I don’t know about you but there have been tasks I have worked on that I was so grateful to see completed.  The amount of time or energy needed to complete them were exhausting and sapped my physical and emotional strength making their completion a time of joy.

As Jesus hung on the cross He is recorded in the Gospels as having made seven statements.  Were there more?  One can only surmise, but the last thing recorded was His statement, “It is finished,” and then He bowed His head and gave up His spirit. (John 19:30)  As we ponder the finality of His words we can’t help but wonder what He meant.  Had He done all that He was to do?  Was everything accomplished that needed to be done?  If not, just what is Jesus doing now if indeed He is doing anything?

I believe scripture is pretty clear that Jesus is yet active in the lives of His followers.  Before His departure He spoke of preparing a place for His disciples (John 14).  His encouragement to them was that He would not leave them as orphans that He would be sending a Helper to them.  Jesus also wanted them to know that He would be with them as well.  His words to them when He commissioned them were that He would be with them always, even to the end of the age (Matt 28:20).  Earlier in His ministry He shared with them that wherever two or three were gathered in His name He would be there in their presence. (Matt 18:20).  In addition to these things Jesus is acting as the go-between for us and His Heavenly Father.  His is our Mediator, our Intercessor, and our advocate.  We have no standing with God on our own, yet Jesus is willing to speak and act on our behalf.  We have One Who loves us so much that He was willing to do what we could not and now He stands before God representing those whose faith is in Him.  Finished?  Hardly!  While His atoning death has been accomplished, He continues His work on our behalf, interceding for us and advocating our “case” as we “walk in the light as He is in the light.” (1 John 2:1)  Thank you Lord, for the work you’ve completed and for the work in which you continue, that we may one day enter into the rest you have promised. 

Copyright © 2006, Nolan P. Rutter