Finished

Famous last words. Although that phrase in modern times has become an idiom to refer to an ironic comment that proves to be incorrect, it can also simply refer to the final words spoken before a person dies. Many lists of the last words of famous people have been compiled but perhaps, in evangelical circles, none are more famous than the phrase, “It is finished.”

These are the powerful last words of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, before He committed his spirit into the Father’s hands. But what did Christ mean when he said this, and why is this short phrase impactful on so many levels?

First, Jesus’ sacrifice and death on the cross fulfilled the law. Jesus said, “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them” (Matthew 5:17). All of the prophecies, symbols, and foreshadows of the coming Messiah in the Old Testament are fulfilled in Christ. The Law, God’s holy standard, was perfectly upheld and all of its requirements were carried out in perfect obedience by Jesus. He fulfills all of Scripture. even dating back to the earliest prophecy about Himself where He was foretold to crush (bruise) Satan’s (the serpent’s) head (Genesis 3:15). Not one jot or tittle, iota or dot, was left unfulfilled.   

Second, Jesus perfectly submitted to the Father’s will and bore the full punishment for sin – God’s divine wrath. A clear picture of this is seen when Jesus says in the garden of Gethsemane, “My soul is very sorrowful, even to death… My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will.” (Matthew 26:38-39). Christ was crucified and died on the cross as a propitiation for our sins, meaning that His sacrifice appeased and satisfied God’s wrath that was originally meant for us.

Third, Jesus saved sinners. His work on earth was to seek and save the lost (Luke 19:10). He came to provide atonement for the sins of all who would ever believe in Him and to reconcile sinful men to God. Christ finished this work through His sacrifice on the cross, which is why when he said, “It is finished,” the temple veil was torn in two from the top to bottom to signify the end of the Old Testament sacrificial system. His last words speak to the absolute finality of his perfect sacrifice for sin. The penalty for our sin was paid in full. 

This is what Christians understand to be the very essence of the Gospel since Jesus established the church and commissioned the apostles to bring this good news to the ends of the earth. We are to continue in this teaching with the confidence that there is no irony or falsehood in Christ’s famous last words. His words are true, and His Word is Truth.