It had been over three hours by now. Three hours with the crown of thorns pressed into His head. Three hours with the nails piercing His hands and His feet. Three hours with His raw and bleeding back pressed against a rough, wooden cross. Three hours of anguish and suffering. Now, though, at about three in the afternoon, it was coming to an end. Those who stood within shouting distance of the cross heard the first scream: “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?” They thought He was calling for divine intervention, a miracle of salvation from God to deliver Him from imminent death. Jesus had one last word to say, but His throat was parched, so He called for a drink, fulfilling the words of the prophets. Then, onlookers heard a second and final scream: “Tetelestai!” It is finished. With that utterance, Jesus bowed His head and delivered over His Spirit.

The Apostle John was close enough to hear what Jesus had cried aloud seconds before He died. What must have been going through John’s mind in that moment? When John heard Jesus cry out in great pain and in the midst of horrific suffering, “It is finished!” how did he hear it? Undoubtedly, it was, at best, a riddle without an answer. The disciples had no expectation of a resurrection. Was it for John a cry of final and complete disappointment? Jesus’ attempts to bring a true understanding of God and His Law were finished and were an utter disappointment as the religious leaders crucified Him. Is that what John thought? Or perhaps it was a cry of final and complete failure. Jesus had talked about the kingdom, but now He was simply hanging on a cross with a sign mocking Him as the king of the Jews. If Jesus was a king, He surely looked defeated to passers-by as He cried out, “It is finished.” Maybe for John these were the words that brought a crushing end to any hope Jesus had given Him during His life. Jesus had performed many miracles, and maybe, as many onlookers thought, He had one more miracle left. Maybe He could come off the cross and prove that He was the Son of God. His resignation to death and His cry of Tetelestai brought an abrupt and sorrowful end to any hope there was one last miracle, one last sign, one last evidence of Jesus being the Messiah, the Son of God. I wonder what John thought when he first heard those words.

And I wonder how different he must have felt when he wrote them years later. Tetelestai! It is finished! Not a cry of defeat, not a cry of disappointment, not a cry of hopelessness! A cry of victory! A cry of accomplishment! A cry of hope.

It is finished. No more sacrifices. No more coming to the temple year after year with the blood of bulls and goats which can never take away sin. No more human mediator who has to atone for his own sins and well as yours. No more darkness obscured in the types and shadows of the Law. Now, by Christ, all is finished. All is accomplished.

It is finished. Everything necessary for the salvation of sinners is accomplished by Jesus. It is accomplished not in part, not even in great part, but it is fully accomplished. Indeed, the work of salvation is finished. Sinners need not look anywhere but Christ for salvation. Salvation is not to be found in anyone else, in anything else, either in whole or in part, but only in Christ alone. Nothing remains for us to do. Nothing in our hands we bring, simply to His cross we cling. For there, it is finished. Our salvation is purchased for us in full, and all of our offenses have been nailed to the cross, where Jesus made an end of them.

Good Friday marks the day when Jesus cried out, “It is finished” and died on the cross for our sins. It is good because it is finished.