The Word of Victory from the Cross

This Sixth Word from the Cross consists of one single word in the Greek - "Finished, accomplished." It was a loud cry that rang out over observing the crucifixion of Jesus. What did this mean? What was He saying was finished? Was he referring to his sufferings, his life’s work? It was those things, but even more. It was the end of an era. The Old Testament contains a long list of prophetic utterances, beginning with the first family of mankind, when God told the serpent in the Garden of Eden that he would "put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head and you will strike his heel" (Gen 3:15). It was this great conquest that was being enacted. Jesus’ cry was proclaiming his victory over the evil one. In the gigantic struggle between good and evil the Son of Man had suffered grievously but he had finished the work of redemption that his Father had committed to him. He didn’t say "I am finished" but rather "It is finished." It was a shout of victory over sin, death and hell.