DAY THIRTY-TWO -- It is Finished
Blessed Redeemer, precious Redeemer, seems now I see Him on Calvary’s tree. —Avis B. Christiansen
Reflect
Spend some time as you begin today just being silent, stilling all the sounds within and without. Breathe in His great love and breathe out your own self-centeredness. Breathe in His commitment to you, and breathe out your own commitments to things with no eternal value. Ask God to purify your heart. Read or sing the words to the following hymn, contemplating the depth of each phrase:
Beneath the Cross of Jesus
Elizabeth Cecelia Clephane
Beneath the cross of Jesus I fain would take my stand—
The shadow of a mighty Rock Within a weary land;
A home within the wilderness, A rest upon the way,
From the burning of the noontide heat, and the burden of the day.
Upon that cross of Jesus mine eye at times can see
The very dying form of One who suffered there for me;
And from my smitten heart with tears two wonders I confess—
The wonders of redeeming love and my unworthiness.
I take, O cross, thy shadow for my abiding place;
I ask no other sunshine than the sunshine of His face;
Content to let the world go by, to know no gain nor loss,
My sinful self my only shame, my glory all the cross.
Read
When Jesus had received the sour wine, He said, “It is finished!” (John 19:30 NASB)
Every eye in the small crowd left at the cross is on Jesus. Death is imminent, and many are curious to see how He will go. Passersby who have stayed till the end still hope to get their money’s worth. Perhaps the would-be king will perform some last-minute miracle. The priests, anxious for Him to breathe His final breath, keep a detached vigil at His feet.
The thieves on either side of Christ have begun to thrash about, groaning loudly. But unlike most victims of crucifixion, Jesus does not fight the throes of death. Hanging there so still, it appears that perhaps He has passed on.
But then He moves. Gingerly He presses His bloody feet into the stipe once again. Lifting only a couple of inches, His eyes scan the vast horizon, then settle on those below. Forcing the air from His lungs, He sucks in as much breath as He can. Then, as if to announce to all that His time has come, Jesus cries out haltingly: “It . . . is. . . finished!”
What images flash across His memory as He utters these final words to humankind? Does His short span on earth now spin like a panorama of events through His mind? Visions of Peter throwing out his nets for the catch of a lifetime, then leaving it all behind to follow Him? Parents bringing their children to sit on His lap and be blessed? Adulterers, prostitutes, liars, and thieves coming to Him for restoration? Religious leaders hungry for spiritual truth, seeking Him out in the middle of the night? The blind seeing, the lame leaping, the demonized delivered and even dead men walking?
Does He recall the dozens of prophecies concerning Him, rejoicing that every one is finally fulfilled? Can He hear His Father proclaiming once again, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well-pleased” (Matthew 3:17 NASB)?
It is finished. He speaks words replete with symbolism, and some standing here ponder the message. He could be saying so many things: It is accomplished . . . the debt is discharged . . . the plan has been executed . . . the task is complete. Even the soldiers stop and stare, turning the three words over in their minds.
Satan hears and gloats in tawdry triumph. He calls for the festivities to begin, believing he has won after all. Demons dance and toast each other, drinking to their own degradation. The Son of God will die like everyone else.
It is finished. Jesus wraps His dying words in an eternity of truth. By one man sin entered the world, bringing the condemnation of death to all. And now by one Man the gift of eternal life can be freely bestowed upon all those who believe.
It is finished. In His final seconds, as Jesus considers the world into which He came, perhaps one thought prevails. Soon He will have a people for His own possession, an inheritance to present to His Father, that they might see His beauty and live in the wonder of triune love, tasting at last the eternal joy for which humankind was made.
This has cost Him dearly, and many will never understand how much. But from the foundation of the world, the heart of the infinite I AM has waited for this moment when Jesus the Christ, dying a despicable death on a Roman cross, can proclaim, “It is finished.”
Respond
Stop for a moment, breathing in the sense of wonder that filled Christ as He saw His completed work. Consider all the days and nights that have led up to this—especially the last several hours. Contemplate the suffering that He endured. Hear Him speak to you, calling you by name: “It is finished. Your sins are forgiven, washed white as snow. Your debt is paid. You are free. I have redeemed you not with silver or gold, but with My precious blood. You are bought with this painful price. Now you will see My glory. I delight to give you My love. It is finished.”
Romans 8:31–32 says: “What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who is against us? He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him over for us all, how will He not also with Him freely give us all things?” (NASB). Think of these words in light of your understanding of Christ’s death on the cross. What new meaning do they have? Offer a prayer of worship and thanksgiving based on these verses.
A Prayer
O my Father, You are truly for me . . . for me. What in the world can I say to such a thought? You spared nothing—not even Your own precious Son—that I might know You and live in the circle of Your love for eternity. How can I ever doubt You? How can I ever question Your plans for me? You, who freely give me all things, have given me Yourself. What more could I ever need to satisfy this soul?
Reprinted by permission. Contemplating the Cross: a Forty Day Pilgrimage of Prayer, Tricia McCary Rhodes, 2004, Thomas Nelson, Inc., Nashville, Tennessee. All rights reserved. Copying or using this material without written permission from the publisher is strictly prohibited and in direct violation of copyright law.
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