John 19:28-30
After this, Jesus, knowing that all was now finished, said ( to fulfill the Scripture), “I thirst.” 29A 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. 30When Jesus had received the sour wine, he said, “It is finished,” and he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.
When Jesus died on the cross, he did not yield his spirit by saying, “I am finished.” He said, “It is finished.” One commentator writes:
‘It is finished’ applies to:
- The work of redemption
- The Mosaic covenant with it’s priesthood, temple and sacrifices
- The curse of the law
- Sin (in the sense that it was all placed upon Christ – past, present and future)
- The prophecies and types concerning the Messiah’s death
- The old fallen creation (which was placed ‘in Christ’). God’s purposes are now centered on a ‘new creation’ in Christ.
- Satan’s dominion and hold over man
- The separation of Jew and Gentile
WOW! That’s quite a list. So here’s the question: Is there some manner in which we are not living out this reality? Are we embracing the accusations of Satan against us and holding to the shame and guilt that brings? Are we trying to figure out just exactly how to pray in order to get God on our side and have our prayers answered by our efforts? Are we letting Satan have a field day in our hearts and lives, not confronting him and denying his sway in our lives? Are we focusing our hearts on life here, and not the new creation and the life of the world to come? Are we harboring bitterness toward others for whom Jesus died, rather than living in peace with our brothers and sisters in Christ of all ethnicities and classes?
We do have responsibilities in our calling to live under Christ in his kingdom. But those responsibilities grow out of the work of our redemption that has been done: it is finished. The bill has been paid. The battle has been won. We have been saved.
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