It Is Finished — Bible Study Express

“It is finished”

When Jesus said, “It is finished” on the cross, what does that mean for you and for me?

Read John 19:30
KJV ³⁰ When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, he said, It is finished: and he bowed his head, and gave up the ghost. WEB ³⁰ When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, he said, “It is finished.” Then he bowed his head, and gave up his spirit.

What did Jesus mean by these dying words, “It is finished” as He hung on the cross?

If we look back to verse 28 of the same chapter, He uses the same greek word ‘teleo’ in the same thought journey to describe what was, ‘accomplished’ or finished.

Read John 19:28
KJV ²⁸ After this, Jesus knowing that all things were now accomplished, that the scripture might be fulfilled, saith, I thirst. WEB ²⁸ After this, Jesus, seeing that all things were now finished, that the Scripture might be fulfilled, said, “I am thirsty.”

Jesus is talking about accomplishing, finishing, fulfilling what the scripture had predicted He must do before His death.

Let’s review a few of the glorious fulfilments of scripture in Jesus' life:

PROPHECY Isaiah 7:14
KJV ¹⁴ Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel. WEB ¹⁴ Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin will conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.

FULFILMENT Matthew 1:20-23
KJV ²⁰ But while he thought on these things, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a dream, saying, Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife: for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost. ²¹ And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name Jesus: for he shall save his people from their sins. ²² Now all this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying, ²³ Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us. WEB ²⁰ But when he thought about these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, don’t be afraid to take to yourself Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit. ²¹ She shall give birth to a son. You shall name him Jesus, for it is he who shall save his people from their sins.” ²² Now all this has happened that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying, ²³ “Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and shall give birth to a son. They shall call his name Immanuel,” which is, being interpreted, “God with us.” Isaiah 7: 14

PROPHECY Isaiah 9:1-2
KJV ¹ Nevertheless the dimness shall not be such as was in her vexation, when at the first he lightly afflicted the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, and afterward did more grievously afflict her by the way of the sea, beyond Jordan, in Galilee of the nations. ² The people that walked in darkness have seen a great light: they that dwell in the land of the shadow of death, upon them hath the light shined. WEB ¹ But there shall be no more gloom for her who was in anguish. In the former time, he brought into contempt the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali; but in the latter time he has made it glorious, by the way of the sea, beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the nations. ² The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light. The light has shined on those who lived in the land of the shadow of death.

FULFILMENT Matthew 4:13-17
KJV ¹³ And leaving Nazareth, he came and dwelt in Capernaum, which is upon the sea coast, in the borders of Zabulon and Nephthalim: ¹⁴ That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Esaias the prophet, saying, ¹⁵ The land of Zabulon, and the land of Nephthalim, by the way of the sea, beyond Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles; ¹⁶ The people which sat in darkness saw great light; and to them which sat in the region and shadow of death light is sprung up. ¹⁷ From that time Jesus began to preach, and to say, Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. WEB ¹³ Leaving Nazareth, he came and lived in Capernaum, which is by the sea, in the region of Zebulun and Naphtali, ¹⁴ that it might be fulfilled which was spoken through Isaiah the prophet, saying, ¹⁵ “The land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, toward the sea, beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles, ¹⁶ the people who sat in darkness saw a great light; to those who sat in the region and shadow of death, to them light has dawned.” Isaiah 9: 1-2 ¹⁷ From that time, Jesus began to preach, and to say, “Repent! For the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand.”

PROPHECY Isaiah 53:4
KJV ⁴ Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. WEB ⁴ Surely he has borne our sickness and carried our suffering; yet we considered him plagued, struck by God, and afflicted.

FULFILMENT Matthew 8:16
KJV ¹⁶ When the even was come, they brought unto him many that were possessed with devils: and he cast out the spirits with his word, and healed all that were sick: WEB ¹⁶ When evening came, they brought to him many possessed with demons. He cast out the spirits with a word, and healed all who were sick,

PROPHECY Isaiah 42:1-4
KJV ¹ Behold my servant, whom I uphold; mine elect, in whom my soul delighteth; I have put my spirit upon him: he shall bring forth judgment to the Gentiles. ² He shall not cry, nor lift up, nor cause his voice to be heard in the street. ³ A bruised reed shall he not break, and the smoking flax shall he not quench: he shall bring forth judgment unto truth. ⁴ He shall not fail nor be discouraged, till he have set judgment in the earth: and the isles shall wait for his law. WEB ¹ “Behold, my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen, in whom my soul delights: I have put my Spirit on him. He will bring justice to the nations. ² He will not shout, nor raise his voice, nor cause it to be heard in the street. ³ He won’t break a bruised reed. He won’t quench a dimly burning wick. He will faithfully bring justice. ⁴ He will not fail nor be discouraged, until he has set justice in the earth, and the islands wait for his law.”

