It is finished. John 19:30

I had intended this post to be about the finished work of the cross; that there is no earning salvation, and how Jesus did not say, “With the exception of humanity getting their part right, it is finished on my part.”

But then that still small voice whispered, “What…? exactly…? was finished?”

What had Jesus finished when he’d said those words? Sin and death were not destroyed, because the resurrection had not yet taken place.

The gift of salvation had been secured, but were we all saved at that moment? I think we still need to receive that gift. But then, are we getting into works-based salvation?

Or to use another metaphor, God, in the form of the Bridegroom, showed his eternal “I do” on the cross, but we, as the church, had not said it back. I am not sure salvation was what Jesus was talking about.

So what?

What was finished on the cross?

He was not done with his role on Earth, nor was he done with his earthly body. He still wears the body, and he spent forty more days physically on Earth. Not to mention he is still in us.

Jesus came to reveal the Father, but the revelation was not finished. The Holy Spirit, the third member of the Triune God, had not come on the scene yet. And even now, there is more revelation to come.

Was the debt fully paid, or forgiveness accomplished? He is God! He did not have to submit to the cross for that. He forgave sins throughout His life. Death could not accomplish what his life had already done.

Did he repair separation? Depending on how you frame this, I will disagree whole-heartedly (neither life nor death can separate us from the love of God, remember?). Maybe he repaired our perceived separation… but if that were true, we would not perceive separation now (and so many of us still do).

Again, I ask: what was finished?

Redemption? Salvation? Alienation? Unity? God’s rule on Earth?

All could be refuted as not fully complete. So what was it?

Maybe Jesus had fully descended into the human condition. Maybe, like a Trojan horse, he had completely found his way inside our darkness. I wonder if his cry on the cross was an acknowledgement that he could not see the Father through the darkness. Having always been in perfect union with the Father and the Holy Spirit, I wonder how disconcerting this was for our Savior to finally see through human eyes (that is, to be blind to the presence of the Father).

This disconnection to the Father may have been what prompted him to quote Psalm 22, which began with “My God, why have you forsaken me,” but ended with an affirmation that the Father will never turn away or hide his face from us.

I tend to agree with Baxter Kruger that humanity preferred the darkness, so we poured out our wrath on God. By submitting to our demand for a sacrifice, God found His way beyond our defenses. God could now fully relate to human anger, and wrath, and suffering.  He understood our condition. The penetration into humanity was finished.

But for what purpose?

Honestly, I am still working that out.

Perhaps, once inside our defenses, he was able to defeat sin and death from the inside. I know he will not rip sin and death out of us, lest he destroy us with it. Perhaps entering our darkness allowed him to defang death and sin without disturbing the evil within us (not yet anyway).

Or maybe, the overwhelming love and astonishing grace shown on the cross solidified the relationship with his disciples. But he had to get inside the ink-black murkiness of the human heart. Once there, he was able to take their hands and whisper “I love you” to their very souls. And the disciples were able to hear and finally believe! From that point on, his love flourished as rumor of the God-Man spread.

He is not an impassionate, impartial god! He is inside our darkness whispering his unfailing love for all of us. If we have the courage to listen and follow, he will lead us into the light.

Of course… he is the light (and so are we).