Imagine we have been transported back in time.
It’s 33 A.D., and we are in Israel. The Roman Empire is in control, and Roman soldiers are everywhere.
As we start to realize where we are, we recognize the Jewish temple. It’s almost the Passover.
We hear people talking about Jesus, the teacher and carpenter from Nazareth, who healed the sick, and many believe He is the promised Messiah. They are saying he will be crucified.
We follow the crowd. We find ourselves in front of a hill called Golgotha.
We see Jesus and two thieves on crosses.
Pilate had Jesus flogged. The Roman soldiers brutally beat him with a cat-of-nine tail. Then, the Roman soldiers mocked Jesus and placed a crown of thorns on His head. He was forced to carry His own cross. But he was too weak and not able to carry it. A bystander was forced to carry the cross for Him.
Due to the intense beating, Jesus is barely recognizable.
Pilate mocks Jesus by placing an inscription on the cross that says, “Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews.”
The crowd of Jews is watching. They are restless.
Fear abounds when darkness falls over the earth from the sixth hour (noon) until the ninth hour.
The end is near.
Jesus cries out in the darkness asking God the Father why He has been forsaken.
Seeing his mother, Jesus tells the Apostle John to take care of her as if she were his own mother.
Jesus asks the Father to forgive the people for they did not know what they have done.
“It is finished.”
The last words spoken by Jesus and recorded in John 19:30 . The three most powerful words found in the Bible.
When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, he said, “It is finished!” Then he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.
John 19:30
The veil in the temple was torn in two from top to bottom, and the earth quaked.
When Jesus said, “It is finished” the wait for redemption and for the defeat of sin ended. The promise given in Genesis 3:15 to Adam and Eve that one day, the son of a woman would crush the head of the serpent had finally been fulfilled.
But, the story doesn’t end at the cross with death. Three days later, Jesus rose from the dead.
The death and resurrection of Jesus are the completion of the promise in Genesis.
Jesus was the perfect sacrifice
In the Old Testament, sacrifices were required repeatedly for the forgiveness of sin. Jesus, who was God, would be the final sacrifice. He came to earth and became a man. He lived a sinless life. He was tempted and yet without sin.
Through the obedience of Jesus to death on the cross, we can have eternal life as He promised in John 11:25-26.
Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will still live, even if he dies. Whoever lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?”
John 11:25-26
Jesus was the perfect sacrifice. The blood of calves and lambs would no longer be required.
On the cross, Jesus bore the wrath of God for all our sins. The death of Jesus was the final atonement for sinners. No longer would God require more shedding of blood for the forgiveness of sin.
The gift of forgiveness
Through Jesus, we have the gift of forgiveness.
We are released from the guilt of our sins. If we place our faith in Jesus, we no longer have the penalty of sin.
Although broken by our sins, we are healed and given new life through Jesus.
The Powerful Truth
When Jesus said, “It is finished.” The work of redemption was complete.
Sin would no longer have a hold on us.
We can have right standing with God through the sacrifice of Jesus.
The requirement for the high priest to make animal sacrifices in the Old Testament was over. We can be fully restored to God. We are no longer separated from God by our sins. Jesus became our High Priest, securing our redemption with His own blood.
But Christ having come as a high priest of the coming good things, through the greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this creation, nor yet through the blood of goats and calves, but through his own blood, entered in once for all into the Holy Place, having obtained eternal redemption. [emphasis added]
Hebrews 9:11-12
Jesus gave us the Holy Spirit to live within us. In the Old Testament, God’s presence dwelt in the temple. In the New Covenant, God’s Spirit dwells within us. Some day in the future, God will dwell with us.
I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth have passed away, and the sea is no more. I saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared like a bride adorned for her husband. I heard a loud voice out of heaven saying, “Behold, God’s dwelling is with people; and he will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God.” [Emphasis added]
Revelation 21:1-3
Revelation 21 also says everything will be made new again.
The Resurrection Changes How We Live
The chains of sin and death no longer bind us. The resurrection of Jesus guarantees our victory over sin and gives us hope for eternal life. With Christ living in us, we are empowered to live a life of holiness and righteousness.
The finished work of Jesus on the cross also means that we can approach God with confidence and boldness. We no longer need to rely on priests or sacrifices to have access to God. Through Jesus, we have direct access to the Father, and we can boldly come before Him in prayer and worship.
We are also reminded the finished work of Jesus shows us the immense love and grace of God. Despite our sinfulness and rebellion, God sent His Son to die for us, taking our punishment upon Himself. This act of sacrificial love demonstrates God’s desire for reconciliation and restoration.
As believers, we are called to respond to the finished work of Jesus by living a life of gratitude and obedience. We are called to love God with all our heart, soul, and mind and to love our neighbors as ourselves. The transformed life that we live is a reflection of the work that Jesus has done in us.
Last, the resurrection of Jesus assures us that we have the promise of a future in heaven with Jesus.
When Jesus declared, “It is finished,” He proclaimed God’s plan for salvation was complete. Through His death and resurrection, sin was defeated, forgiveness was offered, and eternal life was made possible. As believers, we are called to embrace the truth that it is finished and to live in the freedom and victory that Jesus has provided for us.
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