He Gave It Up!

With the Easter weekend starting tomorrow, I took a few minutes to read the apostle John’s account of Christ’s death. When I did, the following verse really stood out…

“When he had received the drink, Jesus said, "It is finished." With that, he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.” – John 19:30

I’m sure I’ve read over this verse and even studied it many times. The amazing thing about the Scriptures though is that no matter how many times we’ve read a verse, the Holy Spirit can show us something new or give us an important reminder each and every time! Reading the verse above this morning brought a couple of those important reminders for me. The following tidbits may not be news to you, but I hope they'll be helpful reminders to you and reason enough for us to pause and consider what Jesus has done for us.

First of all, Jesus’ words “It is finished” are always interesting. God wants us to be in relationship with Him but, of course, our sin separates us from Him. With Christ’s death, the penalty for our sin was paid and we gained access to God! So with Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross, God’s plan for our redemption was “finished.”

“’It is finished!’ is one word in the Greek text – tetelestai. The word was a common one and was used by merchants to mean ’The price is all paid!’ Shepherds and priests used it when they found a perfect sheep, ready for sacrifice; and Christ died as the perfect Lamb of God. Servants, when their work was completed, would use this word when reporting to their masters. Christ, the obedient Servant, had finished the work the Father gave Him to do.” (Wiersbe’s Expository Outlines on the New Testament by Warren W. Weirsbe)

The part of the verse (John 19:30) that really struck me though was second part, “With that, (Jesus) bowed His head and gave up his spirit.” He gave it up! That’s definitely not a very typical description of someone dying. Listen to Christ’s words…

“The reason my Father loves me is that I lay down my life – only to take it up again. No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down and authority to take it up again. This command I received from my Father.” - John 10:17-18

No human method would have had the power to kill Jesus… but He obediently chose to die. He chose to die for us. He chose to die to pay the price for our sin. He chose to redeem us. He chose to save us. He loves us that much!

Of course, Jesus’ death is not the best part of the Good News. Jesus said, “I lay down my life – only to take it up again.” This Sunday we celebrate the fact that the tomb was empty, that He conquered sin and death, and that He is our risen Lord and Savior!

We pray that you all have a blessed Easter weekend!

Love,
The Olsons