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Staggering Words

Just one word in Greek is translated here as "It is finished". "It has been accomplished" is the way JC Ryle thought more accurately represented the original as "finished" is somewhat weak. Here we are face to face NOT with resignation as though the end has just somehow crept up on Jesus taking Him somewhat unawares. No, what we have here is a cry of victory, of triumph.

The word used contains the idea of fulfilment of completion and of accomplishment. It is used of a work or a task brought to completion. An artist could similarly use these words having put the finishing touches to his painting – nothing left undone, the work is finished off to perfection. That is what Jesus cried out on the Cross.

We will spend the rest of our time looking into just what He meant. Just one word in Greek but such a wealth of meaning! Some writers see this as the most important phrase ever spoken or written such its meaning is important!

John is, perhaps rather surprisingly, the only gospel writer to record this saying of our Lord. He was content simply to note it down and did not attempt any explanation of just what Jesus speaking about.

So then, what are we to make of this phrase of word? To what exactly was Jesus referring when He employed it? No attempt will be made to be exhaustive as we meditate together for a while of these words rather we'll simply look at a number of matters undoubtedly contained in this victory cry.

And as we look together at this triumphal cry we must not overlook the fact that Jesus is hanging dying upon the Cross of Calvary. This cross speaks to us of the depth of humiliation to which He descended as He brought to completion His life's mission. In dying upon the cross amidst such grief and suffering He secures for all time the foundation of the salvation we all desperately need so much. There He paid the full price of our redemption.

It will help us to think of what Jesus achieved if we look at His completed work from a variety of different angles. We'll be using four headings – complete obedience, full revelation, complete sufferings and Satan's power broken.

Jesus' response to his Father's will was that of complete obedience.

Throughout His life, Jesus had lived to please His Father and to accomplish His will and purposes. Now on the Cross He can look back upon just how He has lived and declare with satisfaction that He had done everything required of Him.

It is interesting to note that on two occasions the Father had spoken audibly to affirm His Son and to give His full approval to the way the Son was going about His life and mission. Now, on the Cross, the Son does not have to wait for a further word from heaven but is quite content to express His own complete satisfaction with what He has achieved.

Not one thing that ought to have been done had He left undone – everything was complete.

a)       The goal of the incarnation had now been attained. Jesus had come into to the world with the express purpose of laying down His life for His people. He had come into the world not to be served but to serve and this He had fully achieved as He gave His life a ransom for many.

His very name Jesus – spoke of His coming in order to save His people a salvation that could only be accomplished as He shed His life's blood on the Cross – for without the shedding of blood there is no remission or forgiveness of sin. The entire NT speaks of the sacrifice of Christ to this end – not a life lost or wasted through defeat but a life willingly laid down in sacrifice to achieve His people's salvation!

b)       The prophecies that had spoken concerning the life of the Messiah up until His death had all now been fulfilled. The last being His being some vinegar/sour wine to drink. The next matter would shortly be accomplished too as after His death none of His bones would be broken. (It was a common practice to break a crucified man's legs to hasten death, he being no longer able to raise himself up to breath.) The only prophecies left t be accomplished concerning the Messiah were those that related not to His first coming but to His second.

c)       The requirements of the Law had all been fully met. Here for the moment I want to refer to our Lord's active obedience o the Law of God. God had given nothing but good laws to His people but because of sin never had any person kept the law. Now Jesus had come and He had always loved God with the entirety of His being, He had always loved His neighbour as Himself. Down to the smallest details He had kept the law – remember even in the extremity of crucifixion He had honoured His mother in making provision for her after His death. His was indeed a complete, spotless and perfect righteousness. A righteousness that He, by virtue of the infinite worth of His divine person, would soon make available for His people so that they might be able to stand complete before God!

d)       All the types and shadows of OT history were now no longer needed. That to which they had all pointed had now appeared. The reality now replaced the prefigurations – substance had come in the place of promise. No more would spiritual truth have to be taught by means of pictures and illustrations – all that was symbolized and hinted at was now present. (The writer to the Hebrews would take up this theme and develop it at great length. No need to look back to a distant past, no need to hanker after past privileges – Christ in His fullness was better that all those who had gone before – the Great High Priest who offered Himself in sacrifice towers head and shoulders over Moses, Aaron and the multitude of animal offerings. They had taught in shadowy form the same realities but there was no longer any need to rely on shadows any further!

Jesus' obedience led to a full revelation of the Father's heart.

Shortly before being handed over to the authorities so that they could try Him in their unjust legal proceedings Jesus had been in the Garden of Gethsemane in prayer. In Jn.17 we have recorded for us His High Priestly prayer and in the opening words of the prayer Jesus declares very plainly that He had accomplished the work His Father had given Him to do. And part of this work included bringing glory to the Father by making Him known.

Listen to Jn.17:4+6 "I glorified you on earth, having accomplished the work that you gave me to do…I have manifested your name to the people whom you gave me out of the world."

Now the name does not refer to a mere handle it is rather the description of character. So Jesus declares that He has clearly displayed or made known what God is like. The fullest and crowning revelation is to be found here at Calvary. So when Jesus declared "It is finished" He is also referring to His work of revealing and making known the Father!

