The Seven Sayings on the Cross (6)

"It is finished"

As we reach the penultimate statement of the Lord from the cross I have put this alongside "descend now from the cross, that we may see and believe"

The Chief Priests mocked him in this way, and of course they would not have believed even had the Saviour come down from the cross - they hated him, they had rejected him and had condemned him to death. More than this however, the Lord Jesus could not and would not come down from the cross, as he was there fulfilling God's will and the work that he had been sent to do! His meat was to do the will of him that sent him, and to finish His work (John 4:34), and this meant going to the cross and giving himself for sin. Philippians 2 says that he became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. The Saviour would go to the cross and would endure that judgement and cry "it is finished" in order that we might be saved.

It is interesting to know that the phrase in our English Bible "it is finished" is a single word in the Greek original - "teleo" which means simply "finished" or "to bring to a close" but an additional meaning is the idea of a transaction which is complete, so really it means "paid". I like that, it's a lovely thought. The price for sin had been paid, the judgement had been borne and God was well satisfied with the work.

The Chief Priests said "come down, so that we may see and believe" but of course they had it the wrong way round! He must go to the cross and be lifted up, so that people would see and believe. Remember he said that just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up. The people of that day were healed if they looked in faith to that work, and so sinners are saved today if they look in faith to Calvary.

As we consider these words of the Saviour we realise once again the necessity and value of those words "it is finished"! Without the finished work of His at the cross there would be no salvation at all! We praise God for Calvary afresh today.

He paid a debt He did not owe;

I owed a debt I could not pay;

I needed someone to take my sins away.

And now I sing a brand new song,

"Amazing grace" the whole day long,

For Jesus paid the debt that I could never pay.

Yours in Christ, Mark