Take heart in the meaning of Jesus' last words
"It is finished."
- John 19:30 (NIV)
It was a dark and dismal day in history. For in Jerusalem, many curious spectators stood at the foot of the cross and watched as Jesus Christ suffered a painful death by crucifixion.
After hours of intense suffering, in his exhausted state, Jesus managed to utter three little words, "It is finished."
As his mother Mary grievously watched over the loss of her beloved son, she may have pondered those three words to mean the ending of a loving relationship between herself and him.
Teardrops may have fallen from the cheeks of the disciples as they thought about the ending of a special relationship between them and their friend and teacher.
Bystanders, in their indifference, may have figured they were merely the words of a dying man whose suffering was about to end.
However, no one but God knew that short sentence meant the ultimate purpose on this earth was completed; mankind was now restored to his right standing with God. Jesus took the place of punishment for all man's sin.
The first sin mankind committed in the Garden of Eden by Adam and Eve damaged the trusting relationship between man and God. It would take a perfect sacrifice for the relationship to be made right again.
Humans are not perfect. So God, in his mercy, set up a plan for his Son to die on the cross for the penalty of mankind's sin. Now, when we reach out with sorrowful, yet grateful, hearts and tell God we freely receive his heavenly gift to us, we are instantly forgiven our sins and God views us as right with him.
We receive the promise of eternal life in heaven with God. We can also have an abundant life here on earth.
This means on any given day, when our souls are burdened with the weight of our sins and mistakes or the sorrows and cares of this world, we can go to God and receive forgiveness and help.
As we believe this to be true, we can walk away from our prayer feeling lighter in our souls and know in our hearts that whatever sinful burden we are carrying is gone forever in Jesus's sacrifice for us.
That's what those precious last words, "It is finished," mean to us. Now that's worth celebrating.
• Annettee Budzban is a Christian author, speaker, life coach and nurse. You can contact her at annetteebudzban@aol.com or (847) 543-8413. Annettee is available to speak at your church group or business, or as your personal life coach. Visit www.annetteebudzban.com.