“It is Finished!”: The Cross as Prophetic Finale

What did Jesus mean when he cried out from the cross, “It is finished” in John 19?

Certainly, Jesus was making a soteriological statement. “It is finished” means he has drunk the cup of divine wrath against human sin to the dregs. He has paid for and cancelled our debts. He has won the victory over sin, death, and Satan. The work of accomplishing our salvation is finished. It is complete. Nothing more needs to be done. “It is finished” means sinners have been saved.

These are the elements of the claim from cross we usually focus on, for obvious reasons. “It is finished” is a three word summation of the gospel.

But there is another angle on this cry from the cross.

“It is finished” = “It is fulfilled.”

“It is finished” is not just a soteriological claim. It is a prophetic claim. John has told the story of Jesus’ death in such a way as to highlight numerous prophecies Jesus is fulfilling in his death. Some examples:

Psalm 22:18 is fulfilled in John 19:23-24.

Psalm 69:21 is fulfilled in John 19:29-30.

Exodus 12:43-46 and Psalm 34:20 are fulfilled in John 19:33.

Psalm 22:15-17 is fulfilled in John 19:34.

The piercing of Jesus’ side in John 19:34 fulfills the typology of the woman’s creation in Genesis 2. See also Zechariah 12:10.

And so on — there are too many examples for me to list here. Whole books have been written on the typology of John’s gospel, and rightfully so.

Of course, the Old Testament is not just a bundle of prooftexts that Jesus fulfills like he is checking off boxes. The Old Testament is a comprehensive and coherent story that points ahead to what Jesus will do. But these Old Testament texts combined with John’s gospel show us clearly how Jesus brought the entire old covenant to fulfillment. His claim “it is finished” does not just mean he has completed the work of accomplishing our redemption. It means he has finished — fulfilled — the plan of God, as foretold and foreshadowed in the old covenant Scriptures. The Old Testament was a story in search of ending; “It is finished” means Jesus has brought that story to its fitting and happy ending. He has brought the story God has been telling to a bloody but glorious conclusion. All the lines of old covenant revelation converge upon Jesus at the cross. He has finished the old covenant by fulfilling its types, shadows, promises, and prophecies.