6. It Is Finished (John 19:30)
by Dr. Ralph F. Wilson
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A remarkable watercolor by James J. Tissot, "It is
finished! Consummatum est!" (1886-1894) showing the crucified but
triumphant Christ, behind him the holy name of Yahweh in Hebrew letters, and
surrounded by the prophets holding up their scrolls of prophecy which he has
fulfilled. (Brooklyn Museum, NYC).
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image.
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"When he had received the drink, Jesus said, 'It is
finished.' With that, he bowed his head and gave up his spirit." (John
19:30)
Jesus' journey had begun in a simple stable in the City of
David thirty some years before. Now it was finished.
What was finished? What was this mission that was now
finished? Why did Jesus come? Let's look at how Jesus defined his mission -- and
later, how his apostles understood it. We read about his commission to "preach
the Gospel to the poor" (Luke 4:18, 43), "to bring life" (John 10:10b), "to
destroy the devil's work" (1 John 3:8b), "to bring fire upon the earth," (Luke
12:49), "to testify to the truth" (John 18:37). But each of these seems like a
means or aspect of the ultimate purpose, to save us from our sins. Consider
these purpose statement verses:
"Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin
of the world!" (John 1:29)
"For the Son of Man came to seek and to save
what was lost." (Luke 19:10)
"For even the Son of Man did not come to be served,
but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many." (Mark 10:45)
"Christ Jesus came into the world to save
sinners." (1 Timothy 1:15)
"But you know that he appeared so that he might take
away our sins." (1 John 3:5)
Jesus had a very clear view of what lay ahead of him. He
used two metaphors: "To drink the cup," to partake fully of an event, and "to
be baptized," to be immersed fully in the event.
"Can you drink the cup I drink or be
baptized with the baptism I am baptized with?" (Mark 10:38)
"But I have a baptism to undergo, and how
distressed I am until it is completed! (Luke 12:50)
"Father, if you are willing, take this cup
from me; yet not my will, but yours be done." (Luke 22:42)
"Jesus commanded Peter, 'Put your sword away! Shall
I not drink the cup the Father has given me?'" (John 18:11)
The cross in all its horror -- and in its redemptive power to
bear the sins of the world -- hung heavily on Jesus during his last days in the
flesh. His struggle in the Garden of Gethsemane was the climax, the point at
which he surrendered ultimately to the Father's will. And now the cup had been
drunk, the baptism completed. It is finished.
Look again at the passage. It is remarkable in how it
repeats one singular idea -- completion, fulfillment, finishing.
"Later, knowing that all was now completed (teleō),
and so that the Scripture would be fulfilled (teleioō),
Jesus said, "I am thirsty" ... When he had received the drink, Jesus said, "It
is finished (teleō)." With that, he bowed his head and gave up
his spirit." (John 19:28, 30)
These three words derive from the same Greek root, telos,
which means "end" -- primarily a termination point, then by extension, the end
to which all things relate, the aim, the purpose.53
"Completed / finished / accomplished" in verses 28 and 30 is
the related verb teleō, "to complete an activity or process, bring
to an end, finish, complete something." With regard to time, it means, "come to
an end, be over."54
Moreover the tense of this verb is important to us -- perfect tense (tetelestai).
In Greek the perfect tense signifies a past action, the effect of which
continues into the present. It has been completed and is still complete. The
effect of the tense in this verb is a sense of finality.
In the last couple of centuries scholars have found
thousands of papyrus scraps with Greek writing on them. Many of these are
mundane commercial documents in which we find this word. Moulton and Milligan
pored over many of these receipts and contracts to better understand New
Testament Greek. They observed that receipts are often introduced by the phrase
tetelestai, usually written in an abbreviated manner indicating that the
bill had been paid in full.55
The obligation has been completed. The debt has been paid off. Tetelestai
-- it is finished.
It is clear from Matthew and Mark that just before Jesus
breathed his last, he "cried out again in a loud voice" (Matthew 27:50, cf.
Mark 15:37). John gives us the content of this loud cry: "It is finished!"
Those who are defeated go out with a whimper, but the victor
announces his victory loudly and broadly: "It is finished!" The victory shout
of Jesus echoed across the small flat hilltop and to the world beyond. It is
finished!
