If I had to choose a single word from all the Bible that is most important, it would probably be Jesus’ word from the cross “tetelestai!” which we translate “It is finished!” Of course, every word of God is tested and profitable, but this word captures so much of the gospel. Without the finished work of Jesus, we would still be separated from God and dead in our sin.

As we studied John 19:28-30 last Sunday, we learned of two things Christ finished on the cross:

1. He fulfilled every Scripture (Jn. 19:28-29). Moments before Jesus gave up His spirit, He declared “I thirst.” He expressed a genuine human need, but even more importantly, He was setting into motion the fulfillment of psalm 69:21, the very last Old Testament prophecy He needed to fulfill.
2. He paid completely for our atonement (Jn. 19:30). With freshly moistened throat and lips, He exclaimed “It is finished!” In other words, Mission Accomplished. Jesus was saying not merely that His life was finished, but that the entire work of atonement was finished. He had made it possible for us to be made “at one” with God. The debt was fully paid. The crime was justly punished. The enmity was completely removed. By faith in Christ’s finished work on the cross, we now can have peace with God. Hallelujah!

Questions for thought and discussion:

• Which seems more real to you – that Jesus is God, or that Jesus is Man? Do you keep a proper balance between His deity and humanity, or tend to have a lopsided view of Him?
• How can Christ’s genuine humanity encourage us in times of trial and temptation?
• “Atonement” is at the very heart of the gospel. How would you explain this concept to someone? (click here if you need help)
• Choose one biblical metaphor for sin (e.g. debt, crime, enmity) and write in a single sentence what Christ’s death on the cross accomplished.
• Read 2 Corinthians 5:15. According to this verse, why did Jesus die for us? Does this describe you?

Sunday’s sermon will be uploaded to our podcast site soon and available for free download.

Related posts:

• What is limited atonement?
• Our hiding place

Have you always wanted to travel to Jerusalem and see where the temple once stood? Here’s the next best thing (and much cheaper). A virtual tour of the temple mount.

Todd Bolen writes, “The creators did a fantastic job with this. The photography is superb, the narration is helpful, and the location is one of the most religiously (and politically) important in the world.” He notes the focus of the tour is on the Islamic structures presently on the mount, though the tour does not deny the earlier existence of the Jewish temple, porticoes, etc.

When I had the privilege of studying and traveling in Israel nearly 10 years ago with the IBEX program, I journaled about my experience on the temple mount:

We then made our way to the present day Temple Mount, which is only open to the general public a couple hours a day. Due to the Arab presence, we were instructed to keep our Bibles in our backpacks. In the south of the large courtyard was the El-Aqsa Mosque, and further to the north, directly over where the Holy of Holies is believed to have once rested, we saw the famous Dome of the Rock. A few tourist groups wandered around the courtyard, but mostly, there was an aura of quietness and reverence throughout the place. For the Arabs, this is one of the most sacred sites in the world. The Jews, who despise the Arab presence, are rarely seen on the Mount. They long for a day when the temple can be restored, and dreading the thought of standing on holy ground unworthily, they are content for now to stay outside the Western Wall (or “Wailing Wall”). From the Wall, Jewish prayers to Jehovah are considered a “local call.”

Last Sunday, in our study of John 19:23-27, we met nine eyewitnesses to the murder of Jesus and learned an important lesson about Christ’s care for us.

• Four soldiers (Jn. 19:23-25). These men were carrying out orders and dividing the spoils of their victim. But in their morbid game of lots, John tells us they were fulfilling the prophetic words of David written 1,000 years earlier (Ps. 22:18). Even a detail as trivial as the casting of lots for a tunic was foretold by God. Matthew 27:54 tells us that these men later admitted truly this was the Son of God!
• Four ladies (Jn. 19:25). Jesus mother, aunt, Mary wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene were all present on the dreadful day Christ died. Their love for Christ overshadowed any fear they may have felt by staying near Him and incriminating themselves.
• A new son (Jn. 19:26-27). John concludes this section with a personal testimony about his own memory of that day. Jesus had looked him in the eye and entrusted Mary to him. And he was adopted as the new son of Mary. In Christ’s deepest moment of pain, He still put others above Himself and thought about the practical needs of His disciples.

Questions for further thought and discussion:

• How would you have felt to be Mary? John?
• When do you feel most alone and helpless? Do you think Jesus can help you during these times?
• Do you ever wonder if perhaps Jesus is too busy for you? What does this passage teach you about His care?
• What dangers do you face in life that Jesus protects us from?
• Read Hebrews 4:15-16. What is one important way you can find Christ’s help in time of need? Why not spend a few minutes doing that right now?

(Sunday’s sermon has been uploaded to our podcast site and is available for free download or to listen online.)

May God help us apply His Word this week in our hearts, in our words, and in our actions.

Here’s an article by Fox News I found helpful in understanding the different sides of the national health care debate. It will be quite a challenge to find any true bipartisanship among such opposing views:

Liberals — They insist that a government-run health insurance plan, or “public option,” that will compete with private insurers is essential to health care reform.

Blue Dogs — These fiscally conservative Democrats are concerned about the costs of overhauling the health care system and the potential harm it could have on small businesses.

Gang of Six — This group of bipartisan lawmakers on the Senate Finance Committee is trying to forge a consensus deal that will appease both political parties and pass a divided Senate.

Conservatives — All of them are opposed to a “public option,” saying it will lead to a government takeover of health care because private insurers will be unable to compete.

Health care industry leaders: They want health care reform, because if the government requires everyone to get coverage, it could provide them a jackpot. (Only on this last point do I see a serious oversight. Not all health care industry leaders support Obama’s plan. In fact, some reports indicate that a majority of doctors oppose it.)

We all want to see people treated with dignity and receive good medical care, but it’s difficult to know precisely what role the government should play in all of this. Personally, I lean toward a much more laissez-faire “hands off” approach. History has proven that the free market works much better than any bureaucracy trying to micro-manage the system.

I believe a key problem making medical care so expensive and now inaccessible to 50 million Americans is medical malpractice insurance. Due to our litigious, rights-demanding culture, malpractice cases have soared and are driving up the medical costs that patients face today. David Wells shares this startling statistic: “Over the last three or four decades the number of personal rights has exploded…As the sense of responsibility for personal behavior has shrunk, the need for litigation has increased. America has more lawyers than the rest of the world combined.” The Courage to Be Protestant, p. 159). The key to true health care reform may lie more in the courthouse than in the Senate chamber.

May God give our leaders great wisdom in this health care debate, and may He give us grace to submit to whatever decision they make.

Here’s a short film that links the reasoning behind abortion with both slavery and antiSemitism. All three of these tragic movements have exalted the “choice” and “convenience” of a superior race against those who were considered sub-human. But something within us says this is terribly wrong.

The film is not graphic, but the mature theme makes it inappropriate for young children. I was moved to tears as I watched and realized afresh how urgent the pro-life movement is.

Every boy and girl, man and woman, born or unborn, is created in God’s image and should be vigorously protected (Gen. 1:26-27; 9:6; Ex. 20:13). Yet just yesterday, I read an article that reported Obama wants to redirect 100 million dollars away from abstinence programs to fund erotic sex education for young teens. This will surely lead to only more abortions. God have mercy.