Let’s pray:
Lord Jesus Christ,
as we survey your wondrous cross,
may we see your glory,
and give you our souls, our lives, our all. Amen.
You put down your pen, after writing for the two hours of the exam, and you’re satisfied you have done your best.
You have seen your final client of the day, and you’re done.
You’ve applied the last coat of paint to the fence, and you are glad to see the job all done.
You’ve been working hard for years, and the final payment on your mortgage has gone through, and you check the balance - nothing more to pay.
You’ve clocked off for the Easter holidays and, for a few days at least, you’ll not be thinking about work.
In lots of different ways, you will have experienced the satisfaction of a job well done. You know what it is to have worked hard, and to be able to bring closure to a project, or a case, or a job. The work is completed. It is finished.
This is what Jesus is saying in this word from the cross. All week we have been listening in to the cross words of Jesus. Hearing about the cost of the cross - My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Hearing about the forgiveness available - Father, forgive them. Hearing about the trust of Jesus in his faithful Father - Into your hands I commit my spirit. Hearing about the compassion of Jesus - Here is your son; here is your mother. Hearing about the assurance of the promise - Today you will be with me in paradise. And tonight we hear him say that all his saving work; the work of rescue he came to do, has now been completed. It is finished.
Jesus lived the perfect life of full obedience to the Father. He was tempted as we are, yet did not sin neither in thought, nor word, nor deed. He was entirely innocent. The spotless Lamb who was slain. Yet he did it to take away our sins; to bear our burden; to cleanse us; and restore us; to clothe us in his perfect righteousness. And that work of dealing with our sin has been finished on the cross.
My great-uncle Joe used to work in a car showroom and garage. I would have visited his work a few times if he was taking me for dinner with him and his wife Rebecca. When I was there at the garage, I saw two things that fascinated me. One was the vacuum tube system they had - a wee cylinder would be loaded into the tube, and push a button, and whoosh! it would fly off up the tube. Money going to the safe, or whatever it was. This was amazing!
The other thing that always fascinated me was on the main desk. I wasn’t allowed near it, though. On the desk was a spike, sticking up, like a nail. And caught on the spike were bits of paper. I couldn’t work out what it was for. So Joe explained that the bits of paper were invoices that had been paid for. Paid in full.
When Jesus says ‘It is finished’ there’s the sense of a job well done, finished and completed. But where we have the three English words, It is finished, in the Greek there’s just one - tetelestai. It’s a word with commercial associations. It’s the word that meant paid in full - just like those invoices in Tinsley’s garage. Our sins are on the nail, as Jesus bore our sins in his body on the cross.
The other week, we were getting my car washed. And we happened to notice someone we knew in the car behind. So we decided to surprise them. When our car was washed, we paid for our car, and for the car behind. We didn’t get to stick around to see the driver’s reaction when they were told the good news. But they didn’t have to pay, because their bill had already been paid in full.
And that’s what Jesus has done for us. Your sins, past, present and future have all been paid for. Paid in full. You cannot work for your own salvation; you can’t pay off your own salvation. You receive it as a gift, when you trust that Jesus has died in your place, and paid for your sin, and has finished all that is necessary for you to share in his eternal glory.
The Law of the old covenant says ‘Do…’. It gave laws to obey, but none of us ever could. We all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. The Law said ‘Do…’ but Jesus says ‘Done.’ It makes all the difference.
Better than the end of an exam; better than the end of the work day; better than getting a job done; better than paying off your mortgage; better than a few days holiday - The cross work of Jesus is completed. His work is done, on our behalf. Your debt of sin has been paid in full. So are you trusting in Jesus?
He says: It is finished.
Let’s pray:
Lord Jesus Christ,
you gave yourself for us,
to deal with our sins,
and complete your saving work.
May we know that you have paid in full;
that your work is finished.
So may we glory in the cross,
and in you, our glorious Saviour. Amen.
(This was my epilogue at our Good Friday service in St Matthew's Richhill on 18th April 2025.)
