It Is Finished

 

John, chapter 19, in part, is the devastating depiction of the death of Jesus.

Verse 29 says that, “A jar of sour wine was sitting there, so they soaked a sponge in it, put it on a hyssop branch, and held it up to His lips.”


And then verse 30, “When Jesus had tasted it, He said, ‘It is finished!’ Then He bowed His head and released His Spirit.”

It is finished.


What was finished?


The work He had come to do.

On the cross He was not a victim, but a servant, doing His Great Father’s bidding.


It was finished.

The sting of death.

The glorified work of salvation.

The sacrifice for us - the gift - was completed on the torture device that He willfully resigned to.

And in reading the hard words, I posed the question to myself… the one always looking to be better, do better, look more like Jesus.

What do I need to say, “It is finished” to?

And bow my head to?

And I would write it on a sticky note just following the question,

“Sometimes we have all manner of giving up this sacrificial life, and sometimes freeing ourselves from the hard work of ‘following’ seems the better choice. Ahh - but sometimes ‘bowing our head is best.’”

It is finished.

What do we need to say, “It is finished” to?

Maybe it’s:

• selfishness 
• comparison 
• arguing/fighting 
• complaining 
• gossiping 
• worrying 
• fearing 
• over-thinking 
• doubting

Whatever it is - you make the list for yourself.

And then perhaps at the top you write, “IT IS FINISHED.”

It can stop here.

It can end with me.