Jesus Last Word from the Cross - It is Finished

 Jesus’ Last Word from the Cross – “It Is Finished”

 John 19:30

 

Jesus had been hanging on the cross for six hours bleeding, gasping for breath and enduring the terrible pain, while many in the crowds standing around watching were mocking Him. At noon the sun had stopped shinning and darkness covered the land. (Luke 23:44-45) Finally, around 3p.m. in the afternoon Jesus said His last word in Hebrew: “Tetelestai” or “It is finished” and bowing His head, He gave up His Spirit.

 

Scripture says that shortly before Jesus died, He “knew that all things were now accomplished, that the Scripture might be fulfilled” (John 19:28) What was “it” that had been finished or was accomplished on the cross?   What did Jesus do to fulfill the Scriptures?  There are many prophecies throughout the Old Testament proclaiming that God would send a Messiah or a Sacrifice to save us from our sins. Humans couldn’t save themselves from sin and death, but God could.  The promise was there waiting to be fulfilled.

 

The word in Hebrew that Jesus used on the cross was “Tetelestai,” which means “It is finished”. This word is found in ancient documents showing that a loan or a debt had been completely paid off.  But what was the debt or “it” that had been completely paid off on the cross?  To answer this question, we need to go way back to the beginning in the Garden of Eden!

 

We read that in the beginning that God created the earth and everything in it.  And everything God created was good.  God also created Adam and then Eve and they were both created perfect and good.  God created them to live forever and He put them in the beautiful Garden of Eden.  God gave them the animals to name and care for and all the fruits and vegetables in the garden to eat, except the fruit of one tree. God only gave Adam and Eve one law that they were not to break. They were not to eat the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil that stood in the middle of the garden. If they ate the fruit on this tree, God warned them that they would lose their immortality and die.  

 

Adam and Eve were created “in God’s image” and like God, who has free will, they were given free will also.  Would the first man and woman who ever lived on this earth use their free will to love and trust God, their heavenly Father?  Would they believe His warning that disobeying Him and eating the forbidden fruit would cause their death?  Or would they choose not to believe God and decide to disobey Him and do their own thing?  Would they think that they were wiser than God and didn’t need to follow Him?   They were given two choices – to believe God and obey or to not believe God and disobey.   Which would they choose?   

 

We read the sad story in Genesis 3:1-6. “Now the serpent was more cunning than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made.  He said to the woman, “Has God indeed said that you shall not eat of every tree of the garden?”  And the woman said to the serpent, “We may eat the fruit of the trees of the garden. But of the fruit of the tree, which is in the middle of the garden, God has said, ‘You shall not eat it, or touch it, lest you die.’  Then the serpent said, “You will not surely die.  For God knows that in the day you eat it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”  So, when the woman saw that the fruit of the tree would be good to eat, and that is was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree desirable to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate.  And she also gave to her husband with her, and he ate.”   

 

As soon as Adam and Eve ate the forbidden fruit, they knew that something had gone wrong.  Scripture says that right away they were ashamed of being naked and they sewed leaves together to cover their naked bodies. Somehow, they already knew they weren’t good enough and needed a covering. When God came to walk with them in the garden, they ran away from Him and hid.  Their sin had distanced them from a holy God.

 

 And when they did meet with God, Adam blamed and accused Eve, his wife, for tempting him to eat the forbidden fruit   And Eve blamed the serpent. (Genesis 3:7-24) Sin caused their marriage relationship to suffer and divided them from one another a bit.

 

Because of that original sin, Adam and Eve fell from being immortal to being mortal and they eventually died as God had warned them would happen if they ate of the forbidden fruit. And sadly, their children (all of us) inherit their mortality and we all sin and die. We are born mortal and sinful, like our first parents were. And Scripture says that all the created world is also under a curse now because of sin!  And not the way God created it to be.

 

Who can change all of this and free us from being sinful and suffering the consequences of sin?  The Bible answers that question.  One of many passages says: “The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life, through Jesus Christ our Lord.”  (Romans 6:23) We asked earlier, when Jesus was on the cross and cried out that word, “Tetelestai” or “It is finished,” what did He mean?  What was paid off, completed or finished on the cross?  What was “it”?

 

Scripture tells us that Jesus completed the goal for which He was sent to accomplish.  Jesus, the Son of God, came to earth to pay the price for our sins and redeem us.  Scripture says: “For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God.  (1 Peter 3:18) Jesus completed the work necessary to bring us back to God.  His work was dying on the cross. We humans couldn’t bring ourselves back.  Only He could do it for us.  Scripture says: Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation is come, the old has gone the new is here.  All this is from God, who reconciled us to Himself. (2 Corinthians 5:17-18a) Only Christ can make us new.  Only through Him are we “born again”.  We can’t do it ourselves.

 

Sin distanced us from a holy God.  Through Christ, the distance from God is erased.  (Matthew 27:51) Sin has enslaved us to sinful desires.  Through Christ, the enslavement of the enemy is overcome.  (John16:33) Sin divides us from one another.  Through Christ, the division with each other is replaced with unity. (Colossians 3:12-14)

 

Let’s not leave Jesus’ finished work as our unfinished business.  Scripture says; “For by grace are we saved through faith, not of yourselves, it is a gift from God, not of works lest any one might boast.” (Ephesians 2:8-9) We must have faith in God and His promise to take away our sins through Christ.  We must believe it.  We are offered the gift of salvation and we must accept it.  

 

We can experience God’s favor rather than trying to earn it.  (Ephesians 1:3) Religion says “Finish the work.  But a relationship with Jesus says: “The work is finished.”  We can’t work our way to heaven.  The work is finished in Christ.  All we have to do is accept this Gift He is offering us.  Believe that Jesus took away our sins by His death on the cross. 

 

Adam and Eve sinned because they didn’t believe God.  We are tempted by that same sin.  Nothing has changed.  Let’s believe God and believe the Bible that Christ has taken away our sins and given us eternal life.  Our salvation is finished.  Christ paid it all.  Believe it and follow Him.  Jesus is the answer. Allow Him to come into your life. There is nothing for you to do.  Every stumbling block is rolled out of the road and every gate is opened.  Your salvation is finished through Jesus Christ.  He has taken away your sins.  The debt has been paid in full.  The victory over sin and death has been won!  “Tetelestai “  “It is finished.”      

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  

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