Bishop Eric Menees
“It is finished.”
This week we have come to
the penultimate of the Last Words of Jesus. “It is finished,” speaks volumes –
theologically, spiritually, and physically. Jesus utters these three words as
his life ebbs away. He’s endured so much pain, sorrow, and anguish that his
heart just cannot take it any more. St. John describes it simply this way: “When
Jesus had received the sour wine, he said, ‘It is finished,’
and he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.” (John 19:30)
Physically, Jesus’ body
could just take no more. I can’t begin to imagine what this could have been
like – no living soul could, I suppose. However, I recently read Unbroken,
the story of Louie Zamperini. In it he describes an experience in a Japanese
prisoner of war camp, where a particularly sadistic guard forced him to hold
aloft a heavy beam. He was told that if he dropped the board, he would be shot.
After a long period of time, with scores of other prisoners looking on, the
guard just walked away and Lt. Zamperini was able to drop the beam. The relief
that he must have known would have been an, “It is finished,” moment. The
physical and mental pain had ended – at least for the time being. When Jesus
uttered the words, “It is finished,” it was a factual statement – his last
breath proclaimed that he was done; spent; emptied.
Spiritually, Jesus’
statement proclaimed that he had completed his assignment on earth. Jesus was
the Word made flesh in order to bridge the gap - created by the Fall of Adam
and Eve, and experienced by everyone following - between God and mankind. “It
Is finished,” spiritually represented a sense of satisfaction – the only
begotten Son of God perfectly fulfilled the will of his Father. Jesus is the
only one to have experienced complete emptying and fulfillment at the very same
moment.
Theologically, Jesus’
statement speaks to the new reality that you and I are allowed to experience as
the Father’s adopted sons and daughters. “Finished” (in the Greek, tetelestai)
only occurs twice in the New Testament – both times it’s in chapter 19 of the
Gospel of John. The first use is in verse 28: “After this, Jesus, knowing
that all was now finished, (tetelestai) said (to fulfill the
Scripture), ‘I
thirst.’”
And, of course, the second
is in verse 30, quoted above. Biblical scholars tell us that tetelestai was
used in the first century with regards to having paid a bill – i.e. paid in
full! That is exactly what occurred - Jesus paid to the Father, in full, what
was and is owed on our part; namely, justice for sin. Jesus paid, with his own
flesh and blood, the price that we should pay. What more can be said beyond –
IT IS FINISHED!
I pray you all a truly
blessed Holy Week.
Catechism Questions 91 - 93
91. Why is the
Church called the Body of Christ?
The Church is called the Body of
Christ because all who belong to the Church are united to Christ as their Head
and source of life, and are united to one another in Christ for mutual love and
service to him. (1 Corinthians 12: 12-27)
92. What are the
“marks” or characteristics of the Church?
The Nicene Creed expands on the
Apostles’ Creed to list four characteristics of the Church: it is “one, holy,
catholic and apostolic” (see Articles of Religion, 8).
93. In what
sense is the Church “one?”
The Church is one because all its
members form the one Body of Christ, having “one Lord, one faith, one baptism,
one God and Father of all.” The Church is called to express this unity in all
relationships between believers. (Ephesians 4:5-6)
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