John 19:30: “IT IS FINISHED”
1) O sa-cred head, now wounded, With grief and shame weighed down,
Now scornfully surrounded, With thorns your only crown,
O sa-cred head, no glory Now from your face does shine;
Yet, though despised and gory, I joy to call you mine.
2) Men mock and taunt and jeer you, They smite your countenance,
Though mighty worlds shall fear you And flee before your glance.
How pale you are with anguish, With sore abuse and scorn!
Your eyes with pain now languish That once were bright as morn!
3) Now from your cheeks has vanished Their color, once so fair;
From your red lips is banished The splendor that was there,
Grim death with cruel rigor Has robbed you of your life;
Thus you have lost your vigor, Your strength, in this sad strife.
4) My burden in your passion, "Lord," you have borne for me,
For it was my transgression, My shame, on Calvary.
I cast me down before you; Wrath is my rightful lot.
Have mercy I implore you; Redeemer, spurn me not!
In the name of our Redeemer, dear friends. What must have it have been like to stand at the foot of the cross that fateful day? The sight of Jesus must have been horrifying for those that followed him, and loved him. There was the sign above his head, that mocked him. You could hear the religious leaders of the people mocking him. The soldiers were standing guard, and cast lots for some of Jesus’ clothing. What must it have been like?
There was that uncomfortable darkness that settled on the earth from noon until 3 in the afternoon. There was the site of Jesus’ mother, crying. But what must have been most interesting were the words that Jesus spoke as he hung from the cross that day. It’s amazing that he was even able to speak. He had been up all night the night before. He hadn’t had any food for awhile. He was dehydrated. He had lost a lot of blood from the abuse that he had taken. He couldn’t breathe very well as he hung on the cross – ultimately, that was how people died when they were crucified – they suffocated to death. He was physically exhausted.
And yet, he was still able to speak. “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do” – words of grace and mercy on upon those who were sinning against him. “Woman, here is your son, and son, here is your mother” – words of love to Mary, his mother, making sure that she would be taken care of after he was gone. “Today you will be with me in paradise” – words of grace and mercy again, this time to that thief on the cross, who in the final hours of his life came to faith in Jesus. “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me” – words of pain, as he experienced the very essence of hell while he hung from the cross – having his Heavenly Father turn his back on him, and suffer for the sins of the world all alone. “I am thirsty” – words that remind us that Jesus was really human as he hung from that cross – he wasn’t just God, pretending to be in pain. This was very real for Jesus. “Father into your hands I commit my spirit” – words that look forward to leaving this earth and going to heaven.
But there was one other sentence that Jesus spoke from the cross that I didn’t mention – do you know what that was? The sentence “It is finished.” “It is finished!” Jesus shouted, as loud as he was able, right before he gave his spirit to his heavenly Father. This evening, we’re going to ponder what that phrase means, why that little sentence is so important for us as Christians. “It is finished” our words that every Christian can hang onto, and receive a great deal of comfort and hope and strength from. Let’s think about what those words mean, this evening.
In the original language that the Bible was written, “It is finished” is actually one word: “tetelestai.” “Tetelestai” was a word that was connected to the idea of paying off a debt. Archeologists have uncovered many scraps of paper and papyrus that were first century bills, or bank notes. And at the bottom, if that bill was paid or that debt was paid off, you would find the word “tetelestai,” “it is finished.”
When Jesus said, “tetelestai” right before he died, some of the people at the foot of the cross heard it. The soldiers would have heard it. And the picture that would have popped into their heads would have been the idea that something has been paid in full, some debt has been taken care of.
The debt that Jesus was referring to was that debt that the world had owed to God. Do you realize that when you are born, you are already in debt? Not financially, but spiritually. People are conceived and born into spiritual debt, because people are conceived and born into sin. When you come into this world, you are born with a sinful nature, which means that spiritually, you are already “in the red.” And then, as you live your life, you commit more and more and more sins – you do things you’re not supposed to, you say things you’re not supposed to say, and you think things that you really shouldn’t be thinking. All these things are sins, and the more you sin, the more debt you pile up.
“You owe me,” God says. “You owe me, because of all your sins.” And when we ask God, “What do we owe you? How do we pay off this debt of sin that we have piled up in our lives?” God says, “There is only one way. The wages of sin is death. You’re going to have to die, not just physically, but eternally. In order for you to pay for all the sins you’ve committed in your life, you’re going to have to go to hell, and suffer their for eternity. Then, your debt to me will be paid.”
That is what you and I owe to God because of our sins. But God didn’t want you to have to pay that debt. He didn’t want to lose you for an eternity. You are a precious soul to God, a precious human being, and God loves you to much to just dismiss you as a sinner and send you away. But someone has to pay off that debt – God can’t just sweep all that sin under the carpet. Someone has to pay for it.
That’s what Jesus was doing on that cross. Many say that Jesus died on that cross to give us an example of how to be humble, how to suffer for something you think is right. That’s not why he was on that cross. He was there to pay off that debt that you and I and the rest of the world owed to God. That was his goal. From the moment he was born, throughout his life, throughout his ministry, through that trial, through that mocking and scourging and rejection and pain – through it all, Jesus always had his eyes set on that one goal.
And that one goal was to pay off that debt. The entire world owed to God an eternity’s worth of suffering. And Jesus agreed to step forward, as your substitute, and pay off that debt for you. That’s why he was dying on that cross. That’s why he said, “My God my God, why have you forsaken me.” He was going through the suffering that you and I owe to God, because of our sin.
But then it was over. He had done it. The suffering was completed. The punishment was taken care of. Your debt was paid. And that’s why Jesus said, “tetelestai,” or “it is finished.” You never have to wonder, “What do I owe God? How do I pay for the sins I’ve committed in my life?” You never have to worry about that – Jesus paid for all those sins when he hung on the cross. “Is there anything left for me to do, to make myself right with God?” The answer is no. Everything has been finished. Every ounce of suffering that we owe God – it’s all been paid in full. You are right with God. There’s nothing that stands between you and God. He loves he, he forgives you, and he has a place for you in heaven. And it’s all because of Jesus, who paid our debt in full.
As the hymn writer says,
5) What language shall I borrow To thank you, dearest Friend,
For this, your dying sorrow, Your pity without end?
Oh, make me yours forever, And keep me strong and true;
Lord, let me never, - never - Outlive my love for you.
6) My Savior, then be near me When death is at my door,
And let your presence cheer me; Forsake me nevermore!
When soul and body languish, Oh, leave me not alone,
But take away my anguish By virtue of your own!
7) Lord, be my consolation, My shield when I must die;
Remind me of your passion When my last hour draws nigh.
My eyes will then behold you, Upon your cross will dwell;
My heart will then enfold you -- Who dies in faith dies well!
