When he had received the drink, Jesus said, “It is finished.” With that, he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.
“It Is Finished!” was Christ’s cry of profound significance and ultimate joy, which must have resounded throughout the entire universe as the Lord Jesus pronounced His triumphant victory over sin, Satan, and death. It was for this cause that Christ was born into this world when He emptied Himself of His former glory by assuming the form of a slave and taking upon Himself the likeness of man, for He came to seek and to save that which was lost and to call sinners to repentance. He came to be the propitiation for our sins. This sixth word from the Cross was not Jesus announcing that He Himself was finished, but that the penalty for sin had been paid in full. The purchase price for mankind had been fully and finally met and its effects must have rocked the foundations of hell and caused a heavenly choir of angelic voices to explode into jubilant praise. Jesus came to fulfill both the Law and the prophets, and to announce Himself as God’s anointed King and firstborn Son. He came to pay the price for sin and to seek and to save all who would believe on His name, for He alone was God’s acceptable ransom price for sin, and He alone could bear witness to God’s truth. He came to do the will of His Father and to demonstrate God’s incredible love to humanity, by being a light to the darkened world so that all who believe on His name would not abide in darkness but receive the glorious light of His abundant life. He came to proclaim the good news of the kingdom of God and to demonstrate God’s unique standard of perfection. He also came in the role of righteous judge and the divider of men. Yes, He came to die on the Cross and to reveal the Heart of God so that all who believe on Him would not perish, but have everlasting life. His whole earthly life was set as a flint in this direction and from the foundation of the world God purposed that His death would mean life to the children of men. Here’s something that maybe you didn’t know about those last words that Jesus spoke before he died. When he cried out “It is Finished” that is also a Greek translation of “tetelestai”, which was a word that was used in a business context on ancient receipts in New Testament times meaning that a literal debt had been paid in full. However, the term was also used in a judicial context in court when a particular sentence was fully and completely served. And then, the word tetelestai was also used in a military context meaning that a battle had been won; it was a word like triumph and victory. So if you put all of that together, when Jesus completed all things and shouted in triumphant victory, “It is Finished!”…He was declaring your debt of sin has been fully paid, the judgement for your sin has been fully served, and the spiritual war against death, sin, and Satan has been completely won! In Christ, the work of salvation, victory, reconciliation, and new life is fully yours. It is Finished indeed!
Spiritual Steve 