“Tetelestai!”
John 19:30
Do you wonder what the people standing near Jesus thought when He spoke this word from the cross? “Tetelestai!”
They knew Tetelestai meant, “It is finished!” But why did He say it?
What did His beloved disciple John think? We know he heard Him, because John recorded Jesus’ words.
Tetelestai can mean finished, but it can also mean accomplished or paid.
Surely they wondered what Jesus meant. What could be finished?
Whatever people thought, none could have understood the true meaning. None could have realized that Jesus had paid the debt for sin, finished the work of redemption, and accomplished salvation for all who would believe in Him.
“Tetelestai!”
It Is Finished, And So It Has Begun!
When Jesus declared, “It is finished,” His next words could have been, “It has begun!”
Whatever Christ finishes, He transforms into a new beginning.
When Jesus ended our separation from our holy God because of our sin, He opened the way for us to come boldly to Him.
It has begun!
When He came as the perfect and final sacrifice for sin, He ended the need for the curtain in the temple and the Jewish sacrificial system. He ripped the curtain from top to bottom and began a new relationship. A personal one—with no barriers or hindrances.
By faith, He makes us sons and daughters and invites us into His presence.
It has begun!
What God began in the Garden of Eden, Christ finished on the cross.
Well, mostly.
There’s more to come when Christ returns.
In that day, we’ll celebrate the end of this world and the beginning of eternity with God. And Christ will make all things new.
Until Then . . .
In light of the new work Christ has begun in us, how shall we live?
Let’s live each moment with our eyes fixed on the marvelous truth that what He has begun in us, He will complete. He will make us more like Him each day. (Romans 8:29, Philippians 1:6)
Let’s rejoice that He has made us a new creation. The old is gone. The new has come! (2 Corinthians 5:17). For some of us, this promise brings us tremendous relief.
Let it fill us with confidence and conviction.
Confidence that we can walk in the truth without stumbling. (Jude 1:24)
And conviction that there’s no greater joy than to walk as Jesus walked—for the joy set before us, our salvation in Him (Hebrews 12:2).
We can walk in the peace of God without fear because “the God of peace will soon crush Satan.” (Romans 16:20)
It has begun!
If you missed my other posts in this series, The Power of Jesus’ Last 7 Words, read them here.
Revive Our Hearts Last Words Series
Last Words: “It Is Finished”
When we consider the words “It is finished,” tetelestai in the original Greek, we can see something remarkable…Keep reading
Lyric Video: All Sufficient Merit (Shane & Shane)
