It is Finished!
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· 4 viewsSeven last sayings for a Good Friday service. "It is finished"
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These three words were not a death gurgle, they were not “I am done for.” “It is finished” is a cry of victory. It is the triumphant cry that what I came to do has been done.
When we hear these words from John’s Gospel, it assumes what all the other Gospels mean that the cross is not a defeat but the victory of our God. All of the Gospel writers agree in saying that Jesus willingly gave up His life—none say that He died. All four Gospels say he willingly gave up the ghost.
In these three words, lies the assurance of our salvation, the sure knowledge that a Another paid our debt to the Father. The difficult work of suffering, the difficult work of being separated from the presence of His Father, the difficult work of being treated like a sinner was over. There was nothing left in the flesh that Jesus could do for His Father.
The Greek word tetelestai comes from the verb teleo, which means “to bring to an end, to complete, to accomplish.” It signifies a successful end to a particular course of action. You might have used the word after you had paid your bills or had run a race. A servant who completed his assignment would use the word to report back to his master. In short, it means you have finished what you set out to do.
If you notice that the verb has no precise subject; we are not told what was “finished.” Yet it is clear that when He said, “tetelestai” that word embodied the whole scope of our redemption. The rest of the New Testament fills in the blanks and reveals all we need to know about what was accomplished during those six hours on the cross.
He spoke the words with a loud voice. He wanted the whole world to hear that special word that has echoed through twenty centuries. He did not say, “I am finished,” for that would mean He died defeated. No, this was not the end for Him but the beginning of a new chapter in His eternal existence.
In shouting “Tetelestai!” Jesus gave the most triumphant cry in all of human history. He affirmed that He had completed great and mighty work. His life on earth closed, not as a failure but as the culmination of an eternal plan. The script had been written before Bethlehem, and now the curtain was about to close with everything in place.
Of course, we have to ask, more specifically, what was finished? If Jesus had not finished it, we would be damned. But thankfully, He did what He set out to do. Let’s not limit the word to one part of His mission but see it as fulfilling God’s grand plan of salvation.
First of all, his suffering was finished, for we know He was born to suffer.
At the age of twelve, He was found in the temple and said, “Didnt you know that I must be about My Father’s business?” And that business would include more than preaching and healing; it would include the business of paying the price of our redemption.
His job description called for suffering as Isaiah prophesied in 53. Yet, suffering was not an end in itself. The torment was a necessary part of the larger purpose of God. He had come to “save his people from their sins,” and their salvation was now secure.
Which leads us to the sacrifice being finished. In Old Testament times, the people wondered when the sacrifices would be finished. Those who died in faith believed that the last payment for their sins was yet to be made. In fact, the Old Testament priests were not allowed to sit when they were on duty, symbolic of the fact that their work was never done.
There was an endless stream of sacrifices, and blood flowing from the altar. But now we can sing that there is a fountain filled with blood that is drawn from Emmanuel’s veins, and we, as sinners, are plunged beneath to lose all our guilty stains!
That blood of the lamb that was slain has written a bill of sale that said: “paid in full.” On the cross, the justice of God was fully satisfied when our heavenly substitute paid the great price of ransom. This means that my sins are now on Jesus, not on me. Now I am accepted based on the merit of Jesus.
Lastly, it is finished meant the woman’s seed from Genesis 3 had triumphed over the serpent. God strips away Satan’s arguments by pronouncing us FORGIVEN.
Thanks to the defeat of Satan, we can switch kingdoms, “for he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves.” We may battle with Satan today, but the fight is fixed, the outcome is not in doubt, for we have victory in Jesus!
God has finished what only God could finish. Christ’s sacrifice is a gift that exceeds every debt. Our sins have been consumed, making possible lives that glow with the beauty of God’s spirit. What wonderful news: “It is finished.’ But it is not over.” It is not over because God made us, the “not over.” We are now made witnesses so the world—a world with no time for a crucified God—may know we have all the time of God’s kingdom to live in peace with one another.
And so, if you, my friend, have never received Christ as your personal sin bearer, I urge you to do so right now. The issue before you is not the greatness of your sin but the worth of the sacrifice Jesus provided. Jesus has paid it all for you. All you have to do is receive the free gift.
Paid in full!