"It is finished"..what does this mean?

[Little_Mary]

What did Jesus, on the cross, mean by this statement, “It is finished”.

What, exactly, was finished?

Thank you.

 

[Dave_B]

What did Jesus, on the cross, mean by this statement, “It is finished”.What, exactly, was finished?

Im no expert, but think this means, his had completed his work of salvation for mankind i.e. he gave his life, to take away the sin of the world. This is God’s plan for our salvation.

 

[HHMom]

In agreement with Dave. His suffering for mankind is done - finished.

 

[deaconnecessary]

In Roman Times, criminals convicted of non-capital crimes, would have the nature of their crime written out on a small sign called a titlus. There was a titulus on the Cross of Christ.

When the convicted person either served their time, or paid their fine, The words “Consumatem est” (It is finished ) were written on the sign. This meant that the price was paid.

 

[beafedor]

That’s what I’ve learned in Dr Scott Hahn’s materials:

During the Last Supper (Passover Meal), three cups of wine were consumed. In Jewish Tradition, 4 cups had to be drunk or the Passover ceremony was incomplete.
Later, Jesus prayed: “Father, if you are willing, take this cup away from me; still, not my will but yours be done.” Luke 22:42
On the Cross, He said “I thirst” and was given sour wine, which would be the 4th Passover cup. After Jesus drank, He said, “it is finished”.

 

[DavidKays]

I will like to add that the words It is Finished refers to His complete work and life that was completed up to His Death. Everything that Jesus accomplished is contained in those words. Nothing needs to be added. Everything He taught and defended and preached on are contained in those words. Jesus has now accomplished everything that His Father sent Him for. The Lord Jesus has gone through everything including the Cross to accomplished His Work of Redemptation. While it is finished for Him it is not so for us. We need and must continue this work of redemption by following in the footsteps of our Saviour. The Bride must resemble the Groom. Jesus has gone first via of the Cross so that we like Him can continue His Work of Redemption. Unless we follow in His footsteps then His work will not have accomplished anything. But because Jesus can see farther than any of us He knows that yes many will come to acknowledge Him and many will continue the work He has inaugerated. It is finished for Him so as to give us the example to follow and as we do follow Him now we continue His work of Redemption to help Him finally to complete it. It is Finished can be the victory for Jesus over the powers of sin and evil. However it can only include us when we decide to imitate and to follow in His footsteps. God still needs us to help complete His work of Redemption. Without us participating also Jesus will not have gone through this at all.

 

[Cat_Herder]

The Blood of Christ has been shed and the cup of wrath has been satisfied.

However it does not follow that individual Christians have no need to partake of the Blood of Christ!

 

[Joe_Kelley]

That’s what I’ve learned in Dr Scott Hahn’s materials:

During the Last Supper (Passover Meal), three cups of wine were consumed. In Jewish Tradition, 4 cups had to be drunk or the Passover ceremony was incomplete.
Later, Jesus prayed: “Father, if you are willing, take this cup away from me; still, not my will but yours be done.” Luke 22:42
On the Cross, He said “I thirst” and was given sour wine, which would be the 4th Passover cup. After Jesus drank, He said, “it is finished”.

In the older translations it read “It is consummated.” I have read someplace, but can’t find it now, that the fourth cup was referred to as the Cup of Consummation in the Seder Meal.

Someplace, and I think it was Dr Hahn’s writing, I read that this occurred after Jesus had committed Mary to the care of John, and that that was symbolic of His giving her to all of us as mother. This incorporated us into the Last Supper, and thus into His family. In the OT one had to participate in the Passover to be a member of the community.

47 All the congregation of Israel shall keep it.

Exodus 12:47

Thus His mission was finished/consummated.

This is from a fuzzy memory, but I think I have the chief ideas straight.

 

[hazcompat]

Our Fathers Simple plan for salvation since before time began.

peace

 

[patrick457]

In the older translations it read “It is consummated.” I have read someplace, but can’t find it now, that the fourth cup was referred to as the Cup of Consummation in the Seder Meal.

