What Did Jesus Mean by "It Is Finished"?

The final words before the death of anyone matter, but the final words of the Son of God as He perished on the Cross were the only ones that would literally change the course of history for all of time.

As Jesus hung on the cross, as His body withered at the crucifixion He had just endured, He mustered the strength to make the statement, “tetelestai” or, “it is finished.”

What was finished as He drew those final breaths before death? We know that three days later He rises, but what did Jesus mean was done?

What Happened Before Good Friday?

Looking back, it is clear to see the events of Holy Week and how they unfolded specifically in a certain order to fulfill the mission Jesus came to Earth to do.

On Palm Sunday Jesus rode in triumphantly as crowds praised Him as Hosanna, or “Savior” in Hebrew. The Pharisees along with other religious officials plotted against Christ in the days to come, swaying His own disciple, Judas, to betray Him.

Yet despite their secrecy, Jesus knew all along what was occurring. That Thursday He brought His disciples together for the Last Supper in which He metaphorically symbolized what would occur the following day by the breaking of the bread, His body, and the pouring of the wine, His blood.

After the meal, He journeyed to the Garden of Gethsemane, which poetically translated to the ‘place of oil pressing,’ to ask God if there could be any other way. He knew the answer, but in those moments of vulnerability, it is clear that He would literally feel entirely every lash, every slur, and every aspect of what would be done to Him the next day.

As Thursday turned to Friday all would then progress until truly it was finished. 

The Events of Good Friday 

It was from the Garden of Gethsemane that Jesus was arrested and handed over into custody. He was then taken before the High Priests for questioning, and onward to Pilate, the Roman Governor.

Pilate left His sentence up to the crowds, and they called for Crucifixion. This would entail the next several hours to be filled with flogging, lashing, beating, and forcing Him to carry the very cross He was to be nailed to up to Golgotha.

Although it is heart-wrenching and graphic to imagine this scene, it is imperative in order for us to truly understand what He was taking upon Himself that day for us.

The soldiers then pierced His hands and feet to nail Him to the cross and there for hours He hung. John 19:28 shares how upon the cross He remarked that He was thirsty, so they soaked a sponge with vinegar and raised it to give to Him. He then bowed His head, uttering, “it is finished” and with that His Spirit left His body and He was dead.

We must consider these events along with what those words truly meant.

What Does “It is Finished” Mean to Hebrews

To the Hebrew people, “tetelestai,” or, “it is finished” had a very ceremonial meaning.

In the Jewish culture, each year the Day of Atonement would come to serve as a day of special sacrifice for the sins of the people of Israel. The priest would kill an animal to sacrifice and emerge to the crowd to announce, “it is finished” in Hebrew.

Symbolically the sins of the people were placed upon the lamb. When Jesus, the Son of God, died on the cross He took on our sins and took the place of sacrifice.

No longer would it be required to yearly atone for sins through the sacrifice of a lamb, for Jesus atoned for our sins that day upon the cross. It is also chief to recognize that the lambs used for sacrifice before were imperfect and they did not last. The sacrifice Jesus gave in becoming the spotless lamb without flaw in sacrificing Himself was not for just a time, but for all of time.

Tetelestai also would be commonly used to express that a debt had been paid in full. This phrasing by Jesus held a multitude of meanings in not only showing that the sin was atoned for, but that the debt is paid in full by His blood. When we consider the many facets of this phrasing we see just how impactful those words were.

What Is Finished?

Through the sacrifice of Himself that day over three-hundred prophesies throughout the Old Testament were fulfilled.

The first sin of Adam and Eve and all of the sins committed since then were dealt with by Jesus. Not only did Jesus take away the sin, but He finished it, He conquered it, it is done because of the blood of the spotless lamb being spilled for us.

Sacrifices given in temples were no longer needed, for Jesus took upon Himself the ultimate sacrifice.

Lastly, the division between God and man was finished. It is said that after He died the curtain in the temple was torn in two (Mark 15:38). The significance of this is what the curtain was the physical representation between the holiest of holies and man.

Only a descendant of Aaron could pass through the curtain on the Day of Atonement to sprinkle the blood on the sacrifice, for because of our sin we could not stand in the presence of God. When the curtain was torn it signified that we can now go before God because Jesus atoned for that sin.

Through Him the work is finished forevermore.

What This Means Today

For us today and for generations to come after us this means that because of the work finished on the Cross Jesus has provided the solution to man’s sin and the way to God Himself (John 14:6, Acts 4:12).

Sin still exists and not one of us is beyond sin, but sin does not have a hold on us any longer. Through taking our sin before the Lord Jesus we can be washed clean, forgiven, and granted access before God the Father Himself. We are no longer bound by the chains sin seeks to impose upon us.

Because of the work finished on the cross when we believe in Jesus as Savior we are not only forgiven of sin, but we can be granted eternal life when this temporary life on Earth ceases (John 3:16). Lastly, we can live without condemnation because of the work on the cross when we fall short.

Romans 8:1-4 expresses how because of our union in Christ we are not subject to condemnation, rather, we are given grace by God because of the work Jesus did that Good Friday. What a weighty and eternal gift unto us that we can abide in the freedom of knowing we are not held captive to our shortcomings.

A Call to Finish Our Race

The work accomplished on the Cross did conquer and finish sin once and for all, but it does not mean we should go on sinning. Consider how Jesus called to the adulteress woman to go and sin no more.

The beauty of grace however is that it makes life not fair. The punishment we deserve is wiped clean because of Christ.

When we confess our sins to Jesus He is faithful to forgive us and to restore our fellowship and relationship to Him (1 John 1:9). Yet the work of the Cross is a call to us to stand in gratitude and worship the One without sin Who humbled Himself as a man, all to take on our debts.

Let us finish the race of our own lives with this in mind, with the great gift of truly being saved, of salvation, through Christ. For in Him, it is completely and forever finished.

Photo Credit: ©Unsplash/Alicia Quan

Cally Logan is an author and US History teacher from Richmond, Virginia. Her works have been featured on "The 700 Club Interactive," “Jesus Calling Blog,” and “Coffee and Bible Time,” among several notable outlets. She served as a mentor for young women for several years and enjoys challenging women to develop deeper relationships with God and to live fearlessly and authentically. She received her B.A. Degree from Regent University. In her spare time, she enjoys spending time in nature, having genuine chats over coffee, and woodworking. Her new book, The Wallflower That Bloomed, is available everywhere now. Connect with Cally: @CallyLogan Instagram CallyLogan.com