Jesus’ Last Words: It is finished!

One more breath. After six hours of hanging on the cross, three of which were spent in a supernatural darkness so deep you could feel it in your bones, that was all that separated Jesus from death. As he drew in his final breath, I imagine he held it for a moment, savoring its aroma and taste one last time. Then, as he finally released it, in John 19:30, “He said, ‘It is finished!’ Then bowing his head, he gave up his spirit.”

Jesus was dead, and that was strange for at least two reasons. First, that he was speaking just seconds earlier suggested he was still relatively strong, and this made sense. Brutal as they were, crucifixions were carefully calculated to maximize the victim’s suffering. Under normal circumstances, he should have lasted much longer, but John’s language and Jesus’ words and actions here indicate that, rather than merely succumbing to the crucifixion, Jesus was in complete control the entire time. He chose the moment when it was finished.

Second, speaking of finished, Jesus used his final words to pronounce that it is finished. Strong’s reports that the the term means ended, completed, executed, concluded, discharged, or paid. In fact, this term was often written across first-century bills or receipts to indicate the account was closed.

All of which raises the question, what is finished? What is it? Several things come to mind.

Jesus’ suffering is finished.

Jesus’ suffering is finished. Historians tell us that crucifixion was a brutal thing. Over the last 24 hours, Jesus had endured terrible, almost unspeakable things. Nearly all of his friends had abandoned him. One of his disciples was even the one who betrayed him. For a time, as he hung on that cross, he felt forsaken even by God.

Now, however, all of that was finished. The physical pain was about to expire. The sense of loneliness and abandonment was about to be replaced by the warmth of heaven. The sense of forsakenness was about to evaporate when he was restored to the right hand of his Father. Jesus’ suffering is finished.

The Father’s will is finished.

The Father’s will is finished. The night before Golgotha, as Jesus prayed in Gethsemane, he spoke of the Father’s will. Of course, as the Executive of creation, Jesus was present at the first strategy meeting. He therefore knew that the masterpiece of all creation, humans, would reject God and require redemption. He knew there was only one way to provide that redemption. He knew that, by going along with the plan, it was his will, too. Yet, 34 years after he became flesh – Jesus was 33 years old, plus the nine months in the womb – his humanity made his will a bit shakey.

Thus, in Luke 22:42, he prayed, “Father, if you are willing, take this cup away from me – nevertheless, not my will, but yours, be done.” And that is exactly what happened. God’s redemptive plan was reaching its climax. Jesus’ imminent death would provide atonement for our sin and open the door for our reconciliation. The Father’s will is finished.

Old Testament prophecy and law are finished.

Old Testament prophecy and law are finished. Depending on who you talk to, Jesus fulfilled between 44 and 353 Old Testament prophecies. Some of these predictions, such as the virgin birth, seemed patently ridiculous, but Jesus fulfilled them all. Moreover, by living a sinless life (Hebrews 4:15), Jesus paved the way for us to approach God ourselves. His perfect blood covered over our countless imperfections and sins. Thus, we need not worry about which meat we will cook for supper tonight or exactly how it will be prepared, washing our hands just so, or whether we changed our underwear before we went to church. (For the record, though, clean underwear is very much preferable.)

By finishing the Old Testament prophecy and law, Jesus made it possible for us to “approach the throne of grace with boldness” (Hebrews 4:16) rather than cower in fear before the wrath of an angry God. He tore open the veil so we can drop an anchor of hope “behind the curtain” (Hebrews 6:19) rather than be blown this way and that by the storms of life. Old Testament prophecy and law are finished.

Sin is finished.

Of course, the question then becomes, how is that possible? The answer is that sin is finished. Indeed, 1 Peter 3:18 says, “For Christ also suffered for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring you to God, after being put to death in the fleshly realm but made alive in the spiritual realm.” That is, because he was entirely righteous, Jesus’ one sacrifice was sufficient to cover all sin, for all mankind, for all time.

How does that work? Romans 5:18 declares, “So then, as through one trespass there is condemnation for everyone, so also through one righteous act there is life-giving justification for everyone.” Put another way, Jesus’ sacrificial death enables him to extend to us justification. In theology, justification is when we have done something wrong (i.e., we are guilty) but God determines to treat us as though we are innocent instead. Basically, we need not worry about the penalty for our sin which is eternal death (Romans 6:23). Yes, in Jesus, we are forgiven, and the punishment for sin is finished.

That, however, is not all. 1 John 1:9 pronounces, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” Did you catch that? John pronounced that God is faithful and righteousness to forgive, and he cleanses us from all unrighteousness. That is, God provides the means by which we can overcome the sin in our lives. We need not wallow in it anymore!

Indeed, St. Paul proclaimed in Romans 6:6, “For we know that our old self was crucified with him in order that sin’s dominion over the body may be abolished, so that we may no longer be enslaved to sin.” The sinner that we were is crucified with Jesus. Sin’s back is broken, its dominion over us abolished. We do not nave to sin ever again! Sin is finished!

Salvation is finished.

And with it, salvation also is finished. That is, there is nothing more that we must do – indeed, there is nothing more we can do – to live victoriously in this life and the next. With Jesus’ final breath, as he bowed his head and gave up his spirit, the victory was won.

Now, do not get me wrong. Satan and his hordes do not give up quite so easily. In December 1944, Hiroo Onoda was sent to Lubang Island in the Philippines as an intelligence officer with the Japanese army. When the island fell into Allied hands three months later, Onoda and three other survivors fled into the mountains and established a camp from which they continued to launch guerilla-style attacks on Allied forces in the area. When the Japanese surrendered and the war officially ended in August 1945, however, Onoda and his commrades did not receive the message. Even after receiving leaflets announcing the end of the war and seeing his companions killed, Onoda contined to wage war against the Allied forces and villagers until March 1974.

Similarly, our salvation was secured two thousand years ago on Golgotha, even if we continue to deal with some holdouts of sin in our lives today. Certainly, we should be working to eliminate these holdouts, but our salvation is finished nonetheless.

That is, our salvation is finished as long as we do one thing. Remember, 1 John 1:9 began with a condition: “If we confess our sin…” To confess, according to Google, means to “admit or state that one has committed a crime or is at fault.” The idea, then, is that we must accept responsibility for our sin. We must acknowledge that we were wrong, and we must resolve to leave that sin behind. If we will do that, then Jesus’ sinless life and death on a cross provides the forgiveness, cleansing, and everything else that we so desperately need to be saved.

Yes, Jesus was right. As he breathed his last, death was defeated. The sting that causes death, sin, was overcome. We are enabled to live life as more than conquerors (Romans 8:37) because, as Jesus said, “It is finished” indeed.