Christian Reflection and Prayer

Read Romans 3: 21-26.

TEXT: When Jesus had received the sour wine, He said,
"It is finished" (see John 19:30).

Jesus knew within Himself that everything was completed.
But for those who stood at the cross and looked at Him,
there was no evidence anything had changed. There was
no way to tell that God the Father had accepted Jesus'
sacrifice, no way to know this dying Man crowned with
thorns was Israel's triumphant King, or that Satan lie
crushed and hell's iron doors had been torn wide open.

Jesus wanted the world and all of us to know His mission
was complete, and that we are safe from Satan's schemes
and hell's grim thrall. So He drank the sour wine, and
proclaimed in a loud voice, "It is finished!"

Anyone living at that time who heard Jesus' word would
recognize it immediately. It was stamped on a loan when
the last payment had been made. We would translate it,
"Paid in full." Jesus was announcing He had completely
paid every last penny of the debt we owe to God for our sin.
There is nothing we can do, nothing we have to do to turn
God's anger away. There is no purgatory, no place of
suffering to make up for our sins. There is no reason for
doubts and no room for questions. Jesus has completely
satisfied God's demands, which we could never satisfy.

Our Savior spoke this sixth word so we would be certain
our sins are forgiven. He repeats this assurance in His
Word in our worship services. It is also present in the
water of Baptism that washes our sins away by the power
of God's Word. Likewise, it is in His body and blood given
in, with, and under the bread and wine of Holy Communion.

THE PRAYER:

Lord Jesus Christ, make us sure and confident that You
have completed our salvation, and there is nothing we can
do or need to do. Amen.

(Lenten Devotions from Lutheran Hour Ministries)

Read John 19:28-29.

TEXT: After this, Jesus, knowing that all was now finished,
said (to fulfill the Scripture), "I Thirst" (John 19:28).

Yesterday we reached the turning point of Psalm 22 where
Jesus says in verse 21, "You have rescued Me." The rest
of the psalm goes on to predict Jesus' resurrection. Before
we return to it, we want to revisit the Gospels to conclude
Jesus' time on the cross, His death and burial.

When last in the Gospels we looked at Jesus' fourth saying
in Matthew 27:46, "My God, My God, why have You
forsaken Me?" But we did not point out the time Jesus
spoke these opening words of Psalm 22. Matthew writes
"About the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, "My
God, My God, Why have You forsaken Me?" At the ninth
hour, shortly after saying this, Jesus died. But in this short
span of time Jesus uttered three sayings; the first of these
is Jesus' fifth saying: "I'm thirsty."

It would be a mistake to overlook the phrase that sets up
this saying. "After this, Jesus, knowing that all was now
finished, said (to fulfill the Scripture), 'I thirst.'" What is
finished? The answer here is the dire suffering, the spiritual
torment, the Father's wrath unleashed on Jesus for our sins.
Jesus knows He has reached the turning point. He has
completed the payment for all our sins; His Father is totally
satisfied.

With the price of our sins fully paid, Jesus can now ask for
a drink. In so doing, He fulfills verse 15 of Psalm 22. But
Jesus is not just interested in easing His terrible thirst; He
is determined to free His tongue which has been sticking to
His jaws. He has an important message to proclaim to
those gathered around Him-and to you and me.

THE PRAYER:

Lord Jesus Christ, thank You for completing our salvation
by Your bitter suffering on the cross. Amen.

(Lenten Devotions from Lutheran Hour Ministries)

TEXT: Save me from the mouth of the lion! You have
rescued me from the horns of the wild oxen
(Psalm 22:21).

Jesus is still focused on His Father as He makes His
last reference to His enemies. In the previous verse
He pleaded, "Deliver my soul from the sword, my
precious life from the power of the dog!" Now He pleads
for His Father to save Him from the mouth of the lion
and rescue Him from the horns of the wild oxen. These
wild oxen put us in mind of the savage bulls, the first
deadly animals David mentioned in verse 12.

But if you look carefully at that last phrase, "You have
rescued Me from the horns of the wild oxen," you will
notice Jesus has turned a corner. He is no longer
pleading, "Please rescue Me," nor is He making a
bold prediction for the future: "You will rescue Me.
" Rather, He is asserting the rescue has already taken
place, "You have rescued Me."

This marks the turning point in Jesus' crucifixion. It is
as though a sunbeam has pierced the thick darkness
that surrounded Jesus while He was forsaken by His
Father. In the next few days we will interrupt our study
of Psalm 22 to return to the Gospel accounts of Jesus'
death to see how the Father's rescue of His Son can
be seen in His last three sayings from the cross.

THE PRAYER:

Lord Jesus Christ, You drank the cup of Your Father's
wrath down to the dregs. I rejoice with You at once
again seeing Your Father's face turned toward You,
shining in pride and joy. Keep me in faith that I too
may see the glorious face of my God when you deliver
me from death and take me home to heaven. Amen.

(Lenten Devotions from Lutheran Hour Ministries)