Imagine you are an African woman, preparing a delicious supper for your husband. You pour your heart and effort into every dish. Then you call him to enjoy the meal. But he only tastes a small portion, a nibble here and there. After that he gets up, walks into the kitchen and starts preparing more food. How would you feel? Chances are, you’d feel incompetent; as though you didn’t do enough. And this is regrettably how many of us approach Jesus’ finished work: like it needs more, our own contribution. In the same way that the husband shows he doesn’t think his wife’s meal is complete, many of us believe we must supplement Jesus’ work with our own efforts. But what about those words: “It is finished”?
Embrace the finished, complete and perfect work of Christ.
This article has at its core a simple exhortation: embrace the finished, complete and perfect work of Christ. Enjoy what he’s done for us; don’t make the mistake of thinking Jesus’ work needs your good works. It doesn’t. It is finished. Christ’s work is sufficient. We partake in it through faith; we don’t supplement it by our works. So, under the three headings below we’re going to consider what exactly Jesus meant, when he said: it is finished (John 19:30). By doing so, I hope you’ll find great comfort and rest in the work of Christ, in what he accomplished for us.
1. The Father’s Will Was Accomplished
Towards the beginning of John’s Gospel, Jesus says that he came to do the will of his Father, who sent him, “to finish his work” (John 4:34). Clearly, then, Jesus always had a greater purpose than merely teaching or healing. He came to accomplish the will and work his Father set before him, which he also called his “food” (John 4:34); that is, the thing that he deeply desired and took great satisfaction in. Jesus’ life—and death—centred on completing the will of the Father.
Jesus always had a greater purpose than merely teaching or healing.
Fast forward to John 17:1, Jesus indicates that the time for his glorification was near, emphasising here that he glorifies the Father by completing the work entrusted to him (John 17:4). “I have brought you glory on earth,” Jesus says to his Father, “by finishing the work you gave me to do.”
That work is undoubtedly in view, in John 19:30. It is finished: Jesus’ work, which was the Father’s will, to glorify God. The plan and purpose of God in sending his Son to die for the world is accomplished. The time has come when everyone who believes is welcome to worship God in “spirit and truth,” regardless of their background.
2. Jesus’ Work of Atonement Is Completed
The second aspect of Jesus’ declaration refers to the work of atonement. This term may sound complex, but it simply means that Jesus came to address the problem of sin and to restore humanity’s relationship with God. This has significant implications.
We can confidently draw near and approach God.
One, when sin entered the world in Genesis 3 it wrecked our relationship with God; strained our relationships with spouses, as seen when Adam blames Eve; fractured our connection with one another, evident in Cain’s murder of Abel; and disrupted our harmony with creation. Atonement means that we can now be “at one” with God, again. When Jesus cries out, “It is finished,” he was referring to the work necessary to restore our relationship with God.
Two, because the work of atonement is accomplished it need not be repeated (1 Peter 3:18). Church traditions that practice the re-sacrifice of Jesus very likely misunderstand his words, “It is finished.” Jesus’ death paid the debt. He removed our guilt. The price is paid. Once for all, as the writer to the Hebrews puts it. Because Jesus’ work is finished, we can confidently draw near and approach God (Hebrews 4:16). Our relationship has been restored.
3. The Promise of Salvation Was Fulfilled
Finally, God promised Adam and Eve that their offspring would crush the serpent’s head (Genesis 3:15). Jesus on the cross is the fulfilment of that promise, reversing the effects of human sin and defeating the devil. As Jesus cries out, “It is finished,” his death is imminent but the resurrection is sure. The salvation God promised back in Eden is fulfilled at the cross. This is why John quotes Psalm 22 (John 19:24) and Exodus 12:46 (John 19:32-34). All the expectations and longings of the Old Testament find their fulfilment in Christ’s work.
As another article noted, Jesus addressed the immediate concerns of his mother, while hanging on the cross (John 19:25-27). But as is so often the case throughout scripture, behind welfare stands the work of salvation; this is the greatest need of every one of us (Matthew 1:22).
If Jesus hadn’t risen from the dead those words would hold no meaning.
Crucially, if Jesus hadn’t risen from the dead those words would hold no meaning; all that would have been finished would be Jesus’ life and ministry. But Jesus’ resurrection confirms all that Jesus taught and promised, together with those Old Testament promises and hopes. Even though Jesus says “It is finished,” in the grand scheme of things it’s death that is finished, or defeated. Salvation was secured. This truth should excite and motivate us to respond in faith.
Why is this important for us?
As followers of Jesus, we should reflect on the finished work of Christ at Easter; perhaps more so than at other times of the year. And it should have a great impact on us. In conclusion want to highlight two ways the cross should inform our faith this Easter.
- We don’t have to contribute anything to our salvation. Don’t season the dish you’ve been prepared. Stay out of the kitchen. It’s exactly what you need.
- Even though Jesus’ work is finished, those words mark the beginning of our mission. We are called to share his work with the world, to the ends of the earth.
