31The Crucifixion of Jesus Christ  (John 19:17–30)

They took Jesus, therefore, and He went out, bearing His own cross, to the place called the Place of a Skull, which is called in Hebrew, Golgotha. There they crucified Him, and with Him two other men, one on either side, and Jesus in between. Pilate also wrote an inscription and put it on the cross. It was written, “JESUS THE NAZARENE, THE KING OF THE JEWS.” Therefore many of the Jews read this inscription, for the place where Jesus was crucified was near the city; and it was written in Hebrew, Latin and in Greek. So the chief priests of the Jews were saying to Pilate, “Do not write, ‘The King of the Jews’; but that He said, ‘I am King of the Jews.’” Pilate answered, “What I have written I have written.” Then the soldiers, when they had crucified Jesus, took His outer garments and made four parts, a part to every soldier and also the tunic; now the tunic was seamless, woven in one piece. So they said to one another, “Let us not tear it, but cast lots for it, to decide whose it shall be;” this was to fulfill the Scripture: “They divided My outer garments among them, and for My clothing they cast lots.” Therefore the soldiers did these things. But standing by the cross of Jesus were His mother, and His mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. When Jesus then saw His mother, and the disciple whom He loved standing nearby, He said to His mother, “Woman, behold, your son!” Then He said to the disciple, “Behold, your mother!” From that hour the disciple took her into his own household. After this, Jesus, knowing that all things had already been accomplished, to fulfill the Scripture, said, “I am thirsty.” A jar full of sour wine was standing there; so they put a sponge full of the sour wine upon a branch of hyssop and brought it up to His mouth. Therefore when Jesus had received the sour wine, He said, “It is finished!” And He bowed His head and gave up His spirit. (19:17–30)

The crucifixion of the Lord Jesus Christ is the climax of redemptive history, the focal point of the plan of salvation. It was because God “loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins” (1 John 4:10; cf. John 15:13) that Jesus Christ went to the cross (John 12:27). It was there as the Lamb of God (John 1:29; cf. Rev. 5:12; 13:8) that He poured out His life as a sacrifice for sin (Rom. 3:25–26; Heb. 1:3; 9:12, 26; 10:12; 1 Peter 2:24;3:18; 1 John 2:2;3:5).

But while the cross was the supreme expression of God’s redeeming love, it was also the ultimate manifestation of man’s depravity; the most egregious sin against divine light, love, and grace. Jesus “endured such hostility by sinners against Himself” (Heb. 12:3) for several reasons. First, He was God incarnate, and “the mind set on the flesh is hostile toward God” (Rom. 8:7). This was also hell’s hour (Luke 22:53), the time when the serpent would bruise His heel (Gen. 3:15). Still ultimately, Jesus suffered according to God’s sovereign plan; “it was the will of the Lord to crush him; he has put him to grief” (Isa.53:10 ESV; cf. Rom. 8:32). At the cross the sovereign God used the evil schemes of wicked men (cf. Gen. 50:20; Ps. 76:10) to bring about His purpose: the redemption of lost sinners. Because God is “rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us” (Eph. 2:4) He “did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him over for us all” (Rom. 8:32).

The theme of the cross runs throughout John’s gospel. Sin dooms mankind to spiritual death, which results in eternal separation from God in the never-ending punishment of hell. In 8:24 Jesus solemnly warned, “Unless you believe that I am He, you will die in your sins.” In 3:36 John the Baptist added, “He who believes in the Son has eternal life; but he who does not obey the Son will not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him” (cf. Rom. 1:18; 5:9; 1 Thess. 1:10). The only remedy for sin and its eternal consequences is the atoning sacrifice of Jesus Christ at the cross. Because “without shedding of blood there is no forgiveness” (Heb. 9:22), Christ “has been manifested to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself” (v. 26). Thus Jesus said, “I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all men to Myself” (12:32). Those who look to Him in saving faith will be redeemed from slavery to sin, forgiven, and granted eternal life (1:12; 3:15–18; 5:24; 6:35, 40, 47; 11:25–26; 12:46). It was to persuade sinners of the truth that salvation comes only through believing in the person and work of Christ that John wrote his gospel (20:31).

The unjust, unfair, sham trials of the Lord Jesus Christ were over. Although he declared repeatedly that Jesus was innocent of any crime, Pilate, cowed by the Jewish leaders’ threat to report him to Rome (19:12), caved in to their demands and “handed Him over to them to be crucified” (19:16).

