HOMILY: “The Mission of Salvation Completed” - The Sixth Word of Jesus from the Cross - “It is Accomplished” (John 19:30) - “The Complete Gospel”
“The Mission of
Salvation Completed”
The Sixth Word of Jesus from the Cross
“It is Accomplished” (John 19:30)
“The Complete Gospel”
1. Introduction – The Final Cry That Changed History
Good Friday
is the most solemn moment in the history of the world.
On Calvary,
heaven and earth meet.
The Son of God hangs on the Cross.
His body is wounded.
His blood is flowing.
The world thinks that Jesus is defeated.
But the
Gospel tells us something extraordinary.
After
tasting the vinegar, Jesus cried out:
“It is
accomplished.” (John 19:30)
In Greek
the word is Tetelestai.
This word
carries a powerful meaning:
- Finished
- Completed
- Paid in full
- The mission fulfilled
It was a
word used in the ancient world in different situations:
When a
servant completed his task, he said:
Tetelestai — the work is done.
When a
priest offered a perfect sacrifice, he declared:
Tetelestai — the offering is complete.
When a
merchant received full payment of a debt, he stamped the document:
Tetelestai — paid in full.
On the
Cross, Jesus used this word.
This was
not a cry of defeat.
It was the proclamation of victory.
The work of
redemption was completed.
2. The Divine Plan of Redemption
God’s
salvation is not accidental.
It is a divine
plan prepared from the beginning of creation.
Scripture
tells us that from the moment humanity fell into sin, God began the work of
redemption.
In the
mysterious wisdom of God, the same elements that participated in the fall
participated in redemption.
Three
realities cooperated in the fall of humanity:
- A man — Adam
- A woman — Eve
- A tree — the tree in the Garden
And in
God’s plan of redemption, these same three realities appear again.
3. The Disobedient Adam and the New Adam
The first
Adam brought sin.
The new
Adam brought salvation.
In the
Garden of Eden, Adam disobeyed God.
God said:
“Do not eat
from the tree.”
But Adam
chose his own will over God’s will.
Through
that disobedience:
- Sin entered the world
- Suffering entered the world
- Death entered the world
Saint Paul
explains this mystery beautifully:
“Through
one man sin entered the world, and through sin death.” (Romans 5:12)
But God did
not abandon humanity.
He sent a
new Adam.
Jesus
Christ.
The first
Adam said:
“My will be
done.”
But Jesus
in the Garden of Gethsemane said:
“Not my
will, but yours be done.”
Adam
disobeyed at a tree.
Jesus obeyed on a tree.
Adam
brought death.
Jesus brought life.
Therefore
Saint Paul proclaims:
“As by one
man's disobedience many were made sinners, so by one man's obedience many will
be made righteous.” (Romans 5:19)
On the
Cross, when Jesus said “It is accomplished,” the obedience of the new Adam was
complete.
4. The Proud Eve and the Humble New Eve
The second
person involved in the fall was Eve.
Eve
listened to the serpent.
The serpent
tempted her with pride.
“You will
become like God.”
Eve
believed the lie.
Through her
disobedience, sin entered the human family.
But in the
mystery of redemption, God prepared another woman.
The humble
Virgin Mary.
The early
Church Fathers loved to speak about this beautiful comparison:
Eve and
Mary
Eve
listened to the serpent.
Mary listened to the angel.
Eve doubted
God's word.
Mary believed God's word.
Eve brought
disobedience.
Mary brought obedience.
Eve said
yes to temptation.
Mary said yes to God.
At the
Annunciation Mary declared:
“Behold the
servant of the Lord; let it be done to me according to your word.” (Luke 1:38)
Because of
Mary's obedience, the Saviour entered the world.
At the
Cross, Mary stood faithfully beside her Son.
She who
said yes at the Annunciation continued to say yes at Calvary.
Thus the
proud woman Eve is replaced by the humble woman Mary.
5. The Tree of the Garden and the Tree of the Cross
The third
element in the fall was a tree.
In the
Garden of Eden, there was a forbidden tree.
Humanity
fell because of that tree.
But God
transformed the symbol of defeat into a symbol of victory.
Another
tree appeared in history.
The Cross.
The Cross
became the tree of salvation.
Saint Peter
writes:
“He himself
bore our sins in his body on the tree.” (1 Peter 2:24)
The tree
that once brought death now becomes the tree that gives life.
That is why
the Church sings on Good Friday:
“O happy
fault that earned so great a Redeemer.”
6. The Fulfilment of Prophecy
Before
saying “It is accomplished,” Jesus tasted the vinegar offered to him.
This small
moment fulfilled prophecy.
Psalm 69
had foretold this:
“They gave
me poison for food, and for my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink.” (Psalm
69:21)
Even in the
smallest details, God's plan was being fulfilled.
Nothing in
the life of Jesus happened by accident.
Everything
was part of God's saving plan.
