Most of us know of what have been called the “Seven Last Words of Christ From the Cross.” No one Gospel writer records all of these sayings. Matthew and Mark describe one. Luke and John give us three each. But together these last words communicate great and profound truths that help us to understand a little more about the character and nature of Jesus – and help us to grow as we seek to follow him. Below are those “Seven Last Words” but I want to focus only on the sixth one because to me that is at the heart of what Jesus came to do when he declared, “It is finished!”
1. The First Word: “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.” (Luke 23:34)
2. The Second Word: “Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in Paradise.” (Luke 23:43)
3. The Third Word: “When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple whom he loved standing beside her, he said to his mother, “Woman, here is your son.” Then he said to the disciple, “Here is your mother.” And from that hour the disciple took her into his own home.” (John 19:26-27)
4. The Fourth Word: “And about three o’clock Jesus cried with a loud voice, “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” that is, “My God, my God, why hast Thou forsaken me?” (Matthew 27:46 and Mark 15:34)
5. The Fifth Word: “I am thirsty.” (John 19:28, 29)
6. The Sixth Word: “When Jesus had received the wine, he said, “It is finished.” (John 19:30)
7. The Seventh Word: “It was now about noon, and darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon, while the sun’s light failed; and the curtain of the temple was torn in two. Then Jesus, crying with a loud voice, said, “Father, into your hands I commend my spirit.” Having said this, he breathed his last. (Luke 23:44-46)
But as I said, I want today to only focus on the sixth of the Words from the Cross: It is finished. IT IS FINISHED!
Many have puzzled over these words. What was Jesus saying? What did he mean?
– Was Jesus saying, “My pain is over?”
– Was he saying to all who conspired to kill him, “You’ve won. I’m
done?”
No, friends, those words, “I’m finished,” are not a cry of defeat but of victory, not a cry of agony but of accomplishment, not a cry of failure but of fulfillment.
You see, what Jesus was saying is that “the work that I have come to do has now been completed. My purpose here on earth has now been fulfilled.” The word “finished” in Greek, in fact, can also be translated as “paid in full.”
Oh, yes, I’m sure there were times that Jesus thought about abandoning his mission. “Father, isn’t there another way?” In fact, praying in the Garden of Gethsemane he had asked, “Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from my lips.”
But then in a supreme act of devotion to God he declared, “But not my will but Thine be done.”
You see, Jesus came to pay the price for the sins of the world, to be the Lamb of God to die for the sins of the world – and when he said “it is finished,” what Jesus was saying was I’ve done what I came to earth to do! “Debt paid in full. Mission accomplished!”
I’ve always loved how one person put it: “Christ paid a debt he didn’t owe because we owed a debt we couldn’t pay.”
WOW! And that’s why we call this day Good Friday. It was a painful day for Jesus but it’s the greatest day in the world for us because on this day Jesus washed our sins away!
“It is finished!” Thank you, Lord, for sending Jesus to be the Lamb of God who comes to die for our sins. Amen!