Lesson Four: It Is Finished
For 2019, our theme is “Take it Home”. The last Wednesday of every month we cancel service and encourage every family to have a Family Bible Study night. Here’s the Bible study we provide for each family.
FOCUS VERSE
Matthew 1:21 And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS:
for he shall save his people from their sins.
BEGINNING TOPIC
Before He was born, it was prophesied that Jesus would “save his people from their sins” (Matthew 1:21). It was always in the plan of God that Jesus would die on the cross to save us. His death was carried out so that you and I could be saved.
HISTORICAL SETTING
The time had come for Jesus to finally fulfill the prophecy spoken before His birth. But now, facing the reality of what was about to happen, His humanity went into self-preservation mode. He prayed for deliverance, but ultimately, He submitted His flesh to the Spirit and said, “O my Father, if this cup may not pass away from me, except I drink it, thy will be done” (Matthew 26:42).
Judas, one of the 12 disciples, approached Jesus with a group of chief priests and Roman soldiers. He kissed Jesus on the cheek, a sign to the soldiers that He was the one they sought after. Jesus asked, “Judas, betrayest thou the Son of man with a kiss?” (Luke 22:48)
Capturing Jesus, they took Him to face His accusers. Standing before them, Jesus went silent. He offered no argument or defense. He was brought as a Lamb to the slaughter, yet He opened not His mouth (Isaiah 53:7).
They scourged Him with a whip made of cords knotted with nails, sharp scraps of bone and heavy circles of bronze, which was commonly used in that day to scourge someone (John 19:1).
The soldiers mocked Jesus by putting on Him a scarlet robe, placed a crown of thorns on His head, and a reed in His hand. They then spat on Him and took the reed and smote Him on the head (Matthew 27:27).
They led Jesus, carrying His own cross, to the place that He would be suspended between heaven and earth. They nailed His hands and feet to the cross to ensure that He would remain on it until His death. They gave Him vinegar to drink, in order to prolong the suffering. He stayed there, gasping for air, for 6 hours.
Compassionately, Jesus prayed “Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do” (Luke 23:34).
In the final moments before His death, Jesus felt His body become separated from God as the condemnation of our sins fell upon Him, and He cried with a loud voice, “Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani?”, that is to say, “My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?” (Matthew 27:46)
With His last ounce of energy and His final breaths, Jesus declared “It is finished” (John 19:30). He bowed His head, and Jesus died.
That’s not the end of the story, because Jesus did not stay dead. He rose from the grave 3 days later! When Jesus rose from the grave, it was because He had conquered death.
VERSES TO CONSIDER
Sin is disobedience to God’s commandments (1 John 3:4). The Bible tells us that everyone has sinned and fallen short of the glory of God (1 John 1:8-10). It is because of sin that death entered the world, and death is the payment required to all who sin (Romans 6:23).
God is a Spirit (John 4:24). As a Spirit, God cannot die. That’s why He became a man, that He should taste death for every man (Galatians 4:4-5; Hebrews 2:9).
Jesus was the only person who could pay the payment for our sin, because He had never sinned (Hebrews 4:15-16).
CONCLUSION
What did Jesus mean when He said, “It is finished”? He was declaring that His life’s purpose had been completed. He came and died on the cross so that He could save you and I from our sins.