“It is finished.” John 19:28-30.

Three of the most powerful words uttered by a human. Ever. 

When Jesus declares the ultimate victory as he slips into death, people watching probably didn’t fully grasp what he meant. The crowd likely thought he was giving up his life. And of course, he was. But what they didn’t know, was that this was a temporary arrangement. 

Yes, his life was finished, but so was the battle between good and evil, sin and righteousness, enslavement, and freedom. 

How are you at starting and completing tasks? I’m great at starting them. Truly. I could be professional project starter. Finishing…erm, less so. I get through the first flush of excitement at emptying something or tearing something down and then buying whatever I need to put everything back together and them my steam runs out. Case in point, my love agent suggested a major revision to my current WIP (work in progress). The idea makes complete sense. But requires a type of editing I’ve never done. I love the story and the characters. The thought of spending more time with them in the fictional Fairhope Vale is appealing. But can I get the work done? It’s been over a year and I’m still struggling to get beyond the most polished first chapter in the whole history of fiction. Rearranging every scene to add a new character feels a bit like literary Tetris meets Fiction Writer’s Home Makeover, hosted by Marie Condo and the cast of the Home Edit for Authors (if such a thing existed). 

Facing down death

In comparison though, my task has been minuscule compared to what Jesus finished. He faced down sin and death. Looked it square in the face and didn’t flinch. Me on the other hand, at times, despair. I’m not always sure I can do the work with conflicting advice from writing friends and a shortage of creativity akin to the toilet roll situation for most of 2020. But with Jesus’ help, line by line and page by page I will gain ground. 

I think that’s how Jesus sometimes works. Except his projects aren’t a literary mess, but a world full of spiritual rot. And instead of it taking months or years, with him, it’s instant. We invite him in and “It is finished.” In the gospel, Jesus descended into hell, beat death then returned, victorious. And for the second time in three days, the work was finished. 

This Easter is the PERFECT time to invite Jesus to give the sin in your life to the same treatment. You only need ask.