[28] "Later, knowing that everything had now been finished, and so that Scripture would be fulfilled, Jesus said, “I am thirsty.” [29] A jar of wine vinegar was there, so they soaked a sponge in it, put the sponge on a stalk of the hyssop plant, and lifted it to Jesus' lips. [30] When he had received the drink, Jesus said, “It is finished.” With that, he bowed his head and gave up his spirit."
I have heard some great discussions around Jesus' last words, and thought it would be helpful for to remind myself of the finished work of Christ Jesus. Working backwards, the Greek word, here translated finished, is Teleo:
Definition
1) to bring to a close, to finish, to end
A) passed, finished
2) to perform, execute, complete, fulfil, (so that the thing done corresponds to what has been said, the order, command etc.)
A) with special reference to the subject matter, to carry out the contents of a command
B) with reference also to the form, to do just as commanded, and generally involving the notion of time, to perform the last act which completes a process, to accomplish, fulfil
3) to pay
This was not the cry of someone who had lost, but rather the cry of someone who had completed that which He had to do. He knew that everything He had been asked to do by the Father was now completed. What an amazing thought, dying and knowing that everything was accomplished. He had no regrets in that moment, had nothing left to say or do. It was ALL finished.
Secondly, the word can also be translated paid, and there is an absolute truth to that definition as well. Jesus had paid for all of our sins, with His blood, His body and His life. He was the perfect sacrifice, and His actions paid in full the debt we all owed, the debt of every man, woman and child that has ever lived.
This is a quote from David Guzick's commentary on this verse. I like the way he puts it: "It is finished! Jesus' final word (tetelestai in the ancient Greek) is the cry of a winner. Jesus had finished the eternal purpose of the cross. It stands today as a finished work, the foundation of all Christian peace and faith, paying in full the debt we righteously owe to God."
Finally, the statement John makes in verse 28, about scripture being fulfilled, is more likely His comment about why Jesus asked to drink than the ,otivation of Jesus. In Ps 69:21 it speaks of being given vinegar to drink, and this was one verse of prophecy that had not yet been filled by Jesus in His life, as far as John knew. The Greek word for finished in verse 28 is the exact same as in verse 30, and I believe John used it here to make sure that we didn't miss the point!
It is really important that we understand this "finished work of Christ". He accomplished it all Himself. He paid the price Himself. It is complete and paid for in full. In Isaiah 53:6b it says, "...and the Lord has laid on him (messiah) the iniquity of us all." In other words, all our sins, everyone's, were laid upon Him and paid for by Him. If that work has been finished, completed and paid, then we do not have to pay ever again. Jesus paid for this all. Isaiah 53:5 says it this way -
"But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed." He paid with His suffering and death, that we might be cleansed and healed, and He paid every bit of the debt. There is nothing more that needs to be done, nothing to add, nothing that we can do!
So, let us embrace this truth of the amazing grace and mercy that has been given to us. Let us not believe any teaching that says we need to pay for our sins, or be punished for our wrong-doings. Jesus already paid, already suffered, already was punished. God will not ask us to pay, for there is no debt anymore. It was all accomplished by Jesus. No amount of religious acts, no penance, no self-purging, no holy living will ever gain us anything more than what Jesus already accomplished for us. That is why it is called grace, it is unmerited favor! When the someone tries to make us think that something we have done disqualifies us from God's purposes, plans, or favor, we need to play the "It is finished" card, for the payment was already made, and we are qualified by Jesus' actions, not our own.
Amen!
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