It Is Finished

It Is Finished

These words spoken by Jesus on the cross have inspired many songs, sermons, and stories about His crucifixion. I have spent many hours looking at these three little words to try and understand what Jesus meant when He spoke them just minutes before He died.

Some obvious conclusions:

1, His life was over.

I do not believe this to be the meaning. He knew He would rise from the dead. He had already spoken that to the disciples.

2. The price for sin has been paid.

This cannot be the meaning of the phrase. Jesus had not yet gone to heaven to place His blood on the real Mercy Seat in Heaven. That is when sin was remitted.

3. Salvation was provided for all.

One of the most important events to provide salvation was the resurrection. Until Jesus was resurrected, ascended to Heaven, and seated at the right hand of God, our salvation was not yet complete.

4. All prophecy had been fulfilled regarding the life of Jesus.

Again, all prophecy had not yet been fulfilled. Jesus rose on the third day.

5. Jesus had fulfilled the Law by living a sinless life.

This is true. However, I feel there is more to it than just fulfilling the Law.

6. Jesus had fulfilled all righteousness.

Romans 8:1-4 (ESV) There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death. For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do. By sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh, in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.

            This is also the reason Jesus was baptized by John.

Matthew 3:13-15 (ESV) Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to John, to be baptized by him. John would have prevented him, saying, “I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?” But Jesus answered him, “Let it be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.” Then he consented.

Everything Jesus did in his life on earth was done to fulfill righteousness. If He was not righteous, He could not have served as the eternal sacrifice to provide for forgiveness of sin.

The meaning of the phrase is subjective since we were never told explicitly what Jesus meant. However, there are some clues that help us understand potentially what was meant.  The Greek word used for “finished” in the phrase uttered by Jesus on the cross only appears two times in scripture. The other time is in the previous verse in John.

John 19:28-30 (ESV) 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.

John tells us that Jesus knew all was finished (same word used here as in verse 30). He then asked for something to drink in order to fulfill a prophetic word. If “It Is Finished” was in regard to fulfillment of prophecy He would not have spoken the first “finished” before the prophetic word was fulfilled.

Everything we have recorded of Jesus’ life tells us He was on mission. From the early years, the trip to Jerusalem, He told Mary and Joseph that “He must be about His Father’s business.” His baptism by John was “to fulfill righteousness.” This was the first primary objective of His life, and the only one for which Jesus was directly responsible.

Once His death was accomplished, the next step would be that of Father God, to raise Him from the dead. More things would be accomplished after the resurrection, but “It Is Finished” ended thirty-three years of a man, Jesus, living a life totally surrendered to God, empowered by the Holy Spirit. He fulfilled His mission of preserving His flesh, and blood, from ever experiencing sin, and thus became the spotless Lamb offered for the forgiveness of the sin of mankind.