Friday, March 30, 2018

Holy Week Reflection: It is Finished, Therefore...

A while ago I wrote about something I call a “Swiss Army verse”.  These are verses of Scripture which seem significant, but whose implications are not fully spelled out in the sacred text.  For that reason, it is not uncommon for folks to use those passages to support whatever personal theological fixation they desire.

Today we are going to take a look at another one; John 19:128-30.  It reads:
“After this, when Jesus knew that all was now finished, he said (to fulfill the scripture), ‘I am thirsty.’  
A jar full of sour wine was standing there. So they put a sponge full of the wine on a branch of hyssop and held it to his mouth.  When Jesus had received the wine, he said, ‘It is finished.’ Then he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.”
What does that phrase mean?  What does it NOT mean?





What it Does Mean:

Let's start with some true meanings...

It is finished, therefore... 
... Christ’s suffering on Good Friday was at an end.

The first and most obvious meaning is that Jesus’ suffering on Good Friday complete.  A moment later Jesus would be dead.


It is finished, therefore... 
...the infinite sacrifice of Christ’s life had been made.

Then there is the reason why Jesus was on that cross to begin with; our salvation.  With the conclusion of Jesus’ suffering and death, He had successfully made the sacrifice which would atone for the sins of the world.   


It is finished, therefore… 
...the types, symbols, and prophecies pertaining to the suffering servant had been fulfilled.

Reading the Old Testament, one is confronted with a number of signs pointing forward to Jesus.  From the sacrifice of Isaac, to selling of Joseph into slavery, the Passover lamb, the crimson serpent in the desert, the various sin offerings in the Temple, the tau mark on the repentant men in Ezekiel, all the way to suffering servant of Isaiah... 

...The sacrifice of the Son of God was a plan which had been in the works for some time.


It is finished, therefore… 
...the Last Supper liturgy begun the night before was completed.

Dr. Scott Hahn is famous for arguing that there were supposed to be four cups of wine drunk at the Passover meal Jesus celebrated.  However, the text indicates they only made it to the third before departing. 

Dr. Hahn argues that in drinking the wine off the sponge, Jesus had brought the Last Supper to a close.  This meant Jesus played the part of the sacrificed lamb in the meal.


It is finished, therefore… 
...we’re not bound by the ceremonial precepts of the Mosaic Law

The letter to the Hebrews teaches that the sacrifice of Christ makes the Old Testament sacrifices of bulls and goats unnecessary.  And with those gone, the whole order of associated ceremonial proscriptions goes with it. 



What it Doesn’t Mean:

Now let's turn our attention to some common false claims which people make about the passage.


"It is finished, therefore… 
...everything involved in our justification was accomplished."

You’d think this would be the case, but it isn’t.  As Paul says in Romans 4:25, “He was raised for our justification.” 

In fact, there’s a laundry list of things Jesus hadn’t done yet:

  • Descend to the dead and brought them to Heaven
  • Send the Holy Spirit
  • Commission the Apostles to preach to the ends of the earth
  • Ascend to Heaven.  

There was still a lot on Jesus’ to-do list.



"It is finished, therefore...
...God no longer desires us to have any ritual practices."

This one is put forward by folks who insist Christianity isn’t a “religion”.   But the truth is, Jesus gave us at least two rituals which He expected us to repeat down through the ages; Baptism and the Eucharist.



It is finished, therefore...
... we needn’t fuss about morality or growing in holiness.

This one takes on many forms.  I most recently heard it from a guy who insisted Christ’s sacrifice meant he didn’t need to cultivate chastity.  “Why are you trying so hard to be holy!  Jesus said it is finished!  Let it be finished!”  

I’ve also heard people say Christ’s sacrifice means we are feel free to divorce and remarry.  “Why are you so bogged down with rules about marriage?  Apparently when Jesus said ‘it is finished’, He was only kidding.”

Whatever the case, this is meant to be a pious sounding way to excuse oneself from repentance and virtue.  But as the letter to the Hebrews says, that pursuit is necessary for salvation:
"Strive for peace with all men, and for the holiness without which no one will see the Lord." - Hebrews 12:14


It is finished, therefore...
... all sacrifices to God must cease.

This usually comes from people who enthusiastically oppose Catholics regarding the Mass as a sacrifice.  They’ll claim that with Christ’s death, God no longer wants us to offer sacrifices anymore.  That isn’t the case.  For instance, Saint Paul says the following:
"I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship." - Romans 12:1

It is finished, therefore...
... there is no purgatory

This comes from folks who mistakenly think Purgatory is a place where you atone for sins which Jesus didn’t cover sufficiently.  That’s a mixture of misinformation and not knowing what the New Testament says about suffering.

In reality, the Bible TOTALLY says you’re going to suffer for your sins in Hebrews 12.  Only this suffering isn’t to atone for sins, but to be sanctified through punishment.  That’s what’s going on in purgatory – the final phase of your sanctification.  And it's described in 1Corinthians 3:15 and Matthew 5:26.



No comments:

Post a Comment