Not many things in life are ever finished.

Laundry. Why does it never end?!

Work. There’s always something to do.

A championship title. It’s on to the next thing.

There’s a saying we have in health and fitness; you never arrive.

Oh how good it feels initially after an accomplishment. I finished the laundry today. Tomorrow there’s more! I checked off all those tasks at work. You wake up the next day and there’s something new to troubleshoot! I recently listened to a 4x ncaa wrestling champion after his final match of his senior year. He said, it’s on to the next thing Monday morning.

We chase. We strive. We pursue. But the hard truth is nothing on this earth will ever truly satisfy, gratify, and justify us to say, it is finished.

Truly, truly..

Verily, verily…

Assuredly, I tell you….

(these are common statements Jesus would make when He wanted your attention)…

I need to tell you something…

There’s only one person who walked the face of this earth who could make the statement, “it is finished,” and truly mean it.

And that’s Jesus of Nazareth. It’s His sixth statement He made on the cross.

Statement #6: “It is finished.”

In the last statement we reviewed we saw He thirsted. His mouth was parched. “A jar full of sour wine stood there, so they put a sponge full of the sour wine on a hyssop branch and held it to his mouth. When Jesus had received the sour wine, he said, “It is finished,” and he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.” (John 19:30)

He pronounced these three words boldly, exclamatory, victoriously.

The phrase “It is finished” is one word in Greek, Tetelestai.

A slave would say this to His Master when “the work that you requested from me is completed.”

An artist would say this about a piece when “the work I set out to do is now done.”

A high priest would say this when he presented a sacrificial lamb without spot or blemish.

Tetelestai is in the perfect tense in Greek. “That’s significant because the perfect tense speaks of an action which has been completed in the past with results continuing into the present. It’s different from the past tense which looks back to an event and says, “This happened.” The perfect tense adds the idea that “This happened and it is still in effect today.” (Christianity Today)

Hebrews 9:12 says, “Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his [Jesus’] own blood he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us.”

What was finished?

Besides scripture being fulfilled, the work which God had given Jesus to do was finished. (John 17:4) This marks off the life of Jesus Christ from every other life that was ever lived, lives, and will ever live. “There are no loose ends left, no unfinished tasks drop from His nerveless hands, to be taken up and carried on by others. His life is a rounded whole, with everything accomplished that had been endeavoured, and everything done that had been commanded.” (MacLaren Exposition)

“Jesus saith unto them, My meat is to do the will of him that sent me, and to finish his work.” (John 4:34)

“the good shepherd lays down his life for his sheep.” (John 10:10)

That was His mission for 33 years. His purpose. His intent. Do you ever wonder what yours is?

Well good news…

It was finished but it just began.

When you look at Acts you see all that Jesus began both to do and to teach, until the day in which He was taken up-continued, in a new form, both the doing and the teaching, by the apostles and disciples.

They were nervous. Doubting. Uncertain. Jesus appeared to them. Told them to wait. “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” (Acts 1:8)

That same Great Commission is one of our main purposes today.

After hearing and receiving the Gospel message, while we are still here on this earth, the work for us is technically not finished.

Yes, we can’t do any work to earn salvation. That was done on the cross.

But because of our utmost gratitude and response to our undeserved and unmerited gift of salvation, we too become His witnesses to the end of the earth.

All four evangelists presented Jesus as giving up His life of His own accord. No one took it from Him. He did this voluntarily, and in harmony with His Father’s will.

He didn’t say “I am finished.” He didn’t look at the four woman and one disciple at the cross and say “we are finished.” He said, “it is finished.” The law was fulfilled. All sinners can indeed now be saved.

His work on this earth was done. Until He comes back one day, it’s our turn now. We too must voluntarily lay down our lives in harmony with our Father’s will, in self-sacrifice for Him.

There’s more to say about how we know that no one took Jesus’ life as a martyr. He said one more thing before He breathed His last.

We’ll look at that in statement #7.

God bless,

Coach Theo