"It Is Finished" (Sermon for Good Friday, on John 19:17-30)

“Jesus, knowing that all was now finished, said (to fulfill the Scripture), ‘I thirst.’ A jar full of sour wine stood there, so they put a sponge full of the sour wine on a hyssop branch and held it to his mouth. When Jesus had received the sour wine, he said, ‘It is finished,’ and he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.” This is our text.

“It is finished”: one of the last words of Jesus on the cross. But just what kind of a statement was it, this “It is finished”? What is it that is “finished”? What was Jesus talking about? How did he say, “It is finished”? What did he mean by that? Was it a statement of defeat and resignation? A statement of final relief? And whatever it was that was finished, and however Jesus may have been saying it, what in the world does it have to do with us? As we’ll see now, the answers to these questions are all wrapped up in this one little word: “It Is Finished.”

“It is finished.” Could this have been Jesus’ way of finally admitting defeat? Let’s consider that as a possibility. Say that Jesus had come as a great prophet, one of the world’s outstanding religious teachers. What’s more, many people were looking to Jesus as the Great Jewish Hope, the messianic king who would free Israel from Roman rule. For a while, at least, things seemed to be going fine. Jesus was attracting big crowds. People were listening to his message. But then things started to go south. Jesus faced increasing opposition. Even one of his own disciples turned on him and turned him over to the authorities. Jesus was arrested, and all of his followers deserted him. The wheels of justice, such as they were, turned against Jesus. Both the religious and political establishments lined up against him. The tide of popular opinion changed from “Hosanna” to hostility: “Crucify him! Crucify him!” Everything Jesus had worked for--all that his followers had hoped for--now it was all going down the drain. It all seemed so tragic, so futile. The mission had failed. If that’s the case, then “It is finished” could simply be a weak cry of resignation and defeat.

Let’s explore another option: “It is finished” as an exhausted sigh of relief. You see, Jesus was relieved that his personal humiliation, his agony, his suffering--that it was all finally over. No more putting up with fickle, faithless disciples. No more long days and sleepless nights. No more misunderstanding and criticism. Now it’s finally over. “It is finished.” The long night of trials and beatings, the six hours of pain and anguish on the cross--six hours that must have seemed like an eternity--these were now coming to an end. “It is finished.” And now Jesus could die in peace, looking forward to the bliss of heaven. Is that what Jesus meant?

No, neither of these first two explanations is what Jesus meant when he said, “It is finished.” The gospels paint an entirely different picture of Jesus, one that rules out those possibilities. Jesus was not a defeatist who saw his mission as a failure. That’s because he didn’t come to lead a successful “cause,” “success” being defined in worldly terms. He didn’t come as just a great prophet, or teacher, or moral example. He didn’t come to lead a rebellion. Jesus tells us why he did come. He says, “I have come that they may have life, and have it abundantly.” This was Jesus’ mission. But how he would complete that mission--that would be the most shocking yet wonderful surprise. So “It is finished” is by no means an admission of defeat.

Nor was it an exhausted sigh of relief. The Jesus we meet in the gospels is not someone who was concerned with his own welfare or with escaping from problems. Jesus came to do the will of his Father, no matter what it took. Jesus and his Father were one in their desire to accomplish the salvation of the world. Jesus would carry out this mission. For us to have life, real life, and to have it abundantly, Jesus would need to free us from our bondage to sin, Satan, and death. And the only way for that to happen was by Jesus going to the cross. There the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world, lays down his life, for us. In that light, we see the darkness of Calvary. In that light, now we can understand the meaning of Jesus’ words.

“It is finished” was not an admission of defeat. It was not an exhausted sigh of relief. Rather, it is a triumphant shout of victory! Notice what happened just before Jesus said this word from the cross: “Jesus, knowing that all was now finished, said (to fulfill the Scripture), ‘I thirst.’” And then: “When Jesus had received the sour wine, he said, ‘It is finished.’”

Jesus knew that “all was now finished.” The Greek word here is the same as the one when he says, “It is finished.” Knowing that all he came to do for us was now accomplished, Jesus was ready to announce the completion of his saving mission. So this man Jesus, this real man whose throat and lips were parched after hanging on a cross for six hours, first said, “I thirst.” He requested that drink in order to moisten his mouth, so he could speak out with a full and strong voice. Then, in a loud voice, Jesus gives the victory shout: “It is finished!” With that, he gives up his spirit, saying, “Father, into your hands, I commit my spirit.”

Now we can hear the words, “It is finished,” as they really are. They are the most glorious words we could hear! Actually, in the biblical text, “It is finished,” is said with just one word. Maybe you’ve heard it before, it’s the Greek word, “Tetelestai.” “Tetelestai” means that the “telos,” the goal, has been reached. “Mission accomplished,” we might say. “Tetelestai” means that it is finished, completed, accomplished, and that it continues to stand as a completed and accomplished fact, still good today.

In the ancient world, “Tetelestai” was the word you would write across a bill after the last payment has been turned in, much like we would write the words, “Paid in full.” So Jesus has written a giant “PAID IN FULL” over the debt of our sins! He paid the entire bill for us. “Tetelestai.” With that one word, Jesus shouts his victory over sin, Satan, and death. “Tetelestai.” “Paid in full.” “It is finished.” “It stands accomplished.”

