Tag Archives: faith

Text: John 19:28–30 (Good Friday 4/3/2026)

²⁸ After this, Jesus, knowing that all was now finished, said (to fulfill the Scripture), “I thirst.” ²⁹ A jar full of sour wine stood there, so they put a sponge full of the sour wine on a hyssop branch and held it to his mouth. ³⁰ When Jesus had received the sour wine, he said, “It is finished,” and he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.

Introduction

Good Friday confronts us with a question the world cannot answer:
What really happened at the cross?

To many, it looks like tragedy—an innocent man executed.
To others, it appears as injustice—religion and politics colliding.

But Scripture tells us something far deeper:
This was not an accident, not defeat, not merely martyrdom.

What happened at the cross? The cross was the most decisive act of God in history: Christ’s death on the cross fully accomplished the redemption of sinners.

And at the center of it all are the final words of Christ:
“It is finished.”

I. The Cross Was the Fulfillment of God’s Plan (v. 28)

In vs 28 John explicitly tell us that the cross was the fulfillment of God’s plan for redemption: “Jesus, knowing that all was now finished, said (to fulfill the Scripture), ‘I thirst.’”

Jesus is not a victim here—He is sovereignly conscious.

Even in His suffering, He knows:

• The Scriptures are being fulfilled
• The plan of redemption is reaching its climax

From:

• The Passover Lamb (Exodus 12)
• To the Suffering Servant (Isaiah 53)
• To the Righteous Sufferer (Psalm 22)

Every thread of redemptive history converges at this moment.

Application:
The cross is not random—it is God’s eternal decree unfolding in time. We Presbyterian do not believe in random events or luck.

The cross was not an accident—it was the eternal plan of God unfolding exactly as He purposed.

II. The Cross Reveals the Depth of Christ’s Suffering (v. 29)

Second, we see that not only was the cross the fulfillment of God’s plan to save you but also the cross reveals the depth of Christ’s Suffering. Vs 29 says, “They put a sponge full of the sour wine on a hyssop branch…”

Even this detail matters.

Hyssop was used in:

• The Passover (Exodus 12:22)
• Cleansing rituals (Leviticus 14)

John is telling us:
This is the true Passover: Christ is the substance of the shadow of the Passover Feast!

Christ is:

• Thirsting
• Bleeding
• Weakening

Not symbolically—but really.

He suffers:

• Physically (crucifixion)
• Emotionally (rejection)
• Spiritually (bearing sin)

Christ’s spiritual suffering—bearing our sin and enduring the full weight of divine wrath—was finite in time, yet infinite in worth, because it was borne by the eternal Son of God.

To explain what’s going on, let me use Scripture to interpret Scripture which is the only infallible way to interpret Scripture. In the Epistle to the Romans 3:24–26, the apostle Paul declares that we are:

• “justified by His grace as a gift”
• “through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus”
• “whom God put forward as a propitiation by His blood”

The key term is propitiation (ἱλαστήριον  hilastērion). This means that Christ, in His spiritual suffering, bore the wrath of God in the place of sinners. Jesus was the means of expiation.

·  Propitiation (ἱλαστήριον / hilastērion) refers to the turning away of God’s wrath by means of a sacrifice. It emphasizes that Christ bore divine judgment and satisfied God’s righteous anger. Propitiation satisfies the wrath of God!

·  Expiation, on the other hand, refers to the removal or cleansing of sin—the guilt itself is taken away. Christ is the propitiation in that He bore the wrath of God in the place of sinners, thereby satisfying divine justice; and He accomplishes expiation in that, through this sacrifice, the guilt of sin is removed. Expiation removes our sin.

So Paul’s teaching lands this way:

• When Christ bears our sin, He is the substitute
• When He endures God’s wrath, He is the propitiation
• When His sacrifice is applied to us, we are justified

Paul’s climactic point is this:

God did this “to show His righteousness… so that He might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.”

Application:
Never minimize your sin. Every time you and I minimize our sins we are justifying our sins; when we justify our sins we are in effect making ourselves Satan’s defense Lawyer. Your sin required nothing less than the full suffering of the Son of God—set forth as a propitiation by His blood—to satisfy the righteous wrath of God and secure your justification.
Your sin required nothing less than the full suffering of the Son of God.

