John 19:28-37
Find a place and time free of distractions for the next 7-10 minutes. Sit comfortably and breathe deeply for a few seconds before you begin. If you haven’t read the Introduction to John’s Gospel, read it here.
Read John 19:28-37 noticing the ways Scripture is fulfilled in the death of Jesus.
It is finished. Jesus’ earthly mission is now complete.
He laid aside his right to be God and came to earth as a helpless, vulnerable infant. He learned obedience to God the Father and lived completed yielded to God. He never rebelled, rather he proclaimed and demonstrated the restorative nature of the kingdom of God in all his words and actions. And then this perfect, unfallen human took upon himself the ultimate consequence of human rebellion against God’s good and perfect ways. On the cross, Jesus allowed evil to be emptied out on him, and in doing so he emptied evil of its power to enslave humanity.
Stop to let the work of Jesus on the cross on your behalf sink in. As you meditate on this, speak freely to Jesus confessing anything that comes to mind and sharing any thoughts and feelings with him as they arise.
Read John 19:28-37 again noticing the actions and motivations of the religious leaders, the soldiers and Pilate.
Over a thousand years before the crucifixion of Jesus, God instructed the Israelites to paint the blood of a lamb on the wooden frames above the doors of their houses. The blood was a symbol of deliverance – deliverance from slavery and deliverance from death. That was the first Passover.
Now the blood that soaks the wooden cross and pools on the ground below is no longer symbolic. The blood of the perfect, sinless Lamb of God dissolves the chains that enslave humanity. Death will now pass over all who believe.
The commemoration of the first Passover is just hours away, and the religious leaders of Israel are concerned that their celebration will be tainted by the site of human beings hanging by nails from the Roman crosses. Little do they know that the spotless, sacrificial Lamb has already given up his Spirit. True freedom is within reach, but they cannot grasp it.
For the last few minutes of this meditation, consider asking Jesus to search your heart and mind and point out any attitudes, thoughts or behaviors that are keeping you from total freedom in him.
If anything comes to mind, confess it to Jesus and ask what he might want you to do, or do differently, to experience his freedom.
If you sense Jesus saying something specific, write it down and take a first step toward freedom today.
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The Everyday Jesus Follower’s Guide ebook can help you learn how to recognize God's voice, how to read and understand the Bible, how to develop deep spiritual friendships, and how to become the person you were meant to be. Use it alone, with a friend or in a small group.