“It is finished.” And so what is finished now for us? Thankfully, we are finished with any idea that we somehow have to earn our way into heaven. That’s a good thing, because we couldn’t do it anyway. We’re finished with rationalizing our sin and excusing it away. Instead, we can repent, confess our sins, receive God’s forgiveness, and seek God’s help to do better. We’re finished with focusing only on self and thinking we need to look out for Number One. Instead, we can serve our neighbor in love. We’re finished with keeping track of our good works. Since Christ has finished the work for us; there’s nothing to add to it. Salvation is a free gift, accomplished on the cross of Calvary. So on this Good Friday, and every good day in the Lord, simply trust in Jesus Christ, your Savior, and in his finished work of redemption.

“It is finished.” Jesus dies with the cry of the victor on his lips. This is not the mournful moan of the defeated. This is not a weary sigh of relief. Rather, it is Jesus’ triumphant cry that now he has fully accomplished the work he came to do. Jesus came to do the Father’s will, and he did it by dying on the cross for the world’s salvation. This mighty work has now reached its conclusion. “It is finished.” The goal has been reached. With these words, Jesus shouts his victory over sin, death, and the devil. Christ’s victory--and with it, our victory--now stands accomplished forever as a most glorious fact.

“It is finished.” But it is not over, not by a long shot. No, this is just the beginning. The beginning of a whole new life opening up, as we’ll see when that tomb opens up on Sunday morning. To be continued. . . .

John 19:17-30 (ESV)

[Jesus] went out, bearing his own cross, to the place called the place of a skull, which in Aramaic is called Golgotha. There they crucified him, and with him two others, one on either side, and Jesus between them. Pilate also wrote an inscription and put it on the cross. It read, “Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews.” Many of the Jews read this inscription, for the place where Jesus was crucified was near the city, and it was written in Aramaic, in Latin, and in Greek. So the chief priests of the Jews said to Pilate, “Do not write, ‘The King of the Jews,’ but rather, ‘This man said, I am King of the Jews.’” Pilate answered, “What I have written I have written.”

When the soldiers had crucified Jesus, they took his garments and divided them into four parts, one part for each soldier; also his tunic. But the tunic was seamless, woven in one piece from top to bottom, so they said to one another, “Let us not tear it, but cast lots for it to see whose it shall be.” This was to fulfill the Scripture which says,

“They divided my garments among them,
and for my clothing they cast lots.”

So the soldiers did these things, but standing by the cross of Jesus were his mother and his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby, he said to his mother, “Woman, behold, your son!” Then he said to the disciple, “Behold, your mother!” And from that hour the disciple took her to his own home.

After this, Jesus, knowing that all was now finished, said (to fulfill the Scripture), “I thirst.” A jar full of sour wine stood there, so they put a sponge full of the sour wine on a hyssop branch and held it to his mouth. When Jesus had received the sour wine, he said, “It is finished,” and he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.

Matt Ward: Do not miss His Coming

It was clearly written that the Messiah would be a descendant of Abraham (Genesis 12:3, 18:18, Matthew 1:1), be of the tribe of Judah (Genesis 49:10, Luke 3:33), be born in Bethlehem (Micah 5:2, Matthew 2:1, Luke 2:4-7); and the time of his birth was also prophesied (Daniel 9:25, Luke 2:1).

It was written that there would be a slaughter of innocent children (Jeremiah 31:15, Matthew 2:16-18) accompanying his birth. It was written that their King would come to them in humility, riding a donkey (Zechariah 9:9, John 12:13-14), that he would enter Jerusalem through the Golden Gate (Ezekiel 44:1-2, Mark 11:7-8), and that he would be betrayed by a friend for thirty pieces of silver (Zechariah 11:12, Psalm 41:9, Mark 14:10, Matthew 26:14-15).

It was written that the money paid in exchange for his life would be returned for a potter’s field (Zechariah 11:13, Matthew 27:6-7), that he would be silent before his accusers (Isaiah 53:7, Matthew 26:62-63), that he would be spat upon and struck in the face (Isaiah 50:6, Matthew 26:67), and that he would be hated without reason (Psalms 69:4, 35:19, 109:3-5, John 15:24-25).

It was written that soldiers would divide his garments (Psalm 22:18, Matthew 27:35) and that he would be crucified (this prophecy, one thousand years before crucifixion was developed as a method of execution!) (Zechariah 12:10, Psalm22:16, Matthew 27:35, John 20: 27).

It was written that he would be crucified with malefactors and would agonize with thirst (Isaiah 53:12, Psalms 22:15, Mark 15:27-28, John 19:28), that in his thirst they would give him gall or vinegar to drink (Psalm 69:21, John 19:19), that his side would be pierced but no bones would be broken (Zechariah 12:10, Psalm 34:20, John 19:32-36), and that he would be buried with the rich but deserted by his followers (Isaiah 53:9, Zechariah 13:7, Matthew 27:57-60, Mark 14:27).

The Bible tells us how the Messiah would be deserted and completely abandoned by God (Psalm 22:1, Matthew 27:46) but that ultimately he would rise from the dead (Hosea 6:2, Psalms 16:10, 49:15, Luke 24:6-7, Mark 16).

Good read for those interested.

http://www.raptureready.com/2018/03/28/not-miss-coming-matt-ward/

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