Wednesday, April 1, 2026
When Jesus had received the sour wine, He said, “It is finished,” and He bowed His head and gave up His spirit. (John 19:30)
What is finished? Most obviously, Jesus’ sufferings are finished—because He gives up His spirit to God and dies.
But I think He means more than that. Jesus has finished the work of His whole life—everything He came into the world to do. His conception and birth as a human baby, the long years of growing up in an ordinary family. Then His ministry—all the hard work of teaching and healing and caring for people who were like sheep without a shepherd. And the years of training disciples who kept missing the point, people who would become the foundation for the Christian church, responsible for bringing the message of Jesus our Savior to the whole world. All of that is finished now.
But there’s even more. Because God saw this moment before He ever created the world with its people, before we fell into sin. And still He chose in love to go through with it. Through Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, through all the judges and prophets and ordinary people who carried on the knowledge of God, and who prepared the way for Jesus’ coming. God has been working through all of them, up to this moment. And now all of that too is finished—fulfilled—at rest.
There will be a short time to rest—not long—before the joy of Jesus’ resurrection. Then the work of gathering in the nations will begin, and it won’t end until Jesus comes back to earth in glory, to bring us all home. But not yet.
WE PRAY: Lord, thank You for what You did for me. Amen.
Reflection Questions:
Lenten Devotions were written by Dr. Kari Vo.