John 19:25-30

25 Now there stood by the cross of Jesus His mother, and His mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene.

26 When Jesus therefore saw His mother, and the disciple whom He loved standing by, He said to His mother, “Woman, behold your son!”

27 Then He said to the disciple, “Behold your mother!” And from that hour that disciple took her to his own home.

28 After this, Jesus, knowing that all things were now accomplished, that the Scripture might be fulfilled, said, “I thirst!”

29 Now a vessel full of sour wine was sitting there; and they filled a sponge with sour wine, put it on hyssop, and put it to His mouth.

30 So when Jesus had received the sour wine, He said, “It is finished!” And bowing His head, He gave up His spirit.

Mary (v. 25) — Simeon had predicted her sorrow (Luke 2:35).

disciple whom He loved (v. 26) — John

Woman (v. 26) — Perhaps Christ didn’t use “mother” to make a statement about who He was and to show that Mary should not be worshiped based on her relationship with Him.

The three hours of darkness probably occurred between verses 27 and 28.

thirst (v. 28) — My strength is dried up like a potsherd, and My tongue clings to My jaws; You have brought Me to the dust of death (Psalm 22:15). His thirst shows that His suffering was real.

sour wine (vinegar — v. 29) — They also gave me gall for my food, and for my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink (Psalm 69:21). The vinegar was to deaden pain (Matthew 27:34). Christ would not take it. It was perhaps given to Christ by Roman soldiers who administered the crucifixion and had seen Christ on the cross for six hours by this time. They may have given it to Him in compassion and/or reverence.

hyssop — used to sprinkle blood on the doorposts in the Passover — also mentioned in Hebrews 9:19

It is finished (v. 30) — in Greek, this is one word, tetelestai, a shout of victory. It can mean “It is paid in full.”

gave up His spirit (v. 30) — voluntarily and willingly

But who can tell what this one word “It is finished!” means? It is as glorious as it is inexhaustible and unsearchable. Never before and never after was spoken such a marvelous word, which means so much. No saint is able to measure the depths of this triumphant shout. It means that His great sacrificial work, the sin-bearing, was now finished. All that needed to be done to satisfy the righteousness of God and to vindicate His holiness was finished; peace was now made in the blood of His cross; all that God in His eternal counsel had purposed was finished; prophecies and types relating to His matchless atoning work were finished. Yea, all was finished to reach down to man in his deepest degradation and to save him to the uttermost, so that the lost, the guilty, the hell-deserving sinner becomes, trusting in Him, a child of God and an heir of glory. All is finished to put on the side of the believer every spiritual blessing which an infinite God is able to bestow. — Gaebelein, page 371