It
Is Finished
By
Susan Klein
Jesus
said, “It is finished.”
With that, He bowed His head and gave up His spirit.
With that, He bowed His head and gave up His spirit.
John
19:30 (NIV)
Every once in awhile, I find my mind
wandering to the memories of sins in my past. Old feelings of guilt overcome me
and I wonder how God could possibly have forgiven them all, not to mention how
He keeps forgiving my many trespasses in the present…and those yet to come. I
want to cry out like King David in the Old Testament, “Remember not the sins of
my youth and my rebellious ways” (Psalm
25:7, NIV). That is when I have to take my thoughts back to the finished work
of the Cross.
When Jesus uttered the words, “It is
finished” from the Cross, He wasn’t talking about His physical life being over.
He was speaking of the completion of the task He had been called to perform by
the Father: bearing all the sins of the world and paying the penalty for each
and every one of us. The word “finished” here indicates a conclusion of a job
or task, a goal achieved - - yet not just ended but brought
to perfection. In
essence, Jesus was saying, “Father, what you have asked me to do has been
perfectly completed, now and forevermore.” (Jesus spoke of this completed
work before it even happened in His prayer to the Father in John,
chapter 17.) Since I know this to be a true statement, how can I possibly
question His forgiveness? Who am I to suggest that my sins are too great for
this finished
perfect work?
In their song, “You Love Me Anyway,” the
Sidewalk Prophets describe this very sentiment:
I am the thorn in Your crown
But You love me anyway
I am the sweat from Your brow
But You love me anyway
I am the nail in Your wrist
But You love me anyway
I am Judas' kiss
But You love me anyway [1]
But You love me anyway
I am the sweat from Your brow
But You love me anyway
I am the nail in Your wrist
But You love me anyway
I am Judas' kiss
But You love me anyway [1]
God loved us so much that He willingly gave
us His perfect Son, who demonstrated His love by dying on the Cross and paying
the penalty once and for all for every sin ever committed on the face of this
earth. His one act of selfless, perfect
love was the final payment, bringing all sacrifices to a final end. Conclusion:
“It is finished.”
Dear ones, it truly is finished. We are once
and for all, now and forever, completely forgiven. Let’s live like it!
GOING DEEPER:
1. What sins in your own life might you have
trouble viewing as “forgiven”?
2. Ponder the personal significance of these
three words, “It is finished.”
FURTHER READING:
