Aren’t you glad when a job is finished? However, it may be difficult to know when we have finished our work here on earth. Can we know? How would we know? Will there be signs or premonitions? Does it make any difference?
Jesus knew when he had finished his work. Three of the Gospel writers refer to Jesus making that claim (Matthew 27.45-56; Mark 15.33-41; Luke 23.44-49). When his work was completed, he made the statement “Everything is done,” bowed his head, and died.
That is very different than how most humans die. Many are in a coma, out of communication because of pain “relievers,” and their body slowly but surely shuts down. It is finished and so is their work.
I believe that God gives each Christian work to do on this earth. He also gives us gifts to accomplish our work. Blended with our personalities and aptitudes, we try to use our gifts to the glory of God. We do not use them alone, but are part of the body of Christ, each person using their gifts in a cultural environment.
There are various spiritual gifts, but all come from the Holy Spirit, and it is he who decides which gifts to give us (1 Corinthians 12.11). However, just because a person has a gift does not mean that it will be used. Like a Christmas gift that we are too busy to use, it may be put on the shelf to gather dust. The gift is not used, so it can’t be finished.
Paul “fought well” and he finished the race, the journey, that God gave him, and he was faithful in doing so (2 Timothy 4.7).
Jesus knew how to finish things well. When he finished praying, he told Lazarus to “come out” (John 11.43), and when he finished speaking to the disciples, he prayed to the Father (John 17.1). He often finished an event with prayer.
My wife always prayed that she would “finish well,” and be faithful to the end of her days. I have tried to echo that prayer and mean it to the extent that she did.
It is not always easy to finish well. Ask long-distance runners and they will tell you that at a certain stage you may “hit the wall” and be ready to give up. Consult with any couple whose marriage has lasted at least 50 years and they may confess about the times when it was “almost” finished, well before the time they had promised each other “till death do us part.” When couples want to finish the marriage, they often mean they want to quit. It has gotten too hard, and they are out of breath and want to get out of their relationship.
I have often watched boxing matches and could sometimes tell when one of the men (I know—women box too) was ready to have their manager “throw in the towel.” They had enough brain bashing, and their resistance, like mashed potatoes, was gone. They were finished.
My wife and I and a team of Kewa language men worked, off and on, to finish a translation of the New Testament. It took 15 years and when we were finished, we celebrated.
There was no party when Jesus finished his assignment here on earth. Instead, his disciples and followers were dismayed to learn that he would be leaving them. He had been crucified and then raised from the dead. Surely, he would now stay with them, encourage and empower them, and operate his new kingdom on the earth. But he didn’t, his work was finished.
I am old, and I don’t think I will have a special sign from heaven about my impending departure from this earth. I could be wrong, of course, but a signal from heaven won’t make me ready, although I believe it is imperative that I be ready.
Tish Harrison Warren wrote a book called Prayer in the Night: for those who work or watch or weep. She focuses on the Compline prayer, which is a prayer for those who watch and those who sleep. It is for the sick, the weary, the dying, the suffering, and the afflicted. It is most often for those who are “almost finished.”
We should not be morbid or worried about finishing our life and our work. Rest awaits us. Even God, when he had finished his work, rested (Genesis 2.2; Hebrews 4.4). We also have these words of encouragement: “Everything is finished! I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will freely give water from the life-giving fountain to everyone who is thirsty” (Revelation 21.6).
There is, however, a requirement: We must be thirsty!
Karl Franklin
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