With three simple words, our Lord Jesus breaths a sigh of relief. His words offer up a cry of deliverance. Finally, after seemingly endless hours of pain and anguish, the suffering is ended. The work he has come to accomplish is complete. There is nothing left and Jesus’ body succumbs to the absence of all sensation.
When pain is all there is, its ceasing is the greatest blessing of all. But Jesus’ cry is more than just welcoming the ending of pain, more than acknowledging the deliverance death brings. He does not merely say, “It is over,” Jesus says, “It is finished.” It is done. It is accomplished. The demands are fulfilled.
In the three simple words of Christ, Christians for all time can hear the victorious shouts of heaven as humanity is finally reconciled to God. That which was lost so long ago, is now restored. Through Jesus’ innocent death upon the cross, God’s mercy is made certain.
Jesus’ words are a cry of success and triumph. Here, upon the threshold of death, the race has been run; he has endured to the end. The strife is over. The battle is won. O death, where is thy victory? O death, where is thy sting? The work I came to do is complete. There is nothing more to add. It is finished.
Prayer: We humbly seek your forgiveness, O God, through the sacrifice of your only Son. Amen.
In the Beginning 