When Jesus
tasted the vinegar, he knew that the Scriptures had been fulfilled.
And then he
proclaimed:
“It is
accomplished.”
7. The Mission Completed
Jesus came
to accomplish the Father's mission.
From the
moment of his birth until the moment of his death, Jesus remained faithful to
that mission.
At the age
of twelve, he said:
“I must be
about my Father’s business.” (Luke 2:49)
During his
ministry, he declared:
“My food is
to do the will of him who sent me.” (John 4:34)
And on the
Cross he completes that mission.
From birth
to death, Jesus faithfully fulfilled what the Father sent him to do.
8. The New David Who Conquered Evil
The Cross
also reminds us of another biblical story.
The story
of David and Goliath.
David
defeated the giant with five stones.
But the new
David — Jesus Christ — defeats the giant of evil in another way.
Not with
stones.
But with five
wounds.
- The wound in the right hand
- The wound in the left hand
- The wound in the right foot
- The wound in the left foot
- The wound in the side
Through
these five wounds, the giant of sin is defeated.
The Cross
becomes the battlefield where Christ conquers evil.
9. The Battle Without Armour
On the
battlefield, soldiers wear armour.
But Jesus
fought the battle of salvation without armour.
His flesh
was torn.
His body
was wounded.
The
Psalmist describes the suffering of the Messiah:
“I can
count all my bones.” (Psalm 22:17)
This
prophecy is fulfilled on Calvary.
Jesus
fought the battle not with weapons but with love.
10. The Meaning of “It Is Accomplished”
When Jesus
cried, “It is accomplished,” several things were completed.
1. The Old Covenant was fulfilled
All the
sacrifices of the Old Testament pointed to this moment.
The Lamb of
God offered himself for the salvation of the world.
2. The debt of sin was paid
Humanity
owed a debt it could never repay.
Christ paid
that debt with his blood.
3. The power of sin was broken
Through the
Cross, the chains of sin were destroyed.
4. The gates of heaven were opened
Because of
Christ’s sacrifice, humanity can now return to God.
11. The Cry That Still Echoes Today
The cry “It
is accomplished” still echoes through history.
It reminds
us that salvation has already been won.
But it also
invites us to respond.
Jesus
completed his mission.
But we must
accept the fruits of his sacrifice.
The Cross
is not only an event of the past.
It is a
call to conversion today.
12. A Spiritual Diagnosis
Many people
today live as if the Cross has no meaning.
We seek
comfort but avoid sacrifice.
We seek
success but avoid obedience.
But the
Cross teaches us that true victory comes through surrender to God.
13. A Message for the Christian Community
The Church
stands under the Cross.
The Cross
is the centre of Christian life.
Every time
we celebrate the Holy Mass, the sacrifice of the Cross becomes present.
The Cross
reminds us:
Love is
stronger than hatred.
Mercy is stronger than sin.
Life is stronger than death.
14. Illustration – The Debt Paid in Full
In ancient
times, when a prisoner paid his debt, the authorities would write one word
across the document:
Tetelestai
— Paid in full.
When Jesus
died on the Cross, the debt of humanity was cancelled.
The Cross
became the receipt of our salvation.
15. Conclusion – The Cry That Still Saves the World
The final
cry of Jesus is not a cry of defeat.
It is the
cry of a Saviour who has completed his mission.
The new
Adam has obeyed the Father.
The new Eve
stands faithfully beside the Cross.
The tree of
death has become the tree of life.
The giant
of evil has been defeated.
The debt of
sin has been paid.
And heaven
is open.
That is why
the Church proclaims with faith:
“It is
accomplished.”
16. Prayer
Let us
pray.
Loving and
merciful Father,
We thank You for the saving sacrifice of Your Son, Jesus Christ.
When He
cried, “It is accomplished,”
the work of redemption was completed.
Help us to
live in the grace of that sacrifice.
Teach us to
carry our crosses with faith.
Teach us to trust Your plan even in suffering.
May the
Cross lead us to repentance, renewal, and resurrection.
We ask this
through Christ our Lord.
Amen.
Contact
details:
Dr.
ADDANKI RAJU.
addankiraju.blogspot.com
Mobile,
WhatsApp: +91 98481 43047
X:
Dr. ADDANKI RAJU@addankiraju
Facebook:
Addanki Raju
A Gentle Invitation to Share
If this
message has brought you even a small measure of joy, light, encouragement, or
spiritual nourishment, I humbly invite you to share this spiritual food with
others.
Someone you
know may be waiting for a word of hope.
Someone may be silently searching for meaning.
Someone may be thirsty for God.
By sharing
this message, you become a simple yet powerful instrument in God’s hands. This
small act of sharing becomes a beautiful act of evangelisation — a quiet
mission of love you carry out in your daily life.
Let the
Word that touched your heart reach another heart.
May the
Lord use you to spread His light.
May His Word bear abundant fruit.
God bless
you abundantly.
Comments
Post a Comment