Sunday, March 24, 2023

John 19:17–30

This Sunday marks the beginning of Passion Week, when we give special attention to the cross. It culminates on Easter, on which we celebrate Christ’s resurrection in glory! We’re all excited for Easter, but let’s not rush there. Crucifixion comes before resurrection.

Throughout the first 18 chapters of John, Jesus has been preparing us for his “hour.” In John 19, that hour arrives.

John is matter-of-fact about the whole thing: “So they took Jesus,” he writes, “to the place called The Place of a Skull, which in Aramaic is called Golgotha. There they crucified him.” (John 19:16–18 ESV)

We know that crucifixion was horrid. It wasn’t just meant to kill; it was meant to torture and humiliate. But John doesn’t give us any details about the crucifixion; it just happens.

John’s portrayal of the cross mirrors how Jesus has been talking about it in the Fourth Gospel. Jesus did not want his disciples to feel bad for him—he chose to go to the cross. He laid down his life on the cross. The cross was part of the plan of God and apart from God’s will, it could not have happened.

In fact, Jesus has emphasized three things about the cross in John: (1) the cross would draw all people to God, (2) the cross was part of the plan of God, and (3) the cross would lead to the coming of the Spirit. In John 19, we see all three of these predictions come true.

Join us this week as we dive into John 19 and remind ourselves that the cross was not a defeat—it was a glorious fulfillment of the plan of God!

See you Sunday!

Service times are at 9:00 & 11:00. If you can’t make it in person, you can watch live at those times.