Creator, Father, King #239

When Jesus had received the sour wine, he said, “It is finished,” and he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.

ON SEPTEMBER 16, 2018, Eliud Kipchoge made history. The Kenyan distance runner won the famed Berlin Marathon in 2 hours, 1 minute, 39 seconds, smashing the previous world record.

Kipchoge’s time also topped the reigning Olympic record at the time—fellow Kenyan Samuel Kamau Wanjiru’s mark of 2:06:32 at the 2008 Summer Games.

Those times are blisteringly fast compared to the winning mark of Spyridon Louis at the first modern-day Olympics, the 1896 Summer Games in Athens. Louis, a Greek native, won the event in 2:58:50, a sluggish time by current standards.

Finishing first in any marathon is quite an accomplishment. Setting an Olympic or world record is historic.

On Calvary, Jesus crossed his own finish line. But his experience was not a footrace. Rather, it was a marathon of indescribable physical, mental, and spiritual suffering as he bore the weight of God’s wrath for humanity’s sins. Finally, after six grueling hours on the bloody cross, he let out an anguished cry, “It is finished!”

Then the Son of God gave up his spirit and died.

What’s It Mean?

It is finished.

These are three of the most beautiful words in Scripture. They speak to the glorious finality of the Savior’s mission. With his death (and imminent resurrection), Jesus had accomplished everything that the Father, Son, and Spirit had planned in eternity past for the salvation of God’s chosen people.

Jesus took our sins and gave us his righteousness. He satisfied the Father’s holy wrath against humanity’s sin. He broke the power of sin, Satan, and the forces of evil. He purchased victory for us over death and eternal punishment.

Hebrews 10:11-12 describes the finished work of Christ beautifully: “Under the old covenant, the priest stands and ministers before the altar day after day, offering the same sacrifices again and again, which can never take away sins. But our High Priest offered himself to God as a single sacrifice for sins, good for all time.”

When the Son died, he declared, “It is finished,” and the Father accepted his atoning sacrifice by raising him from the dead (Acts 2:24).

It is finished indeed!

Now What?

Prayerfully meditate on the following verses: Hebrews 7:27; 9:12; and 9:26.

Did You Know?

Marathon races owe their official length, 26.2 miles, to the approximate distance between the Greek cities of Marathon and Athens, which, according to legend, an ancient messenger named Pheidippides ran to herald a Greek victory over the Persians after the Battle of Marathon in 490 BC, then died from exhaustion.