Good Friday April 2, 2021
John 18:1-19:42
“A Job Well Done”
19:30 “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, human beings like to see a job well done. We take pride in our work when it is done—and done well. Like the report for work that gets done, household repairs, and even school projects. I can still remember the science report I made in Grade Six about lightning for which I received a stellar grade. In fact, I may even have it somewhere. But the point is, we take pride and enjoyment in a job well done. It gives us a strong sense of accomplishment and builds our self-esteem.
Perhaps one of the best examples of human achievement—in a job well done—can be seen in our architecture. Watching television shows like Frontiers of Construction that highlight the skills and accomplishments of human building projects are fascinating. And seeing these buildings in person can truly be awe-inspiring. Structures like the Empire State Building, the Great Pyramids of Egypt, and the Canadian CN Tower, are awesome to behold. It is difficult to fathom the amount of effort and engineering that goes in to making these beautifully behemoth buildings.
And yet, no matter how well done, no matter how well-constructed, no matter how scrupulously completed, none of our works will last forever on this earth. All of them, eventually, will be destroyed, need to be done over again, need to be repaired, or simply, fade away. Whether it is the school project that is done so well—there will always be another one to do; whether it is the development of a new vaccine—there will always be new variants/strains—there will always be new viruses that come along; or whether it is even our buildings—eventually they will all come down—whether due to destructive terrorist attacks, riots, accidents, or the slow but certain degradation of time—they will all fall down. Even the mighty pyramids will eventually be gone forever—though they have lasted for thousands of years, they cannot withstand the simple effects of erosion. Simply put, no work of man will ever last forever.
And yet, the works of God never fade or lose their power. They never need an extra boost or a bit of repair work, nor can they ever be undone. For what God declares and does—is permanent—is fixed—is a job well-done—forever! This is what I would like to focus on this Good Friday service. Christ’s last words on the cross, as recorded by St. John, are of monumental importance for us as Christians—as sinful people in need of a Saviour. It is but one word in the Greek—Tetlestai—meaning, It is finished, completed, fully accomplished—It is well done! The work of salvation that Christ came to accomplish has been done so well—it is completed—fully—there is nothing more that can ever be added to it or taken away from it. The incredible act of reconciliation and atonement between God and His sinful people has been finished through the suffering and death of our Lord Jesus Christ on the cross.
Unlike our works, His work is perfect. We cannot add anything to our salvation because, as Christ boldly shouts to all who can hear, "It is finished!" This specific and most important work of God—salvation of sinful humanity—is now closed. The Lamb of God has made His great sacrifice for the world—our Great Substitute has paid the enormous ransom for our sin—and paid it to the utmost—with His own precious body and blood—poured out on the cross for you and me. As He declares with His dying breath to the whole world—His redemptive shedding of blood, done once for all, is finished and stands as finished forever. Job well-done!
In terms of salvation there is nothing that we, sinfully broken people, need to add, nor even could add. For it would be like trying to build a strong, magnificent structure on a foundation of broken, crumbling sandstone—it would not work. Thanks be to God that the foundation for our salvation rests not on our own works, but on the perfect work of Christ Jesus our Lord—our Redeemer—our solid Rock. This rock is so steadfast, so strong and so unmoveable, that not even the gates of hell can withstand Him. He is our mighty God and Saviour whose job of salvation has been fulfilled to perfection.
And through which God continues to reassure us of His job well-done through His perfect means of grace that never change. In His Word and Sacraments we are forever changed, transformed, through the healing power of the Gospel of Jesus that gives the perfect victory over sin, death, and the devil—to you and me! Though our works do not last in this life, we remain confident of our everlasting life through the perfect suffering and death of our Lord Jesus Christ, who willingly endured our eternal punishment for sin on the cross so that our Heavenly Father would boldly declare—Job...Well...Done! And how! Thanks be to God. Amen.
John 18:1-19:42
“A Job Well Done”
19:30 “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, human beings like to see a job well done. We take pride in our work when it is done—and done well. Like the report for work that gets done, household repairs, and even school projects. I can still remember the science report I made in Grade Six about lightning for which I received a stellar grade. In fact, I may even have it somewhere. But the point is, we take pride and enjoyment in a job well done. It gives us a strong sense of accomplishment and builds our self-esteem.
Perhaps one of the best examples of human achievement—in a job well done—can be seen in our architecture. Watching television shows like Frontiers of Construction that highlight the skills and accomplishments of human building projects are fascinating. And seeing these buildings in person can truly be awe-inspiring. Structures like the Empire State Building, the Great Pyramids of Egypt, and the Canadian CN Tower, are awesome to behold. It is difficult to fathom the amount of effort and engineering that goes in to making these beautifully behemoth buildings.
And yet, no matter how well done, no matter how well-constructed, no matter how scrupulously completed, none of our works will last forever on this earth. All of them, eventually, will be destroyed, need to be done over again, need to be repaired, or simply, fade away. Whether it is the school project that is done so well—there will always be another one to do; whether it is the development of a new vaccine—there will always be new variants/strains—there will always be new viruses that come along; or whether it is even our buildings—eventually they will all come down—whether due to destructive terrorist attacks, riots, accidents, or the slow but certain degradation of time—they will all fall down. Even the mighty pyramids will eventually be gone forever—though they have lasted for thousands of years, they cannot withstand the simple effects of erosion. Simply put, no work of man will ever last forever.
And yet, the works of God never fade or lose their power. They never need an extra boost or a bit of repair work, nor can they ever be undone. For what God declares and does—is permanent—is fixed—is a job well-done—forever! This is what I would like to focus on this Good Friday service. Christ’s last words on the cross, as recorded by St. John, are of monumental importance for us as Christians—as sinful people in need of a Saviour. It is but one word in the Greek—Tetlestai—meaning, It is finished, completed, fully accomplished—It is well done! The work of salvation that Christ came to accomplish has been done so well—it is completed—fully—there is nothing more that can ever be added to it or taken away from it. The incredible act of reconciliation and atonement between God and His sinful people has been finished through the suffering and death of our Lord Jesus Christ on the cross.
Unlike our works, His work is perfect. We cannot add anything to our salvation because, as Christ boldly shouts to all who can hear, "It is finished!" This specific and most important work of God—salvation of sinful humanity—is now closed. The Lamb of God has made His great sacrifice for the world—our Great Substitute has paid the enormous ransom for our sin—and paid it to the utmost—with His own precious body and blood—poured out on the cross for you and me. As He declares with His dying breath to the whole world—His redemptive shedding of blood, done once for all, is finished and stands as finished forever. Job well-done!
In terms of salvation there is nothing that we, sinfully broken people, need to add, nor even could add. For it would be like trying to build a strong, magnificent structure on a foundation of broken, crumbling sandstone—it would not work. Thanks be to God that the foundation for our salvation rests not on our own works, but on the perfect work of Christ Jesus our Lord—our Redeemer—our solid Rock. This rock is so steadfast, so strong and so unmoveable, that not even the gates of hell can withstand Him. He is our mighty God and Saviour whose job of salvation has been fulfilled to perfection.
And through which God continues to reassure us of His job well-done through His perfect means of grace that never change. In His Word and Sacraments we are forever changed, transformed, through the healing power of the Gospel of Jesus that gives the perfect victory over sin, death, and the devil—to you and me! Though our works do not last in this life, we remain confident of our everlasting life through the perfect suffering and death of our Lord Jesus Christ, who willingly endured our eternal punishment for sin on the cross so that our Heavenly Father would boldly declare—Job...Well...Done! And how! Thanks be to God. Amen.