“IT IS FINISHED” – THE WORD THAT BRINGS REST
Prayer: Lord Jesus, on the cross You cried out: “It is finished!”: We thank You that You completed the work which Your Father gave You to do. Grant that we may with our whole heart believe this and that we may never rely on any work or merit of our own, but always trust in Your finished work on Calvary, You who live and reign with the Father and the Holy Spirit, one true God, now and forever. Amen. (from The Lutheran Liturgy, companion altar book for TLH)
The Text, St. Luke 1:30-33, St. John 19:30. Then the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a Son, and shall call His name Jesus. He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Highest; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David. And He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of His kingdom there will be no end.” … So when Jesus had received the sour wine, He said, “It is finished!” And bowing His head, [Jesus] gave up His spirit.
Lord, this is Your Word and these are Your words. Sanctify us by the truth. Your Word is truth. Amen.
Dear fellow redeemed in Christ, who became Man, suffered and died for you:
A few weeks ago we heard Jesus’ word from the cross when He gave His mother Mary into the keeping of His disciple John. We’re thinking about her again tonight – and remembering she probably was still standing by the cross when He said, “It is finished!” – because although we’re late in the season of Lent, today is March 25, nine months before we celebrate the birth of Jesus.
So today is the Annunciation, named for the angel’s announcement that she was conceiving the Son of God in her womb yet would remain a virgin. This meant her Son would be God as well as Man, since He received His humanity from her but not the sin. He was conceived being holy, not sinful.
So tonight we think of God taking on human flesh to receive a human body. We also hear how that flesh was nailed to the cross 34 years later, He died and was buried. We hear the very beginning of His mission – His life in the womb – and the end of it when He says: “It is finished!”
This is the sixth of the seven recorded statements of Jesus from the cross and it’s the word we’ve been waiting for: “It is finished!” The word “finished” puts in mind the question of how it started.
The Annunciation is how it started. The angel Gabriel told Mary: “You will conceive in your womb and bring forth a Son.” When she asked how it could be, the angel said: “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the Power of the Highest will overshadow you,” and when Joseph doubted how Mary could be pregnant without a man, the same angel told him: “that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit” (Mt 1:20).
This is about how Jesus was “conceived by the Holy Spirit,” as we say in the creed. While Jesus received His human nature from Mary, the fact that He had no human father but the Holy Spirit conceived Him meant that unlike all other humans He did not receive a sinful nature. He was still true God, but fully God and fully man. This is vital for our salvation.
However, there was pain, both physical and spiritual pain. We think first of Mary’s pain in childbirth. But added to this for her was the burden of being the mother of the world’s Savior. Simeon told her: “This Child is destined for the fall and rising of many in Israel, and for a sign which will be spoken against; yes, a sword will pierce through your own soul also.”
A major part of her pain was His pain. When we hear that “the Word became flesh and dwelt among us” (Jn 1:14), we learn that He came to share this human flesh that can be disappointed, hurt and wounded. He was hurt and wounded, He came to His own and His own rejected Him. Who could understand Him or give Him true sympathy? Nobody could say to Jesus: “I know how You feel.” Not even Mary. But He came to suffer that. He came, not for others to know how He feels, but so He knows how you feel.
He came to share in the full experience of our humanity, except for actually sinning. He needed to not sin in order to save us. The Bible says He remained “without sin” (Heb 4:15), but in the same verse it says He was “in all points tempted as we are.” However you’re tempted, every way you sin, He came to be tempted that way but kept from sinning.
This was a hard road. It was a grind. It was a heavy burden. Not only did Jesus carry everyone’s sins but He had to be without sin in every way, in order to suffer an innocent death and in order to have a righteousness that would be acceptable to God, which He could give to us in exchange.
Just to get an idea of this, think of what a grind it is for you in life. How you are under constant attack from the devil. How he never lets up. How he knows your weak spots and attacks them. How you try your best and fail, and how hard it is to live with that. How you’re tired of the struggle to deny yourself, to resist the world and its temptations, to fight your flesh and to fight desires, to keep up your spirits and conquer sadness, self-pity and the temptation to give up. How it’s not only when you’re attentive to all this but when you let down your guard, that Satan catches you in pride or envy or lust. And finally, how God in His Law demands that you have no failures, no sins, no excuses, but only perfect righteousness.
That’s just you. Jesus was carrying this for everyone, and Satan let loose all the demonic powers against Him. It’s true that Jesus was and is fully God, but in the days of His flesh He faced these assaults in the weakness of His human flesh. It was exhausting. Now He says, “It is finished!”
This human side makes us think of Mary again. She’s here in this scene, but not to worship her. Only Jesus, with the Father and the Spirit as the only true God, is to be worshipped and prayed to. Mary was a sinner, she needed a Savior. She said in her Magnificat, “my spirit rejoices in God my Savior.”
It’s our loved ones who feel the burdens we carry; it was no different for Jesus. Mary being here at His death shows another human side of Jesus’ death. A mother’s love is a persistent love. She was probably still with John at the cross. Many great works of art show Mary holding her Son on her lap as He was taken from the cross. Just as she may have said, at His birth, “Give me my Son into my arms,” as He was taken down from the cross she again may have said, “Give me my Son into my arms” (D. Sayers, The Man Born to Be King, plays 1 & 11).
Doesn’t this 6th word from the cross, “It is finished!” bring needed rest? But it isn’t about Jesus’ own need for rest. It’s for you!
These words bring rest in two ways. The first way is to see your heavy load being taken away from you so you don’t have to carry it. These words, “It is finished!”, show all your sins going away. By saying “It is finished!” Jesus was saying He had made a full, complete payment of the penalty of sin, for everyone in the world. It’s as if Jesus looked out, saw the full punishment coming to everyone, and now He says: “I have completely paid that price and taken the full punishment.”When you hear “It is finished!” you should see your sins going away from you, completely. Your load is taken up by Jesus.
The second point is that this rest is not only to see your load going away, but there’s something He gives to you. The word “finished” here means: “all perfectly completed.” In the German Bible this word means: “it has been brought in full,” as in: “paid in full” – zero balance, nothing owed. This is what Jesus gives you. He isn’t just taking something away but giving you something. It’s like He gives you this certificate into your hands: “paid in full.”
This is the pillow to lay your head on. He gives you peace with God, and so peace in your conscience, peace with yourself – so every night you can go to sleep in peace. The Gospel says so. You need this when you can’t accept forgiveness, when it’s hard to look in the mirror or go to sleep at night, if you think your sin is too much for God to forgive. In that case you’ve made your sin stronger than Jesus’ death. You’re saying you’re a greater sinner than Christ is a Savior. Martin Luther said: “I do not want a pretend Savior; that is why I should not be surprised that I am a real true sinner. Get used to believing that Christ is a real Savior and that you are a real sinner.” (Law & Gospel 120)
When we see the full cost that Jesus paid, and hear Him say, “It is finished!” – that He paid it all – then like Mary your spirit can rejoice in God (Christ) your Savior. What is there that you owe, that needs to be done? Nothing. What’s there to live for? Everything! To live freely, with a free clear conscience. This is your pillow when you’re weary of struggling, it’s the quiet resting place for your burdened soul. Your sins, your debts to God, are all forgiven. You can be certain that God is happy with you, for Jesus’ sake. Listen to Jesus say: “It is finished!” and be at peace. Amen!