Cross Words - The Cries of Jesus From the Cross
6 - All Done and Dusted
John 19 Verse 30 - “It is finished.”
If you’ve ever run a marathon you'll know by the end of the 26.1 miles your chest is tight, your legs are numb and your feet are on fire.
And keep in mind, when the gun goes, everyone will start BUT unfortunately not everyone will finish.
Well, we can’t say that when it comes to Jesus because He finished the race, He completed the course.
Remember, as He dies He cries, 7 times, 7 cries, 7 sayings, 7 words from the cross. His cross words.
Word number 6 is found in John 19 verse 30 He cried with a loud voice and said “It is finished."
Three words in English, just one word in Greek. TET/AL/ESTI, finished, the greatest word ever spoken.
First of all a word, a cry of assurance.
For 6 hours He's been on the cross, rejected by His enemies, forsaken by His friends and judged by His Father.
Never forget He's there as the sinner’s substitute.
Taking our place, bearing our sin, paying our debt, removing our curse, suffering our hell and enduring our grief as well as carrying our sorrows. Wounded for our transgressions and bruised for our iniquities.
And yet despite the pain and the suffering and the misery and the agony He's filled with confidence, filled with certainty and assurance.
Just think, at the age of 33, an age when most people are just starting out, Jesus cries “It’s finished.”
Please note, He doesn’t say “I’m finished.” No. He says, “IT is finished.” The work, the plan of redemption is finished.
Picture if you can a Greek artist in his studio. Hat on his head, paint on his clothes, pallet on his arm and a brush in his hand.
He’s after perfection, he's worked on this masterpiece for months.
The shades, the shadows, the colours, the characters, the moods, the mixes, the various details. Everything must be right, everything must be perfect.
Eventually, he stands back. Is there any slight defect, any improvement he can make? Does he need a little touch here or a little touch there?
No. There’s nothing more to be done. And so he sits down and says, “TET/EL/ESTI, finished, flawless, perfect, complete.”
And that’s the word Jesus uses. “Tetelesti”. Finished.
His work is fully and completely and entirely and flawlessly and perfectly finished. Everything necessary for Salvation has been done. A word of utter assurance.
Secondly it’s a word of achievement.
Jesus shouts, not in defeat BUT in victory “Finished!”
And as He shouts here’s what happens, the foundations of hell begin to shake, the prison walls of death come crashing down, the barriers that separate man from God start to crumble.
Because of His triumphant cry, because of His shout of Victory, because of His words of achievement millions are set free from the bondage of sin, millions are brought from darkness to light from spiritual death to spiritual life, from the kingdom of Satan into the Kingdom of God.
There’s victory over hell and victory over Satan.
And there’s victory over sin too. Those riddled with guilt can come to the cross and find pardon, those in the grip of fear can come to the cross and find peace, those who are lost, those who’ve failed can come to the cross and they’ll be given a brand new start.
Victory. Victory over hell, victory over Satan and victory over sin. And thankfully there’s also victory over death. Why? Because the work is done and the victory is won.
"It is finished!" A word of assurance, a word of achievement. And thirdly, a word of access.
When Jesus made this cry something happened. According to Luke's Gospel and also according to Mark's Gospel. The veil in the Temple was torn in two. NOT from the bottom to the top but from the top to the bottom.
That veil, that curtain was 60 feet long and 30 feet high and as thick as a man’s hand. And it took 300 priest to lift it.
And what’s more, that curtain, that veil was symbolic. Symbolic of separation. It separated the priests, the most holy people in Israel from God. Can you believe that?
God was on one side and they were on the other side. And in between was this thick curtain.
And now Jesus shouts and the Priests watch as the curtain begins to tear, as the veil is rent and a way of access is opened right into the Holiest of all.
And for every believing sinner there is access. We can know God for ourselves, we can fellowship with Him, we can enjoy forgiveness from every single sin.
Now we can draw near to God, we can come close to God, we can come to God on account of the fact that Jesus has opened up the way for us. How wonderful!
It is finished, a word of assurance, a word of achievement and a word of access.
There's a call here, to leave pointless religion behind, to stop hiding behind the thin cloth of self-righteousness and run as fast as we can to Jesus and get a real covering, His thick robe of perfect righteousness.
Run to the only One who can deal with our sin, the only One who can bring us to God, the only One who can give us hope, the only One who can take us to heaven.
There's a call, there's a caution, you don’t need to keep trying, you don't need to keep trying to get yourself into God’s good books. It's not about us, it's about Him.
And there's a challenge, Peter tells us, Christ suffered for us, leaving us an example that we should follow in His steps. And we're to live the way He died.
How did He die? He died finishing the work God that gave Him to do and that's how we are to live.
We're to keep right on until the end of the road.
Paul said, I've fought a good fight, I've finished the course and I've won the crown.
And that's the challenge, for us not to stop half way through, not to give up but to finish the work that God has given us to do. It is finished!