As he related the story of the crucifixion, John, as was the case throughout his gospel, was concerned to present Jesus Christ in all His majesty and glory. In keeping with that theme, John does not focus on features of Christ’s physical suffering (as none of the Gospels do), or the wickedness of the crucifixion (as for instance Matthew does). Instead, John zeroes in on four aspects of the cross that emphasize the magnificence of Christ’s person: the specific fulfillments of prophecy, the superscription written by Pilate, the selfless love of Jesus, and His supernatural knowledge and sovereign control of events.

THE SPECIFIC FULFILLMENTS

They took Jesus, therefore, and He went out, bearing His own cross, to the place called the Place of a Skull, which is called in Hebrew, Golgotha. There they crucified Him, and with Him two other men, one on either side, and Jesus in between…. Then the soldiers, when they had crucified Jesus, took His outer garments and made four parts, a part to every soldier and also the tunic; now the tunic was seamless, woven in one piece. So they said to one another, “Let us not tear it, but cast lots for it, to decide whose it shall be;” this was to fulfill the Scripture: “They divided My outer garments among them, and for My clothing they cast lots.” Therefore the soldiers did these things. (19:17–18, 23–25a)

These verses seem at first glance to be mere historical narrative, a straightforward description of Jesus’ crucifixion. But the factual details are actually rich in fulfillment of Old Testament prophecies, both verbal and typological. Jesus Christ fulfilled all the redemptive promises contained in the Old Testament. “For as many as are the promises of God,” Paul wrote, “in Him they are yes” (2 Cor. 1:20). Some of those promises are stunningly and specifically fulfilled in the narrative here. These prove the divine authorship of Old Testament Scripture and the New Testament claims for Christ.

After Pilate pronounced sentence on Him (19:16; cf. Luke 23:24), his soldiers took Jesus, therefore, and He went out. The Synoptic Gospels say that Jesus was led away by the soldiers (Matt. 27:31; Mark 15:20; Luke 23:26), suggesting that the Lord went willingly, without resistance. By so doing He fulfilled Isaiah’s prophecy that Messiah would go to His death “like a lamb that is led to slaughter” (Isa. 53:7), and not be forcibly driven like most prisoners. F. F. Bruce comments,

Thus, Jesus was “not a helpless victim but the Shepherd-King laying down his life for his sheep (10:11, 15, 17; 15:13)” (Gerald L. Borchert, John 12–21, The New American Commentary [Nashville: Broadman & Holman, 2002], 261).

As the soldiers led Him away, Jesus was bearing His own cross, which was standard Roman procedure. The condemned prisoner was forced to carry the crosspiece on his shoulders as he was led through the streets to the execution site. The sight of a beaten, bloodied, terrified prisoner carrying part of the instrument of his own execution illustrated that crime does not pay. Since the time of the church fathers, interpreters have seen in Christ’s bearing His cross an allusion to Isaac who, like Jesus, carried on his back the wood that would have been used in his sacrifice (Gen. 22:6).

In keeping with Old Testament law (Num. 15:36) and Roman practice, executions took place outside the city. Therefore Jesus went out of Jerusalem to the place of execution. That too fulfilled Old Testament typology. According to the Mosaic law, the sin offerings were to be taken outside the camp of Israel. Exodus 29:14 reads, “But the flesh of the bull and its hide and its refuse, you shall burn with fire outside the camp; it is a sin offering.” Leviticus adds, “the rest of the bull [the sin offering], he [the priest] is to bring out to a clean place outside the camp where the ashes are poured out, and burn it on wood with fire; where the ashes are poured out it shall be burned…. But the bull of the sin offering and the goat of the sin offering, whose blood was brought in to make atonement in the holy place, shall be taken outside the camp, and they shall burn their hides, their flesh, and their refuse in the fire” (4:12; 16:27). Noting the theological significance of Jesus, the final sin offering, being executed outside the city, the author of Hebrews wrote, “For the bodies of those animals whose blood is brought into the holy place by the high priest as an offering for sin, are burned outside the camp. Therefore Jesus also, that He might sanctify the people through His own blood, suffered outside the gate” (Heb. 13:11–12).

The execution site was the place called the Place of a Skull, which is called in Hebrew, Golgotha, or in Latin, Calvary. Some believe the site was so named because it was a place where skulls could be found lying around. There is no evidence that such was the case, however, and to leave parts of corpses unburied would violate Jewish law (Deut. 21:23). A strange theory, embraced by several of the church fathers, holds that the site received its name because Adam’s skull was found there. Needless to say, there is no evidence for that view either. Most likely, the name indicates that the site resembled a skull. The exact location is uncertain; the two most commonly suggested locations are the traditional site, west of Jerusalem at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, and Gordon’s Calvary, north of the city.

Crucifixion was regarded as the most horrible, shameful form of execution, one reserved for slaves, bandits, prisoners of war, and insurrectionists. It was such a terrible punishment that no Roman citizen could be crucified except by authorization of the emperor himself (Andreas J. Köstenberger, John, Baker Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament [Grand Rapids: Baker, 2004], 543). Crucifixion originated in Persia, and had come down to the Romans through the Phoenicians and Carthaginians. The Romans had perfected the art of prolonging the victim’s agony as he was slowly tortured to death. Most hung on their crosses for days, before succumbing to exhaustion, dehydration, shock, or suffocation, when the victim could no longer raise himself into a position where he could breathe.

John, however, like the writers of the Synoptic Gospels (Matt. 27:35; Mark 15:24; Luke 23:33), does not dwell on the Lord’s physical suffering. Instead of describing the process of crucifixion in gruesome detail, John simply states, There they crucified Him. The infinitely greater suffering for Jesus lay in His bearing sin and being separated from the Father (Matt. 27:46).

Jesus’ crucifixion fulfilled several Old Testament prophecies. The first comes from an incident during Israel’s wilderness wandering. After they complained against Moses, “The Lord sent fiery serpents among the people and they bit the people, so that many people of Israel died” (Num. 21:6). Acknowledging their guilt, “the people came to Moses and said, ‘We have sinned, because we have spoken against the Lord and you; intercede with the Lord, that He may remove the serpents from us.’ And Moses interceded for the people” (v. 7). In response to Moses’ intercession, “the Lord said to Moses, ‘Make a fiery serpent, and set it on a standard; and it shall come about, that everyone who is bitten, when he looks at it, he shall live.’ And Moses made a bronze serpent and set it on the standard; and it came about, that if a serpent bit any man, when he looked to the bronze serpent, he lived” (vv. 8–9).

In John 3:14 Jesus referred to that incident as a typological prediction of His own death: “As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up.” In 8:28 Jesus again spoke of being lifted up in His death: “When you lift up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am He, and I do nothing on My own initiative, but I speak these things as the Father taught Me.” The Lord predicted the manner of His death a third time when He declared, “And I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all men to Myself” (12:32). As John explained, “He was saying this to indicate the kind of death by which He was to die” (v. 33; cf. 18:31–32). It was obvious, then, that the Lord could not be put to death by the Jews. The Jewish form of execution (when the Romans permitted it) was stoning, which involved throwing a person down, not lifting him up. The crucifixion of Jesus Christ by the Romans specifically fulfilled both the picture of Numbers 21 and the predictions of the Lord Himself.

An even more graphic picture of Christ’s crucifixion comes from Psalm 22. Remarkably David, who had no knowledge of crucifixion, penned a vivid description of Christ’s crucifixion centuries before it happened. The Lord’s cry of abandonment and despair, “‘Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani?’ that is, ‘My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?’” (Matt. 27:46) is a direct quote of the opening words of this psalm. Verses 6–8 reflect the derision hurled at Jesus as He hung on the cross:

The parallel with Matthew 27:39–43 is striking:

The psalm likens those heaping abuse on Jesus to “strong bulls” (v. 12), ravening and roaring lions (v. 13), scavenging dogs (v. 16), and wild oxen (v. 21).

David also depicted the physical torment the Lord would endure. He suffered exhaustion (v. 14): the unnatural position of His body caused His bones to be out of joint (v. 14) and put stress on His heart (v. 14). Verse 15 speaks of His failing strength and raging thirst; verse 16 of the nails through His hands and feet (cf. Zech. 12:10); and verse 17 of His taut, emaciated body.

