John 18:1-19:42
It is Finished
The cross is still an icon in our culture today. We still see it hanging from necklaces. But this makes us oblivious to the atrocity of crucifixion. To force a condemned prisoner to drag through a jeering crowd the instrument that will be used to torture him to death is unspeakable human cruelty. Crucifixion is legalized sadism. It is probably one of the most depraved forms of execution ever invented. It is death by slow torture. And it works. No one has ever survived a crucifixion before. In the first century world, it certainly deterred others from resisting the Romans. They arranged the crucified corpses in rows along the public highway, on display for everyone to see. The message was clear: this is how rebellion will be punished.
Among those the Romans crucified is one named Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews. In John’s Passion account we see all that is wrong in our world: the betrayal of confidants, the untrustworthiness of friends, the corruption of judges, the cynicism of politicians, the cruelty of soldiers, and the madness of the crowds. There is neither truth nor justice. How can someone as innocent as Jesus be handed over to be executed? And the sickening way they killed him shows us the sadistic cruelty of which human nature is capable. The crucifixion of Jesus—the one person who deserved to live—shows us a world gone terribly wrong. By itself, the cross can only be a symbol of injustice and hopelessness.
Except for John the crucifixion of Jesus is not a story of defeat. Nothing suggests that this is an unexpected catastrophe. Jesus is not overpowered by forces beyond his control. No one takes his life from him, but he lays it down of his own accord. From his arrest in the garden to his death on the cross, Jesus remains Lord.
John has assured us all along that all this is in keeping with the divine plan. The light must shine in the darkness, which cannot extinguish it. The lamb of God must be sacrificed to take away the sins of the world. Just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the desert, so also must the Son of Man be lifted up, so that all who look to him may have life. The Good Shepherd must lay down his life for his sheep. The greatest love must demonstrate itself in the laying down of life for friends. The Son must drink the cup the Father has given him.
God’s got this. It’s a battle that only God can and does wage in Jesus Christ, his one and only Son. In the cross of Jesus Christ, the cosmic conflict between light and life and darkness and death is fought out. It is decided there. Jesus himself makes the final pronouncement. “It is finished.” These are the last words of Jesus. It is one word in the original. It means all has been brought to its appointed end. All has been accomplished. All has been brought to perfection. The Son and the Father are glorified. The love of God for the world is revealed. The reconciliation of the world to God is achieved. Peace of God with God’s enemies has been made. What God has brought to an end opens up a new beginning. Easter is coming. Amen.