made of separate cloths sewn together, was woven in one piece, without seam. The Old Testament specified the High Priest's robe had to be woven (EX 39:22). John wanted us to see Jesus is our High Priest.
John 19:24 So they said to one another, "Let's not tear it, but toss for it, to see who gets it." They did this to fulfill the Scripture that says: "They divided My clothes among themselves, and they cast lots for My clothing." And this is what the soldiers did.
The tunic's intricate weaving by hand made it valuable. Since tearing the robe would have made it worthless, the four soldiers gambled for it.
By keeping the garment in one piece, the soldiers unknowingly pointed to another "High Priest" symbol. In addition to being woven without seam, the High Priest's robe was not to be torn (Leviticus 21:10). Caiaphas the High Priest had earlier disregarded this command. In a fit of rage against Jesus, he ripped his garment (Matthew 26:65), thereby unwittingly symbolizing the end of the Aaronic priesthood. Clothes are torn only if there is no more use for them. Jesus, the one whose robe is in one piece, is now our High Priest.
These soldiers knew nothing of the Jewish Bible, but fulfilled an Old Testament prediction (Psalm 22:18). Since they were pagan, no one could accuse them of collusion or "stacking the deck" in order to fulfill a Bible prediction.
The soldiers did their duty callously, stoically, as if nothing special was happening. "While they played with dice, He made His sacrifice" (Studdert Kennedy). These soldiers are a classic example of the world's indifference to God's love demonstrated in Jesus. Unbelievers act as if Jesus' death is not important. Many people in our age would rather have nice clothes than have Jesus, and prefer gambling for goods over giving their lives to God.
John 19:25 Standing by the cross of Jesus were His mother, His mother's sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene.
On the cross, Jesus was surrounded with contempt and apathy. Soldiers gambled, Judas had betrayed, Peter had denied, nine other disciples had scattered like scared rabbits. Jesus at Calvary was also loved. A stark contrast to those who failed Him were John, the only disciple bold enough to stand beneath the cross, and these four women. Heroism knows no gender distinction.
John 19:26-27 When Jesus saw His mother and the disciple He loved standing there, He said to His mother, "Woman, here is your son." Then He said to the disciple, "Here is your mother." And from that hour the disciple took her into his home.
Sufferers are usually selfish, but not Jesus. Even in pain on a cross, He showed compassion for others. He prayed for His executioners, saved a dying thief, honored His Heavenly Father, and protected His earthly mother. By taking care of His mother, Jesus set an eternal example of the proper way for us to live out the fifth commandment.
Jesus, dying a substitute for the world, asked John to be His substitute as a son to Mary. Giving this awesome responsibility to John shows how much confidence Jesus had in His beloved disciple. Jesus, who was one of at least seven siblings (Mark 6:3), passed over His brothers and sisters, and chose John as His mother's guardian. His brothers did receive Jesus later, but at this moment, their hearts were not yet knit spiritually with their brother and mother.
John 19:28-29 After this, when Jesus knew that everything was now accomplished that the Scripture might be fulfilled, He said, "I'm thirsty!" A jar full of sour wine was sitting there; so they fixed a sponge full of sour wine on hyssop and held it up to His mouth.
Thirst often occurs in people suffering from open wounds. As body fluids are lost, cells dehydrate, and the body craves water. On battlefields, other agonies are soon forgotten in this one. This cry drowns out every other cry.
Jesus, the Maker of rivers and rain, let Himself reach this depth of being parched. Had He spoken the word, rain would have fallen, and rivers would have deluged, to refresh Him. Instead, He chose to thirst in order to give us the water of life that we might never spiritually thirst again.
John 19:30 When Jesus had received the sour wine, He said, "It is finished!"
Once His dry mouth moistened, Jesus clearly spoke a cry of conquest. John, near the cross, heard the word Jesus spoke, "Tetelestai!", meaning "It is finished," in the sense of mission accomplished.
Jesus' final word from the cross has reverberated through the whole universe for 2000 years, and shall continue to do so forever. While He was dying, Jesus posted a victory bulletin from the battlefield. He died not with a groan of defeat, but with a cry of triumph.
To us, Jesus is Prince of Peace. To Satan, Jesus was a man of war who came to fight the evil one in his own territory. Jesus let the cruelties and guilt of sin be sheathed in His own body. This inner spiritual struggle was Jesus' worst suffering at Calvary. The pains of Hell, evil, and death penetrated His innermost essence.
Despite the strain, our Champion did not fail. Heaven's Lamb withstood Hell's Serpent. Fiends of perdition hurled themselves against Him. They could hurt, but not destroy, Him. They could at worst only bruise His heel. He, on the other hand, crushed their heads (Genesis 3:15). He dealt them a fatal blow.
The cross appeared to be evil's greatest victory, but proved to be its ultimate defeat. On Calvary was conducted the funeral of Satan's hope to vanquish God.
Christmas Evans preached, "Death struck its fiery dart deep into the heart of Jesus, but when Death tried to pull the dart out again, its sting was left behind." While sin was nailing Jesus to the cross, Christ was nailing sin to the same tree. Sin and sin's destroyer were both nailed there. Sin was defanged, but sin's destroyer arose victoriously.
Having drained the cup of our condemnation dry, Jesus held it upside down when He said, "It is finished!" Not one drop trickled down the edge. The Hell we deserve was in the cup. Jesus drank it dry at the cross.
Jesus bore Hell's condemnation, and can bear the condemnation of every sinner on Earth if they will throw themselves on Him. To be saved, we must acknowledge our need for Jesus, and lean totally on Him for salvation. Do not try to win God's favor by adding to the finished work of Jesus. He did all that God requires. The only thing left to do is for us to appropriate what Jesus accomplished.
Jesus' cry from the cross is our consolation as sinners. The fact Jesus carefully enunciated the word, and the fact the Holy Spirit recorded it in His Holy Word, prove it is the message God wants all to hear. For us, Jesus conquered sin and Satan at the cross that He might also conquer both in us. He is our Savior.
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