“It Is Finished”
Read John 19:30
Are you a finisher? I have to confess that I have a lot more, “it is started!” than “it is finished!” As I was working on this message, sitting at my desk, there was a pile of books that I have started but not yet finished reading. If you went to my house, my wife could show you projects that I have started, but not yet finished.
John 17:4 “I glorified Thee on the earth, having accomplished the work which Thou hast given Me to do.”
Praise God, Jesus was a finisher. He finished what He started! Jesus was the only person in history who left behind no unfinished business. He is the only one who could come to the end of his life and say – with absolute truthfulness – “I have finished everything I set out to do.”
John 19:28 “After this, Jesus, knowing that all things had already been accomplished…”
The word “accomplished” and the phrase “it is finished” is the same word in Greek. The Greek word is “Te-tel-les-sty.” These are the only two places where this exact word is found in the New Testament. It comes from the verb “teleo,” which means “to bring to an end, to complete, to accomplish.” It is in the perfect tense in Greek. Perfect tense speaks of an action that has been completed in the past, with results continuing into the present. When Jesus cried out, “It is finished,” He meant it was finished in the past, it is still finished in the present, and it will remain finished in the future. Notice, He did not say, “I am finished.” That would have implied that He couldn’t hold out any longer. He was exhausted and defeated. Instead, He cried out “It is finished,” meaning, “I completed the work I came to do.”
The New Testament was written in Greek, but not the classical Greek of the elite class, but marketplace Greek. It was the everyday Greek used in daily life by the common folk. Over the years, archaeologists have uncovered ancient Greek documents that have brought clarity to these common Greek words and phrases, such as “te-tel-les-sty.” Four uses of this word stand out.
Servants used this word whenever they finished an assignment and reported back to their masters.
This meant that the task assigned was completed the way the master wanted it done and when he wanted it done. The prophet Isaiah described Christ as God’s suffering servant. Christ came to be a servant.
Mark 10:45 “For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.”
Luke 22:27 “For who is greater, the one who reclines at the table, or the one who serves? Is it not the one who reclines at the table? But I am among you as the one who serves.”
Philippians 2:5-8 “But (Christ) emptied Himself, taking the form of a bondservant…”
When Christ the servant cried, “it is finished” He was telling God “I have completed the assignment the way you wanted and when you wanted!”
Greek priests used this word when they finished examining the sacrifice.
Whenever worshipers brought sacrifices to the temple dedicated to whatever god or goddess they worshiped, the priest had to examine the animal to make sure it was faultless. If the sacrifice were acceptable, the priest would say “te-tel-les-sty” it is perfect. The sacrifice had to be perfect to be acceptable. Jesus Christ was God’s perfect, faultless sacrifice.
1 Peter 1:18-19 “knowing that you were redeemed… with precious blood… of Christ.”
When Christ cried out, “it is finished” He was signifying that the perfect sacrifice had been made. No more blood of bulls and goats. No more bloodshed was needed ever. The sacrificial systems of all the world’s religions were finished.
Hebrews 10:12 “but (Christ) having offered one sacrifice for sins for all time, sat down at the right hand of God.”
The cross of Christ was sufficient. The sacrifice was perfect. Salvation is finished!
Artists used this word when they finished their masterpiece.
When an artist would finish their masterpiece, they would step back and declare, “it is completed.” The work is done. It meant there was not anything else left to do. Imagine Leonardo Di Vinci laying aside his brush for the last time and appraising the Mona Lisa and declaring it is finished! Imagine Charles Dickens laid down his pen as he writes the last word of “A tale of two cities” and announcing it is finished! Imagine Alfred Hitchcock as he shots the final scene of “Rear Window” and pronounces it is finished! None of this compares to imagining Christ as He acts out the last scene in God’s great drama of redemption as He cries out it is finished! Christ is the completion of the Old Testament. He is the fulfillment of the universe’s greatest drama.
Luke 24:27 “And beginning with Moses and with all the prophets, He explained to them the things concerning Himself in all the Scriptures.”
When He cried out, “it is finished,” God’s great story of redemption had been fulfilled. This scarlet thread of redemption that runs throughout the Old Testament came to an end at the cross. God the artist has finished His painting.
Merchants used this word when they marked “paid in full”.
To them, the word meant “the debt is paid in full.” If you had purchased something on time, when you made the last payment, the merchant would give you a receipt that read “te-tel-les-sty.” The debt was now fully paid. Jesus paid the debt we owed.
1 Corinthians 6:20 “For you have been bought with a price…”
For nothing good have I, where by thy grace to claim, I’ll wash my garments white in the blood of Calvary’s lamb. And when before the throne I stand in Him complete, Jesus died my soul to save, my lips shall still repeat. Jesus paid it all, All to Him I owe; Sin had left a crimson stain, He washed it white as snow.
Since Jesus Christ paid in full, the work of salvation is now complete. There is nothing more God needs to do to save us. Since Jesus Christ paid in full, all efforts to add anything to what Christ did on the cross are useless. Theologians call this the finished work of Christ.
It is finished. As a servant, Christ’s job is done. As a priest, Christ’s sacrifice is perfect. As the author of our salvation, the work is complete. As the price paid, He paid it in full.
Lifted up was He to die, “It is finished” was His cry;
Now in heaven exalted high: Hallelujah, what a Savior!