“It Is Finished”

April 2

Read: John 19:17-30

“When Jesus had received the sour wine, he said, ‘It is finished,’ and he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.”

Something was “finished” some 2000 years ago on the cross with the death of Christ. Something ended. Something was over. “It is finished” are the final words Jesus cried before “giving up his spirit”. What exactly was it? What was over at that moment?

For centuries leading up to Christ on the cross, humankind had tried many things to sooth the effects of sin… to attempt to “pay the price”. Sometimes they tried ignoring it. Sometimes they tried to appease through sacrifice and ritual. Sometimes they tried, through shear personal will power, to overcome sin and “behave”… only to come to the end of themselves sooner or later and crumble. The battle seemed never ending. Then came Christ.

In that moment some 2000 years ago Jesus paid the price for our sin. The process of his death was over at that moment. His suffering was over. He had tipped back the cup of God’s wrath that should have been poured out on us and HE DRANK IT DOWN. For us alive today, this means the price for our sin had already been paid before we were even born. In terms of your “sin debt”, you were born debt free because of Christ. Your bill has been paid for. Sometimes you enjoy something differently when you know the bill has already been paid. There is a certain freedom in it. You relish it. You cherish it. You enjoy it. Your life has been paid for. Enjoy the freedom you have been given. Relish it. Cherish it. Enjoy it.

Christ knew even back then every sin that he was paying for. He took them upon himself: “For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.” (2 Cor. 5:21) He loved you then… and he loves you NOW. He knows the mistakes you have made… and the mistakes you will make… and he has already paid the price. “It is finished”. This means we don’t have to figure out how to “pay” for them.

Sometimes we try to add to Jesus’ “payment”. There is nothing left to be paid, “it is finished”. Your “guilt without hope” is not required. You need not beat yourself up. God is not asking you to punish yourself over and over again. The Son did not hang on a cross so that you would have to beat yourself up more! His payment was enough… it is enough. Jesus’ death frees us from the “price of sin”. His righteousness and indwelling presence free us from the “power of sin”. (cf. Romans 6) Someday, in the new heavens and the new earth we will be removed from even the “presence of sin”! Price. Power. Presence. One of those three is finished. (The Price) One of them is being worked out now. (The Power of sin is diminished in us as we are sanctified and made like Christ. The power of sin in the world decreases as the Kingdom of God increases.) The final one is still coming. (One day we will not even be in the presence of sin… it will all have been destroyed or sent away.) This is “Good News”. This makes today a “Good” day. Today is GOOD FRIDAY. There is no more concise an example of the mystery of God: how can the greatest good ever (the redemption of the world) come through the greatest tragedy ever (the death of Jesus, the perfect “lamb”)? There is nothing left for you to do concerning your sin payment. “It is finished”. Love you guys! - JDP