When Karl Marx was dying, he was asked if he had any final words. He replied, "Go on, get out! Last words are for fools who haven't said enough!" Not so with Jesus!
Jesus made 7 statements from the cross. The first three dealt with the needs of others. The next two related to His spiritual and physical suffering. The last two were made just before His death.
Christ's sixth statement addresses the completion of His work. We read, "When He had received the sour wine, Jesus said, It is finished!..." (John 19:30). The 3 words, "it is finished" in English is actually 1 word in Greek (transliterated tetelestai). A brief etymology reveals that this word was used commonly and in a variety of ways.
The word was used in a purchase. When money changed hands, it was finished, indicating that it was paid in full. 1 Corinthians 6:20 says that Christians are "bought with a price."
The word referred to a slave's performance. A slave, completing a task would say to his master, "it is finished". Incidentally, Jesus "took upon Himself the form of a servant" (Philippians 2:7).
Old Testament priests, after examining a sacrificial lamb and finding it suitable and pleasing, declared "it is finished". God showed His pleasure in the Lamb that He had provided saying, "This is my Son in whom I am well pleased..." (Matthew 3:17).
Artists employed the same word for their completed paintings. The artist, standing back and taking note that nothing needed to be removed or added to improve the painting, breathed a sigh of relief and satisfaction and declared, "it is finished!"
Merging these four together, we find that a purchase was completed, a task was performed, a perfect sacrifice was presented and a painting was completed. And it is picture-perfect because...it is finished.
Jesus' final statement is found in Luke 23:46. It says, "Jesus, calling out with a loud voice, said, 'Father, into your hands I commend my spirit!...' and after He said this He breathed his last." In Jesus' final statement, we see that communication is restored and so is confidence, because sin has been paid for and God's back is no longer turned from Him.
Jesus, is in control, in fact, He was never out of control. Earlier in His ministry Jesus stated that He had the power to lay down His life and the power to take it up again – now it was time to lay it down and He commended His life into the hands of God.
The last words of the Lord Jesus are not the ravings of a desperate dying man, but the potent promises of a risen Savior. What promises! What power! What a Savior!
Have a great Easter weekend!