Good Friday reveals the limitless love of God for us.

It was 3:00pm.  Jesus said:  “I thirst.”  He could hardly speak.  A soldier fixed a sponge on a spear and held it up  to his lips.  It was terribly bitter but it was enough.  He strained to raise his head and look up to heaven.  “It is finished,” he cried and then he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.

When Jesus spoke those final words, he wasn’t just saying, "This is the end of me" as if there was nothing else to do but to give in to his enemies and die. His last words weren’t a final surrender to the power of Satan as if to say, "You have won. I’m done for". These words don’t tell us that Jesus was dead now and that’s all there is to it. He is finished and so is everything that he stood for and promised during his earthly life.

Rather, is it most important to understand that Jesus is saving his mission of saving the world has been completed.  He has finished the task that God has given Him  to do, and nothing can be added to what has been done.

Jesus has paid the price in full – he has cancelled all debt.
His sacrifice has been a perfect one, acceptable to the heavenly Father who, looking down on his Son hanging lifelessly from the cross, said, "Well done, this is my Beloved Son with whom I am well pleased".

It is finished. Everything is complete!

What is it that is finished when Jesus says, "It is finished"?

Reconciliation is finished.   A terrible gap has come between God and all humanity caused by sin and evil. Our offences, our disobedience,  the hurt we have caused God and others have destroyed our relationship with God. Recall a time when you have done something that has hurt someone else and because of that your friendship with that person has been damaged, a gap has come between you, and you felt uneasy when you met that person.   In fact, you may have avoided that person. All of that doesn’t change until you put aside your differences and friendship is restored.

Sin has a devastating effect on our relationship with God.  Sin separates us from God and if we want to have any hope of going to heaven to be with God, then someone had to deal with sin and restore our relationship with God. So God sent his Son into the world for this very purpose.

Jesus died on the cross to get rid of the power of sin to condemn us. His death bridged the deep gulf between God and us. "Salvation is finished", Jesus cried. The restoration of the friendship between God and humanity has been finished. The task for which God's Son came to earth has been completed.

He has won forgiveness for all people.
Nothing else needs to be done.
Salvation is complete. "It is finished".

That’s why we call today "Good Friday". It certainly wasn’t a good day for Jesus. He endured pain, soul-wrenching agony, hanging by the nails in his hands for hours, death on a rough wooden cross, for our sakes. We call today "Good Friday" because the cross is proof of the powerful love that God has for each of us. No one, not even God, would do something like that unless he truly loved us. Here we see a love that was prepared to endure the ultimate in order to rescue us.

We have known love to do some very powerful and strange things.   There is the story of a priest, Father Maximilian Kolbe,  who offered his life in place of a family man in Nazi Germany. His offer was accepted and the priest died to save this person’s life.

Because of love, people do extraordinary things for others. They give us a glimpse, a small glimpse, at the kind of love that God has for us. God the Father sent his dearly loved Son into dangerous territory. He allowed his Son to be treated cruelly. He stood by and watched his innocent Son be nailed to a cross and to hang there in agony. He could have rescued him and cursed those who were treating him so brutally and maliciously.  When Jesus cried out, "My God, My God, why have you forsaken me?" we sense something of the terror of bearing the weight of the sin of all humanity.

God did all this for us. He did all this because of his love for us.

Paul writes, "God has shown us how much he loves us—it was while we were still sinners that Christ died for us! … We were God's enemies, but he made us his friends through the death of his Son." (Romans 5:8,10). That’s how much God loves us – Jesus died for us even though we don’t deserve it. His death has made us God's friends.

Jesus' announcement, "It is finished" is clear and simple. Jesus has completed his task. The reason why he came as a human has been fulfilled. He came so that you and I can have forgiveness and salvation. He came to give us the victory. He came to ensure that we would enter his kingdom and live forever.

As we venerate the cross during our liturgy today, pray and ponder about  what Jesus has done for you through his death on the cross.  Think about the love that God has for you, and thank him. Live this day with an attitude of gratitude.  We are celebrating the limitless love of God for us.