I. These words, as uttered by our Saviour on the cross, have a wide and deep meaning. For as His life was totally unlike that of all other men, so was His death. He did not live for Himself, or to Himself, nor as one of many; nor did He die so. He died, as He had lived, wholly for mankind, according to the determinate counsel and ordinance of God. Therefore, that which He declared to be finished when He was about to give up the ghost, must have been the great work for which He came into the world, and which was wrought by Him and in Him for all mankind. His warfare, the whole of that warfare which He came to wage for mankind, was accomplished; the iniquity of mankind was pardoned or, at least, the gate of pardon had been set open for penitent faith. As God's work was the work of creating the world, and His rest was the rest of governing and guarding and upholding the world which He had created, so our Saviour's work was that of renewing man's nature, and of laying the foundations of His Church of laying down Himself, His own Incarnate Deity and Divine humanity, to be its chief corner-stone; and His rest was that of watching over and directing and strengthening and sanctifying His Church, and all its members.
II. Although the great work which Christ came to do was finished once for all on this day, it was not finished as when we finish a work, and leave it to itself and turn to something else. It was wrought, even as the work of the creation was, in order that it might be the teeming parent of countless works of the same kind the first in an endless chain, that should girdle the earth and stretch through all ages. While in one sense it was an end, in another it was a beginning an end of the warfare and struggle, which had been desolating the earth hopelessly ever since the Fall, and a beginning of the peace, in which the victory won on that day was to receive its everlasting consummation. He conquered sin and Satan for us, in order that He might conquer them in us; and that we might conquer them for Him, through His love constraining and His strength enabling us.
J. C. Hare, Sermons in Herstmonceux Church,p. 361.
The Cross, the Victory over Sin
I. If we look at the world, without the knowledge of Christ, without the hope of a Saviour and deliverer, the whole race of man seems to be dashed about helplessly, in a rushing whirlpool of sin, or to lie like the host of the Egyptians, at the bottom and on the shore of the sea. The whole race of man, without Christ, seems to be under a heavy yoke of sin, against which they can hardly so much as struggle; and, consequently, to be under a sweeping sentence of condemnation. If one were to look abroad over the earth, and to behold what is going on wherever men are gathered together, and what is lurking and brooding in their hearts if one were to behold all this, with a knowledge of sin, of its hatefulness and deadliness, yet without any knowledge of Christ, and of the redemption which He has wrought from sin, it could hardly seem but as though Satan had gained a great victory over God, as though he must have outwitted God or overpowered Him, as though he had stolen the earth out of God's keeping, and brought it over to the side of hell.
II. In the death of Christ was made manifest how God could be holy, could have a holy hatred of sin, and yet could have compassion upon sinners; how He could be just, and yet the Justifier of those who believe in Jesus. The Son of God became the Son of Man, and took our nature upon Him, and thereby lifted that nature out of its sinful pollutions into the light of perfect purity, and bore our sins upon the cross. As sin must needs die, He too, in that He bore our sins, submitted to death; He bore them for us, and for us He died; He died that we might live, purged from our sins in His blood. And thus, as in Adam we had all died, even so in Christ we were all made alive.
III. This, then, is the great choice which is set before you in this life. Sin would murder you; Christ would save you. You are not to fear your sins, as though they were too mighty for you, seeing that Christ has conquered them on your behalf. But having such a Leader, such a Captain, such a Bulwark and Tower of Strength, you are to fight against them boldly and undauntedly. He who died on the Cross to take away your sins, will strengthen you to fight against sin, and in His strength you shall overcome it.
J. C. Hare, Sermons in Herstmonceux Church,p. 151.
I. The personal suffering of Christ was finished.
II. The earthly errand was finished.
III. The human biography was finished.
IV. The official conflict was finished.
V. The Gospel message was finished.
C. S. Robinson, Preacher's Monthly,vol. iv., p. 204.
References: John 19:30. C. J. Vaughan, Lessons of the Cross and Passion,p. 173; F. Schleiermacher, Christian World Pulpit,vol. vii., p. 184; Spurgeon, Sermons,vol. vii., Nos. 378, 421; J. N. Norton, Golden Truths,p. 213; G. Huntington, Sermons for Holy Seasons,p. 89; J. Keble, Sermons for Holy Week,p. 278; Contemporary Pulpit,vol. vii., p. 231; G. Dawson, The Authentic Gospel,p. 72; Clergyman's Magazine,vol. iv., p. 224; M. Davies, Catholic Sermons,p. 137; Preacher's Monthly,vol. iv., p. 204; Bishop Barry, First Words in Australia,p. 121; B. Jowett, Christian World Pulpit,vol. xxviii., p. 1; W. M. Taylor, Three Hundred Outlines onthe New Testament,p. 101; T. Birkett Dover, A Lent Manual,p. 155.John 19:31. G. Brooks, Five Hundred Outlines,p. 254.John 19:31-37. Homiletic Quarterly,vol. i., p. 366. John 19:34. W. M. Taylor, Three Hundred Outlines on the New Testament,p. 102. Joh 19:35. J. Keble, Sermons for Saints' Days,p. 48. John 19:33-35. W. Hanna, Last Day of our Lord's Passion,p. 390. John 19:37. F. D. Maurice, Gospel of St. John,p. 424; Homiletic Quarterly,vol. i., p. 61. Joh 19:38. G. Brooks, Five Hundred Outlines,p. 387; Homiletic Quarterly,vol. iv., p. 277. John 19:38; John 19:39. Homiletic Magazine,vol. xi., p. 1.