John ch.19 is the chapter of the crucifixion. Twice in this chapter Pilate instructed the Jews to look at Jesus:

v.5 "Behold the man!"

v.14 "Behold your King!"

But the Cross not only shows us Jesus Christ is shows us the Father too! We could add in contemplating the cross "Behold your God!"

But what is revealed of the Father by the Cross? Chiefly two things:

A.       He is Holy. As we consider the cross it is obvious for all to see that sin matters and most of all sin matters terribly to God! As His Only Son becomes the sin-bearer, the substitute of His people, the Father does not try to pretend that sin isn't really that serious after all. He desn't lighten the load – how could He? Rather He pours out His wrath of the willing sin-bearer that is His Son. He turns and hides His face from Him who has always been His cherished one, the apple of His eye.

We readily make excuses for sin, we tolerate it and we try to devalue its significance and importance but God never does!!

Do you want to understand the grievousness of sin? Then look here at Calvary and see how the Holy God deals with it.

B.       He is Loving. The one dying upon the cross is not dying in order to make the Father love us! The one dying upon the cross has indeed been sent into the world because the Father loves us!! Sin was so hateful to Him that no man could be saved if tainted with sin – the condition of all of us! And yet such was the love in the heart of the Father that He longed to save sinners and did not baulk at paying the tremendous price that would be necessary. The death of His own dear Son.

How could anything demonstrate more clearly the love of God for us? Paul was amazed by this truth and wrote of it in his letter to the Romans:

Rm.5:8 "but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us."

Early in the gospel of John we read those oh so familiar words:

 Jn.3:16 "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life."

The Father gave because He is a God of love and not because we in some way deserved it. Indeed we only ever begin to love God because He first loved us and drew us to Himself.

God's righteousness was upheld as He put forward Jesus Christ to be a propitiation by His blood, a propitiation motivated by love.

Jesus' sufferings were complete

A)      The cry of "It is finished" referred also to His sufferings. It was indeed necessary that He suffer but an end came to those sufferings as He accomplished all that the Father demanded of Him.

Acts 13:29 "And when they had carried out all that was written of him, they took him down from the tree and laid him in a tomb."

And in case we fail to get it the next verse continues with a short sentence v.30 "But God raised him from the dead."

Those long three hours of silent suffering in the darkness were over – the cup had been drunk – the blood had been shed – divine wrath had been fully satisfied!

Jesus had known what lay ahead of Him – He knew that everything that had spoken about the Messiah's sufferings were to be His. He didn't arrive unwittingly at the cross. Hear what He said long before:

Lk.12:50 "I have a baptism to be baptized with, and how great is my distress until it is accomplished!"

And again:

Lk.18:31 "See, we are going up to Jerusalem, and everything that is written about the Son of Man by the prophets will be accomplished."

His cry "It is finished" refers also to these sufferings – nothing was left undone! Nothing left for us to do!!

Everything had been accomplished so securing salvation. There is nothing now to stop us receiving this salvation as a free gift to be had by faith. That means simply that we trust in what Jesus has done for us and stop trying to please God by our own efforts.

You wouldn't think seriously of improving the Mona Lisa by adding a few extra lines of your own with a marker pen now would you? It's a masterpiece and any lines or colours you were to try to add would destroy it. Why then try to add to the finished work of Christ with your puny efforts? They will destroy that work as a work of value for you!

B)       It was our sin that provoked the sufferings of our Lord. They did so because they were transferred to Him – all of them! So for the Christian sin is finished with! Jesus has paid the full debt owed by our sin. As Jesus suffered the legal consequences of our sin He fulfilled what theologians call His passive obedience.

Do you see this Christian? All our sin was transferred to Him – not just our worst sins, nor just our past sins, but all our sins. And He paid the penalty for them all in the totality! There is no sin left for which you have to give an answer.

Or as Paul put it:

Rom.8:1 "There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus."

The Power of Satan was broken

A casual glance at the cross might lead to wrong conclusions being drawn. Satan seemed to have got the upper hand – but no way!! The cry of triumph was a cry of victory over him as Jesus broke his power.

Just look at some of these verses to see firstly how Jesus viewed the cross and then the attitude of the NT writers in general:

Jn.12:31 "Now is the judgment of this world; now will the ruler of this world be cast out."

Col.2:13-15 "And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses, by cancelling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross.He disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them in him."

Heb.2:14-15 "Since therefore the children share in flesh and blood, he himself likewise partook of the same things, that through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil, and deliver all those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong slavery."

Rev.12:10 "And I heard a loud voice in heaven, saying, “Now the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God and the authority of his Christ have come, for the accuser of our brothers has been thrown down, who accuses them day and night before our God."

And so if the reign of Satan has come to an end and his power broken then what are some of the consequences?

He can no longer deceive the nations – he is unable to prevent the nations from turning from darkness to light. (Acts 26:18).

Satan remains active even though his end is certain. Nevertheless the Christian can live his life in the light of this victory of Christ. After all, as Paul wrote to the Romans: "The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet." (Rom.16:20)

So then let us worship our victorious Saviour and with confidence put all our trust in Him!

Amen.