Finished.
I've always been a sucker for a good ending in movies. We all instinctively judge a story by how it wraps up, don't we? Yet in real life, we struggle with endings - they make us uncomfortable, uncertain. Which is why Jesus' final words on the cross are so fascinating: "It is finished."
That Greek word - tetelestai - carried multiple meanings in Jesus' day. To a servant, it meant "assignment completed." To a judge, "justice served." For accountants, "paid in full." Artists would declare it when a masterpiece was complete. Priests uttered it when the sacrifice was made.
While Satan thought he'd won and Roman soldiers assumed they were simply finishing another execution before heading home, Jesus wasn't saying "I am finished." He was declaring something profound was completed.
What exactly did Jesus finish on that Friday?
He completed the full payment for sin. Romans 6:23 reminds us "the wages of sin is death," but Jesus paid that devastating wage in full, wiping the slate clean. The debt that hung over humanity? Settled completely.
With his sacrifice, he also brought an end to the complex temple sacrificial system. As Hebrews beautifully puts it, "by one offering he has perfected forever those who are sanctified." No more endless rituals, no more blood of lambs and bulls - his perfect sacrifice rendered the old system obsolete.
Perhaps most profoundly, he demolished the wall of separation between God and humanity. Where sin had created a chasm, his blood built a bridge. Ephesians 2:13 captures this perfectly: "you who were far away have been brought near by the blood of Christ." The veil was torn, the distance closed.
Jesus finished all this painful, necessary work on Friday so we could experience a fresh start on Sunday. His ending became our beginning.
Are you still lugging around that heavy backpack of guilt and shame? Or maybe you're on that exhausting treadmill, trying desperately to measure up to some impossible standard? Perhaps life's disappointments have slowly drained your reservoir of hope, or you lie awake at night wondering what awaits beyond this life.
Here's the beautiful truth that changes everything: Jesus already looked at all of that and declared, "It is finished." Not "I'll help you finish it" or "Keep working at it." Just... finished.
The impossible debt? Paid in full. The overwhelming burden of perfection? He carried it. The gap between where you are and where you need to be? He closed it. The hard work of redemption wasn't partial or incomplete—it was absolutely, definitively done.
All that remains is the simplest yet most profound decision: Will you accept what's already been accomplished on your behalf? Will you stop striving and start receiving? The door is unlocked, the gift is wrapped, and the invitation stands. Jesus finished everything so your new story could begin.
