November 18, 2023
It Is Finished
(Some information may be too graphic for small children)
“Therefore when Jesus had received the sour wine, He said, “It is finished!” And He bowed His head and gave up His spirit.” John 19:30 (NASB)
I have been in the presence of many who have passed away. At the very end of life, the body completely relaxes. Whether in pain or peace, the body finds peace in its final moment. The breath of life that God gives departs. None of us have control over death. None of us know the day of it either. Jesus did. He knew when the work on the cross was completed. He knew when He said His last words to those around Him and His Father that they would be His final ones, this side of His death. The next words He spoke would be in a glorified, resurrected body.
“Therefore when Jesus had received the sour wine…” This event fulfilled Psalm 69:21, “They also gave me gall for my food and for my thirst, they gave me vinegar to drink.” “Even the unusual use of a branch of hyssop to extend the sponge to Christ’s lips suggests Scriptural parallels because hyssop was the plant prescribed in Exodus 12:22 to be used in the application of the blood of the Passover lamb to the doorpost so the death angel would pass by.”[1] The taking of this wine on hyssop would have allowed it to come near His mouth and then suck and swallow the wine. This is the only way He could have received it as His hands were affixed to the cross. “He said, “It is finished!” What is finished? The Law has been fulfilled in all. Jesus’s messianic prophecy has been completed. Redemption has been completed. Jesus has made reconciliation between God and man possible. Jesus brought everlasting peace by inaugurating the Kingdom of God and giving the possibility to all for rebirth. The verb usage in verse 28, “all things had already been accomplished,” is the same verb rendered as “It is finished” (verse 30). Blum says, “Papyri receipts for taxes have been recovered with the word tetelestai written across them, meaning ‘paid in full.’ This word on Jesus’ lips was significant. When He said, ‘It is finished’ (not ‘I am finished’), He meant His redemptive work was completed. He had been made sin for people (2 Cor. 5:21) and had suffered the penalty of God’s justice which sin deserved.”[2] MacArthur says, “The verb here carried the idea of fulfilling one’s task and in religious contexts, has the idea of fulfilling one’s religious obligations (see 17:4). The entire work of redemption had been brought to completion.”[3] This statement by Jesus was loud enough to be heard from the cross, but more importantly, His Father’s. Jesus’s course was completed in full. No other action was needed. “And He bowed His head and gave up His spirit.” As Jesus bowed His head, he relaxed His body. His head was erect before, and His muscles were tight. Now, all were relaxed. This was not an act of crucifixion though. This was an act of Jesus’s will. He released His Spirit instantaneously when his head drooped forward. No one took His life. He willingly laid it down at this time (10:17-18). It all had been completed. Paid in full.
Jesus controls life. He controls death. He owns both. Death has no power over the believer. It is owned by Jesus. He defeated this last enemy when He died upon the cross. Don’t fear it. Your Savior has done all the hard work. Now go and live the life He has given to you!
[1] Hughes, R. K. (1999). (p. 448). Crossway Books.
[2] Blum, E. A. (1985). In J. F. Walvoord & R. B. Zuck (Eds.), The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures (Vol. 2, p. 340). Victor Books.
[3] (MacArthur, John, 1997). 1625.