The actions of the soldiers after they had crucified Jesus also fulfilled the words of Psalm 22. The execution squad normally consisted of four soldiers under the command of a centurion (Matt. 27:54). By custom the clothes of the condemned man were divided among the four soldiers. Therefore this group took His outer garments (head covering, belt, sandals, outer robe) and made four parts, a part to every soldier. Mark notes that they divided the items up by “casting lots for them to decide what each man should take” (Mark 15:24). But Jesus’ tunic (worn next to the skin) was seamless, woven in one piece. They were unwilling to ruin this garment, so they said to one another, “Let us not tear it, but cast lots for it, to decide whose it shall be.”

Though the soldiers acted from purely selfish motives, their actions furthered the sovereign plan of God and validated biblical accuracy by fulfilling prophecy. As John notes, what they did was to fulfill the Scripture (Ps. 22:18): “They divided My outer garments among them, and for My clothing they cast lots.” Therefore the soldiers did these things. “Once again we see his [John’s] master-thought that God was over all that was done, so directing things that His will was accomplished, and not that of puny man. It was because of this that the soldiers acted as they did” (Leon Morris, The Gospel According to John, The New International Commentary on the New Testament [Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1979], 810).

Jesus was not crucified alone; with Him were two other men, one on either side, and Jesus in between. They were robbers (Matt. 27:38), and may have been accomplices of Barabbas. John’s statement does more than reveal that he was an eyewitness to the crucifixion; it too records the fulfillment of prophecy. Isaiah 53:12 predicted that Messiah would be “numbered with the transgressors.” And so Jesus was, even though He was innocent of any crime or wrongdoing (8:46); even though no valid charge was ever brought against Him or proven true at His trials before the Jewish authorities, and the testimony of the false witnesses against Him was not consistent (Mark 14:56, 59); even though Pilate officially pronounced Him not guilty six times (18:38; 19:4, 6; Luke 23:4, 14, 22). But despite the injustice meted out to Him, John in magnificent irony reveals not a humiliated Christ dying with criminals, but an exalted Christ fulfilling prophecy. God used the most wicked, sinful act in history to bring about the greatest good—the redemption of lost sinners. And the first trophy of grace won by Christ on the cross was one of the very men crucified alongside Him (Luke 23:39–43).

THE SUPERSCRIPTION

Pilate also wrote an inscription and put it on the cross. It was written, “JESUS THE NAZARENE, THE KING OF THE JEWS.” Therefore many of the Jews read this inscription, for the place where Jesus was crucified was near the city; and it was written in Hebrew, Latin and in Greek. So the chief priests of the Jews were saying to Pilate, “Do not write, ‘The King of the Jews’; but that He said, ‘I am King of the Jews.’” Pilate answered, “What I have written I have written.” (19:19–22)

It was customary that a criminal being led away to be crucified be preceded by a man carrying a placard. On that placard would be written the crime for which the condemned man was to be executed. Often it would be affixed to the man’s cross. But since Jesus was innocent, there was no crime to put on the placard. Pilate therefore decided to give a parting shot to the Jewish leaders, taking revenge on them for blackmailing him into ordering Jesus’ death. He wrote an inscription and put it on Jesus’ cross above His head (cf. Matt. 27:37; Luke 23:38). The inscription read, “JESUS THE NAZARENE, THE KING OF THE JEWS.” The Romans usually crucified prisoners in public places, such as alongside highways, so that the public would see the price to be paid for resisting or challenging Rome’s authority. Therefore many of the Jews read this inscription, for the place where Jesus was crucified was near the city. To make certain that everyone could read it, Pilate commanded that the inscription be written in Hebrew, Latin and in Greek, the three languages commonly spoken in first-century Palestine.

As the governor had correctly anticipated, the chief priests of the Jews were infuriated at being so openly mocked and began saying to Pilate, “Do not write, ‘The King of the Jews’; but that He said, ‘I am King of the Jews.’” The superscription was an affront to them for several reasons. First and foremost, although they certainly were not loyal to Caesar as they had pretended to be (19:15), the chief priests vehemently rejected Jesus as their king. That the inscription identified Him as the NAZARENE (i.e., from Nazareth) made the insult worse. Nazareth was an insignificant Galilean village, whose rustic inhabitants were looked down upon with scorn and contempt by the sophisticated Judeans. When Philip excitedly reported to Nathanael, “We have found Him of whom Moses in the Law and also the Prophets wrote—Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph” (John 1:45), the latter replied incredulously, “Can any good thing come out of Nazareth?” (v. 46). The idea that a victimized man from such a town—especially one dying a criminal’s death on a cross—could be their king was ludicrous. Worse, it was a direct affront both to the leaders and the nation. Pilate was expressing his contempt for the Jewish people, implying that such an individual was the only kind of king they deserved (cf. the discussion of 19:14 in chapter 30 of this volume).

