The Finished Work of Christ
Having accomplished the work the Father gave Him to do, Jesus said, ‘It is finished!’ And He bowed His head and gave up His spirit (John 19:30).
The first recorded words of Jesus were spoken in the temple, in the crowded city of Jerusalem during Passover, when He was twelve years old. He had been separated from His parents for three days and when they found Him, He asked, Did you not know that I had to be about My Father’s business? (Luke 2:49).
Jesus lived His life committed to doing the work of the Father and speaking the words which He heard His Father speak (John 5:19-21 8:28,38 12:49). In the hours before He was arrested He had prayed, Father, if You are willing, remove this cup from Me; yet not My will, but Yours be done.(Luke 22:42). So it was that in humble submission to the Father’s will He offered Himself as the holy Lamb for sinners slain.
As Jesus hung on the cross taking upon Himself the sin of the world and as the eternal judgment of God was poured out upon Him, Jesus had sensed separation from His Father. He had cried out, My God, My God, why have you forsaken Me?” (Matt. 27:46). But now He sensed the satisfaction of the Father with the atoning sacrifice. He realizes that His work is done and He shouts, It is finished!
These were not words of resignation or defeat. In the language of the Gospel writer, It is finished is one word — Tetelestai — which means accomplished, complete, paid in full. Tetelestai was often stamped on documents and contracts in the first century when a contract was consummated. In Matthew 27:50, we read that just before Jesus died, He shouted with a loud voice. Among those final words may have been this one word, “Tetelestai! Finished! Complete!” It is the cry of victory.
Finished! Atonement for sin has been accomplished, humanity is redeemed from the curse and penalty of sin. Complete! Wrath is appeased, Scripture fulfilled. Satan is defeated, his entangling enslavement of humanity is destroyed. Jesus came to accomplish His Father’s will and that redeeming work was perfectly accomplished on the cross:
For it was fitting that we should have such a high priest, holy, innocent, undefiled, separated from sinners and exalted above the heavens; who does not need daily, like those high priests, to offer up sacrifices, first for His own sins, and then for the sins off the people, because this He did once for all when He offered up Himself (Hebr. 7:26,27).
But through His own blood, He entered the holy place, once for all, having obtained eternal redemption (Hebr. 9:12).
For all time, for all sin and for all sinners, the blood of Christ was shed, reaching back in time to the Garden of Eden and forward to the last sinner who will repent before time ends. The blood was shed, the offering for sin was complete.
Having completed His ministry, Christ gave up His spirit: And Jesus, crying out with a loud voice, said, ‘Father, into your hands I commit my spirit.’ Having said this, He breathed His last (Luke 23:46).
When the redeeming work was done, Jesus committed Himself into the hands of His Father and gave up His spirit. This was Christ’s last act as High Priest and holy Lamb. He had offered Himself without blemish to God (Hebr. 9:14). The unblemished Lamb, the perfect God/ Man offered Himself to the Father as the holy Substitute for sinners.
Then He gave up His spirit into the hands of His Father.
Because the sacrifice of Jesus is complete, there is nothing we must add to His work. We are reconciled to God as we turn from our sin and place our faith in Jesus Christ, the holy Lamb and risen Lord. Salvation is not Christ plus holy communion. It is not Christ plus baptism or doing the right ritual or saying the right prayer.
Holy communion, baptism, prayers and truthful rituals — these are all good things. But salvation is through faith in Christ and Christ alone. The blood of Christ avails to cleanse every sinner who will kneel before the One who alone is worthy of blessing and honor and thanks and praise.
It is a finished work, perfect for all time.
As Jesus died, the veil guarding the Holy of Holies in the temple was torn, signifying that the way is now open for redeemed sinners into the holy presence of God. The sin debt which barred humanity from the presence of God has been forever paid and removed. The perfect, unblemished Lamb of God has been offered for the sins of the world. Once and for all the sacrifice has been made and nothing more need ever be added to the redeeming work of Christ.
Tetelestai! It is finished.
The cross was not a defeat followed by the triumph of Easter morning.
The cross is the triumph proclaimed on Easter morning.
The great devotional poet, Charles Wesley, wrote these words:
“‘Tis finished, the Messiah dies, cut off for sin but not His own
accomplished is the sacrifice, the great redeeming work is done.”
