THE HELMET, SWORD&SHIELD

"It is Finished!"

“After this, Jesus knowing that all things were now accomplished, that the scripture might be fulfilled, saith, I thirst...When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, he said, It is finished: and he bowed his head, and gave up the ghost."

John 19:28, 30

It is unquestionably true that the eternal work of spiritual redemption was fully completed by the Suffering Savior on the Cross of Calvary before the astonishing spectacle rapidly hastened to its ultimate closure.

This eternal surety was loudly, personally and powerfully declared by the Lord Jesus when He thunderously uttered the victoriously divine decree, “It is finished!” (John 19:30b)

Specially spotlighting the order of events that transpired in the aftermath of the His successful completion of the monumental task of spiritual atonement, John’s account definitively detailed: “After this, Jesus knowing that all things were now accomplished, that the scripture might be fulfilled, saith, I thirst.”

Now there was set a vessel full of vinegar: and they filled a spunge with vinegar, and put it upon hyssop, and put it to his mouth.“When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, he said, It is finished: and he bowed his head, and gave up the ghost.” John 19:27-30 (KJV)

Now expanding further upon the final act of the dismal of His spirit the narrative detail of Luke 23:46 added, “And when Jesus had cried with a loud voice, he said, Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit: and having said thus, he gave up the ghost.”

Matthew’s account also specifically remarked, “Jesus, when he had cried again with a loud voice, yielded up the ghost.” Matt 27:50 (KJV)

We should fully note here, that Christ was yet in full command of all that was happening to Him. There was no sense of debilitating helplessness and fearful resignation exhibited by the Son of God. But, on the contrary as Hebrews 12:2b amply described, “…who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame…”

Despite the gross and often blasphemous mischaracterizations shown in the humanly scripted cinema and television presentations made to theatrically dramatize the Crucifixion of Christ, we must always refer to the record of Holy Scripture to obtain the true facts about this enormously important matter.

Too, we must always keep in mind that the Lord Jesus personally and explicitly affirmed in John 10:18,”No man taketh it from me, but I lay it down of myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This commandment have I received of my Father.”

Hence, once more we emphasize His notably endearing proclamation cited in Luke 23:46b, “Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit: and having said thus, he gave up the ghost.”

Most assuredly, Christ triumphantly finished the critically important work of redemption that He was charged to accomplished then moved on into the next phase of the matter at hand, namely, His Glorious Resurrection.

Confirmation & Closure

In the closing words of Matthew’s account there are mentioned two highly significant, subsequent factual details that were respectively significantly pronounced, and physically experienced which affirmatively acknowledged the divine surety of the completion of Christ’s atoning work.

In verse 51 we read, “And, behold, the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom; and the earth did quake, and the rocks rent."

In this first cited detail we observe that the unseen hands of God immediately moved into the Jewish Temple and “rent” or ripped the “separating veil” in two pieces. This divine act wholly acknowledged the fact that the redemptive work of Christ was fully complete, and that access to Heaven was now opened to all who put their faith and trust in the person of His Beloved and Only Begotten Son.

There was no longer a need for this visibly physical symbol highlighting the fact that sinful humanity was “cutoff” from the privilege of eternal life. Through His “finished work,” the divine justice of the Law was completely satisfied to the point “that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.”

As Galatians 3:13-14 rightly explained, “Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree: That the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through Jesus Christ; that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.”

Secondly, the inspired narrator conveyed to us that in heralding and commemorating the wonderful accomplishment of His Son, the hands of God violently shook the earth (i.e. an earthquake) to the degree that “the rocks split.”

Highlighting the startling affect and terrifying impact the miraculously powerful spectacle of divine interjection had on the various groups in attendance at the Cross, the subsequent commentary detail of Matthew 27:54 reported: “Now when the centurion, and they that were with him, watching Jesus, saw the earthquake, and those things that were done, they feared greatly, saying, Truly this was the Son of God.”

Luke 23:47 also cited, “Now when the centurion saw what was done, he glorified God, saying, Certainly this was a righteous man.”

But alas, that was as far as they (we) could conclude for the moment. Our human limitations leaves us that this point; that is, at the point of death.

Everyone there were eye witnesses to the fact that “Jesus died of the Cross;” and the as far as they were concerned that was the end of the matter.

Actually, the prevailing sentiment of the crowd is reported to us in Luke 23:48 where we read, “And all the people that came together to that sight, beholding the things which were done, smote their breasts, and returned.”

Indeed, in their state of unbelief this was as far as they could have gone in the matter. But, in terms of our humanity, this fact was also equally true concerning those that had placed their faith and trust in Him.

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"It is Finished!"

“After this, Jesus knowing that all things were now accomplished, that the scripture might be fulfilled, saith, I thirst...When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, he said, It is finished: and he bowed his head, and gave up the ghost."

John 19:28, 30

Confirmation & Closure

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