For Saturday June 24, 2023

John 19:30
When Jesus had received the sour wine, He said, “It is finished!”
And bowing His head, He gave up His spirit.

In Beth Moore’s devotional book Voices of the Faithful, a South Asian missionary named Janessa tells of how her Muslim neighbors prepared for the Eid Al-Adha festival, in which cows are sacrificed in commemoration of Abraham’s sacrificing his son on Mount Moriah. On the morning of the slaughter, Janessa sensed a somber feeling in the air. The Muslim pastor came to kill the cows, holding in his hands the names of those for whom the sacrifice was made, and Janessa could hear the moaning of the cows as their throats were cut. Shortly thereafter, the neighbor, covered with blood, passed by with a smile and said to her, “It is finished.”

Janessa later recalled, “That statement sent chills up my spine as I remembered the words of Jesus on the cross, the true sacrifice for sin.”

Because Jesus offered Himself on the cross, we should bow in humble adoration. He finished the work of redemption that we, His people, might gaze in wonder at the cross and worship Him.

’Tis finished—let all the joyful sound
Be heard through all the nations round.
SAMUEL STENNETT

David Jeremiah, Turning Points with God: 365 Daily Devotions (Tyndale, 2014)
Unless otherwise noted, Scripture taken from the New King James Version®, NKJV © 1982 by Thomas Nelson.
Used by permission. All rights reserved.