(This message on the 6th Word yesterday, Good Friday, by son #3, is my second guest post in 17 years. Although not as short as my posts, it is too short by speaking standards, because it does not preach; it powerfully synthesizes what scholars have posited for centuries about his faith. I have taken the liberty of shortening it further.)
“So when Jesus had received the sour wine, He said, ‘It is finished!’ And bowing His head, He gave up His spirit.” (John 19:30 NKJV)
When Christ said, “It is finished”, it showed that He had already fulfilled everything that was prophesied in the Bible about the Messiah. God's great plan for our redemption, which unfolded over a span of thousands of years, was now complete. Jesus took the punishment we deserve and offered us His righteousness. Both the judgment and payment of sin were done on the cross.
“It is finished" is the translation of the Greek word Tetelestai, a word from the verb teleo, meaning “to bring to an end, to complete, to accomplish.”
It's the word you would use, for example, when you pay off your house mortgage or cross the finish line in a marathon--end of a course of action! Receipts in ancient texts were sometimes introduced by an abbreviated version of this word, signifying the debt is paid in full.
Also, Tetelestai is in the perfect tense in Greek. It speaks of an action which had been completed in the past but with results that continue into the present. Tetelestai thus adds the idea that "This happened and it is still in effect today." So when Jesus cried out "It is finished," it means that "It was finished in the past, it is still finished in the present, and it will remain finished in the future."
Jesus completely paid the price needed to satisfy the judgment that sin requires. There is nothing we can add to the finished work of Jesus. There is no amount of good work can pay the price for our redemption. Christ already did that when He died on the cross.
"It finished.” Jesus left no unfinished business behind. This was a cry of victory. Jesus had a purpose and a mission to complete. On the cross, He had done everything He came to earth to do.
In the Old Testament, the high priest would enter the Holy of Holies where he poured the blood of an unblemished lamb on the mercy seat of the Ark of the Covenant. The moment that blood touched the mercy seat, atonement was made for the people’s sins for one more year. This was done year after year to obtain the temporary forgiveness for sin.
“It is finished!” Jesus was declaring the end of sacrifice because the ultimate Sacrifice had finally been made. Atonement was completed, perfected, and fully accomplished. It was done once and for all – finished forever.
He paid the price for our salvation, for our freedom, for our healing, and for our restoration. When He died, God’s justice had been fulfilled. His words also remind us to share the Good News to others. There are multitudes of all over the world who believe they can earn or buy their way into heaven. Paul wrote to the believers in Ephesus: “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.”
Think about it. If every debt you personally owed to others was suddenly paid off, how would you act and feel?
Now Jesus paid in full your debt to sin. Salvation is God’s gift to us. Doesn’t that make you want to thank Him for what He has done for you? Brothers and sisters, Jesus won the greatest victory in history, let our hearts be filled with unending praise!
Guest blogger: Atty. Juan Ruffo D. Chong
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