All is Complete

John 19:30

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Our devotion today is taken from the 19th chapter of St John and then verse 30. And this is during Jesus crucifixion. John writes

When he had received the drink, Jesus said, “It is finished.” With that, he bowed his head and gave up his life. (John 19:30)

It’s interesting when we hear the words “it is finished.” We might think that Jesus is here talking about the ordeal he’s going through, this long process of being crucified now is coming to an end. As we hear in that verse he bowed his head and gives up his life.

But the Greek word there for it is finished is a very interesting word. (τετέλεσται) It’s a word that doesn’t mean that something is done, it rather is a word that means that everything has been completed to accomplish something.

Have you ever seen a glass of water that is so full of water that it actually looks like it’s coming over the edges of the glass. Sometimes if you had something so filled up let’s say with water there’s a scientific principle that for some reason it almost looks like it’s bubbling over the top of the glass. To such an extent that let’s say that you put in one more eyedropper full of water into that glass and it would cause a drop to go over the side.

Use that as a picture if you will of what Jesus is saying about his death. He’s describing the work of paying for our sins and paying for our entrance into heaven. He is saying “it is finished” not the fact that the work is done. But what he’s saying is that everything is now completely accomplished to pay for your entrance into heaven.

Sometimes people are afraid that maybe there’s still something left that needs to be done. Maybe there’s something I have to help with. I remember years ago talking to a man in a hospital who’d been a devout Christian his whole life. But he was afraid now of dying because he thought maybe there’s still something left that is unfinished.

And that’s why this word from our Lord’s mouth right before he dies is so wonderful to hear. Everything that God demanded of him to pay for your entrance into heaven has been completely satisfied so that even if you or I tried to put in one more drop of something we had to do it couldn’t take it because it is completely done and it is finished. God wants us to rest in that grace and in the knowledge that all has been accomplished. All he asks is that we simply believe that and embrace it. Amen.