III. The Cross Accomplished Redemption (v. 30a)

Third, we see that not only was the cross the fulfillment of God’s plan to save you, and not only do we see that the cross reveals the depth of Christ’s Suffering, but the cross accomplishes redemption. Vs 30 reads that, “When Jesus had received the sour wine, He said, ‘It is finished.’” Jesus is quoting Ps 22:31

This three word phrase in the English “It is finished” is actually just one word in Greek: τετέλεσται Tetelestai. The root on this verb is τελέω which means this:

• Paid in full
• Completed
• Accomplished

Not:

• “I am finished”
  But:
• “It is finished”

What is finished? Atonement is complete and the Old Covenant shadows have ended!

• The debt of sin → paid
• The wrath of God → satisfied
• The law’s demands → fulfilled
• The power of Satan → broken

There is nothing left to add.

Application:
You do not attempt to complete your salvation—Christ has already done it.

No works.
No merit.
No striving.

Only faith in a finished work.

IV. The Cross Was a Willing Sacrifice (v. 30b)

Finally we come to our last point in vs 30b: “And He bowed His head and gave up His spirit.”

Notice carefully: not only do we see that the cross is the fulfillment of God’s plan to save you, and not only do we see that the cross reveals the depth of Christ’s Suffering, not only do we that the cross accomplishes redemption, but the cross was a willing sacrifice.

He did not lose His life.
He gave it.

As He said earlier:

“No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord.” (John 10:18)

This is:

• Voluntary
• Intentional
• Substitutionary
• Particular  

He dies voluntarily, intentionally, vicariously, for particular sinners.

Application:
Christ was not forced to the cross—
He went there for you.

Good Friday is not just something to observe—it is something to respond to.

You must answer:

• If it is finished, will you stop trying to earn salvation?
• If Christ has paid it all, will you trust Him?
• If He gave Himself, will you give yourself to Him?

There are only two responses:

1. Reject the cross → bear your own sin
2. Receive the cross → Christ bears it for you
3. Conclusion

The world sees defeat.

But heaven declares victory.

The cross is not the end of Christ’s story—
It is the end of sin’s dominion for all who believe.

And the final word still stands:

“It is finished.”

Let me end my sermon with this illustration:

The film Saving Private Ryan opens with the harrowing D-Day invasion of Normandy on June 6, 1944, showing the brutal reality of war. Following this, Captain John H. Miller (Tom Hanks) is tasked with leading a small squad of soldiers on a mission to find and bring home Private James Francis Ryan, whose three brothers have all been killed in combat.

As Miller and his squad journey through war-torn France, they encounter intense combat, moral dilemmas, and the psychological toll of battle. Each soldier faces personal struggles, testing courage, loyalty, and humanity. Ultimately, they locate Private Ryan, but at great cost: members of the squad die in the process, including Captain Miller. Mill’s last words as a dying man says to Private Ryan: “Earn this. Earn it!” The film closes with an older James Ryan visiting Miller’s grave, reflecting on the sacrifice made for him and questioning whether he has lived a life worthy of it. He says this at the grave of Miller:

Every day I think about what you said to me that day on the bridge. I’ve tried to live my life the best I could. I hope that was enough.  I hope that at least in your eyes I earned what all of you have done for me.” Turning to his wife, who comes up beside him, he stammers, “Tell me I have lead a good life. Tell me I’m a good man?

Beloved, when Jesus died for you he didn’t say to you now “Earn this!” but “It’s Finished!” Our behavior can neither earn our salvation nor can it maintain our salvation!  Our behavior and good works do not make Jesus’ death worthwhile! Jesus did not die to validate us! He died to justify us! He did not die to prove us worthy of God—He died to make us right with God!

When Jesus said “it is finished” he died for the highest of principles. When Jesus said “it is finished” he died for the greatest of causes. What was it? He died first, for the glory of God; second, he died for you! Beloved, as we live our Christian life in light of Christ’s finished work of redemption on the cross, do not offer your body and soul for just a principle or a mere cause, but offer your body and soul in gratitude to Christ who laid down his life for you! Amen!

Closing Prayer

Lord Jesus,
We stand in awe of Your cross.
You have done what we could never do.
You have paid what we could never pay.

Teach us to rest in Your finished work,
to trust You fully,
and to live in the freedom You purchased.

In Your name we pray,
Amen.