Max Lucado
Jesus’ Victory Cry
“It is finished!” Jesus cried. Stop and listen. Can you imagine the cry from the cross? What was finished? The history-long plan of redeeming man. The message of God to man. The works done by Jesus as a man on earth were finished.
A cry of defeat? Hardly. Had Jesus’ hands not been fastened down, I dare say that a triumphant fist would have punched the dark sky. This is no cry of despair. It is a cry of completion. A cry of victory. A cry of fulfillment. Yes, even a cry of relief: “Take me home.” Come, ten thousand angels! Come and take this wounded one to the cradle of his Father’s arms. Farewell, manger’s infant. Take this Son to his Father. He deserves a rest. Bless you, holy ambassador. Go home, rest well. The battle is over! It is finished.
No More Curtain
On Calvary’s Hill Jesus cried out in a loud voice and died. Then the curtain in the Temple was torn into two pieces, from the top to the bottom. What did fifteen-hundred years of a curtain-draped Holy of Holies communicate? Simple—God is holy!
God is holy, separate from us and unapproachable. Even Moses was told, “You cannot see my face because no one can see me and live” (Exodus 33:20). God is holy and we are sinners, and there’s a distance between us. But Jesus hasn’t left us with an unapproachable God. “There is one God and one mediator between God and men; the man, Jesus Christ” (1 Timothy 2:5).
When Jesus’ flesh was torn on the cross, the curtain was torn in two. With no hesitation we are welcome into God’s presence—any day, any time. The barrier of sin is down. No more curtain.
