HOLY WEEK / EASTER MEDITATIONS
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From Earlier Post
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After this, aware that everything was now finished, in order that the Scripture might be fulfilled,
Jesus said, “I thirst.”
There was a vessel filled with common wine.
So they put a sponge soaked in wine on a sprig of hyssop and put it up to his mouth.
When Jesus had taken the wine, he said,
“It is finished.”
And bowing his head, he handed over the spirit.
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GOOD FRIDAY
Jesus' last words, “It is Finished” – we might ask, “exactly
what is finished, and when did it begin? What is finished is the
work of deliverance of the human race from the bondage of sin and death.
This work of salvation began at the river Jordan, when
the Holy Spirit came upon Jesus and anointed him with the “Power of Truth.” Until now, Satan has had his way with the human
race; corrupting them at will with lies upon lies – lies about God, lies about
who we humans really are, why we are here; lies about God’s plan to bring us
into His presence to share with us His glory.
Satan, who once shared God’s glory, rebelled and lost his
right to remain in heaven; now expelled, he is vowed to corrupt every human person
– keeping them away from God. Jesus is sent by the Father to do battle with the
Deceiver, and the first encounter began in the desert, after Jesus’ “baptism
of anointing”, with Satan trying to deceive Jesus – but failing. All through
the gospel we see that Satan continues to deceive and corrupt, but Jesus erases
these lies with the Truth of His gospel.
Satan’s last attack against Jesus is this day. In the
garden of Gethsemane, in the trials before the corrupted officials, and with
the unimaginable violence of crucifixion, Satan unleashes the wrath of hell and
death itself against Jesus – he fails, he is defeated, Truth has triumphed –
It is finished.
Alive and present with us today, Jesus continues to
protect us with His Truth. Even though
we may stubble and fall, tripped up by the Deceiver, Jesus speaks His word of Truth to us through His Living Body,
the Church; righting us again, and again on the path of holiness, leading to
eternal life.
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