It was a Saturday morning and even though I had my daughter’s swimming lesson at 8am, that was one of the first mornings of the week that I didn’t have my alarm set for 5am. I had finished some work late the night before and was SO looking forward to a sleep in. Nope. That wasn’t going to happen.
A cat started meowing at 4:30am, inevitably waking me up. (Don’t you notice how you can be a deep sleeper, then you have children and that goes right out the window? No? Maybe it’s just me.) Sometimes, not often, I can go back to sleep but not this morning. I was wide awake. Argh!
I turned my attention to Jesus and I heard Him say the words in my heart, “It is finished.” OK? He then said that this is a subject he wanted me to write about.
When I asked Him what He wanted to say, He told me that it is time for His people, His Church, to understand that everything is done. There is no more striving for God’s affection or attention or blessings or love or acceptance or healing or provision or forgiveness, etc. It is done – IT IS FINISHED!
What does that look like for you and me in our lives today?
This post is a little long but there needs to be some context. It’s interesting, I promise.
A Little Background First
“When Jesus had received the sour wine, He said, “It is finished!” And He bowed His head and [voluntarily] gave up His spirit.”
John 19:30 (AMP)
Interestingly enough, these immortal words are only recorded by John in his Gospel.
What is actually finished? What was incomplete? Have you ever thought about it? What does it mean for you and me today?
The Old Covenant
Firstly, let’s look at the Old Covenant, the one that had a never ending appetite for sacrifice.
When you read the Old Testament, after the Hebrews were taken out of Egypt in Exodus 12 , there are massive numbers of animals that were sacrificed to essentially ‘pay’ for the sins of the Hebrews. Why? All because the Hebrews didn’t want a personal relationship with God.
In Exodus 19, when God came down in a cloud over Mount Sinai, the Hebrews essentially said, “No! We don’t want God talking to us. Just ask Him for a list of rules and we’ll abide by those, but don’t let Him talk to us because are frightened.” (Exodus 20:18-19)
How heartbreaking, although it must have been pretty terrifying seeing a thick, dark cloud come over the mountain and then hearing a voice come out of it. But they had just seen God do major miracles with the plagues, helping them escape the tyranny of Egypt, the cloud, the fire and parting the Red Sea, supernatural provision of food and water. Hmmm …
A fun fact.
Did you know Jewish tradition says that there were actually 2 large, thick square blocks of sapphire that had the Ten Commandments on them? There were two written copies of the Ten Commandments, one on each square block. One copy went to each one of the parties who were making the covenant. It was like a written agreement and both sides had a copy. Each city or region had an ‘Ark of the Covenant’ to house these cubes with the covenant written on them.
The Mosaic Covenant
There were already covenants established in this culture between rulers of nations and regions, so the Hebrews understood what they were asking for. Although I don’t think they knew just how difficult it would be.
The Mosaic Covenant (the covenant between God and Moses for the Hebrew people, or rules and regulations given to Moses) was a covenant that was conditional. This meant that both parties, Moses (and the Hebrews) and God, had to uphold their side of the agreement. It would mean either blessing or cursing for the Hebrews depending on their response of obedience to God.
At first it was a Kinship Covenant (Ex, Lev, Num) that was closer to a family relationship with God. When an army or people came against the Hebrews, God would step in and protect them. But the Hebrews would still do things their own way, turn their hearts away from God and worship false idols, and do abominable things that grieved Father God’s heart. So the Kingship Covenant then turned into a Vassal Covenant – a consequence of not holding to their side of the agreement (Deut). Now they had a HUGE list of rules they had to follow as well as the Ten Commandments.
The Vassal Covenant means that when obedience occurs, blessings follow. When disobedience happens, punishment follows (See Deut 27&28). God was holding up His side of the Covenant that the Hebrews wanted. God as Creator and Father wanted relationship – not punishment and curses. Yuck!
This must have broken His heart. In no way did God enjoy seeing His chosen people rebelling against Him and He then having to bring punishment. Psalm 78 talks about how God was grieved about His people choosing death instead of life – their own ways instead of God’s best ways.
It grieved Him so much that He had in place the perfect plan – before Creation even existed. Talk about love!
Jesus!!
God didn’t want punishment and curses, He really didn’t. He longed for relationship. The blood of the sacrifices ‘paid’ for the debt that was owed from the disobedience and sin of the Hebrews, but only for 1 year at a time. Have you ever noticed that the Bible talks about other sacrifices that were made to false gods? Do you know why? It was to appease, or to please the false gods so that they wouldn’t bring calamity and curses onto the people who worshiped them.
This is the concept that occurred when you made a covenant with an idol, a group of people, or a king.
But … we no longer live under this Covenant.
The Better Covenant
“But now Jesus the Messiah has accepted a priestly ministry which far surpasses theirs, since he is the catalyst of a better covenant which contains far more wonderful promises!”
Hebrews 8:6 (TPT)
What is the Better Covenant as described in Hebrews 7:22 and 8:6?
Well, we no longer have to go into our local church with 10 goats, 20 bulls, 5 doves and sacrifice them there. Praise God for that. I’m not cleaning up that mess!
When we decide to live in relationship with and submission to Jesus, we are covered by the blood of Jesus and we can enter into relationship with Father God.
You cannot be covered in the blood of Jesus anymore than you already are. There is no need to keep pleading the blood over yourself. It is already done.
Jesus was the perfect sacrifice that paid in full the debt that was owed to fulfil the Old Covenant. Now there is no debt outstanding. The debt is completely cleared.
Now, if Jesus died and stayed dead, we would still be forgiven. When you die you would be like the thief on the cross to whom Jesus said, “Today you will be with me in Paradise.” That would have been amazing but the even better part is, Jesus rose from the dead and ascended into Heaven – so that we can too!
But it doesn’t end there.
So, even though the “wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23), know that your debt has been completely paid for by a perfect Saviour – not as you but for you. You are completely and totally forgiven – you just need to receive it.
“But if we freely admit our sins (when his light uncovers them), he will be faithful to forgive us every time. God is just to forgive us our sins (because of Christ), and he will continue to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”
1 John 1:9 (TPT)
There is even so much more than this, as if this wasn’t enough. Stay tuned next week as we look at the resurrection power of Jesus and what that means for you and me today.
There’s nothing more exciting that this … really, really!
Until then, remember that you are passionately and fiercely loved, by your incredible Heavenly Father. You only have to ask Him for forgiveness and receive it, because He has already offered it to you through the death of His Son, Jesus. Take it, it’s all yours!
Have you ever had trouble reconciling the God of the Old Testament to the God of the New? Does it seem contradictory that if God stays the same, how is it that He seems so opposite in both Testaments? My heart is to bring greater understanding to you that God truly is a good Father – all of the time. I am praying for greater revelation of His love to fill you throughout the coming days.
Many, many blessings to you.
Books used:
“Understanding The Whole Bible” by Dr Jonathan Welton
“The Ancient Near Eastern Thought and The Old Testament” by John H Walton
“Treaty of the Great King” by Meredith G Kline
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