Vol. 21 No. 23 | June 10, 2019
A jug of sour wine was standing by. Someone put a sponge soaked with the wine on a javelin and lifted it to his mouth. After he took the wine, Jesus said, “It’s done . . . complete.” Bowing his head, he offered up his spirit. (John 19:29-30, The Message)
I cannot imagine how Jesus felt at that moment, to know He had accomplished what He’d come here to do and letting out a deep sigh, saying “It’s done…complete.”
I can only mildly relate to how He might of felt when I think of mowing my lawn back in the day- those hot humid summer afternoons, sweating through my shirt, my ankles covered with dust and blades of grass. I would shut the mower off, take a big drink of sweetened iced tea, looked around say, “It’s done…until next week.”
On a more profound level, I can remember how I felt when I finished high school- walking across the aisle to receive my diploma, shaking the superintendent’s hand, and celebrating with family and friends, thinking, “It’d done…now off to college.”
Then I finished my college degree, celebrated with my wife when she finished hers, and with our children when they reached comparable milestones. “It’d done…until the next big thing comes along.”
You’ve probably known a similar feeling- when you walked down the aisle, crossed the finish line of a race, held your baby for the first time, dropped her off at school for the first time. “It’d done…for now.”
This is one of the differences between Jesus’s words and ours…what comes after. For Him, it was “It’s done…complete.” With us, there’s always one more thing to do- another child to rear, project to complete…more milestones to pass.” But for Jesus, His work was done.
Paul, who wrote most of the books in the New Testament, said it like this:
For I am already being poured out like a drink offering, and the time for my departure is near. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day—and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing. (2 Timothy 4:6-8, NIV)
What enabled them to say these words? They could do so with confidence because they had lived fully, loved graciously, served willingly, and trusted wholeheartedly.
Our day will come too, if we follow their lead. I look forward to that day, when I can say I have completed my mission here. And hopefully, I will take one last deep breath and say, “It’s done . . . complete.”
What a day that will be!
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