Lasting Words: It Is Finished
Henry Lengkeek   -   April 13, 2025
5 Day Devotional

Understanding Palm Sunday and Jesus’s Final Words: “It Is Finished”

As we enter Holy Week, we explore the profound significance of Palm Sunday and Jesus’s journey to the cross. This powerful story reveals how apparent defeat transformed into the greatest victory in history.

The Paradox of Palm Sunday

Palm Sunday presents several striking contradictions:

  • A king riding a donkey instead of a stallion
  • Crowds shouting “Hosanna!” who would later cry “Crucify him!”
  • A glorious city that Jesus wept over
  • A temple meant to be pure that needed cleansing
  • Apparent defeat that led to ultimate victory

Jesus’s Agony in Gethsemane

In the Garden of Gethsemane, we see Jesus deeply troubled:

  • He becomes “deeply distressed and troubled”
  • Asks for the cup to be taken from Him
  • Shows His human nature while accepting God’s will
  • Faces the horror of taking on the world’s sin
  • Demonstrates perfect obedience despite tremendous suffering

The True Meaning of “It Is Finished”

Jesus’s final words “It is finished” (Tetelestai in Greek) carry profound meaning:

  • Signifies complete payment of our debt
  • Represents fulfillment of all prophecies
  • Marks the defeat of evil and death
  • Abolishes the need for ceremonial law
  • Bridges the gap between God’s holiness and human sin

What Was Accomplished on the Cross?

Through Jesus’s death, several things were completed:

  • Evil was conquered
  • Suffering ended
  • Prophecies fulfilled
  • Ceremonial law abolished
  • Price of sin paid in full
  • Path to God opened directly

Life Application

As we reflect on these events, consider:

  1. Are you trying to add anything to Christ’s finished work?
  2. How does knowing “it is finished” change how you live?
  3. In what areas do you need to rest in Christ’s completed work?

Challenge for the week: Identify one area where you’re striving to earn God’s favor and practice resting in the finished work of Christ instead. Remember that nothing needs to be added to what Jesus accomplished on the cross.

Remember: We are not “grace graduates” – we continue growing in and being shaped by God’s grace while resting in Christ’s completed work.