B y ARTHUR •/
' II ' he last words of great men are usually very important. The greatest man who ever lived on this earth was the Lord Jesus Christ. In the Gospel according to John, chapter 19, verse 30, we find the sixth of the seven famous last words that fell from the lips of the Saviour as He hung upon the cross: “ When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, he said, It is finished.” The ancient Greeks boasted of their ability to say much in little. “ Mulfum in parvo” o u r L a t i n friends would say. A man was sup posed to have reached the very per fection of oratory when he could say a great deal with a little drop o f language. Measured by this yardstick, the Bible is the greatest book of oratory in the world, for it has the happy faculty of saying sq much in so little. The sixth word from the cross is just one exclamatory term in the Greek N ew Testament, T etel- estai, meaning, “ Finished.” It has been called the most momentous word the world ever heard. History reveals that a single word has had far-reaching consequences. Lives have been made or marred by one word from a woman’s lips. Desti nies of empires have been shaped and the course of history altered by just one word. A single word can be heavy with destiny, and this sixth word from the cross is the mightiest of all. This is not the despairing cry of a helpless martyr, nor the last gasp of a worn-out life, but the tri umphant declaration that all the Lord Jesus Christ came to do was done. God’s great purpose for man was accomplished. The act of death, of course, yet remained, but the Saviour speaks anticipatively of the historical completion of His work. The Lord Jesus was able to say
“ Finished” of at least three things. He could say it, first of all, of the com pletion o f H is earth ly suffering. When He had received the vinegar, we are told, He said: “ It is fin ished.” Those who have known
this cry, “ Finished.” His suffering was threefold. He suffered from man, from Satan and from God. First, think o f His suffering from man. He knew what it was to be misunderstood. He was despised and rejected of men. He met unre lenting opposition from start to fin ish. The on ly time the Herodians, the Sadducees and the Pharisees could get together on anything was when they were considering the Lord Jesus. Even His own house hold was against Him, for we are told that His brethren did not be lieve. Secondly, think o f how He suf fered from Satan. From His birth to His death, He was the target of the devil. Onslaught after onslaught was made upon Him. Satan mar shalled all his forces and brought them to bear upon the Lord Jesus. He fulfilled the prediction made in the Garden of Eden that he should bruise the Saviour’s heel. Thirdly, think of how He suf fered from God. Isaiah 53:6 tells the story in cryptic language: “ The Lord hath laid (or hurled) on H im the iniquity of us all.” The weight of the world’s sin was thrust upon Him. He knew what it was to have the hand of God rest upon H im in judgment for the sin of those for whom He was the Substitute. What unutterable anguish He suffered: physical, mental, and spir itual. He was tempted in all points; He was tempted to turn from the path of duty; He was dogged by malice; He was laid wait for by devilish cunning. Pained b y ene mies and friends, He was always in the shadow of the cross. Then came the closing and climactic hours that caused H im as Man to shrink, al though, t h a n k G o d , He never shirked. The coarse insolence of the soldiers, the callous indifference of
O U R LORD L IVES! Herod is dead Pontius Pilate is dead Judas Iscariot is dead Caesar Augustus is dead Voltaire is dead Charles Darwin is dead Swedenborg is dead Mary Baker Eddy is dead Pastor Russell is dead Joseph Smith is dead Brigham Young is dead Ellen G. White is dead G. W. Ballard is dead
Fillmore is dead Buddha is dead Confucius is dead Mohammed is dead
But Jesus Christ is gloriously alive! This fact is attested by many infallible proofs. What an incredible difference this makes in what we are, what we have and what we shall be. "\ am he that liveth, and was dead: and, behold, I am alive for evermore. Amen: and have the keys of hell and death" (Rev. 1:18). Hallelujah, what a Saviour! excruciating pain will appreciate this language. W hen the nurse whispers, “ It is all over now ,” or moistens the tongue with water, there is a sense of relief that defies expression. The student experiences somewhat the same feeling as he writes the last word and completes an examination. The captain of an ocean-going liner knows it as he brings the ship safely to port. The feeling will be most intense, not after the easy voyage, but after the rough one. When we think o f all the Lord suffered and battled with, we begin to appreciate the deep emotion in
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THE KIN G 'S BUSINESS
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