It is a cry of accomplishment, but it is also an
announcement of obedience fulfilled. This shout began in the painful will of
the Father -- the cup, the baptism, the suffering, the cross. "It is finished"
announces the full obedience of the One who, though equal with God:
"... Made himself nothing,
taking the very nature of a servant,
being made in human likeness.
And being found in appearance as a man,
he humbled himself and became obedient to death -- even death on a cross!
Therefore God exalted him to the highest place
and gave him the name that is above every name,
that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,
in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord,
to the glory of God the Father." (Philippians 2:7-11)
Make no mistake. The ability to say, "It is finished" to the
Father's commission was not the beginning of some kind of "glory road," but the
end. It was the final culmination of a life of obedience, humility, and
suffering that now ushers in a new era.
When we meditate on this Sixth Word from the cross, what
should we learn for our lives? This is what I see.
1. We Are to Live Lives of Purpose
First, we are to live lives of purpose. Unless Jesus had a
purpose, a mission to complete, the words, "It is finished" would have had
little meaning. He wasn't speaking of his earthly life that was finished -- in
fact, his life has no beginning and has no end. Rather, he is speaking of that
which the Father had instructed him to do.
Our lives may not be so clear, so purpose-driven as Jesus'
life. However, I believe that one of the signs of maturity in our lives is to
discern our spiritual gifts and abilities, and then order our lives so as to
maximize what God has given.
Jesus told the Parables of the Talents (Matthew 25:14-30) and
the Pounds (Luke 19:11-27). In each case, success for the servant was to "trade
with" what the master had given him in order to produce the largest possible
outcome for the master, given each servant's unique talents, time, and
circumstances. The reward was to hear the master say, "Well done, good and
faithful servant ... enter into the joy of your master" (Matthew 25:21, RSV).
2. We Are to Live Lives of Focus
Second, living lives of purpose requires us to focus on our
priorities. Instead of living scatter-shot lives, we are to be marksmen that
aim carefully at the target and make our shots count. This requires focus and
discipline. It means saying "No" to some choices so that we can say "Yes" to opportunities
that are even better.
3. We Are to Live Lives of Obedience
Third, to be able to say, "It is finished," as Jesus did,
our lives must be marked by obedience. Jesus is God, but in his earthly life he
willingly obeyed. "He humbled himself and became obedient to death"
(Philippians 2:8). Paul put it this way:
"I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer
live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in
the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me." (Galatians 2:20)
Obedience is the opposite of independent action. It means
living in obedience to God, not to ourselves.
4. We Must Be Willing to Suffer to Achieve God's Purpose
Finally, to say "It is finished," we must be willing to
suffer to achieve God's purpose for our lives. We continue in the sunny summer
days as well as the stormy winters of our lives. We don't give up just because
things are difficult. We are willing to suffer whatever is necessary to
complete the Father's plan for our lives.
When our lives are over, we want to be able to say with St.
Paul,
"The time of my departure has come. I have fought
the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. From now on
there is reserved for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the
righteous judge, will give me on that day, and not only to me but also to all
who have longed for his appearing." (2 Timothy 4:6-8)
And with Jesus to say: "It is finished!"
Prayer
Father, I've wasted much of the momentum of my life because
I've tried to go in so many directions. Please corral me so that I will focus
on your purposes and your direction for me, that I might finish this life well.
In Jesus' name, I pray. Amen.
Question for Personal Meditation
Questions for Group Discussion
- What did Jesus come to accomplish? What was his "prime
directive"?
- What was the "cup," the "baptism" that he faced in order
to accomplish his mission?
- What was the significance of the word "Finished" written
on ancient papyrus receipts?
- Why did Jesus shout out this Sixth Word, rather than say
it quietly? (John 19:30)
- What do we learn from the Sixth Word about purpose? About
focus? About obedience? (John 19:30)
- How is the willingness to suffer vital to finishing one's
mission?
References
55. J.H. Moulton and G. Milligan,
Vocabulary of the Greek Text: Illustrated edition
the Papyri and Other Non-Literary Sources (Eerdmans, 1957), p. 630, under teleō.
The Seven 7 Last Words of Christ from the Cross
Copyright © 1985-2010 Ralph F. Wilson. <pastor
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