A Finished Work

The night before His crucifixion, Jesus prayed to His Father, “I glorified You on the earth, having accomplished the work which You have given Me to do” (John 17:4). Throughout His public ministry, Jesus was preoccupied with this work as He said that His food was to do the will of His Father and “to accomplish His work” (John 4:34). This divine work, planned before the foundation of the world by “the predetermined plan and foreknowledge of God” (Acts 2:23), is the central part of God’s plan of redemption for all mankind. It requires a victorious Messiah to be the Pascal Lamb (1 Corinthians 5:7). When Jesus said on the cross, “It is finished!" in John 19:30, He spoke about more than His work on earth. 

The Passover Fulfilled

So much of Jesus's last week of human life was the fulfillment of many Scriptures. The Last Supper was a Passover Seder, and at the center of the service was an unblemished lamb that needed to be slain so that blood would be shed. When Paul identified Christ as our Passover, he was linking last week's events to the requirements of the first Passover from Exodus 12. Jay Mack’s “Life of Christ Commentary” below captures the fulfillment of the Passover lamb:

“At the feast of the Passover, the man of the house was commanded to examine a lamb for the Passover meal (Exodus 12:3-6). For five days, from the tenth of Nissan to the fourteenth he was to examine the lamb to make sure it was without defect or blemish and worthy to be the Pesach sacrifice. Jesus entered Jerusalem on Sunday, the tenth of Nissan and was examined by the Jews for five days. As far as the Jewish religious leaders were concerned, they had two goals. They would question Yeshua in front of the multitude to turn the people against Him, and they looked for a specific way to charge Him with a crime so they could put Him to death by Roman law. But it was not successful. After those five days of examination by the Pharisees, by the Sadducees, by the Torah-teachers and by the Herodians, Jesus answered all their objections and questions; therefore, He was found to be without defect or blemish. Christ ate the Seder meal on the night of the Passover, the same night that all the Jewish people ate it. But because the Son of God qualified as the Pesach Lamb, He was slaughtered on the day of the Passover, the fifteenth of Nissan.”

When John the Baptist saw Jesus approaching him to be baptized in John 1:29, he said, “Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world". Long before Jesus fulfilled the promise of being the Passover lamb, John the Baptist already recognized Jesus that way. But what is the significance of being the Lamb of God? The importance of the lamb is identified by Isaiah in 53:7. When referring to the coming Messiah,. He said, "Like a lamb that is led to slaughter, and like a sheep that is silent before its shearers, so He did not open His mouth." The significance of a lamb is that it was intended to be slaughtered. 

Ransom 

The concept of being redeemed in Greek is exagorazo, and means to release on receipt of a ransom. Jesus acknowledged to His disciples that He came “not to be served, but to serve and give His life a ransom for many” (Mark 10:45). Jesus was the ransom that releases the believer from the curse of sin as Paul defines it in Galatians 3:13-14. The result of that redemption is to open up the blessings of Abraham to all believers, Jews and Gentiles, who put their trust in the completed work of Christ and may now receive the Holy Spirit by faith. It also means that believers have been “bought at a price” (1 Corinthians 6:20) so that they may recognize that they no longer belong to themselves but to the Redeemer.

A remarkable passage in the Talmud says: "It was a famous and old opinion among the ancient Jews that the day of the new year, which was the beginning of the Israelites' deliverance out of Egypt, should in future time be the beginning of the redemption by the Messiah." The foundation of the new covenant is that redemption of men is fully accomplished and therefore, “FOR I WILL BE MERCIFUL TO THEIR INIQUITIES, AND I WILL REMEMBER THEIR SINS NO MORE" (Hebrews 8:12). Forgiveness of sins for all new covenant believers is dependent on the completion of the work of redemption.

Worthy is the Lamb

From the time of Calvary forward, Jesus would be recognized as the slain Lamb in honor of His fulfilled sacrifice, the lamb's innocence speaking to the fact that He remained silent despite the false accusations. In Revelation 5:5-12, taking place in heaven during the Tribulation period, the elders with the four living creatures recognize Messiah first as the Lion of Judah (verse 5), representing His second coming, and then as the Lamb slain, representing His first coming. It is important to note that the book in verse 7 symbolizes the future, which could only be opened by the Lamb. In verse 9, they sang a new song: Worthy is the Lamb! Why? Because the slain Lamb had “purchased for God with Your blood from every tribe and tongue and people and nation." And in verse 10, the Lamb has "made them be a kingdom and priests to our God." This is a powerful passage illustrating the completed work of the Pascal Lamb, resulting in worship, not just from men but from angels as well. When Jesus said, "It is finished," He was opening the door for all men, Jews, and Gentiles, based on faith, to be able to “reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ" (Romans 5:17), as is referenced in verse 10 above. 

