The title of the piece – It is Finished – is in reference to one of the last things Jesus said on the cross…
“It is finished.” Found only in the Gospel of John, the Greek word translated “it is finished” is tetelestai, an accounting term that means “paid in full.” When Jesus uttered those words, He was declaring the debt owed to His Father was wiped away completely and forever. Not that Jesus wiped away any debt that He owed to the Father; rather, Jesus eliminated the debt owed by mankind—the debt of sin.
We are currently in the season of Lent and if you are: Anglican, Roman Catholic, Easter Orthodox, Lutheran, or Methodist you are preparing for Easter. As you may or may not know Easter is:
- According to Christian Scripture (Isaiah 53), Jesus Christ is the promised Messiah and Savior of the World.
- The resurrection refers to Jesus coming back to life (or being raised from the dead) three days after his death on the cross.
- Christians believe that when Jesus laid down his life on the cross, he paid the full penalty for sin by offering the perfect, spotless sacrifice.
- Subsequently, by raising from the dead, the Lord defeated the power of sin and death and purchased, for all who believe in him, eternal life in Christ Jesus. (Source)
Easter is three weeks away so I thought that I would recreate the image of Jesus as portrayed by the actor Robert Powell in Jesus of Nazareth. My hope is whether you believe or not the painting will in some way move you to open your mind to the possibility of something greater than ourselves.
A couple of months ago I read the book Proof of Heaven by Dr. Eben Alexander. The book explains the journey the Doctor believes took him into the afterlife, heaven, while he was in a coma. As a neurosurgeon and scientist he said he never believed his patients stories of their travels to the afterlife while he was performing brain surgery on them until he himself ended up in a coma. He now believes that his experience was divine providence and that he was brought back from the coma to tell everyone about what he experienced. Fascinating!
I hope you enjoy the painting and if you’re interested, check out Proof of Heaven, it’s a fascinating read!
HAPPY EASTER!
klentz designs 