Recently, I was driving with a friend in West Texas, and we drove by a building that had been started, but never finished. As I have traveled throughout the world, I have often seen buildings that were started, but never finished. I have seen cars in pieces where the owner was planning to rebuild the car, but never finished. How many projects are started that are never finished?
On the other hand, we have some examples of projects that were not only started, but also finished. The Eiffel Tower in Paris is an amazing structure and built long ago! The project was started in 1887 and finished in 1889. It is hard to imagine how this structure was built without our modern technology and machinery, yet it was. Many have climbed Mount Everest, after spending years training for this epic event. Many made it to the top. Think of Ernest Shackleton, who traveled to the Antarctic with his ship, HMS Endurance. The ship became trapped in the ice and eventually sank. Shackleton did his utmost to rescue his twenty-seven men. He spent many months in the rescue, until finally it was “finished.”
The greatest story of “finishing” in our human history is the story of God sending His son Jesus Christ into this world, to live, to die, and to rise from the dead. On the cross, near His death, Jesus called out: “‘It is finished.’ With that, He bowed His head and gave up His spirit” (John 19:30b, NIV). What exactly did Jesus “finish” as He died on the cross? What does this mean for us? Does it make any difference in our lives today, in our modern world?
I would suggest that these words of Jesus are as relevant today as they were 2,000 years ago. Jesus finished God’s plan to save all people. We, as a human race, were disobedient to God when we lived in the Garden of Eden. We were removed from the Garden and were like desert wanderers. Then Jesus came and showed us the way back to the heart of the Father. He died for us so that we could receive forgiveness from the Father. On the third day after His death, He rose from the dead. In His resurrection, the complete plan of God was finished. As Paul wrote to the Romans: “If you declare with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved” (Romans 10:9).
When Jesus spoke those powerful words, He spoke of God’s plan for us. This plan included Jesus coming into this world as a human being, setting a perfect example for His followers, dying on the cross, being raised from the dead, and returning to heaven. God’s plan also includes you and me. God loves every one of us, and through His love, He reaches out and calls us to be disciples of Jesus Christ. God calls us to follow His Son, and to be people who honor Him.
What stands at the center of all that He finished? I am convinced that it is the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. Paul wrote to the Corinthian church: “And if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith” (1 Corinthians 15:14). Without the Resurrection, the entire foundation of our faith collapses. Yet the Resurrection was not something believed without evidence. There were many eyewitness accounts of Jesus being alive after His crucifixion. Paul states: “After that, He appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers and sisters at the same time, most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep” (1 Corinthians 15:6). It is an undeniable historic fact, agreed upon by many scholars today, that Jesus lived, died, and rose from the dead. Those of us who are His followers have also experienced the living Jesus at work in our own lives.
The apostles preached about the Resurrection. At Pentecost Peter proclaimed: “But God raised Him from the dead, freeing Him from the agony of death, because it was impossible to keep its hold on Him” (Acts 2:24). Soon after this first sermon, Peter once again proclaims to a crowd, “God raised this Jesus to life, and we are all witnesses of it” (Acts 2:32). Later in Antioch Paul preached, “But God raised Him from the dead, and for many days He was seen by those who had traveled with Him from Galilee to Jerusalem” (Acts 13:30-31). There is no doubt that the resurrection of Jesus Christ was foundational in the teachings of the Apostles.
Paul’s desire was to know Christ better and to better understand “the power of His resurrection.” He wrote to the Philippian church: “I want to know Christ—yes, to know the power of His resurrection…” (Philippians 3:10). What power was necessary for God to raise His son from the dead? Paul wanted to know this power, because it was that power that was available to him as he faced life’s battles. He ended his life on earth with this assurance: “The Lord will rescue me from every evil attack and will bring me safely to His heavenly kingdom. To Him be glory for ever and ever. Amen” (2 Timothy 4:18). Paul understood the great power of God and was convinced it was enough to overcome every battle and bring him safely home.
“It is finished,” are powerful words for us as well. The resurrection of Jesus Christ is vital to our faith and understanding of God’s plan. We also want to know the “power of His resurrection.” This power is available to us. We can proclaim with Paul that God’s power is there to rescue us from every evil attack and bring us safely to His heavenly kingdom.
Sieg Schuler
Calgary, AB
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