Rev. Jeremiah Johnson, pastor at Glory of Christ Lutheran Church in Plymouth, MN, joins host Rev. Timothy Appel to study John 19:17-30.
Jesus is taken to the Place of the Skull for His crucifixion between two others. Despite the objection of the chief priests, Pilate’s inscription above Jesus reads, “Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews.” The fact that it is written in three different languages hints at the fact that Jesus is on the cross as the King for all sinners. The soldiers take Jesus’ clothes from Him as the Lord endures the full shame of our sin in fulfillment of Psalm 22. Even in the midst of His great suffering, Jesus cares for His mother as He gives her into the care of John. Jesus’ thirst on the cross fulfills Scripture and reminds us that His suffering for our sin delivers us living water. Jesus cries out, “It is finished,” to teach us that all that He does in His suffering, death, and resurrection stands true for all those of every time and every place who believe in Him.
“The Word Made Flesh” is a series on Sharper Iron that goes through the Gospel according to St. John. The disciple whom Jesus loved wrote his Gospel account as an eyewitness to Jesus’ life and ministry. As we read the Word of God recorded by St. John, the Holy Spirit works in us so that we might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and so have life by faith in His name.
