2026 Reading Plan Reflections - Day 162
It Is Finished
John 19:23–42
“They said to each other, 'Let’s not tear it. Let’s cast lots to see who will get it.' This was to fulfill the scripture, They divided my clothes among themselves, and they cast lots for my clothing. That’s what the soldiers did.” John 19:24 CEB
At the foot of the cross, soldiers gamble for Jesus’ clothing. It's such a small detail in such a massive moment. Jesus is being crucified. His mother is standing nearby. The disciple whom he loves is there. The weight of sin, shame, suffering, and death is bearing down on him. And John pauses long enough to tell us that the soldiers are casting lots for his clothes. Why? Because even here, even in this awful scene of humiliation, Scripture is being fulfilled.
John wants us to see that Jesus is not a tragic victim caught in the machinery of Rome. He is not a failed Messiah whose mission has collapsed. He is the righteous sufferer of Psalm 22. He is the true King. He is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.
N. T. Wright notes: Jesus is announced as Israel’s Messiah to all the world, and somehow this happens precisely through his execution. The cross is not an interruption of Jesus’ mission. The cross is where the mission reaches its fullness.
That can be hard for us to sit with. We would rather see glory in strength, victory, rescue, and escape. We want the King to come down from the cross and prove everyone wrong. We want power to look like force. But John shows us a different kind of King.
This King is stripped. This King thirsts. This King bleeds. This King dies. And through that shameful death, God’s redeeming love is poured out for the world.
There is a powerful connection here to the beginning of John’s Gospel. At the wedding in Cana, Jesus turned water into wine. He gave the best wine in abundance. His first sign revealed his glory. Now, at the cross, Jesus says, “I am thirsty,” and he is given sour wine. The One who gave the best receives the cheap wine of soldiers. The One who offered living water enters fully into the thirst of humanity. That is the depth of his love.
Jesus does not redeem us from a safe distance. He comes all the way down into the place where we are: the place of thirst, shame, sorrow, sin, and death. He takes it on himself. He bears what we could not carry. He enters the darkness so the light can shine there too.
Then Jesus speaks the words that hold the whole Gospel together:
“It is completed.”
It is finished. Not “I am finished.” Not “This went too far.” Not “Evil has won.” Finished.
The work the Father gave him to do has been completed. The love he showed his own has gone “to the very end.” The true Passover Lamb has given his life. The King has redeemed his people.
John tells us that blood and water flowed from Jesus’ side. This is not just a medical detail. It's a witness. It is testimony. It points us again to Jesus as the source of cleansing, life, and deliverance. The fountain has been opened. Sin and impurity are being dealt with. Real death has brought real redemption. This is the grace we stand on.
We believe grace doesn't merely mean God forgives us and leaves us where we are. Grace transforms. The finished work of Jesus opens the way for us to be made new, cleansed through and through, filled with the Spirit, and formed into people who live as witnesses of the crucified and risen King.
Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus remind us what that witness can look like. Both had reasons to stay hidden. Joseph was a secret disciple because he feared the Jewish authorities. Nicodemus had first come to Jesus at night. But at the cross, something changes. They step forward. They honor Jesus’ body. They identify themselves with the crucified King. Maybe that's part of the invitation for us today...
The finished work of Jesus calls for more than private admiration. It calls for public allegiance. It calls us to come out of hiding. It calls us to live as people who have been redeemed by the Lamb, cleansed by his grace, and sent into the world as witnesses of his love.
The soldiers gambled at the foot of the cross because they did not recognize who was before them. May we not make the same mistake. May we look upon the pierced One and see our King. May we stake our lives on his finished work. And may his grace continue its holy work in us until our lives bear witness to the One who loved us to the very end.
John wants us to see that Jesus is not a tragic victim caught in the machinery of Rome. He is not a failed Messiah whose mission has collapsed. He is the righteous sufferer of Psalm 22. He is the true King. He is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.
N. T. Wright notes: Jesus is announced as Israel’s Messiah to all the world, and somehow this happens precisely through his execution. The cross is not an interruption of Jesus’ mission. The cross is where the mission reaches its fullness.
That can be hard for us to sit with. We would rather see glory in strength, victory, rescue, and escape. We want the King to come down from the cross and prove everyone wrong. We want power to look like force. But John shows us a different kind of King.
This King is stripped. This King thirsts. This King bleeds. This King dies. And through that shameful death, God’s redeeming love is poured out for the world.
There is a powerful connection here to the beginning of John’s Gospel. At the wedding in Cana, Jesus turned water into wine. He gave the best wine in abundance. His first sign revealed his glory. Now, at the cross, Jesus says, “I am thirsty,” and he is given sour wine. The One who gave the best receives the cheap wine of soldiers. The One who offered living water enters fully into the thirst of humanity. That is the depth of his love.
Jesus does not redeem us from a safe distance. He comes all the way down into the place where we are: the place of thirst, shame, sorrow, sin, and death. He takes it on himself. He bears what we could not carry. He enters the darkness so the light can shine there too.
Then Jesus speaks the words that hold the whole Gospel together:
“It is completed.”
It is finished. Not “I am finished.” Not “This went too far.” Not “Evil has won.” Finished.
The work the Father gave him to do has been completed. The love he showed his own has gone “to the very end.” The true Passover Lamb has given his life. The King has redeemed his people.
John tells us that blood and water flowed from Jesus’ side. This is not just a medical detail. It's a witness. It is testimony. It points us again to Jesus as the source of cleansing, life, and deliverance. The fountain has been opened. Sin and impurity are being dealt with. Real death has brought real redemption. This is the grace we stand on.
We believe grace doesn't merely mean God forgives us and leaves us where we are. Grace transforms. The finished work of Jesus opens the way for us to be made new, cleansed through and through, filled with the Spirit, and formed into people who live as witnesses of the crucified and risen King.
Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus remind us what that witness can look like. Both had reasons to stay hidden. Joseph was a secret disciple because he feared the Jewish authorities. Nicodemus had first come to Jesus at night. But at the cross, something changes. They step forward. They honor Jesus’ body. They identify themselves with the crucified King. Maybe that's part of the invitation for us today...
The finished work of Jesus calls for more than private admiration. It calls for public allegiance. It calls us to come out of hiding. It calls us to live as people who have been redeemed by the Lamb, cleansed by his grace, and sent into the world as witnesses of his love.
The soldiers gambled at the foot of the cross because they did not recognize who was before them. May we not make the same mistake. May we look upon the pierced One and see our King. May we stake our lives on his finished work. And may his grace continue its holy work in us until our lives bear witness to the One who loved us to the very end.
Faith In Action
Take a few quiet minutes today and sit with Jesus’ words: “It is finished.”
Ask yourself: Where am I still trying to carry what Jesus has already dealt with? Then name one concrete way you can live today as a public witness to your crucified and risen King.
Ask yourself: Where am I still trying to carry what Jesus has already dealt with? Then name one concrete way you can live today as a public witness to your crucified and risen King.
Jesus, our King and Redeemer, thank you for loving us to the very end. Thank you for entering our thirst, shame, sin, and death so that we might receive life, cleansing, and grace. Help us to trust your finished work, not only for forgiveness, but for transformation. Give us courage to come out of hiding and live as faithful witnesses to your love. Shape us by the cross, fill us with your Spirit, and make us more like you. Amen.
Posted in Bible Reading Plan 2026
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