Well, there are indeed four cups of wine drunk at modern Seders. The first cup is for Kiddush, the second cup is connected with the recounting of the Exodus, the drinking of the third cup concludes Birkat Hamazon and the fourth cup is associated with Hallel. You would have five if you add the Cup of Elijah filled after the third cup (a practice performed by most Ashkenazim), and six if you add the Cup of Miriam filled by some folks here beside Elijah’s.

That being said, they really have no proper names in Judaism: they are merely referred to as the ‘first cup’, ‘second cup’, and so on. As far as I know, it is only among Christians that perform Seders that these cups are given proper names, and the names themselves vary depending on who you ask.

For the record, we can’t really be sure whether the Last Supper, if indeed it was a Passover meal, was performed like modern Seders, as the Passover meal - like some other aspects of Judaism - was not yet fully developed in Jesus’ time and was still in a rather fluid, evolving form. We can’t just assume that the ritual stayed as it was after 2000 years; we must reconstruct, and it is difficult, if not impossible, to reconstruct exactly what happened in a 1st century Passover celebration. Nevertheless, the wine, the lamb, the unleavened bread, and the bitter herbs would have been present.

 

[patrick457]

In Roman Times, criminals convicted of non-capital crimes, would have the nature of their crime written out on a small sign called a titlus. There was a titulus on the Cross of Christ.

When the convicted person either served their time, or paid their fine, The words “Consumatem est” (It is finished ) were written on the sign. This meant that the price was paid.

Um, unfortunately, I can’t see a solid historical source for this claim as of now (I’m ready to change my opinion though! ). I hate breaking bubbles, but I think this is probably one of those pious stories which are made for the edification of believers but is not really accurate historically, kind of like the ‘folded napkin on Jesus’ tomb’ story or the ‘eye of the needle’ referring to a gate in Jerusalem (or some other ancient city).

That being said, it might be a distortion of the idea that the Greek of this word, tetelestai, was written or stamped across something like receipts or debt certificates signifying that the sum was paid. Some therefore attach the meaning “paid in full” to the word tetelestai, an idea quite popular among Christians, such as (but not limited to) those who argue for eternal security; i.e. you cannot lose your salvation.

While it is popularly interpreted that way, we could not be entirely sure that Jesus or John meant it in a purely transactial context. There are a couple of instances in the New Testament where the Greek word teleō was used for the payment of taxes or tributes (Matthew 17:24; Romans 13:6); however that doesn’t really seem relevant to Jesus’ words, and without the context and the presence of the word ‘tax’ or ‘tribute’ teleō would not really have the same meaning. Now, Colossians 2:13-14 (“And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses, by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross”), which is sometimes connected here, certainly derives from a commercial-legal setting - unlike John 19:30 we have distinctive technical terms. But the metaphor is of cancellation, not of payment, and again there is nothing to explicitly connect it with John 19:30.

 

[Roman_Korvinus]

The cross is found in the vescia piscis, as is the almond, as many painters have expressed. By being placed on a cross the symbolic repersentation returned him to the source of his creation. Full circle.
flickr.com/photos/sacred_geometry/3830312615/

 

[Little_Mary]

That’s what I’ve learned in Dr Scott Hahn’s materials:

During the Last Supper (Passover Meal), three cups of wine were consumed. In Jewish Tradition, 4 cups had to be drunk or the Passover ceremony was incomplete.
Later, Jesus prayed: “Father, if you are willing, take this cup away from me; still, not my will but yours be done.” Luke 22:42
On the Cross, He said “I thirst” and was given sour wine, which would be the 4th Passover cup. After Jesus drank, He said, “it is finished”.

Thank you. This is what I was looking for. Hahn also explains that when the seder meal is finished, after the fourth cup is drunk, they also say, " It is finished". Amazing huh?:yup:

 

[Joe_Kelley]

…

For the record, we can’t really be sure whether the Last Supper, if indeed it was a Passover meal, was performed like modern Seders, as the Passover meal - like some other aspects of Judaism - was not yet fully developed in Jesus’ time and was still in a rather fluid, evolving form. We can’t just assume that the ritual stayed as it was after 2000 years; we must reconstruct, and it is difficult, if not impossible, to reconstruct exactly what happened in a 1st century Passover celebration. Nevertheless, the wine, the lamb, the unleavened bread, and the bitter herbs would have been present.

