It Is Finished

When Jesus was hanging on the cross, and after he had received the vinegar, he said, “τετέλεσται” – “It is finished.” But what does this mean? What, exactly, is finished? (Reflections on Good Friday)

On Good Friday, the excitement and triumph of Palm Sunday is squashed. Everything has, at this very moment, collapsed. The sun goes dark, the earth quakes, and the curtain in the temple is torn in two – revealing that God’s presence is no longer there.

Τετέλεσται – it is finished.

It’s hard to hear these words. But what do they mean?

Perhaps, it means Jesus’s ministry is finished. It’s over – done. In this sense, it’s a negative statement. What was, is no more. Christ’s life is over. The disciple’s time with their teacher is no more. No more preaching, no more parables, no more miracles.

Τετέλεσται – it is finished.

Perhaps, it means that God’s work of salvation is finished – completed. The God-Man has completed his task. Despite his distress in the Garden of Gethsemane, the Son was loyal to the Father – he followed through with his mission. Through betrayal, denial, judgment, the cross, and the nails, the temptation to flee did not come to pass. Jesus endured, and now his worked has been accomplished.

Τετέλεσται – it is finished.

But, perhaps, it means something more. Perhaps, this phrase ties together the beginning and the end: an indication of Christ being the Alpha and the Omega.

I suggest that Christ’s words on the cross mean that, finally, God’s “human project” is completed – finished. Finally, a human was born and died who not only bore God’s image but likeness as well. Finally, the task that was started with Adam and Eve has been fulfilled. Now, in this moment, creation has ended, God can rest, and the 8^th day can dawn.

Τετέλεσται – it is finished.

In the beginning, Genesis tells us that God created. This was done by the divine fiat: “Let it be.” “Let there be light,” and it was so. “Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters,” and it was so. “Let the waters under the heavens be gathered together into one place, and let the dry land appear,” and it was so. “Let the earth put forth vegetation, plants yielding seed,” and it was so. “Let there be lights in the firmament of the heavens to separate the day from the night,” and it was so. “Let the earth bring forth living creatures according to their kinds,” and it was so.

Each time, God says, “Let it be,” and after it was so, scripture tells us, “εἶδεν ὁ θεὸς ὅτι καλά” – and God saw that it was beautiful.

But, when it came time for God to create us, he does not say, “Let it be.” Instead, God says, “Let us make humankind in our image, according to our likeness.”

And, at no point, does God say he’s finished with this human “making.” Until the cross.

Τετέλεσται – it is finished.

Making is a project. It’s ongoing. It requires cooperation from us. We were made in God’s image, but we are required to grow to maturity, into the likeness of God. This is a synergy between us and God – working together to make true humanity. And God, as our loving Father, waited for us to grow up, so that he could declare this “making project” fulfilled.

Τετέλεσται – it is finished.

But we didn’t mature. We didn’t grow into God’s likeness. We turned inward and looked to ourselves. Like babies we cried, wanting to do it our way. Our pride led us to the fall. This sin led us into exile out of paradise. Now enslaved by death, we crumble away, becoming nothing more than dust. A far cry from the likeness of God.

It seems that, perhaps, the human project will have to be left uncompleted, and God won’t be able to say,

Τετέλεσται – it is finished.

But God’s love is bigger than our sins. God’s love is more powerful than death. And so, God sent his uniquely-begotten Son into the world so that everyone having faith in him might not perish, but have life in the Age to come.

This God-Man, Jesus, shows us what it truly means to be human, what it means to become the likeness of God. And, surprisingly, being human is not what we expected.

Being human is not a show of power. Being human is not about strength. Being human is not about being right. Being human is not about being rich with gold.  We have to become so much more before God can say,

Τετέλεσται – it is finished.

In Christ, we see the fullness of humanity. We see strength through weakness. We see riches through poverty. We see power through submission to enemies. We see truth in silence.

In Jesus, we see a God who showed himself to be the King by becoming a slave: completely emptying himself, not grasping equality with God. We see what it means to be God, through the way Jesus lived as a human.

All this irony comes to a pinnacle at Christ’s trial before Pilate. After being flogged, beaten, and mocked, Jesus stands before Pilate. Now, God can declare that a true human being has lived, one in the likeness of God. And, so, in a twist of irony, St. John puts God’s words into Pilate’s mouth. He declares the perfect human: “ἰδοὺ ὁ ἄνθρωπος” – behold the human: the true, completed, and finished human.

Finally, the human project has come to completion and humanity has obtained, in Christ, the likeness of God.

That project started at the genesis of time has come to an end. And so, scripture declares the “human project,”

Τετέλεσται – it is finished.