Jesus knew that his mission was now finished, and to fulfill Scripture he said, “I am thirsty.” A jar of sour wine was sitting there, so they soaked a sponge in it, put it on a hyssop branch, and held it up to his lips. When Jesus had tasted it, he said, “It is finished!” Then he bowed his head and gave up his spirit. (NLT)
Words can acquire different meanings according to how we use them. Goodbye can be a fond farewell or an angry dismissal. That’s funny can be appreciation of a joke or an expression of bewilderment. We need to note the tone and the context to get the meaning right. Words on a printed page don’t always reveal their true meaning.
When Jesus died on the cross, one of his final words was “It is finished”. This could mean he was at the end of his tether, in pain and exhausted he simply gave up. Or it could mean he had given it his best shot and now in a gesture of pathetic defiance he admits defeat.
There is a better understanding. This was no whimpering expression of defeat; it was a cry of victory. He has done what he came to do. The victory has been won. It is not as if Good Friday is a day of despairing defeat and Easter Day is a day of triumphant victory. Gloom and doom followed by joy and delight.
Victory was won on the cross, and yet to all who were there it didn’t seem like it. It was a strange and shadowy victory. Easter Day was a public demonstration of the victory. It was God’s great tick of approval to what had happened a few days earlier. It was victory without the pain and ambiguity. Mission was accomplished on the cross and announced at the empty tomb.
Blessings
David
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