Accordingly, the chief priests demanded that Pilate change the wording on the inscription. “Do not write, ‘The King of the Jews,’” they insisted, “but that He said, ‘I am King of the Jews.’” They wanted the governor to change the wording so that Christ would appear to be an imposter. But Pilate, no doubt relishing their discomfiture, bluntly refused. He dismissed them with the curt reply, “What I have written I have written.”

Here again is an example of God using sinful men to accomplish His sovereign purposes. Neither Pilate nor the Jewish leaders believed that Jesus was the king of Israel. Yet the animosity between them ensured that the governor would write an inscription proclaiming that Jesus was Israel’s King—as in fact He is. He is the “King of kings, and Lord of lords” (Rev. 19:16), and “at the name of Jesus every knee will bow, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and … every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father” (Phil. 2:10–11).

THE EXPRESSION OF SELFLESS LOVE

But standing by the cross of Jesus were His mother, and His mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. When Jesus then saw His mother, and the disciple whom He loved standing nearby, He said to His mother, “Woman, behold, your son!” Then He said to the disciple, “Behold, your mother!” From that hour the disciple took her into his own household. (19:25b–27)

The adversative conjunction but introduces a sharp contrast between the callous indifference of the soldiers (v. 25a), who were gambling for Christ’s clothes (and, by implication, the sneering hatred of the rulers [Luke 23:35] and the mocking contempt of those passing by [Matt. 27:39–40]), and the compassionate love of a small group of loyal followers. They were standing by (para; “beside,” or, “alongside”) the cross of Jesus, close enough for Him to speak to them. (Later, either driven away by the soldiers, or unable to bear any longer the sight of Christ’s suffering at such close range, they retreated some distance away to where a larger group of Christ’s followers was standing [Luke 23:49].) Their love for Jesus overcame their fear (cf. 1 John 4:18), and they came to Him.

The number of women in the group is disputed, but there were most likely four (cf. D. A. Carson, The Gospel According to John, The Pillar New Testament Commentary [Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1991], 615–16; William Hendriksen, New Testament Commentary: The Gospel of John [Grand Rapids, Baker, 1954], 2:431–32). Jesus’ mother, Mary, was there. This was the time that Simeon had warned her long ago would come, when the sword would pierce her soul as she watched her Son suffer (Luke 2:35). Of the three lists of women (cf. Matt. 27:55–56; Mark 15:40–41), John’s is the only one that mentions the presence of Jesus’ mother. Her omission by Matthew and Mark is in keeping with her low-key role in the New Testament—and in striking contrast to the significant role assigned to her in Roman Catholic theology. As I wrote in an earlier volume in this series,

A comparison of Matthew 27:56 and Mark 15:40 suggests that Jesus’ mother’s sister was Salome, the mother of the sons of Zebedee (i.e., James and John). She appears elsewhere in the New Testament by name only in Mark 16:1 as one of the women who bought spices to anoint the body of Jesus. If she was the mother of James and John, she also appears in Matthew 20:20–21, where she asked Jesus to grant special places of honor to her sons in the kingdom.

Little is known of Mary the wife of Clopas. She was the “other Mary” who kept a vigil at Jesus’ tomb with Mary Magdalene (Matt. 27:61) and was one of the women who went to the tomb on the morning of the resurrection (Matt. 28:1). She was also one of the women who tried unsuccessfully to persuade the apostles that Christ had risen (Luke 24:10). She was the mother of the apostle James the son of Alphaeus (Clopas is a variant of Alphaeus), who is also called James the Less (Mark 15:40).

Mary Magdalene figures prominently in the accounts of Christ’s resurrection (20:1–18; Matt. 27:61; 28:1; Luke 24:10). Her name suggests that she was from the village of Magdala, located on the west shore of the Sea of Galilee between Capernaum and Tiberias. Luke 8:2 describes her as one “from whom seven demons had gone out” through the ministry of Jesus. There is no reason to identify her (as some do) with the prostitute of Luke 7:37–50.

