Sixth in a series on the Seven Last Words of Jesus
by Pastor Paul Wolff
When Jesus had received the sour wine, he said, “It is finished,” and he bowed his head and gave up his spirit. (John 19:30)
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| When Jesus had received the sour wine, he said, “It is finished,” and he bowed his head and gave up his spirit. |
Just before Jesus spoke this word, He was given a sour drink of vinegar. He could feel His life was slipping away, and He would soon die unless He performed some miracle to escape death. Jesus had walked away from those intent on murdering Him several times before throughout His life when it was not His time to die. Those were times when He yet had work to do, but now His work was done, and this was His time to die. He could not miraculously save Himself and still save sinners from the punishment for their sin. So, once again, Jesus submitted Himself to the will of the Father and would soon die. But He still had a couple more words to say before He died, so He drank the vinegar, gathered up what little strength He had left in His body, and spoke His final words.
“It is finished.” was Christ’s second to last word on the cross, and in Greek it literally is just one word. Yet, it is a very important word for your comfort, and for the assurance of your salvation.
What is finished? Christ’s suffering was nearly at an end, but Jesus was not just notifying us that His suffering was at its end, as if to say, “I’m glad that’s over. I can’t take any more of that.” Neither was this word a word of surrender or defeat. Jesus was not giving up on His work for the salvation of sinners. This was a word of victory. Though it is a strange victory because it only came with His death. Jesus was suffering to pay for the sins of the world. He had to endure it all so that God’s wrath was poured out on Jesus so that He suffered it all, and none was left for you. In this sense, “It is finished,” means your redemption is completed or fulfilled. Jesus paid the full price for your sins and finished it all. The victory that Jesus won with His suffering and death is your victory because He died to save you. There is nothing left for you to do except to receive it thankfully as a gift.
Jesus came to fulfill God’s Law through a perfectly obedient life as a man, and He had done so marvelously. Jesus had also come to offer His perfect life as an atoning sacrifice for the sins of the world. Jesus was to be the perfect substitute, who offered His life in exchange for the lives of all sinful people of all time. As Jesus hung there dying on the cross, His work for the salvation of the world was coming to its completion. When Jesus said, “It is finished” He was proclaiming that His work of salvation was completed, or it would be completed very soon with His imminent death. Jesus would not turn away from God’s will at the last moment, but would see it through to the end, trusting that God’s will is always best.
How many people have lived in terror of God’s judgment, thinking they had to atone for their own sins, or appease God by their works, or sacrifice, or their own suffering? The comfort we receive from this one word, “It is finished,” is nearly incalculable. I would say it was priceless, but we know the price. It is a price more valuable than all the riches in the whole world. The cost of our redemption is the lifeblood of God’s beloved Son, Jesus Christ. It is finished. You can’t even offer God something to pay for your own salvation. First, because everything you have is already a gift given to you by God, already, so anything you try to give God already belongs to Him. And more importantly, to try to buy your salvation by any other means only shows that you despise what God’s beloved Son has done to save you. Neither the Father, nor Jesus will appreciate that. The only begotten son of God shed His blood for you to pay for your redemption. What could you give God that is worth more than that? The Father is well pleased with what the Son has done, because He paid the price for your sins in full. Jesus gets all the glory and praise forever because He has won for God a people of His creation, perfect and holy, washed clean of their sins by the blood of Jesus.
Not everything is finished, however. The reign of sin and death is over, but God’s love for you is not finished. In fact, with the death of Jesus, God’s love for you is fulfilled, and it is eternal. Christ’s love for the Father is also not finished. Jesus fulfilled the First Commandment with His steadfast faith and love for God despite the suffering and torment He endured for the sins of the world. It was because Jesus loved God with His whole heart, and soul, and strength that He was willing to suffer and die to rescue sinners from the death that our sins deserved.
Because Jesus remained faithful to the end, your life is also not finished, either. Your sinful life must come to an end, of course, but through faith in Christ your Sanctified life as God’s child will not end when your corrupted, sinful flesh fails you and you die. As Jesus rose victorious from the grave on the third day after He died and was buried, you, too, will rise from the grave on the last day when Jesus returns in judgment. On that day, Jesus will gather all who belong to Him through faith, and glorify them and take them to live with Him forever in glory in a new heaven and earth – a re-made paradise.
Whenever you are tempted to self-righteousness, remember that Jesus is your righteousness. He won it all for you through His life and death. It is finished. When you are tempted to despair because of the guilt of your sin, remember that Jesus won complete forgiveness for you. It is finished. When you approach your final hour in this sinful world you can rest in peace knowing that in Jesus Christ you have a savior from sin and death.
When Jesus spoke these words, there was one thing yet to be completed. Jesus could not have come down from the cross without dying. Yet in this word, Jesus proclaimed His victory which would come immediately after His next, and final, word on the cross.
Articles in this series:
Father, forgive them for they know not what they do.
I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise.
Woman behold your son. Son, behold your mother.
My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?
I thirst.
It is finished.
Father, into your hands I commit my spirit.
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