Seven Last Words of Christ: It is finished (John 19:30).
Jesus was a young man, probably only about thirty-three years old. But he knew that he had but a short window of time in which to work.
The Bible says he was only thirty when he began his ministry, and he accomplished everything he needed to do in less than four years. Then he was through with the earthly part of his ministry.
Now he moved on to greater things.
When he hung on the cross, he recognized that he was through, that there was no more to be done. He had lived his life sinlessly, he had taught, he had mentored his apostles and many of his other disciples so that they could carry on his work. He had done everything he could do and everything he was supposed to do.
Ephesians says that all this had been planned from before the foundation of the world, that God had planned this long before the world was even created. He knew humanity would sin and fall from the perfection he gave them. He knew they would be trapped in sin with no way out. He knew that despair would set in and that everybody would know that there was nothing they could do.
And rather than let them sit there in their sins with a long list of things they had to do but were incapable of accomplishing, he would do something about it. He would give them release from their failure. He would redeem them from their sin.
He had gone through all the things in the last few days that he knew were coming. He had his fake trial and was condemned for nothing. He was hanging and dying.
There was nothing else to do now except to be through.
He wanted to be through. He was separated from God, he was in pain, he was alone on a level he had never been before in his whole existence. He was just through.
So as he drank the little bit of sour wine they gave him – a surprising act of mercy from a soldier – he said loudly, so that his voice would ring through the underworld as well as this world “It is finished.” I am through. I have done everything I came to do and I am tired and ready to be through.
It is finished.
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