It is finished

When he had received the drink, Jesus said, "It is finished." With that, he bowed his head and gave up his spirit. John 19:30

What did Jesus mean when he uttered these words just before he died? Was he saying that his life was over? Or was he saying, like the banner on the warship, "Mission Accomplished?" I believe it's the latter.

It was Jesus' mission from creation that he would come to earth, live a sinless life, teach us how to live, then give his life as the perfect sacrifice for sin. This is what Paul is saying in this snippet of the gospel message found in 1Corinthians 15:1-8.

http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1%20Corinthians%2015:1-8&version=NIV

Paul is relating one of the earliest teachings of the young church, a teaching passed on to him by the closest followers of Jesus. What these disciples didn't fully understand during the life of Jesus Christ on earth became clear to them after Pentecost - that the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus was all a part of God's plan from the foundation of the world.

So the words of Jesus from the cross remind us that Jesus accomplished what he came to earth to do - provide for us, through his death and resurrection, forgiveness of sin and a life of love, joy, and peace on earth, and an eternal life in God's very presence.