"It is finished" [Good Friday reflection]

“It is finished.” It’s Good Friday and today we want to reflect on the sixth word of Jesus from the Cross, “it is finished.” Just after Jesus had said “I thirst” and a wine on a sponge was given to Him, John 19:30 reads, “when Jesus had taken the wine, He said ‘it is finished,’ and bowing His head He handed over the spirit.”

I have a memory from my childhood of going to the grocery store with my mom. Whenever she bought an item that was too big for a bag, for example a watermelon, the cashier put this little orange sticker on the watermelon and it said “paid”, P-A-I-D, paid. I thought about that little orange sticker today when I was reflecting on Jesus' words “it is finished.” 

I don't think these words from the cross were just a sigh of relief, that the excruciating pain of the day was over. That’s just another way of saying, “finally, glad that's over with.” But it was more of an exhale of joy, knowing that His mission was completed successfully. A contentment, a relief that the hope of God the Father, since the fall of man, to be totally and perfectly reconciled with us His children, to destroy the power of sin and death through a perfect offering for the sins of the world, is now fulfilled. A sigh that says “paid.”

My encouragement this Good Friday, let's let Jesus be our Savior today. Let's let Jesus be our Savior today. Let's bring our sin to him and hear Him say to us, “it is finished.” That sin, that one’s paid for.

What I mean by that is it’s so easy, at least for me, to try and pay the Lord back for my sins by myself. I so often think that I can make myself perfect. I so often hold on to the guilt of my sin, even after having repented of it to the Lord. I hold on to the guilt of my sin, and I hold it out to the Lord saying, “no, no remember I did this. I'm not worthy. I can make it up to you, I can pay you back for that.” That's me just trying to save myself. What He wants me to hear every time I ask for His forgiveness is “it is finished.” That sin, that one's paid for. 

So this Good Friday, let's let Jesus be our Savior. Not try and pay for what He’s already paid for. Let’s accept His forgiveness in a new way today, so that in a couple more days, we can know the joy of His Resurrection. God bless.