Taking the Sin of the World

Read: John 19.17-42

Again, today’s reading is difficult. Crucifixion was a brutal, torturous, and humiliating process of suffering and ultimate death. Coming to grips with the fact that Jesus, the last person on earth who ever deserved such a fate, suffered and died from the process is its own form of agony. For a final time, let’s hear again from Dr. Paul Louis Metzger in his commentary on this text:

“We can never play the innocent victim card given what we’ve done to Jesus and to a host of others. Since we can never play the innocent victim, we can never atone for our own sins. Jesus is the only truly innocent victim. He never victimizes us or anyone else, although we have victimized Him and countless others. And while He is the only truly innocent victim, He never plays the victim card. He is the innocent victim who brings victory to us in the midst of our victimization of Him. Only the innocent victim and bring an end to the cycle of vengeance and retribution and death through forgiveness, death, and resurrection. This is why Jesus can say, “It is finished,” and that is why we can hope for the transformation of our lives and relationships. Jesus has come to heal and cleanse us through His cross and resurrection – His anticipated hour of glory. His healing and cleansing work on our behalf is complete. It is finished.”

“But for many of us, it isn’t finished. Some of us may even cut ourselves because we sense we’re guilty, but we don’t know why. We can’t locate the source of our wrongdoing. Everything about us seems so wrong. So we keep cutting away, hoping the release of blood will relieve us our guilt. But like Lady Macbeth in Shakespeare’s tragedy, we can’t ever wipe the bloodguilt from our hands.”

“And even if we don’t feel guilty, we still hurt from the wrongs committed against us. Some may think: 'Jesus suffered for me, but I’m the one who’s suffering now.' We fail to imagine that Jesus’ wounds are fresh each time we sin, and each time we’re sinned against, even though His saving work was finished long ago. He is here for us in His pain and suffering and life-giving power – the suffering though victorious Lamb and Lion who takes and takes and takes the sin of the world.”