It Is Finished
Reading: John 19:28-30, Hebrews 2:10-15, 2 Timothy 1:10, 1 Corinthians 15:54-57
It is finished.
Jesus had accomplished what he came down to earth to do. To successfully offer himself up as a substitute sin offering for humanity.
These three words, “it is finished” is no small phrase. There is so much power and meaning packed into these words. Yesterday we read the curse on Satan, the Messiah crushing his head. Well, here we have it folks! Satan, sin, evil has been conquered. Sin no long has a hold on us. Death no longer has a stronghold. With these three words, Christ gave us Victory once and for all. We are no longer under the condemnation of the law. The law has no power over us. Jesus set us free by fulfilling the law. He came to destroy the one, Satan, who had power over death. And that Jesus did.
O death, where is your victory
O death, where is your sting.
Don’t you want to just praise Jesus when you read 1 Corinthians 15:55?!
It is only through him and by him that we will no longer experience the spiritual pain of death. It is because of our faith in him and the gospel that we have the glorious privilege to spend everlasting life with our creator in a paradise unlike anything we know. And it’s all because he decided to fulfill and finish the plan God set before him in Genesis 3. With those three words, it is finished, he declared the fullfillment of every promise, sacrifice, ceremony and prophesy. And he did it in perfect obedience to his father.
I could write about this forever. There is so much power in being able to tell you all who Jesus is and what he did to completely set you free. You are free! So very free. Now I pray you live in his freedom he so sacrificially and lovingly gave you.
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Side Note:
Hyssop branch - the sour wine was for the soldiers to drink as they waited for the crucifixions to be done. However, with the "thirst" he fulfilled yet another prophesy. But the hyssop branch signifies something more. In Exodus 12:22 God instructs the Israelites in their Exodus to dip a hyssop branch into the lamb’s blood and put it on the doorpost. This was their first Passover. The blood of the lamb on the doorpost saved the Israelites from the tenth plague - the death of the first born. It was a sacrifice. The mention of the hyssop branch would take the Jewish people back to the saving blood of the Passover lamb.
update - we later wrote about the hyssop branch meaning. you can read the post here
Double side note:
“The verb telew (teleo, ‘to finish’) was used in first and second centuries in the sense of ‘fulfilling’ or ‘paying’ a debt and often appeared in receipts. Jesus’ statement ‘It is finished’ (tetelestai, tetelestai) could be interpreted as ‘Paid in full.’” (Tenney)