Seven Last Words—
It is finished!

It is finished (John 19:30)

By Mark A. Abdelnour

A few years ago, I started taking up woodworking as a hobby. I have always admired how simple pieces of wood can be crafted and shaped into elegant furniture; the way the wood is cut and fitted together with precision; the way the grain flows over and around the individual pieces to bring the parts into a harmonious whole. And I want to learn how to do all that. But what I have already learned is that one of the most important steps in making fine furniture is the finish, the process of sanding and polishing (and sanding and polishing . . .) a piece until it is smooth as glass and you can almost look deep into the heart of the wood. 

“Finish” can mean a lot of things, of course. We talk about finishing a task or project, finishing a meal, finishing a race, finishing in 1st, 2nd, or 3rd place. We notice how a fine glass of wine has a smooth finish. We complain about how we are finished with someone who has disappointed us. We even cheer our sports teams to victory—“C'mon team. FINISH!”

The Gospels tell us that Jesus was a man on a mission. In every chapter, he rushes from one village to the next, teaching in the temple, preaching to the crowds. He fed the 5000, forgave the Samaritan woman at the well, healed the blind man, and raised his friend Lazarus from the dead. He turned over the tables of the money changers in the Temple. And after all this, there didn't seem to be any end in sight. After all, there would always be another crowd, more people at more wells, another blind man in another village, or need to visit yet another sick friend. It seemed like his life's work, to bring about the kingdom of God, would never be complete. 

And then, even as Jesus was dying on the cross and his body was racked with pain, he had still more work to do. He forgave his tormentors, promised paradise to the thief next to him, took care of his mother, and he prayed, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”  

Then, he asked for one final sip of water. Finally he said, “It is finished,” and he gave up his Spirit.

But finished with what, exactly?

The easy answer might be that Jesus was talking about his life and ministry here on earth. He had to be tired, exhausted really, with the day-in-day-out grind of the previous three years—teaching and preaching, healing and feeding, contending with authorities who just didn't understand what he was trying to do. All of that was finished, of course. But if that was all he meant, then his final words would be of resignation and defeat: I'm tired. I'm done. I'm ready to go home now. It is finished.

But I don't believe Jesus was announcing his resignation. I believe he was proclaiming his victory. He had finished the race. He had claimed the prize. He had transformed the horror of the wooden cross into a shining symbol of hope and love. He had done all he had come to do.  

In his very first sermon, Jesus proclaimed his mission to the world:

17and the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was given to him. He unrolled the scroll and found the place where it was written:

18 “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,
    because he has anointed me
       to bring good news to the poor.

He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives
  and recovery of sight to the blind,
to let the oppressed go free,
19 to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”

20And he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant, and sat down. The eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on him. 21Then he began to say to them, “Today this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.” 22All spoke well of him and were amazed at the gracious words that came from his mouth. They said, “Is not this Joseph’s son?” [Luke 4:17-22] 

This is what Jesus came to do: To proclaim the in-dwelling of the Holy Spirit in the lives of all who would follow him. He came to teach us that loving our neighbors is the path to loving God. He came to demonstrate what life could be like if we set aside our concern for ourselves and sacrificed our lives for one another. He came to reveal God's vision for us so that we might be able to continue on the Way without him, and help God bring about God's kingdom on earth, right here and right now.

Here, at the end of his ministry, Jesus declared that he had finished all the work that God had given him to do. He had brought good news to the poor, set the imprisoned free; he had given sight to the blind and proclaimed the love and favor of God to all whom he saw.

But he couldn't just do that once; he had to do it once and forever.

Because unless the love and favor of God continues to be proclaimed around the world forever, then he really wasn't finished.  Unless his message of redemption and love lived beyond himself, his job was not complete.

This is where we, the followers of Jesus Christ, come in; he entrusted us to continue his ministry. As children of God, washed in the waters of baptism and nourished by Christ's body and blood, our Lord invited us to continue his work in the world. 

But our work and our efforts mean nothing without Christ. He is the one who lived—and died—for us all. It is his saving work was completed on the cross, so that we might live in the fullness of life that God intends for us. Through Christ, God's work of bringing about the kingdom of God is perpetually accomplished.

On that first Good Friday, as he was dying on the cross, Jesus was finally able to gaze down on the world he came to save. He saw the people he loved, and those who loved him. He saw the seekers and believers; and he saw the ones who would never understand. He looked out and finally understood the profound way that he accomplished all that he had set out to do. He lived and he died so that our lives would have meaning forever.

In victory he cried out, “It is finished!”