It Is Finished. He Has Done It.
The final words of Psalm 22 are among the most beautiful words connected with the cross. Psalm 22:30-31 says, “A seed shall serve him; it shall be accounted to the Lord for a generation. They shall come, and shall declare his righteousness unto a people that shall be born, that he hath done this.” I love that final expression: “He hath done this.” Or, said another way, He has done it. The Psalm begins with, “My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?” and it ends with the declaration that He has done it.
Then we come to John 19:30, where Jesus approaches the end of His suffering on the cross: “When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, he said, It is finished: and he bowed his head, and gave up the ghost.” It is finished. He has done it. What a powerful connection. The cross was not Jesus saying, “I tried.” It was not Jesus saying, “I hope this works.” It was not Jesus saying, “Now you must finish what I started.” He said, “It is finished.” Something had been accomplished there. The work necessary for our salvation had been completed. The promise of God had reached its appointed moment. The Lamb of God had done what He came to do.
This is why our faith must always bring us back to Christ and His finished work. Religion has a way of constantly pointing us back to ourselves. Do more. Try harder. Become better. Prove yourself. Earn God’s favor. Keep yourself acceptable. Make yourself worthy. But the gospel points us away from ourselves and toward Jesus. Jesus says, “It is finished.” Psalm 22 says, “He has done it.” Our hope does not rest upon what we have done for Him. Our hope rests upon what He has done for us. That is where peace begins. That is where assurance begins. That is where grace becomes more than a theological word and becomes the resting place of the heart.
There were prophetic threads running throughout the Old Testament pointing toward Christ. Moses wrote about Him. David wrote about Him. Isaiah wrote about Him. Zechariah wrote about Him. The prophets kept pointing forward, sometimes giving one piece of the picture and sometimes giving several. Then Jesus came, and the pieces began fitting together. The promised Seed came. The Prophet like Moses came. The virgin-born Son came. The King entered Jerusalem. The suffering Messiah was mocked. His hands and feet were pierced. His garments were divided. Lots were cast for His clothing. He died, He was buried, and He rose again. God had been telling the story long before the people standing at Calvary realized they were living inside its fulfillment.
That is why Jesus could say that the Scriptures testified concerning Him. They did, and they still do. Every time we read those passages, we are reminded that our faith rests upon the faithfulness of God. What God promises, God fulfills. But there is also something deeply personal in all of this. Jesus did not merely fulfill prophecy as some abstract theological exercise. He did it for us. Romans 5:8 says, “But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” He did it for sinners. He did it because He loved us. He did it because God loved us.
So when you read Psalm 22, do not stop with the suffering. Keep reading until you reach the victory. When you look at the cross, do not merely see nails. See salvation. Do not merely see blood. See redemption. Do not merely see suffering. See love. Do not merely hear, “My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?” Follow the Psalm all the way to its conclusion: He has done it. Then hear the words of Jesus once again: “It is finished.”
There is nothing left for us to add to His finished work. There is nothing we could add even if we tried. We simply receive by faith what Jesus Christ accomplished. That is why I want to spend whatever remaining days God gives me making this proclamation: He has done it for me. Christ died for me. Christ rose for me. Christ saved me. And His finished work is enough. When doubt comes, look toward the cross. When religion tells you that you must somehow finish what Jesus started, remember His words. When you begin measuring God’s love by your performance, remember Calvary. When you wonder whether the payment was enough, listen again: “It is finished.” And when you wonder whether God really carried out His plan, listen to the final declaration of Psalm 22: He has done it. That is the message of the cross. That is the message of grace. That is the message of salvation. He has done it for me. Hallelujah!
