The Gospel Of Matthew Chapter 27 Part 6 "It Is Finished" Is Jesus' Victory Shout!

Matthew 27:45  Now from the sixth hour there was darkness over all the land unto the ninth hour. 

As the moment of Jesus' death drew near, some startling events occurred.

A supernatural darkness covered "all the land" from the 6th to the 9th hour.

This corresponds to a timeframe beginning at noon and lasting until three PM.

Thus, when the sunlight was at its peak hours, God turned out the lights!

Scholars debate about whether the world was plunged into darkness, or was restricted to Judea where Jesus lived and ministered.

This seems to have been a darkness that covered Judea only, making it a most notable miracle.

Exodus 10:21-23  And the LORD said unto Moses, Stretch out thine hand toward heaven, that there may be darkness over the land of Egypt, even darkness which may be felt. 22  And Moses stretched forth his hand toward heaven; and there was a thick darkness in all the land of Egypt three days: 23  They saw not one another, neither rose any from his place for three days: but all the children of Israel had light in their dwellings.

God did this in the past, with the most notable being the ninth plague upon Pharaoh and the Egyptians.

It was such a complete, thick darkness that no one could see anything or anyone for three days!

However, the Hebrew people had light where they lived in the slave cities of Pharaoh.

When Israel prepared to cross the Red Sea, God put a cloudy pillar between the Hebrews and Egyptians that was a thick darkness to Pharaoh's forces, but gave light to Israel (See Exodus 14:19-20).

Matthew 27:46  And about the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani? that is to say, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? 

At the ninth hour, when Jesus was about to die, he cried out the very words recorded by the Psalmist a thousand years earlier (See Psalm 22:1).

This is striking because the Jews almost universally believed this Psalm spoke of their Messiah.

Psalm 22:7-8  All they that see me laugh me to scorn: they shoot out the lip, they shake the head, saying, 8  He trusted on the LORD that he would deliver him: let him deliver him, seeing he delighted in him. 

In fact, the chief priests and elders used the same words that the Psalmist said they would say.

Matthew recorded their cruel words of mockery, ridicule and scorn, hurled at Christ on the cross (See Matthew 27:43).

At this point, the Jewish people fulfilled Psalm 22 by speaking the words prophesied of them, and they heard our Lord utter the words that the Psalmist declared Messiah would say. 

Prophecy was literally fulfilled and the Father's witness of His Son was bright and clear.

Matthew 27:47-48  Some of them that stood there, when they heard that, said, This man calleth for Elias. 48  And straightway one of them ran, and took a spunge, and filled it with vinegar, and put it on a reed, and gave him to drink. 

Some bystanders thought Jesus called for the prophet Elijah and one person gave Jesus a sponge saturated with vinegar, which Jesus received.

This fulfilled the Psalmist's prophecy about Jesus being given gall and vinegar to drink (See Psalm 69:21)

Matthew 27:49-50  The rest said, Let be, let us see whether Elias will come to save him. 50  Jesus, when he had cried again with a loud voice, yielded up the ghost. 

After Jesus cried out in the agony of bearing the full weight of all mankind's sins from Adam until the very last person who will be born.

Matthew says Jesus "yielded up the ghost." We must view this cry of Christ in the context of what He said in John's gospel.

John 10:17-18  Therefore doth my Father love me, because I lay down my life, that I might take it again. 18  No man taketh it from me, but I lay it down of myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This commandment have I received of my Father. 

When Jesus taught that He is the good Shepherd, these words were included His teaching.

He had power from His Father to lay down His life at the exact moment that all sins for all time were atoned for.

He also had power to take up His life again after three days of His body being in the grave.

This truth connects with Peter telling us that during the time Jesus was in what they called "Abraham's bosom" (See Luke 16:19-31).

A beggar named Lazarus and a rich man died. The beggar awoke in paradise, or Abraham's bosom where he was comforted.

The rich man died and went to Hell, but he could see and talk to Abraham.

Thus, Jesus was with the other saints in Abraham's bosom, but He preached to those lost souls suffering in Hell.

Jesus preached to the spirits of sinners who refused to listen to the preaching of Noah before the flood came and destroyed them.

All of this truth to illustrate that Jesus had the power to lay His life down in death and to take it up again at His resurrection.

Luke 23:46  And when Jesus had cried with a loud voice, he said, Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit: and having said thus, he gave up the ghost. 

Luke's gospel adds that before He gave up the ghost, Jesus commended His Spirit into the mighty hands of His Father.

John 19:30  When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, he said, It is finished: and he bowed his head, and gave up the ghost. 

John tells us perhaps the most beautiful of the last sayings of Jesus before He laid down His life.

First, notice that Jesus cried with an exceptionally loud and powerful voice. It shocked the soldiers who stood by because anyone hung on a cross dies as their lungs can no longer function due to pain and the damage caused by crucifixion.

It was unheard of for a dying person on a cross to cry out with a loud voice right before they expired.

This is a victory shout of Christ.

His words "It is finished" refers to the full, perfect and once for all time payment being made by Christ for mankind's sins.

Thus, Paul tells us that our sins were blotted out and nailed to His cross (See Colossians 2:14).

It is finished means that the whole will of God was done by Jesus. He was born as a slave in a lowly place, and He was exposed to shame and reproach. He came to suffer and die in our place.

Jesus finished all of the saving worked His Father gave Him to do. He preached the gospel. He did many mighty miracles and now, at His death, He obtained eternal salvation for all who repent and believe on Him.

The holy standards of God's law was fully satisfied by the life, words, works and death of Christ.

Jesus redeemed us from the curse of the law and the wages of sin.

Jesus brings full atonement, full pardon and full forgiveness to all who have repentant faith in Him.

Dozens of prophecies about Messiah were literally fulfilled by Jesus, because God is faithful to keep His Word.

May these truths about teh death of Christ for u, stir our hearts into seeking God each day as our first, and highest priority in life.

Bob