The Gospels contain some hints that it was the passover meal.

7* * Then came the day of Unleavened Bread, on which the passover lamb had to be sacrificed. 8* So Jesus * sent Peter and John, saying, “Go and prepare the passover for us, that we may eat it.” 9 They said to him, “Where will you have us prepare it?” 10 He said to them, “Behold, when you have entered the city, a man carrying a jar of water will meet you; follow him into the house which he enters, 11 and tell the householder, ‘The Teacher says to you, Where is the guest room, where I am to eat the passover with my disciples?’ 12 And he will show you a large upper room furnished; there make ready.” 13 And they went, and found it as he had told them; and they prepared the passover.

Luke 22:7-13

12* And on the first day of Unleavened Bread, when they sacrificed the passover lamb, his disciples said to him, “Where will you have us go and prepare for you to eat the passover?” 13 And he sent two of his disciples, and said to them, “Go into the city, and a man carrying a jar of water will meet you; follow him, 14 and wherever he enters, say to the householder, ‘The Teacher says, Where is my guest room, where I am to eat the passover with my disciples?’ 15 And he will show you a large upper room furnished and ready; there prepare for us.” 16 And the disciples set out and went to the city, and found it as he had told them; and they prepared the passover.

Mark 14:12-16

17* Now on the first day of Unleavened Bread the disciples came to Jesus, saying, “Where will you have us prepare for you to eat the passover?” 18* He said, “Go into the city to a certain one, and say to him, ‘The Teacher says, My time is at hand; I will keep the passover at your house with my disciples.’” 19* And the disciples did as Jesus had directed them, and they prepared the passover.

Matthew 26:17-19

 

[patrick457]

Thank you. This is what I was looking for. Hahn also explains that when the seder meal is finished, after the fourth cup is drunk, they also say, " It is finished". Amazing huh?:yup:

Well, I don’t know about that. Some of the Haggadah I’ve seen on the net - either Jewish or Christian - do not give any indication of this (I hope an actual Jew here would verify whether this is the case or not). But then again, there seem to be a wide variety of Haggadahs available for every political and religious point of view nowadays. One goes like:

Those who have the custom to recite hymns [after the Seder] should not do so now, between this blessing and the one for the fourth cup. One must recite the blessing for the fourth cup immediately now:

Blessed are You, L-rd, our G-d, King of the universe, who creates the fruit of the vine.

*Drink in reclining position.

Concluding Blessing for the Wine:*

Blessed are You, L-rd our G-d, King of the universe for the vine and the fruit of the vine, for the produce of the field, and for the precious, good and spacious land which You have favored to give as an heritage to our fathers, to eat of its fruit and be satiated by its goodness. Have mercy, L-rd our G-d, on Israel Your people, on Jerusalem Your city, on Zion the abode of Your glory, on Your altar and on Your Temple. Rebuild Jerusalem, the holy city, speedily in our days, and bring us up into it, and make us rejoice in it, and we will bless You in holiness and purity (On Shabbat add: May it please You to strengthen us on this Shabbat day) and remember us for good on this day of the Festival of Matzot. For You, L-rd, are good and do good to all, and we thank You for the land and for the fruit of the vine. Blessed are You, L-rd, for the land and for the fruit of the vine.

This of course is followed by the Nirtzah, which marks the end of the meal: “Next year in Jerusalem.” I haven’t seen any yet, to the best of my knowledge, which has the words “It is finished” or something similar at this point.

And even then, as I’ve mentioned, we mustn’t think that 1st century Passover ritual was in a fixed and regulated form like Seders today.

 

[GloriousOrder]

I’ve always seen the death of Christ and His last words in the context of the Sermon on the Mount, to be honest. In Matthew chapter 5, verse 18, He said (Douay-Rheims): “… amen I say unto you: 'till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall not pass from the law, till all be fulfilled”. On the Cross, He said “it is finished”; “es ist vollbracht”; “consummatum est”. These might be translated as “it is fulfilled”, yes?

