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The text that serves as the basis for the sermon on this Good Friday, is the Gospel lesson, with special attention to the last three verses, which read again:

John 19:28-30

Later, knowing that all was now completed, and so that the Scripture would be fulfilled, Jesus said, "I am thirsty." [29] A jar of wine vinegar was there, so they soaked a sponge in it, put the sponge on a stalk of the hyssop plant, and lifted it to Jesus' lips. [30] When he had received the drink, Jesus said, "It is finished." With that, he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.

Dear Friends in Christ Jesus,

I remember quite vividly seeing many of my friends in college, including my roommate, walking around with strange looking objects around their necks. The necklaces themselves were some sort of string or cord, but the object hanging from the string or cord was what I was noticing. The shape was nothing that I could immediately understand or explain. Frankly, I wasn’t sure just what they were so I got closer for a better look.

I went up to my roommate and took the object into my hand and saw and felt that it had been made out of hardened clay. And then I figured out just what this object was. It was a miniature open tomb! The clay had been formed into a little rock shape with a hole in it, kind of like we maybe imagine the tomb looking, and then attached to this miniature tomb was a miniature stone that had been rolled away! These friends of mine were wearing empty tombs around their necks.

I asked my roommate why, but I figured out the answer just as he was responding. These friends of mine were responding to the verse in the Bible that says, “If Christ was not raised, our faith is in vain.” And if that is the reason behind it, I saw this as a legitimate reason to be wearing such strange objects around their necks.

I personally never made one of these empty tomb necklaces, but this experience did get me to think: “Why is it that we wear crosses around our necks, and have crosses on and above the altar, and have crosses on our letterhead and just about everywhere the church is? Why is the cross the main symbol of Christianity as opposed to the Manger, or the Chalice and wafer of communion, or the empty tomb? Why is that?

Well, we are reminded of the reason for this in our text for this evening and specifically in these three words, “It Is Finished.” We remember that Jesus has been hanging on the cross for very close to three hours now. He has very little left in terms of strength, in terms of breath, in terms of dignity, in terms of life. He has already said the five previous words from the cross as we have already examined them this afternoon in the Treore, and now He says these three words. Actually, in the Greek it is only one word, “Tetelistai, “It is Finished.”

I think the word finished is pretty clear. Its not partially done. It is not almost done. It is finished. There is no more.

The harder question, the answer of which is not as apparent is, “What is “IT”?” Jesus said “IT is Finished.” What is finished?

We first note that He didn’t say, “I am finished.” He said, “It is finished.” Satan maybe thought or at least hoped that this was the end of Jesus. He had heard just as God’s people had heard since the fall of Adam and Eve that God was going to send a Messiah. And He knew that the plan was that Satan and Sin and Hell would be defeated. But then again, it looked like Jesus was finished. Satan probably was hoping that he had turned the tide. That this was his victory. But no, Jesus didn’t say, “I am finished.” He said, “It is finished.”

“It” could not be many things; it can be only one thing. That is self-evident. What was this one thing that was perfectly finished? “It” was the torment of the payment of the penalty of the accumulated sin of all men. “It” was the suffering of the full punishment of all the guilt of all time. “It” was the experience of the combined hells of all who have ever offended God. The “It” that He completed so perfectly is the personal penalty due you because of your individual sin.

What is finished? Our redemption! What is finished? Our salvation! What is finished? Christ’s Active and Passive obedience to God’s plan of Salvation! What is finished? Christ’s suffering on our behalf! What is finished? Christ fulfilling all of the prophecies spoken of old! What is finished? Everything! Because of what Jesus did through His life and now in His death, we no longer owe God – our debt has been paid, we are declared worthy to enter into God’s presence in paradise.

Think of the effect of this 6^th Word from the cross! Can’t you just imagine what happened in Heaven when Jesus said these words. All the Saints and Angels in Heaven watching this tragic drama unfold! And then, no sooner had these words, “It Is Finished” reached the throne of God than unspeakable Joy filled the place with glory. The War is Won! The Victory is Perfect!

How about the effect in Hell? When Jesus said, “It is finished” the despair of Hell was complete. By Christ’s vicarious victory the Prince of this world was crushed, defeated, made a prisoner of the King of Kings. We read in the book of Hebrews that Christ took upon Himself flesh and blood that “through death He might destroy him that had the power of death, that is the devil.”

But what was the effect on Earth? What is the effect of these words on you and me? Well there are many different responses, but only one real effect on the entire world: HOPE. And this isn’t the kind of hope like in the way we use that word today. We say things like, “I hope it doesn’t rain again tomorrow.” That doesn’t have any certainty in it. The Hope we have in Christ is a CERTAIN HOPE. “It is Finished.” Christ’s redemptive work is done. And it is only because Christ completed the work that it is possible for any man to be saved. And through repentance and faith, themselves gifts from God, we realize just what these words of Jesus mean to us. We will be in Heaven.

So, why do we wear crosses around our necks and place crosses on our Altars, and use crosses as our main symbol of our faith? Why is the statement that a Lutheran cross is an empty cross really a false statement? Because it is at the cross that our debt was paid. It is at the cross that Jesus accomplished our salvation, our forgiveness, and victory over Satan. The cross is evidence of our Savior’s Complete Work. It fulfills every prophecy. It testifies to His perfect life. It reminds us of His death, where everything is finished.

Easter is the crowning point of the church year and we look forward to celebrating it on Sunday because it is the proclamation of the victory over sin, death, and the devil. The victory that was accomplished, perfectly finished at the cross. It is Finished! In the name of Jesus, Amen.