Friday, March 14, 2008
John 19:30 When he had received the drink, Jesus said, "It is finished." With that, he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.
JESUS' WORD OF TRIUMPH
When Jesus said, "It is finished," who was He speaking to? The Father? All sinners? Yes.
But certainly Jesus' words were also spoken to the Devil. Though to the Devil it sounded more like, "YOU are finished." Rewind with me back to the garden of Eden. God Himself predicted that Satan would hurt the Savior, but the Savior would inflict a more critical blow.
Speaking to Satan, God said: ". . . I will put enmity between you and the woman, And between your seed and her Seed; He shall bruise your head, And you shall bruise His heel."
Satan hurt Jesus sorely throughout His life. Satan tempted Jesus in the wilderness. Satan pressured Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane. Satan convinced Jesus' own friend to betray Him. Think of the full throttle of pain and sorrow and guilt and temptation that Satan stored up to unleash on Jesus in His last six hours. But when Jesus took away the punishment for our sin by suffering it all by Himself, He dealt the deathblow to Satan's head.
Satan still seeks to drag sinners down into hell with him, but His time is short, and the old dying Serpent can't touch anyone who stands by the cross of Christ.
When Jesus said, "It is finished," it was more than a statement of completion. It was a statement of triumph over sin and Satan! So, let it be your word of triumph too. When Satan accuses, remind him, "It is finished." When sin saddens, remind your sorrowing heart, "It is finished." For those words are words of triumph. Words of victory. And whoever believes them will not be condemned.
As Jesus promised, "I tell you the truth, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be condemned; he has crossed over from death to life" (John 5:24).
