“When he had received the drink, Jesus said, ‘It is finished’” (John 19:30).
All of us have unfinished things cluttering up the highway of life.
—the half-mowed lawn
—the half-read book
—the letter started but never sent
—the abandoned diet
—the degree we never finished
—the phone calls never returned
But it can be much more serious than that.
—the abandoned child
—the job we quit in a fit of anger
—the wrecked marriage
—the bills never paid
—the promises never kept
All
of us go through life leaving behind a trail of unfinished projects and
unfulfilled dreams. How few there are who can come to the end of life
and say, “I finished exactly what I set out to do.”
Only one person in history never left behind any unfinished business. His name is Jesus Christ. He is the only person who could come to the end of his life and say—with absolute and total truthfulness—“I have finished everything I set out to do.”
Since Jesus Christ paid in
full, the work of salvation is now complete. That is what “It is
finished” means. The debt was paid, the work was accomplished, the
sacrifice was completed. The sacrifice was sufficient to pay for the
sins of every person who has ever lived—past, present or future.
And
that explains what theologians mean when they talk about the “finished
work” of Jesus Christ. That’s not just a slogan; it’s a profound
spiritual truth. What Jesus accomplished in his death was so awesome,
so total, so complete that it could never be repeated, not even by
Jesus himself. His work is “finished.” There is nothing more God could
do to save the human race. There is no Plan B. Plan A (the death of
Christ) was good enough.
When Jesus cried “It is finished” it was finished then, it is finished now, and to the glory of God, after a million times a million years have passed, it will still be finished.
Lord Jesus, you did not provide a “halfway” salvation. You finished the work you came to do. Thank you for going all the way to the cross because without your sacrifice, I would have no hope of heaven. Amen.
You can reach the author at ray@keepbelieving.com. Click here to sign up for the free weekly email sermon.