I Am Thirsty / Into Your Hands
It is now about 3:00 in the afternoon. The sun’s light has failed, as if heaven could not bear to look upon the awesome scene any longer. The veil of the Temple is torn in two as a more awesome tearing is taking place in the spirit realm. The earth begins to quake, rocks split, tombs open, the wind howls and swirls. All of nature is convulsed by forces unseen and unimagined.
John, who was present at the cross, shares this witness, Jesus, knowing that all things had already been accomplished, to fulfill the Scripture, said, ‘I am thirsty’ (John 19:28). Even as He died, Jesus was intent on fulfilling Scripture, in this case, Psalm 69:21. Earlier, He had refused wine mixed with a temporary narcotic. This was offered to criminals as they were being crucified because it made the job easier for the soldiers. But Jesus had refused that drink because He wanted to have a clear mind as He entered the fulfillment of His life purpose.
Now He asks for something to drink and surely He was thirsty, suffering the effect of traumatic blood loss. But more importantly, He needed to clear His voice so all could hear Him. This is when He shouted, Tetelestai, finished, complete, fulfilled.
However, those were not His last words. In Luke we read this witness, Father, into your hands I commit My spirit. Having said this, He breathed His last (Luke 23:46).
Matthew says, And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice, and yielded up His spirit (Matt. 27:50). Matthew does not tell us what Jesus said but surely it was the victorious shout, Tetelestai followed by the confident surrender of HIs life into His Father’s hands.
John was present at the cross and he says that at this moment, Jesus gave up His spirit (John 19:30). This may be translated, He gave over His spirit. Jesus experienced physical death — His spirit was separated from His body. But there is a sense here of autonomy, of control. Even in dying, Jesus exercised sovereignty. His spirit did not simply leave Him — He gave it up, gave it over to His Father.
This should not seem strange. Jesus had said, For this reason the Father loves Me, because I lay down My life so that I may take it again. No one has taken it away from Me, but I lay it down on My own initiative. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again. This commandment I received from My Father (John 10:17,18).
The enemies of Jesus had tried numerous times to take His life but they were not able because they did not have the authority to take His life. They had not wanted to arrest Him during the Passover for fear of a riot but the timing of His death was not under their control. Passover was exactly the time when He was executed.
Now, knowing that the sin-bearing work was done
and sensing the acceptance of the Father,
Jesus released His spirit from His body.
No one took His life from Him.
He gave it freely. Having given the gift,
He breathed His last.
What profound mystery!
The Creator of all life
Who was and is and forever shall be,
Jesus, Lord of life, dies.
The eternal One
Who exists before the beginning
and Who lives beyond the end
Jesus, Lord of life, dies.
The Almighty One who holds the stars in place,
who set the elements spinning in the fire dance of creation,
through Whom, for Whom, and by Whom all things exist
Who breathed life into the soul of the first Adam,
Jesus, Lord of life, dies.
Jesus, of whom it is written,
“All things have been created through Him and for Him.
He is before all things and in Him all things hold together” (Col. 1:16,17)
“For from Him and through Him and to Him are all things” (Romans 11:36)
“In Him was life and the life was the light of men” (John 1:4)
In whom “we live and move and have our being” (Acts 17:28)
Jesus, Lord of life, dies.
In silence we bow,
in wonder we worship.
Jesus’ one desire, the life purpose which nourished and inspired Him, was to do the will of His Father. He lived His life guided by the hand of His Father and when His work was complete, He died into the hands of His Father. In so doing, He inspires our living and our dying.
May our works be complete, purpose fulfilled
and may we live and die into the hands of our heavenly Father.
There is no better way to live, no truer way to die:
Father, into thy hands I commit my spirit.
Jesus, having loved His own ... loved them to the end (John 13:1). The word end is telos and means to the fullest extent. Jesus loved His disciples to the most full measure of God’s capacity to love. The end also included a cross and if He loved us to the end on that day, He will surely love us to the end of our days. Whatever pathway lies before you, He will love you to the end.
The writer to the Hebrews says of Jesus, Who for the joy set before Him, endured the cross (Hebr. 12:2). Christ’s joy was seeing us, His redeemed brothers and sisters, His eternal bride, rising from death into life with Him, beholding His glory, perfected in glory, standing before our Heavenly Father blameless and holy. In the presence of such love we dare not speak but only worship.
In reverence and awe we bow and
sing with all the hosts of Heaven,
“Worthy is the Lamb, Alleluia.”