Dear Student of the Word,
It has been two weeks since your last installment from John's gospel. There will only be two more until we are finished when we will move on to John's epistles. This week we study Jesus' crucifixion, the most heinous form of execution man has ever devised. This week I wrote on day four of this seven-day study, which you download below:
v. 28 – It seems that fulfilling Scripture was of paramount
importance in this whole story in Jesus’ mind. John told us in John 13 that “Jesus knew” and in this verse
He knew as well that His mission was nearing an end. It helps if you “know” what season or time it is in your
life. Then you can act accordingly.
What’s more, God wants you to know. So where are you going and do you now what time it
is? Here is an example of what I mean:
I have fought the good fight, I
have finished the race, I have kept
the faith (2 Timothy 4:7).
Paul knew his purpose and the work God had given him to
do. He could say with confidence
that he had finished it. If Paul
knew and Jesus knew, you and I can know, too.
v. 29 – Jesus had said he was thirsty and in some small show
of compassion, He was given a drink of vinegar. I am not sure that is what I would want to drink in that
situation, and it was interesting that they had wine vinegar nearby. Jesus had begun His earthly ministry by
changing water to wine and ended the first phase by drinking wine that had
soured and gone to vinegar. Jesus
drank the cup of suffering that the Father had served and He did it with no
shortcuts or easy steps. Having
thirsted for God’s righteousness, He was now given wine vinegar to satisfy His
human thirst.
v. 30 – Jesus took the drink, the final act in this whole
sad but necessary drama. He had
received the best that man could give Him at that point – wine vinegar – and
then it was time to expire. Jesus
bowed His head and died, or rather it says that He gave up his spirit. It was not taken from him; He gave it
up. This reminds me of what Jesus said elsewhere:
“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 10:18).
Are you willingly laying down
your life to the will of the Father? This is to be just as Jesus said: You
must pick up your cross and follow Him, dying daily to self and the desires of
the flesh.
v. 31 - Jesus died on a Friday, the day
the Jews prepared the Passover, and a special Sabbath was at hand the next
day. The Jews wanted to clean up
the road in preparation for the Sabbath celebration, so they asked Pilate to
hasten the death of those crucified by breaking their legs. A crucified person could last for days
on the cross, dying an agonizing death and drowning in his own bodily fluids
that would fill the lungs. When
their legs were broken, those crucified could not lift themselves up to
breathe, using the foot stand to which their feet were nailed. So the Jews
wanted them to die faster than it would take without any such intervention.
This again reveals the hypocrisy
of the Jews, who wanted Jesus hung but then wanted any evidence of the hanging
gone so they could celebrate their Passover and Sabbath. There is a bit of the Jew in me, for I
also want to maintain my religious façade while doing evil deeds, without
feeling the slightest pangs of conscience. Help me, Lord!
As always, I welcome your comments to this week's study. You can write them or find the studies to Corinthians, Colossians, First Timothy, and Matthew's and Mark's gospels on the site where this week's entry is posted. You can also go there to sign up to receive each week's study.
Plus my website archives contains a complete collection of all
my verse-by-verse Bible studies from Matthew, Mark, Luke, Acts, Romans,
1&2 Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, 1&2
Thessalonians, 1&2 Timothy, Hebrews, James, 1&2 Peter, Hebrews
and Revelation, along with the unpublished volumes of The Faith Files.
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THE SOPHIA FUND & DEBORAH FOUNDATION: Books, toys and money have begun to arrive for our Christmas project for the Kenya orphans, with promises of much more to come. This is so much fun to sit back and see what will happen with all this. I am grateful for your prayerful and prompt response to the children's needs. To read all about what's going on, go to my blog to see my latest post or go to my Facebook page. I need books and educational toys and I need you to help me get them. I will figure out a way to get them to Kenya. You just figure out a way to get them to me.
I also need help to continue feeding the orphans and widows there from The Sophia Fund. When you do your Christmas shopping and giving this year, please remember The Sophia Fund and The Deborah Foundation. I know you will be blessed when you do.
yeah jews wannted Jesus hung but then wanted any evidence of the hanging gone so they could celebrate their Passover and Sabbath.
Posted by: bible study | November 28, 2009 at 11:14 PM