April 13, 2009 — 8:45 AM
“It is finished”
Service of the Seven Last Words
First Pres, San Anselmo
10 April 2009
John 19:30 – “When Jesus had received the wine, he said, ‘It is finished.’ Then he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.”
Prayer: Spirit of God, come and move among us now. Be in my words and in all of our hearts. Help us to truly hear your word for us this day. Amen.
“It is finished,” Jesus says as he hangs dying on the cross.
“It is finished.” And he bows his head and gives up his spirit.
It is easy to imagine Jesus saying these words with at least a hint of resignation in his voice. He had been living and teaching among these people for years. And yet, when it looked like his teachings might get them into trouble with their Roman overseers, the religious authorities were quick to turn on him. They were only too happy to let him suffer this seemingly shameful end to his life so that their carefully built truce with the powers that be would not be upset.
“It is finished.”
It is easy to hear these words from Jesus and imagine that he is thinking, “Well, I did the best I could with what I was given. I did miraculous acts. I taught about the Father. I told of the coming of the Comforter. What more could I have done?” The previous eighteen chapters of this Fourth Gospel go on at length describing these acts and teachings, so we can see how Jesus might have felt that way.
“It is finished.”
It’s even easy to hear these words and think that Jesus may even be a bit despondent about the situation. Especially when we have the words from Mark echoing in our ears: “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”
It’s easy to hear these words in these ways. But that’s not how Jesus says them.
No, Jesus says these words confidently, maybe even a bit forcefully to those who taunted him and thought him a false prophet. Jesus is not going meekly into death, rather he is going into it boldly, knowing that his death marks the completion of the work he had been sent to do by the Father.
Time and again in this Fourth Gospel, Jesus speaks of this work. From the very beginning of the gospel, Jesus is clear why he is here and what, ultimately, it will require of him. He knows all along that death on the cross is part of the deal. It doesn’t come as any kind of surprise for him.
Jesus is not exclaiming, “It is finished!” and then throwing up his hands in defeat as if that is the end of the story. He is claiming, rather, “My work is completed but the Father’s work will continue.” We know this because the verb form used for the word translated as “finished” or “completed” is the verb form that shows an action that, though completed, will have a continuing affect.
Jesus says this because he knows that although his time with the disciples is drawing to a close, they will not be left alone. Once he leaves them to return to the Father, he has promised to ask the Father to send them the Comforter, the Spirit of Truth to continue the work among them. And he knows that with the help of this Comforter, the disciples will continue to do the work of the Father that Jesus has started in their midst.
Knowing this, Jesus is able to say confidently from the cross, “It is finished” then bow his head and give up his spirit. It’s all part of the plan put in place before the beginning of the world.
The crucifixion scene in this gospel is told rather quickly, especially considering the amount of space in the text given to the days leading up to it. But we can be sure that in all the activity that was going on, Jesus had time to reflect on his life and the work that he had done.
Jesus made it clear throughout this gospel that he came to be light to the world. He told those who would listen that he came so that they would see the Father. He came to teach those who followed him and believed in him about the Father’s plans for them. He did all of this so that they would continue to teach this to others once he had left this world and returned to the Father.
And those who followed him and were his true disciples got it. Unlike the disciples in the other gospel stories, these disciples understood who Jesus was and what he was trying to teach them. Not everyone who initially followed Jesus did. Some found his teachings too hard and went away. Others feared that following him would get them kicked out of the synagogue and that scared them so they also stopped following Jesus.
But those who stayed with Jesus to the very end, they got it. They witnessed the miraculous signs that Jesus performed and knew that those signs all pointed to God, whom Jesus called Father. They heard the teachings of Jesus and knew that he was teaching them about God and God’s will for them as individuals and as a community.
They saw Jesus and knew that he was the Christ, the Messiah, the one they had been looking for. They really got it!
Knowing that, Jesus is able to go to the cross, triumphant in the face of what looks like huge adversity. He knows that it is all part of the plan. He has to die so that the Father can glorify him and bring him back to be with the Father. Only then will the Comforter be given to the disciples to teach them further about the truth.
“It is finished,” Jesus says, and then bows his head and gives up his spirit.
Because of Jesus’ actions on that cross the disciples were able to receive that Spirit that teaches God’s truth. Because of Jesus’ actions we are able to receive that same Spirit today. And through this Spirit, we, like the disciples before us, are able to see the signs Jesus performed and know that they point to God; we are able to hear Jesus’ teachings and know that they show us how to be people of God.
Jesus says, “It is finished” so that his followers would receive God’s Spirit. Jesus says, “It is finished” so that we can too. Jesus died that we might have life and have it abundantly.
As Jesus hangs on the cross, he knows that his time on earth is drawing to a close. But he also knows that his life will continue to have an affect on those who hear about him. He knows that all who truly believe in him as the Christ, the Messiah, the One sent from God, will continue to share with all those they meet. And in this way the work the Father has sent him to do will continue to be done.
Jesus says, “It is finished.” And we say, “Thank you Christ Jesus. For us the work has just begun.” Amen.
