Jesus' last words on the cross have echoed across the collective psyche of the church for thousands of years:
"IT IS FINISHED!" Have you ever wondered to yourself, "What is finished?" Though this phrase is catchy, I know many people would like some specifics. At least I know I did for a real long time. There are a number of ways to answer this: (1) It could be that he was talking about how his life on earth had expired, his body was broken, and his first appearance on the stage of the history as a man was over. Physically he was finished. This is true, but I think Jesus was discussing something deeper with this statement. (2) He came to obey his Father, he was sent to perform his will. After he fully and completely carried out his duty, he was finished. His Father's mission was accomplished. This also is true, but I believe there is one more important issue on the mind of Jesus when he said this. (3) Payment for our sin to satisfy the justice of God was utterly fulfilled. Every last drop of punishment and wrath that was meant for us was spent on Jesus. No more suffering to complete sin's payment was ever needed again; the cup of condemnation had been drunk down to the very bottom of the wine glass, it was finished. Justice was served. God's anger was exhausted. Peace was achieved. Any sapient person who grasps the reality of this last point should feel tremendous. Gratitude is a given. Jesus voluntarily paid for you! Hell, humiliation and separation from the life of God eternally is never to be feared again. Psalms 103:12 says, "As far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us." This is quite a statement. Try catching the west sometime. The more you drive west the more you find the west is just as far away as when you first began. I feel freedom. No longer do I have to perform to please God. He already is satisfied, he spent the totality of his anger on his Son, so he has nothing left for me but open arms. Even if I choose not to go to church on Sunday, put money in the offering, pray the rosary, take a pilgrimage to the Villa Della Rosa in Rome, watch Charleston Heston on the "Ten Commandments" for Easter, or I forget to wear my Sunday's best tie - - never again do I stand condemned. Romans 8:1 says, "There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus." Do you still condemn yourself during the day? There is a silly pop-psychology, catchy cultural phrase that drives me crazy when Christians use it: "You need to learn to forgive yourself." Why? Are you a greater judge than Jesus? He already forgave you! If you can't forgive yourself does that mean you have more of a right to hold yourself guilty then God the Father in heaven does? And if you say yes, you must be more just and righteous than he is? God is done condemning, his wrath was extinguished on the cross, so why aren't you done condemning? (And this goes for your non-forgiveness toward other people too. If Jesus forgave them, who are you to hold a grudge? Who died and made you God?) Well it all depends on whether or not God's anger was fully paid for? I think some people aren't quite sure if God is done condemning? I know people who claim to be Christian, but still really fear God because they never think they do enough to please him. They believe Jesus died, but they wonder if they need to help him out by continually doing more good things to stay on the good side of God? Is God really, and I mean really, satisfied with his Son's payment? I like to ask it like this: “Is there any verifiable proof I am no longer under the condemnation of a Holy God? Has God provided any concrete validation that his wrath has been satisfied by Jesus’ death? Or is that it - Jesus died - never to be heard from again?" In our own everyday world, if I pay for something, I usually am given a receipt to prove my payment has been accepted. When I buy admission to a play, movie or ball game, I am handed a ticket at the counter to show “proof of sale.” Even when I applied for college at the University of Dayton, I was sent a formal notification from the President that I was accepted. Is there anything tangible like a receipt, ticket or letter, something I can touch or see, that proves Jesus’ payment was enough? I love what one writer says about the person of God, “While man preaches with words, God preaches with acts and deeds.” If that is true, what action or deed has he performed to shout to the world that the cross totally satisfied the anger of God? Well, there is something, it is rather strange. The deed that God displayed still makes no sense to me... Just listen to how Mark's gospel describes it: "As the women entered the tomb, they saw a young man dressed in a white robe sitting on the right side, and they were alarmed. 'Don't be alarmed,' he said. 'You are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who was crucified. He is risen!'" Absurd...but I believe it with all of my soul. Truth is, Christianity stands or falls on this one simple claim. The resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead is God's proof of purchase, it is our anchor for the soul. When it comes to paying for sin, the resurrection proves "It is Finished!" Paul says this, and listen close, "If Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith...if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins." (1 Corinthians 15:14 & 17) Do you believe this logical absurdity? If the answer is no, then how do you know your sins are actually considered fully paid for by God? Are you willing to enter eternity without a ticket? I don't recommend it.
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