John 19:30 says, “ So when Jesus had received the sour wine, he said, ‘It is finished!’ And bowing his head, he gave up his spirit.” At the very end Jesus drank a little cheap sour wine to reduce thirst. Then he declares his job is over, “finished!” This word, used twice in verse 28 (“accomplished,” “fulfilled”) means completion, fulfilling religious obligations and ‘paying in full’ tax obligations. Jesus also said the same in 4:34, “finish [God’s] work,” and in 17:4, “finish the work” God gave him. From before the beginning of time Jesus knew this was his mission. His every second on earth led to this moment. All alone, forsaken of his Father (Matthew 27:46), naked, brutalized in unimaginable physical agony, and paying for the world’s sins as if they were his own, he“gave up,” or turned over his spirit, his decision. Let’s live gratefully today remembering his indescribable sacrifice.