The only man among the group gathered at the foot of the cross was John himself, the disciple whom Jesus loved (cf. 13:23; 20:2; 21:7, 20 and introduction: “The Authorship of John’s Gospel,” in John 1–11, The MacArthur New Testament Commentary [Chicago: Moody, 2006]). His presence led to an important relationship established by the Lord. When Jesus then saw His mother, and the disciple whom He loved standing nearby, He said to His mother, “Woman, behold, your son!” Then He said to the disciple, “Behold, your mother!” Even as He was dying, bearing man’s sin and God’s wrath, Jesus selflessly cared for those whom He loved (cf. 13:1, 34; 15:9, 13). Evidently His earthly father, Joseph, was already dead. The Lord could not commit Mary into the care of His half brothers, the children of Mary and Joseph, since they were not yet believers (7:5). They did not become believers in Jesus until after His resurrection (Acts 1:14; cf. 1 Cor. 15:7, though the James referenced in that verse may be the apostle James). Therefore He entrusted her to John; he became as a son to her in Jesus’ place, and from that hour he took her into his own household. This may seem a very mundane thing to be concerned about in the hour of His greatest sacrifice, but the beauty of the Savior’s love and compassion for His widowed mother, in the midst of His own excruciating pain, reflects His love for His own (cf. John 13:1).

THE MANIFESTATION OF SUPERNATURAL KNOWLEDGE AND CONTROL

After this, Jesus, knowing that all things had already been accomplished, to fulfill the Scripture, said, “I am thirsty.” A jar full of sour wine was standing there; so they put a sponge full of the sour wine upon a branch of hyssop and brought it up to His mouth. Therefore when Jesus had received the sour wine, He said, “It is finished!” And He bowed His head and gave up His spirit. (19:28–30)

After tenderly establishing His mother’s care, Jesus, knowing that all things had already been accomplished, to fulfill the Scripture, said, “I am thirsty.” In His omniscience, Jesus knew there was only one remaining prophecy to be fulfilled. In Psalm 69:21 David wrote, “They also gave me gall for my food and for my thirst they gave me vinegar (the Septuagint uses the same Greek word translated sour wine in v. 29) to drink.” Jesus knew that by saying “I am thirsty” He would prompt the soldiers to give Him a drink. They, of course, did not consciously do so to fulfill prophecy, still less to show compassion. Their goal was to increase the Lord’s torment by prolonging His life.

From a jar full of sour wine that was standing nearby, one of the bystanders (probably one of the soldiers; or at least someone acting with their approval) put a sponge full of the sour wine upon a branch of hyssop (cf. Ex. 12:22) and brought it up to His mouth. This was the cheap, sour wine that the soldiers commonly consumed. It was not the same beverage that the Lord had earlier refused (Matt. 27:34). That beverage, which contained gall, was intended to help deaden His pain so He would not struggle as much while being nailed to His cross. Jesus had refused it, because He wanted to drink the cup of the Father’s wrath against sin in the fullest way His senses could experience it.

Having received the sour wine, Jesus said, “It is finished!” (Gk. tetelestai). Actually, the Lord shouted those words with a loud cry (Matt. 27:50; Mark 15:37). It was a shout of triumph; the proclamation of a victor. The work of redemption that the Father had given Him was accomplished: sin was atoned for (Heb. 9:12; 10:12;), and Satan was defeated and rendered powerless (Heb. 2:14; cf. 1 Peter 1:18–20; 1 John 3:8). Every requirement of God’s righteous law had been satisfied; God’s holy wrath against sin had been appeased (Rom. 3:25; Heb. 2:17; 1 John 2:2; 4:10); every prophecy had been fulfilled. Christ’s completion of the work of redemption means that nothing needs to be nor can be added to it. Salvation is not a joint effort of God and man, but is entirely a work of God’s grace, appropriated solely by faith (Eph. 2:8–9).

His mission accomplished, the time had come for Christ to surrender His life. Therefore, after “crying out with a loud voice … ‘Father, into Your hands I commit My spirit” (Luke 23:46), He bowed His head and gave up His spirit. Jesus voluntarily chose to surrender His life by a conscious act of His own sovereign will. “No one has taken it away from Me,” He declared, “but I lay it down on My own initiative. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again. This commandment I received from My Father” (10:18). That He still had the strength to shout loudly shows that He was not physically at the point of death. That He died sooner than was normal for someone who had been crucified (Mark 15:43–45) also shows that He gave up His life of His own will.

No human words, no matter how eloquent, can adequately express the meaning of Christ’s death. But the words of the familiar hymn “At Calvary” express the gratitude every believer feels: