“It is finished.” As he took his last breath and bowed his head, what was finished was the earthly life of Jesus of Nazareth. The public ministry that included miracles, the feeding of the multitudes, the many parables.
What is finished? For one thing, he no longer had to endure any more of the brutal suffering he had been subjected to since his arrest in the garden. With his dying breath, one could say that, but I suspect Jesus had something else inmind as he breathed his last.
Moments beforehand, he said, “I thirst.” So they offered him a sponge soaked in wine on a sprig of hyssop. He took the wine, something only John mentions. Recall several verses earlier in his gospel when Jesus said, “Shall I not drink from the cup which my Father gave me?” The last line he said after his arrest. Having taken the wine, he had finished the commitment he made at the start of the Passion Narrative.
Many claimed that Jesus had no human body; they believed God could never really suffer thus Jesus went through the whole experience of the cross without any real pain but his cry for thirst suggest otherwise. To save humanity, Jesus had to become fully human. He had to become what we are in order to make us what he is.
I am not a green thumb so I have no idea what a sprig of hyssop looks like yet as we heard, one was used to support the sponge that quenched Jesus’ thirst. Many scholars doubt hyssop was actually used since such a plant is not indigenous to Jerusalem or strong enough to hold a sponge. So why did John mention such a plant? Think back to the first Passover. Each family in the community of Israel was instructed to use a sprig of hyssop to sprinkle blood from their Passover lamb on the doorposts of their home to be spared from the angel of death. It was the blood of the Passover lamb that saved them. Likewise it was the blood of Jesus that was to save the world from its sins. John was telling us that Jesus was the great Passover lamb.
So far as John was concerned, Jesus died with a shout of triumph when he said, “It is finished.” Unlike the other gospels, which depict Jesus speaking with an air of defeat,he has accomplished his mission; he has conquered sin and death. The victory was won. The strife was over. The battle won. He had saved us from our sins and eternal death.
Being the teacher that he was, Jesus knew that providing an example was the ultimate lesson he could give his followers. His unwavering obedience to his Father for some of us may seem incomprehensible, given that we live in a society that promotes a “me-first” mindset. Too often, we sin, opting to have things our way instead of suffering when necessary so that God’s ways would prevail. I say often, because even once is once too often. All it takes is one grave sin that goes unpardoned when we refuse to repent to deprive us of God’s gift of salvation and eternal life.
“It is finished.” But it is not over. A teacher can only teach so much. At some point the lesson is done and the students then make the choice to learn the lesson or not. So, when we find Jesus on the cross saying, “It is finished,” he is saying, “I am done.” Now the rest is up to us to go forth and build up the kingdom of God.
Imagine Jesus and the archangel Gabriel having a chat after his return to heaven. Even there, Jesus bore the marks of his crucifixion. Gabriel exclaimed, “Lord, you suffered terribly! Do people appreciate how much you love them and what you did for them?”
Jesus replied, “Not yet, Gabe. Right now, only a few people in Palestine and Galilee know.” Gabriel was puzzled. “Then, what have you done to let everyone know about your love?”
Jesus replied, “I have asked Peter, Andrew, James, John and a few more friends to tell others about me. Those who are told will tell others about me, and yet others will tell others until the last man and the last woman in the farthest corner of the earth will have heard the story of how I gave my life for them because I love them so much.”
Gabriel frowned and looked rather skeptical. “Yes, but what if they grow weary? What if the people who come after them forget? Surely you have made other plans, haven’t you?” Jesus replied, “Gabriel, I haven’t made any other plans. I’m counting on them.”
That he is counting on us is a vivid reminder that he has passed the baton on to us. As Pope Francis said, “Find new ways to spread the word of God to every corner of the world.” Do that and you will bring the world one step closer to experiencing the kingdom of God.