As I’ve been preparing for our services over the Easter weekend, I have been reflecting once again on the powerful words of Christ, “It is finished.” (John 19:30) In the original Greek language (in which the New Testament was written), this phrase is just one word – “tetelestai.”
So, I am brought to the question, “What was finished?”
From the perspective of the soldiers who stood at the foot of the Cross, they probably thought Jesus was referring to the struggle for life, having undergone the excruciating pain of crucifixion. They saw Jesus as just another criminal in this outlying colony of the Roman Empire who was being crushed under the boot of the “system.” In other words, “I give up – my life is finished.”
From the perspective of the Jewish leaders who had brought the false charges against Jesus, they probably thought Jesus was referring to what they saw as a failed religious insurrection. They saw Jesus as a threat to their religious system and paradigm. He has challenged them and humiliated them in front of other people (Matthew 23:1-39) and they wanted Him gone. In other words, they probably thought Jesus was saying, “I’ve failed – the revolution is finished.”
I wonder how the disciples heard that cry. They had all run away and now Jesus was alone on the Cross. So, if they actually heard him say it all, they would have heard from a distance. They loved Jesus and they thought He was the answer to their ambitions and desires. They thought He was going to make things right, but on their terms. So, when they heard “It is finished,” did they feel disillusioned, guilty, frightened? Certainly. What the disciples heard was, “My friends are gone, the mission has collapsed – I’m finished.”
How did Mary, His mother, hear those words. As she stood at the base of the Cross, watching her eldest boy die, her mind must have gone back to the words of the prophet Simeon, “a sword will pierce your own soul too.” (Luke 2:35) I think she must have been confused. How could something that started with an angel announcing her Son’s birth end like this? I’m not sure she knew what these words meant – they were simply the words of her boy who she loved.
But, piercing through the voices, come the words of Scripture, “But when this priest [Jesus] had offered for all time one sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God.” (Hebrews 10:12) What was finished was Christ’s work of sacrifice for our sins – once for all. What was finished was His mission to “seek and to save that which was lost.” (Luke 19:10) What was finished was His time of separation from His Father as He bore the weight of our sin (Matthew 27:46).
So, for those who have trusted in the finished work of Christ on the Cross, Him bearing our sin on His shoulders so that we have life in Him, these words are not words of resignation or failure or confusion. They are the words of our champion, our victor, our King, who conquered our greatest enemies in sin, death and the devil. Our Lord Jesus saw His mission to its horrific and bloody fulfilment. He didn’t waiver. He didn’t detour. He didn’t share the load but took it all on Himself willingly. And how can we be certain? Because He proved it by being raised from the dead (Acts 1:3).
This Easter, celebrate the finished work of Christ and know that, if you put your trust in Christ, you can rejoice in that great word from the Cross – “Finished”!