Stories by Firefly! : It is Finished

wow, those clouds...

Now from the sixth hour there was darkness over all the land unto the ninth hour.

And about the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani? that is to say, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?

Now when the centurion, and they that were with him, watching Jesus, saw the earthquake, and those things that were done, they feared greatly, saying, Truly this was the Son of God.

// matthew 27:45-46, 54

When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, he said, It is finished: and he bowed his head, and gave up the ghost.

// john 19:30

It is finished...

As many of you know, I'm a student of American Sign Language pursing an education in interpreting. While ASL and English are essentially the same written language, the grammar, sentence structure, and sign/word definitions of ASL are vastly different than that of English.

The sign for finish/finished, for example, is very definite, final, and emphatic. It's not used to mean something that might be done soon, or will probably happen, or to exclaim that you're finished with someone in a non-literal sense.

It means it is done, in full, totally. Finished. Definitely. For certain. In the past. It means completion. It means finality.

On that day at Calvary as our Lord breathed His last, he cried out, "It is finished." Three simple words, yet a phrase so brimming with meaning and underlying truth.

It is finished. Forever and always, it's done. Taken care of. Over with. Completed. Never to have to be worried about or thought of again.

It is finished, Jesus cried, and every since, I'm satisfied...

Satisfied. Satisfied by the heart of the One who fulfilled the sin debt we had no hope of ever repaying. He cleared our charges, he eases our hurting hearts, he brings love and peace and contentment—and asks only our love and faith and allegiance in return.

This Man. This Son of God. This Passover Lamb.

He is the Finisher. He is enough.

And He is good.