In John 19:30, when Jesus dies, he says, “It is
finished” (τετελεσται, tetelestai). For the Roman and Jerusalem
authorities, and for those gathered at the cross (19:25-27), this seems to
refer to Jesus’ death. They are not wrong but their understanding is very incomplete.
Readers of the gospel have read 19:28 which uses the same verb to present Jesus’
inner knowledge (“Jesus knew that all was now finished”). Previous statements of
Jesus’ special knowledge have concerned his God-given mission (1:47-48; 2:25;
6:61, 64; 13:1-3; 18:4), especially his mission to reveal God’s purposes (4:34;
5:36; 17:4). Jesus’ ambiguous words from the cross reveal the triumph of God’s
love and life-giving purposes (3:16) and the lengths to which the defenders of
Roem’s death-bringing order will go in their opposition. (Warren Carter, John:
Storyteller, Interpreter, Evangelist [Grand Rapids, Mich.: Baker Academic,
2006], 113)
Further Reading:
Full Refutation of the Protestant Interpretation of John 19:30