"And behold, the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom; and the earth shook, and the rocks were split. The tombs were opened, and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised; and coming out of the tombs after His resurrection, they entered the holy city and appeared to many. Now, the centurion and those who were with him keeping guard over Jesus when they saw the earthquake and the things that were happening, became very frightened and said, "Truly this was the Son of God!"                      Matthew 27:51-54

The moment of Jesus's death on the cross caused several profound things to take place, as the Matthew account above reveals. In verse 51, "the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom." This is a profound statement since that veil was the curtain that separated the Holy of Holies from the Holy Place in the temple. It also was torn from the top, not the bottom, signifying that it was God's work and not men's. The Holy of Holies was the place restricted to God Himself and only available to the High Priest one day of each year, the Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur). The moment of Jesus's death opened the Holy of Holies, the location of the presence of God to all believers. This principle is further illuminated in Hebrews 10:20 when the writer tells us that the veil symbolizes Jesus's flesh, providing "a new and living way"! The completed work of Christ at Calvary through the sacrifice of His flesh immediately gave each believer full access to God (Ephesians 2:18).

More Evidence

At the same time, an earthquake occurred, resulting in rocks being split. Jesus's sacrificial death resulted in a statement to all living beings, not just the religious crowd. The Matthew account is the only one that includes the raising of many bodies of dead believers to enter Jerusalem after His resurrection, “appearing to many." It appears that the earthquake opened the graves and resurrected the bodies from their graves after the resurrection of Christ. Since they were recognizable to many, these saints demonstrate Jesus's victory over death. All of these events caused those Roman soldiers (probably pagans) who were keeping guard to testify, "Truly this was the Son of God." The power of this event was on display for all interested to observe! 

“And his father Zacharias was filled with the Holy Spirit, and prophesied, saying: "Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, for He has visited us and accomplished redemption for His people, and has raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of David His servant.”     Luke 1:67-69

The prophecy of Zacharias was that the Redeemer was to visit, and He would "accomplish redemption for His people." Although He was to be rejected by His own (John 1:11), He still came for His people, which defines the greatest work of redemption! No one is left behind when it comes to the accomplished work of the Redeemer at Calvary, not even those who have completely rejected Him. The believer can have full assurance that God requires nothing on his/her behalf to complete redemption. By faith in His work, “It is finished”.

Atonement

But the Lord was pleased to crush Him, putting Him to grief; if He would render Himself as a guilt offering, He will see His offspring, He will prolong His days, and the good pleasure of the Lord will prosper in His hand. As a result of the anguish of His soul, He will see it and be satisfied; by His knowledge, the Righteous One, My Servant, will justify [sadaq – declare righteous] the many, as He will bear their iniquities. Therefore, I will allot Him a portion with the great, and He will divide the booty with the strong; because He poured out Himself to death, and was numbered with the transgressors; yet He Himself bore the sin of many, and interceded for the transgressors.                   Isaiah 53:10-12 

That the Lord was pleased to crush Him confirms that it was His perfect will despite the pain and suffering the Son of God would endure. The Law of Moses commanded that acts of sin require an offering for sin, evidenced by blood. For it is the blood by reason of the life that makes atonement (Leviticus 17:11). A guilt offering was required for sins committed; so, the priest shall make atonement [kapar – cover over sin] on his behalf for his sin (Leviticus 5:6). In Romans 3:25, whom God displayed publicly as a propitiation in His blood through faith. This was to demonstrate His righteousness, because in the forbearance of God He passed over the sins previously committed. It means that prior to the offering of Jesus on the cross, all offerings were temporary, covering over the sin, anticipating the perfect offering.

Redemption & Righteousness 

He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.                           2 Corinthians 5:21 

But by His doing, you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, and righteousness and sanctification, and redemption.                       1 Corinthians 1:30 

Faith in God is what man offers to God; God’s righteousness is something bestowed upon man. Redemption is the ground of God’s righteousness, and God’s righteousness is the result of redemption. Redemption satisfies God's justice, God’s righteousness makes man blessed; the first was finished upon the cross, the second happens at salvation and is experienced from faith to faith (Romans 1:17). Christ’s offering provides every believer the environment whereby he can overcome everything that separates him from a loving God.

Surely, His salvation is near to those who fear [reverence] Him, that glory may dwell in our land. Lovingkindness and truth have met together; righteousness and peace have kissed each other. Truth springs from the earth, and righteousness looks down from heaven. Indeed, the Lord will give what is good, and our land will yield its produce. Righteousness will go before Him and will make His footsteps into a way.      Psalm 85:9-13

Romans 9:8 tells us that faith in the promises of God, a willingness to trust God for something one could not accomplish on his own, is always the basis of a relationship with God. Psalm 85:9 refers to it as a reverence for God, recognizing Him as savior and deliverer. Just as Paul wrote of all the fantastic supernatural blessings associated with salvation in Ephesians 1, this psalm gives us an inside view of what salvation looks like. Regarding this passage, Keil and Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament says: 

The glory that has been far removed again takes up its abode in the land. Mercy or loving-kindness walks along the streets of Jerusalem, and there meets fidelity, like one guardian angel meeting the other. Righteousness and peace or prosperity, these two inseparable brothers kiss each other there and fall lovingly into each other's arms. The poet pursues this charming picture of the future further. After God's emet, i.e., faithfulness to the promises, has descended like dew, His faithfulness to the covenant springs up out of the land, the fruit of that fertilizing influence. And sedeq, gracious justice, looks down from heaven, smiling favor and dispensing blessing. 

It appears that the above passage from Psalm 85 is a spiritual view of what Jesus accomplished on Calvary.