When Jesus was put to the cross and he said it is finished what did he mean had finished?

(John 17:4, 5)  
I have glorified thee on the earth:
I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do.
And now, O Father,
glorify thou me with thine own self
with the glory which I had with thee before the world was.'

Hi, [Out of the dark came light]


The Work of Christ upon the cross with its subsequent resurrection and ascension into glory finished the work which God gave Him to do.  
See Ephesians chapter one, and see what God in Christ Jesus secured for us who believe.

Ephesians 1:3-11

'Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,
who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ:
According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world,
that we should be holy and without blame before him in love:

Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself,
according to the good pleasure of his will,
To the praise of the glory of his grace,
wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved.
In whom we have redemption through his blood,
the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace;
Wherein he hath abounded toward us
in all wisdom and prudence;
Having made known unto us the mystery of his will,
according to his good pleasure which he hath purposed in himself:

That in the dispensation of the fulness of times
he might gather together in one all things in Christ,
both which are in heaven, and which are on earth; even in him:
(In whom also we have obtained an inheritance,
being predestinated according to the purpose of him
who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will:'

Praise God!!
We are complete in Him
His sacrifice was 'all-sufficient'
Wings

 

Thank you for that wings and hello to you....

i heard that when Jesus said it is finished this also stood for the laws of the old testament regarding sacrifice festivals the eating of pork and so on......is this so?

As Wings explained when Christ said “it is finished” he was referring to the salvation of all his elect. The penalty of sin for the elect had been fully paid.

Also, the moment Jesus died the veil of the temple was rent asunder (Matt 27:51, Mark 15:38) which signaled the finality of God’s separation from national Israel including the ceremonial laws.

The OT ceremonial laws were all spiritual teachings pointing to Christ as our savior.  Christ was the fulfillment of the OT laws. We can read about them and learn spiritual truths from them but we do not practice them anymore.

Hi Guys im new to this site and love it. I found this on the net only two weeks ago when i was looking at the same question, dont know who gets the credit for this but it helped me understand it a little better,


Time and Time again the Bible speaks of a cup of God’s wrath which will be poured out against sinners. It is a cup of horror, desolation, shame and destruction. It is a cup filled to the brim with the perfect wrath of a perfectly just God.
Before the world was created, Jesus had agreed to drink this cup to save the ones He loves. He would not just take a sip of it, but would drink to the bottom of the cup, until there was nothing left. How His spirit must have crushed Him as our Lord, as fully human as He was fully God, waited to drink this cup.
When Jesus considered the events that were to come, what was it He feared? He did not fear men, but rather feared His own Father! As He waited, He looked not to the beatings or the spikes, but to the cup of wrath His own Father was going to pour out upon Him. He feared the punishment He would have to face for our sin!
Just a few short hours later Jesus’ battered body was nailed to the wooden cross. As He hung there, alone and naked before God, He began to drink that cup. He faced God’s judgment and drank in the horror, desolation, shame and destruction that are rightfully mine and yours . How the Father must have felt, having to punish His own Son with every bit of the wrath of His righteous anger against sin. At the time His Son needed Him most, He was unable to comfort Him. The Father poured out punishment against His Son that human minds can never comprehend. Hour after hour God’s wrath poured in, on and through Jesus.
Finally, hours after He began, Jesus did what no other person ever could do - He emptied that cup, drinking down the last drops of God’s wrath, until there was no more. The wrath that deserved to be poured out against me and you  was consumed by the One who loves us  more than we can ever know. Having swallowed the last drops, Jesus shouted out in triumph “It is finished!” The work had been done. Knowing that His task was complete, Jesus turned His gaze to heaven and said “Father, into your hands I commit my Spirit.” At that moment He yielded up His spirit and returned to fellowship with His Father.
 

Hope this helps   cheers Rog