Finished
And that is what the soldiers did.
Meanwhile, standing near the cross of Jesus were his mother, and
his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and
Mary Magdalene. When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple whom he loved
standing beside her, he said to his mother, “Woman, here is your son.” Then he
said to the disciple, “Here is your mother.” And from that hour the disciple
took her into his own home.
After this, when Jesus knew that all was now finished, he said
(in order to fulfill the scripture), “I am thirsty.” A jar full of sour wine
was standing there. So they put a sponge full of the wine on a branch of hyssop
and held it to his mouth. When Jesus had received the wine, he said, “It is
finished.” Then he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.
John 19:25-30
So many of our hopes and dreams remain
unfilled. We have
aspirations that we will never be able to fulfill. But what a
blessing to know that the work of our redemption was totally and perfectly
accomplished by Jesus on the cross.
The last words of Jesus announced to the world that not only had
His suffering come to an end but also His redemptive work was eternally
accomplished. All that He had come to achieve in His human life was finished.
Done!
We can do nothing to add to His sacrifice. Christ’s self-giving
death was all-sufficient. We stretch out the empty hand of faith, and God in
grace puts into it the gift of eternal life.
Have you stretched out your hand of
faith to receive this gift?
Christ’s sacrifice was what God desired
and what our sin required.
Our Daily Bread –