'It is finished'

 Against the background of this years Church of England lent material 'Failure' our Table Talk gathering on Thursday saw some lively discussions around two questions.

In what ways did the ministry of Jesus look like a failure?

Do you think Jesus ever experienced anything that felt like failure? If so, when?

Such questions raised even more questions .

What does success look like? What is failure?

Does it not depend on your own expectations?. Many women and men had their lives changed and made whole. Is that a failure?

If you wanted the overthrow of Rome then you may well have been disappointed but did Jesus ever say that was his aim?

Jesus choice of those close to him brought disappointment - betrayal at different levels. 

But as we chatted round our table one individual focussed on Jesus words on the cross 'It is finished"

Reflecting together it raised the possibility did Jesus mean 'It's finished' mission accomplished or its all over and all is lost?.

So we shared the paradox of what Jesus did and did not know. The age long discussion 'the humanity of Jesus and the divine'. To truly enter into our humanity and experience what we experience is it not important that Jesus does not know the outcome of his death? Yet his divinity of being one with God the Father and God the Holy Spirit brings another perspective to the cross. But does that mean Jesus knew the outcome and does it matter? As we chatted and pondered we shared our own lives, and in that sharing insights were gained, and I just loved that way the individual who teasingly raised the thought what 'It is finished' might mean had a glint in their eyes. What a gem of a question left hanging in the air.

‘It is finished’

Theres nothing else I can do.

Didn’t plan on being nailed to a cross

but then I made choices.


When I was a young boy 

I was aware I needed to be doing God’s work

My Fathers work

oh not my amazing step dad’s job.


But I still had choices.


My cousin was down by the river

I felt I needed to be baptised,

it was part of turning towards God

My Father.

But others were doing the same.


I still had choices.


I spent time in the wilderness

wandering

thinking

talking

working out my options

and I chose.


I chose to tell people

that God loves 

and welcomes all.


I chose to touch untouchables

I chose to allow a woman to wash my feet

and anoint my head.

I chose to speak with Samaritans

I chose to eat with a tax collector

I chose not to condemn people.


I still had choices


I chose to welcome men 

and women 

into spending time with me.

I chose to share 

what my Father

believes.


I chose to believe in the potential

of all to be truly the children of God.


Because I chose

I found I had to choose to go to Jerusalem.

That choice was costly.

It was not risk free.

I discerned 

that my choices

upset some people.


Thats the thing about choosing.

You have to decide what’s most important.

Yet every choice I made 

had a consequence 

and led to another choice

and each time 

I could have gone another way.


‘It is finished’


Those choices have led me

to be nailed to a cross

and that’s it.


So here I am

dying.

Was it worth it?

I don’t know.

It’s all over now.

What a waste.


Yet as I hang here

I still have a choice.

So...

Father forgive them

they don’t know what 

they are doing.


‘It is finished’


© Mark Goodhand 11th March 2023








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