It is finished!

It is finished!

With that triumphant cry, Jesus gave up his spirit and died. The centurion supervising the crucifixion was so overwhelmed by the way Jesus died that he exclaimed,’ surely this man was the Son of God.’  This was no ordinary crucifixion.

We are all familiar with the fact that Jesus took our sins upon himself upon the cross but on this Good Friday let us just consider again exactly what that means. Every foul, disgusting, perverted sin that has ever or ever will be committed was placed upon Jesus. Most of us get very agitated if we get blamed for anything we have not done. Imagine having every awful, wicked sin dumped upon a sinless body. Jesus drank this vile concoction of depravity – for he made him who knew no sin to be sin for us (II Corinthians 5:21). Jesus took not only the individual sins but became sin itself for us.

It was more than that though. Sin had to be paid for. The righteous wrath of God had to be appeased or propitiated and Jesus paid for all sin, not just for the sins of man but for the full effect of sin upon all creation. Jesus became our atoning sacrifice. He paid the price for our sin.

As sin and the wrath of God came upon Jesus he was separated from the Father and the awful cry came, ‘My God, my God why have you forsaken me?’  Something must have happened at that moment for Jesus did not die in defeat separated from the Father but in victory with the triumphant cry, ‘It is finished’ meaning sin had been fully taken and fully paid for. The Greek word used was teleos which is an accounting term used for a debt has been fully paid. 

Somehow between Jesus cry of separation from the Father and Jesus’ victory cry as his mortal body died, Jesus the man of faith came to faith and found his Father. Psalm 22 David’s revelationary psalm about the crucifixion says, ‘But you are holy, enthroned in the praises of Israel. Our fathers trusted in you, they trusted and You delivered them. They cried to you and were delivered; they trusted in You and were not ashamed. Psalm 22:3 – 5). Was this what Jesus cried as his sin laden body died?

Jesus’ death was extraordinary in every way.  The song says:
When satan tempts me to despair and tells me of the guilt within,
Upwards I look and see him there who made an end to all my sin.
Because the sinless Saviour died, my sinful soul is counted clean.
For God the just is satisfied to look on him and pardon me.

Our sin is fully taken and paid for. How can we live in it any longer Paul asks? The answer is we can’t.  ‘It is finished’