It is Finished
Dr. John K. Mathew
Pahom, who in his lust for land forfeits everything, is a fictitious character by Leo Tolstoy. His possessive nature creates enmity and causes arguments with his neighbors.
To quench his passion for land he decided to move to a new commune and was introduced to the Bashkirs. Pahom goes to them to buy as much of their land for as low a price as possible. This was their system of selling land that for a sum of thousand rubles, Pahom can walk around as large an area as he wants, starting at daybreak marking his route with a spade along the way, if he returns to his starting point by sunset that day all the land his route encloses will be his, but if he does not reach his starting point, he will lose his money and receive no land.
He is delighted, as he believes that he can cover a great distance and has chanced upon the bargain of a lifetime. He stays out as late as possible marking out land until just before the sunsets towards the end he realizes he is far from the starting point and runs back as fast as he can to the waiting Bashkirs. He finally arrives at the starting point just as the sunsets.
The Bashkirs cheer his good fortune but exhausted from the run, Pahom drops dead. There are so many people around who have finished their lives and their dreams unfinished. But we have a unique example in history who finished everything in His perfect time, JESUS CHRIST.
During His ministry on earth, Jesus said, "As long as it is the day, we must do the works of Him who sent me. Night is coming, when no one can work" ( John 9:4). Jesus Christ had to do a lot of work that no one other than him can do. He lived on planet earth for thirty-three years and His ministry was limited to just three years. His death also was part of His ministry. Death was not an end in itself for Jesus. Death was his ultimate ministry of salvation.
Only through that death, God could redeem his people. Satan tried all his best to finish Jesus half the way, but he failed. Even before the cross, Jesus said, " I have brought you glory on earth by finishing the work you gave me to do" ( john 17:4). And on the cross, it is completely finished, nothing is left behind. Nailed to the cross, Lord Jesus expressed His feelings in seven utterances.
Right before He committed His life in the hands of His father He said " It is finished" ( John 19;30) Everyone dies. We can't go on living. As humans, we are supposed to die as Jesus died and say it is finished but we must be able to say as Paul said, " I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith" (2 Tim.4:7). Amen.
