Isn't it a wonderful feeling of accomplishment when you finish a big job? Usually, there is a pay-off of some kind, whether financial or emotional or both. Sometimes there is a celebration!
The text for this morning is John 19:28-30, with a look at parallel texts Matthew 27:50, Mark 15:37 and Luke 23:46. Here they are, in succession:
A jar full of sour wine was standing there; so they put a sponge full of the sour wine upon a branch of hyssop and brought it up to His mouth. 30Therefore when Jesus had received the sour wine, He said, "It is finished!" And He bowed His head and gave up His spirit.
And when Jesus had cried out again in a loud voice, he gave up his spirit.
With a loud cry, Jesus breathed his last.
Jesus called out with a loud voice, "Father, into your hands I commit my spirit." When he had said this, he breathed his last.
(Aren't you glad we have four gospel accounts? One person could never supply all the rich detail from the amazing life and work of Jesus. When I read the parallel texts of the four gospels, it is like a conversation, where one gospel writer contributes this detail and another more detail and so on. God's marvelous revelation through His Word, the Bible!)
Jesus knew exactly what He needed to accomplish in order to fulfill His Father's plan to redeem mankind from their sin. The last, unfulfilled Old Testament Scripture surrounding HIs death was Psalm 69:21 - - -
They also gave me gall for my food, And for my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink.
Therefore, He expressed His thirst to the Roman soldiers overseeing His crucifixion. They gave Him a bitter concoction, one as bitter as gall, a drink of vinegar from a sponge. The more common practice was to give the dying criminal a drink of wine, to ease his death on the cross. This was not done for Jesus. There was no ease given, no solace. The soldiers were in a hurry to hasten the deaths of all three men there being crucified, since dusk was hastening on - - and the beginning of Passover. At the time Jesus was dying, the High Priest in the Temple was making the most holy sacrifice of Passover on the altar there... Jesus fulfilled the prophecy of Psalm 69:21 and then, bowing His head in submission to Father, He gave His spirit up to Father, crying "Tetelestai!" - - - "It is accomplished!" or "It is finished!"
So, we see that the words Jesus spoke from the cross were very intentional. We'll look at more of them over this next few days. WHAT was "finished"? Why was this the last thing He said before He gave up His spirit?
The entire plan of God, Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit - - - the Trinity - - - was to make a "forever sacrifice" to pay for the sins of all mankind. As Caiaphas was sacrificing the Passover lamb in the Temple, Jesus was bearing the sins of you and me and every other person alive then and through today. Jesus' death was not a mistake, a wrong turn in God's plan. This WAS THE plan! Beginning with the scourging, humanity's tremendous sin burden began to be laid on Jesus. He bore our sins in His body, on the tree. (Isaiah 53:6) "The Lord has laid on Him the iniquities of us all." In the Garden, recorded in John 17, He prayed that His Father's will would be done. With His triumphant cry from the cross, He declared that it was done.
With Jesus' sacrifice of Himself, there is no need for any further blood/animal sacrifice to be made for sin. Jesus fulfilled the role of both priest and sacrifice as He hung on the cross. His blood is sufficient to appease a Holy Father and to cover all sins. This sacrifice was made once, and it was utterly comprehensive....for all people, for all time. Hallelujah! Hebrews 9:12-14 - - -
And not through the blood of goats and calves, but through His own blood, He entered the holy place once for all, having obtained eternal redemption. For, if the blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a heifer sprinkling those who have been defiled sanctify for the cleansing of the flesh, how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without blemish to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?
Jesus did not exclaim, "I am finished!" Oh no, He would never have said that, because He was not finished, nor will He ever be. His spirit was in the spirit realm for the three days that His body was physically dead, in the borrowed tomb. On the third day, His body and spirit were reunited through the resurrection power of Father, Son and Holy Spirit. And, He is alive today, in Heaven with Father, even as the Holy Spirit is at work in the hearts of mankind here on earth.
The earthly ministry of Jesus was the keystone to God's plan of revealing Himself to man. With Christ's death, burial and resurrection, the door to salvation, to restoration, to fellowship(!) with the Lord of Angel Armies, the Lord of Hosts, is open to any person who will believe, receive, walk through that open door.
But, while God's redemptive plan was finished at the cross of Calvary, there is another chapter in God's plan. It is yet to come. This chapter will reveal the other aspects of Messiah, Jesus Christ, when He returns to fulfill the Old Testament prophecies concerning His kingship. Upon His return, we will not see "the suffering servant" role, but rather, the conquering King, as He comes to establish His authority and to immediately conquer, rule and reign on earth for 1000 years.
My old BJU school-mate, Ron Hamilton, wrote this song about the finished work of Jesus on the cross. I hope the lyrics bless you today.
Long ago I saw my Saviour
Bearing shame upon a tree;
Then my heart was touched with sorrow,
For I saw He bled for me.
Refrain:
"It is finished," loud He cried;
O what love— for me He died.
In my stead He bled on Calvary;
Once for all Christ rescued me.
Lo, the sky was veiled in darkness;
Sudden trembling shook the ground
As the angry crowd was jeering,
Mocking Jesus all around.
Then my Saviour called to heaven
As I saw His love anew,
"O my Father, please forgive them,
For they know not what they do."
Free salvation now he offers;
Take His gift, O hear His plea;
On the bloody cross behold Him,
Join His shout of victory.
Father, thank you for the finished work of Your Son, my Savior. Thank you that His blood has the power to cleanse even the vilest sinner - - - even me. I have been "washed" in His blood, and am forever clean in Your sight. I pray that those reading this are as well or, if not, will accept my Savior's offer of free salvation, today. In Jesus' name, amen.
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