FULFILMENT Matthew 12:17-21
KJV ¹⁷ That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Esaias the prophet, saying, ¹⁸ Behold my servant, whom I have chosen; my beloved, in whom my soul is well pleased: I will put my spirit upon him, and he shall shew judgment to the Gentiles. ¹⁹ He shall not strive, nor cry; neither shall any man hear his voice in the streets. ²⁰ A bruised reed shall he not break, and smoking flax shall he not quench, till he send forth judgment unto victory. ²¹ And in his name shall the Gentiles trust. WEB ¹⁷ that it might be fulfilled which was spoken through Isaiah the prophet, saying, ¹⁸ “Behold, my servant whom I have chosen, my beloved in whom my soul is well pleased. I will put my Spirit on him. He will proclaim justice to the nations. ¹⁹ He will not strive, nor shout, neither will anyone hear his voice in the streets. ²⁰ He won’t break a bruised reed. He won’t quench a smoking flax, until he leads justice to victory. ²¹ In his name, the nations will hope.” Isaiah 42: 1-4

PROPHECY Zechariah 9:9
KJV ⁹ Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion; shout, O daughter of Jerusalem: behold, thy King cometh unto thee: he is just, and having salvation; lowly, and riding upon an ass, and upon a colt the foal of an ass. WEB ⁹ Rejoice greatly, daughter of Zion! Shout, daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your King comes to you! He is righteous, and having salvation; lowly, and riding on a donkey, even on a colt, the foal of a donkey.

FULFILMENT Matthew 21:2-6
KJV ² Saying unto them, Go into the village over against you, and straightway ye shall find an ass tied, and a colt with her: loose them, and bring them unto me. ³ And if any man say ought unto you, ye shall say, The Lord hath need of them; and straightway he will send them. ⁴ All this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying, ⁵ Tell ye the daughter of Sion, Behold, thy King cometh unto thee, meek, and sitting upon an ass, and a colt the foal of an ass. ⁶ And the disciples went, and did as Jesus commanded them, WEB ² saying to them, “Go into the village that is opposite you, and immediately you will find a donkey tied, and a colt with her. Untie them and bring them to me. ³ If anyone says anything to you, you shall say, ‘The Lord needs them,’ and immediately he will send them.” ⁴ All this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken through the prophet, saying, ⁵ “Tell the daughter of Zion, behold, your King comes to you, humble, and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.” Zechariah 9: 9 ⁶ The disciples went and did just as Jesus commanded them,

PROPHECY Isaiah 53:12
KJV ¹² Therefore will I divide him a portion with the great, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong; because he hath poured out his soul unto death: and he was numbered with the transgressors; and he bare the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors. WEB ¹² Therefore I will give him a portion with the great. He will divide the plunder with the strong; because he poured out his soul to death and was counted with the transgressors; yet he bore the sins of many and made intercession for the transgressors.

FULFILMENT Mark 15:27-28
KJV ²⁷ And with him they crucify two thieves; the one on his right hand, and the other on his left. ²⁸ And the scripture was fulfilled, which saith, And he was numbered with the transgressors. WEB ²⁷ With him they crucified two robbers; one on his right hand, and one on his left. ²⁸ The Scripture was fulfilled, which says, “He was counted with transgressors.”

This is just a small sampling of many such “fulfillments” that Jesus “fulfilled” in His life.

Does this word ‘telos’ - ‘finish’ or ‘fulfilment,’ mean that Jesus completed absolutely everything predicted of Him in scripture and ‘finished’ all He was to do on behalf of the Salvation of man at that point? To understand His use of this word a little more, let's see how Jesus uses the word in Matthew 11:1

Read Matthew 11:1
KJV ¹ And it came to pass, when Jesus had made an end of commanding his twelve disciples, he departed thence to teach and to preach in their cities. WEB ¹ When Jesus had finished directing his twelve disciples, he departed from there to teach and preach in their cities.

So then, where it says that ‘Jesus had made an end’ (telos), was He saying that this was to be the absolute last command and instruction that He would ever give to His disciples? Would that be the right interpretation of His words?

Here are some additional commands that Jesus gave them after that:

Matthew 21:2-3
KJV ² Saying unto them, Go into the village over against you, and straightway ye shall find an ass tied, and a colt with her: loose them, and bring them unto me. ³ And if any man say ought unto you, ye shall say, The Lord hath need of them; and straightway he will send them. WEB ² saying to them, “Go into the village that is opposite you, and immediately you will find a donkey tied, and a colt with her. Untie them and bring them to me. ³ If anyone says anything to you, you shall say, ‘The Lord needs them,’ and immediately he will send them.”