Royal lines must be steady or else a civilisation fails; therefore, the King of kings had to come from a stable royal line. In order to keep it stable, laws and God’s ineffable wisdom were needed. Once Jesus was born and His reign began, His proper crowning with thorns and enthronement on the Cross sealed the Old Law forever. It has been fulfilled and its epitome has been reached, so there is a new Law: “love one another, as I have loved you”. We are to love one another even unto death, as Jesus did, for the greater glory of Holy God. This is the amazing finishing and fulfillment that God spoke unto us in the days after the prophets.

 

[onaquest]

To me, “It is finished” means,“I give up” The Trinity fully present to Christ alone on the cross is nailed, useless at the call only to Christ himself who is fully human and exercising his free will. Free will over the divine, free will that prays out of himself, inside of himself is heard and not heeded, by choice. Christ when praying is not praying to God who is separate from himself but to the three in one that is him. “It is finished” is “God is dead” The culmination of salvation history is not the crucifixion, it is the resurrection. We are an Easter people, Our joy is that we can live a life in our humanity where we say “I give up”, “I don’t feel the presence of God” and know there is a living God that has already walked that road.

 

[patrick457]

I’ve always seen the death of Christ and His last words in the context of the Sermon on the Mount, to be honest. In Matthew chapter 5, verse 18, He said (Douay-Rheims): “… amen I say unto you: 'till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall not pass from the law, till all be fulfilled”. On the Cross, He said “it is finished”; “es ist vollbracht”; “consummatum est”. These might be translated as “it is fulfilled”, yes?

Royal lines must be steady or else a civilisation fails; therefore, the King of kings had to come from a stable royal line. In order to keep it stable, laws and God’s ineffable wisdom were needed. Once Jesus was born and His reign began, His proper crowning with thorns and enthronement on the Cross sealed the Old Law forever. It has been fulfilled and its epitome has been reached, so there is a new Law: “love one another, as I have loved you”. We are to love one another even unto death, as Jesus did, for the greater glory of Holy God. This is the amazing finishing and fulfillment that God spoke unto us in the days after the prophets.

Good interpretation! For the record, the Greek version of Matthew 5:18 actually has heōs (an) panta genētai, “until all has become” or “until all has come to be”. The Vulgate follows the Greek: donec omnia fiant.

 

[fxcc]

What did Jesus, on the cross, mean by this statement, “It is finished”.

What, exactly, was finished?

Thank you.

If you look up old Jewish texts (such as this ancient Jewish Encyclopedia: jewishencyclopedia.com/ ) regarding the rites of the Passover (Pesach) you’ll find that the sacrificial lambs were slaughtered in the afternoon before the Day of Passover. That’s when Jesus was killed - on the Eve of the Passover.

The lambs were killed from noon onwards, until dusk - which would’ve been around 3 pm. Note that the Jewish day started at 6 am and ended at 6 pm, so 3 pm would be the “ninth hour” of the day - which is when Jesus died.

When the last of the lambs (many hundreds) had been slaughtered, a shofar (a horn) would be blown on the temple ramparts, to draw the attention of the congregation who were waiting in the courtyard to take home the slaughtered lambs for the “feast” part of the Passover (the eating of its flesh). With the sounding of the shofar, the High Priest would step out onto the rampart and cry out in a loud voice: *“It is finished!”. *

What exactly was finished? The slaying of the lamb, that’s what was finished.

“It is finished! The Lamb of God has been slain - for the redemption of your sins! Take and eat, all of you! Here is His Body! The laying down of His life has been finished, now all that’s left to complete this acceptable and propitiatory sacrifice is for **you **to eat the Word Who was made Flesh and given up for you!”

Hopefully, you can now put 2+2 together for yourself. Oh the immensity of it all! The immensity of the Love and the Mercy! Truly, truly, should we tremble, tremble, tremble!

God bless you for pondering these profound words of our Savior.

Francis