When Jesus had received the drink, he said, “It is finished.” John 19:30 (NIV)
What was finished? One thing that was finished was the long night of Jesus’ suffering. Jesus knows about suffering from the inside. He has been to the edge of endurance.
Jesus knows about excruciating suffering more than anyone else has ever known it. But he is not suffering now. He is not on the cross now. He is done with that. It is finished.
Jesus is no longer in the grave either. He died and he was buried. But death could not keep a hold on him. The Bible records for us that he was raised from the dead on the third day (John 20). That means Jesus is alive!
Well, then, you may be wondering, what is he doing now? The Bible tells us that Christ is seated at the right hand of the Father in heaven, where he intercedes for us (Romans 8:34).
These truths are important, because a suffering world needs a savior who knows suffering from the inside. But a savior who is overwhelmed by suffering, or a savior who remains in suffering, is of no use to us.
We need a savior who has triumphed over suffering, and that is what we have in Jesus. He was plunged into indescribable suffering, but he was not overcome by it. He came through it, and he triumphed in it. That’s your Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ!
What does it mean to you to know that Jesus triumphed over the suffering of the cross and over death?