Matthew 21:6-7
KJV ⁶ And the disciples went, and did as Jesus commanded them, ⁷ And brought the ass, and the colt, and put on them their clothes, and they set him thereon. WEB ⁶ The disciples went and did just as Jesus commanded them, ⁷ and brought the donkey and the colt and laid their clothes on them; and he sat on them.

Matthew 28:19-20
KJV ¹⁹ Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: ²⁰ Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen. WEB ¹⁹ Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, ²⁰ teaching them to observe all things that I commanded you. Behold, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen.

From the later commands and instructions recorded in scripture that Jesus gave to His disciples, we can see clearly that using ‘telos’ was not to infer that no further ‘future’ commands were to be given to them. Rather we can see that Jesus is simply completing that particular bracket of commands but has more in store.

Similarly when Jesus said, “It is finished” on the cross, it was not the end of His work on man’s behalf and was not the end of what scripture had predicted of Him in His ministry on behalf of humanity.

For Example:

His resurrection had been predicted – Matthew 20:19
KJV ¹⁹ And shall deliver him to the Gentiles to mock, and to scourge, and to crucify him: and the third day he shall rise again. WEB ¹⁹ and will hand him over to the Gentiles to mock, to scourge, and to crucify; and the third day he will be raised up.”

His ministry to transform our lives – Philippians 1:6
KJV ⁶ Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ: WEB ⁶ being confident of this very thing, that he who began a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ.
Hebrews 13:20-21
KJV ²⁰ Now the God of peace, that brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant, ²¹ Make you perfect in every good work to do his will, working in you that which is wellpleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ; to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen. WEB ²⁰ Now may the God of peace, who brought again from the dead the great shepherd of the sheep with the blood of an eternal covenant, our Lord Jesus, ²¹ make you complete in every good work to do his will, working in you that which is well pleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be the glory forever and ever. Amen.

His priesthood on our behalf – Hebrews 4:14-16
KJV ¹⁴ Seeing then that we have a great high priest, that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession. ¹⁵ For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin. ¹⁶ Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need. WEB ¹⁴ Having then a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let’s hold tightly to our confession. ¹⁵ For we don’t have a high priest who can’t be touched with the feeling of our infirmities, but one who has been in all points tempted like we are, yet without sin. ¹⁶ Let’s therefore draw near with boldness to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and may find grace for help in time of need.

The pre-advent judgment – Daniel 7:9-10
KJV ⁹ I beheld till the thrones were cast down, and the Ancient of days did sit, whose garment was white as snow, and the hair of his head like the pure wool: his throne was like the fiery flame, and his wheels as burning fire. ¹⁰ A fiery stream issued and came forth from before him: thousand thousands ministered unto him, and ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him: the judgment was set, and the books were opened. WEB ⁹ “I watched until thrones were placed, and one who was ancient of days sat. His clothing was white as snow, and the hair of his head like pure wool. His throne was fiery flames, and its wheels burning fire. ¹⁰ A fiery stream issued and came out from before him. Thousands of thousands ministered to him. Ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him. The judgment was set. The books were opened.

His second coming to break the fetters of the tomb and take His faithful redeemed children to heaven – 1 Thessalonians 4:14-17
KJV ¹⁴ For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him. ¹⁵ For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep. ¹⁶ For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: ¹⁷ Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. WEB ¹⁴ For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep in Jesus. ¹⁵ For this we tell you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will in no way precede those who have fallen asleep. ¹⁶ For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with God’s trumpet. The dead in Christ will rise first, ¹⁷ then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air. So we will be with the Lord forever.
John 11:25
KJV ²⁵ Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live: WEB ²⁵ Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will still live, even if he dies.
Revelation 1:8
KJV ⁸ I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty. WEB ⁸ “I am the Alpha and the Omega, ” says the Lord God, “who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.”

Jesus made a complete and all sufficient sacrifice for sin at the cross – Hebrews 10:10
KJV ¹⁰ By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. WEB ¹⁰ by which will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.

He lives to minster that atonement for repentant sinners as our High Priest in the Heavenly sanctuary – Hebrews 9:11
KJV ¹¹ But Christ being come an high priest of good things to come, by a greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this building; WEB ¹¹ But Christ having come as a high priest of the coming good things, through the greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this creation,

He is coming back for them all, both those who have passed away and those who will still be living when He comes – 1 Thessalonians 4:14-17
KJV ¹⁴ For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him. ¹⁵ For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep. ¹⁶ For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: ¹⁷ Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. WEB ¹⁴ For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep in Jesus. ¹⁵ For this we tell you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will in no way precede those who have fallen asleep. ¹⁶ For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with God’s trumpet. The dead in Christ will rise first, ¹⁷ then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air. So we will be with the Lord forever.

Friend, will you be ready on that day?