When Jesus, crucified under the title “King of the Jews,” uttered his final words—“My God, my God, why have You forsaken Me?” and then added “It is finished”—he was not simply dying, He was declaring the fulfillment of a divine mission that had begun centuries earlier with Abraham and the nation of Israel. These words, taken together, reflect a profound truth: that Jesus, in his suffering and death, completed the redemptive purpose for which Israel had been chosen, fulfilling prophecy, overcoming sin, and opening the way for salvation to all nations.
Forsaken: The Cry of Israel’s Exile and Pain
Jesus’ cry of what many have interpreted as abandonment, recorded in Matthew 27:46 and Mark 15:34—“My God, my God, why have You forsaken Me?”—is a direct quotation of Psalm 22:1. This psalm, written by David, begins with the anguished cry of one who feels utterly forsaken by God, surrounded by enemies, and near death. Yet the psalm does not end in despair. It moves from suffering to hope, and ultimately to global redemption: “All the ends of the earth will remember and turn to the LORD, and all the families of the nations will worship before You.” (Psalm 22:27)
By invoking this psalm in his dying breath, Jesus was doing more than expressing agony. He was signaling to those who knew the Scriptures that the moment of his suffering was also the moment of God’s greater plan unfolding. His cry echoed the collective pain of Israel in exile, longing for God’s presence—a sense of abandonment that Moses had foretold in his final words to Israel: “Then My anger will be kindled against them in that day, and I will forsake them… because they will have forsaken Me and broken My covenant” (Deuteronomy 31:16–17). In this context, Jesus, as the perfect faithful-to-the-covenant Israelite, bore not only the sins of the world but also entered fully into Israel’s broken covenant experience. He was experiencing in himself both the consequence of humanity’s rebellion and the spiritual exile that Israel’s unfaithfulness had brought upon the nation. Yet his suffering was not meaningless; it was the necessary prelude to the restoration of righteousness foretold in the very same Scriptures.
Embodying the Mission of Israel
To understand the meaning of “It is finished,” we must see Jesus in his role not only as an individual Messiah but as the representative of Israel itself. In Exodus 19:6, God declared that Israel was to be “a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.” They were chosen to reveal God’s character to the world and to serve as His instrument of blessing to all nations, as promised to Abraham (Genesis 12:3).
But throughout the Hebrew Scriptures, Israel struggles to fulfill that calling. The prophets rebuke the people for their idolatry, injustice, and failure to uphold the covenant. Yet they also look forward to a day when a faithful remnant, or even a single representative figure, would fulfill Israel’s role and bring light to the Gentiles. Isaiah 49:6 speaks of a Servant of the Lord who would be “a light to the nations,” bringing God’s salvation “to the ends of the earth.”
Jesus steps into this role as the faithful Israelite, the obedient Son, the embodiment of what the nation was always meant to be. His perfect obedience, even unto death, is the culmination of Israel’s redemptive vocation.
“It Is Finished”: The Mission Completed
The Gospel of John records Jesus’ final word in Greek: tetelestai (John 19:30). This single word, translated “It is finished,” carries a depth of meaning that resonates with theology, prophecy, and covenant. It is not the cry of defeat, but of accomplishment. The Greek verb tense (the perfect tense) implies that something has been completed in the past with ongoing results in the present. So what exactly was finished?
- The Redemptive Work of Atonement
Jesus was completing the sacrificial work required for the forgiveness of sins. As the true Passover Lamb (1 Corinthians 5:7), he was offering himself as the once-for-all sacrifice (Hebrews 10:10). No more animal sacrifices would be needed; no more high priest would need to enter the Holy of Holies. As both priest and offering, Jesus accomplished what the Levitical system only foreshadowed. - The Fulfillment of Prophecy
From the earliest chapters of Genesis, the Bible points forward to a Redeemer. The “seed of the woman” in Genesis 3:15, the suffering servant of Isaiah 53, the pierced one of Zechariah 12:10—all find their fulfillment in Jesus’ crucifixion. “It is finished” means that the prophetic Scriptures had been fulfilled (see Luke 24:44). God’s plan, foretold through the prophets and promised through the covenants, had reached its decisive moment. - The Victory Over Sin and Separation
The cry of forsakenness and the declaration of completion belong together. In that moment of deepest suffering, Jesus bore the ultimate consequence of sin—eternal alienation from God—and by doing so, he made a way for humanity to be reconciled to the Father. The tearing of the Temple veil at the moment of his death (Matthew 27:51) symbolized that access to God was now available to all, Jew and Gentile alike. - The Fulfillment of Israel’s Priestly Role
Far from signaling the end of God’s plan for Israel, the cross represents its fulfillment. Israel had been called to bring God’s salvation to the nations. Jesus, as the true Israelite and “King of the Jews,” accomplishes that mission. He is the servant through whom God’s covenant with Abraham—to bless all nations—is realized (Galatians 3:14).
Not the End, but the Beginning
Importantly, “It is finished” does not mean that God is finished with Israel. The Hebrew Scriptures are clear that God’s covenant with Israel is everlasting (Jeremiah 31:35–37). What was finished was not God’s relationship with Israel, but the work of redemption that Israel had been called to accomplish—now completed through their Messiah. Jesus’ resurrection, which follows his death, signals the inauguration of a new phase in redemptive history. The good news of forgiveness and new life now goes forth to all nations, beginning in Jerusalem. The apostle Paul, himself a Jew, calls this the “mystery” revealed in Christ: that through him, both Jews and Gentiles are brought together into one body, one family of faith (Ephesians 2:11–22).
Conclusion
When Jesus declared, “It is finished,” he was proclaiming the completion of the redemptive work foretold through the prophets and entrusted to Israel. He did not abolish Israel’s purpose—he fulfilled it. As the faithful Servant, the atoning sacrifice, and the resurrected King, Jesus accomplished what no one else could: the reconciliation of God and humanity. His cry of forsakenness gave voice to Israel’s long exile, but his final word announced that exile’s end. The work was done. The mission was complete. And the door to salvation stood open to all who would believe—Jew and Gentile alike.