John 19:28-30
Throughout history there have been defining “moments in time” when someone’s words significantly affected or altered the course of a people or nation. Many of those “moments in time” are studied by succeeding generations in history classrooms and textbooks. For instance…
A famous speech that many people have studied was given by a member of the British Parliament who had become a convert to Christianity. His name was William Wilberforce and on May 12, 1789, he delivered his Abolition Speech before the House of Commons where he passionately made his case as to why slave trade must be abolished. He also introduced a bill to that effect and though it failed, he did not stop trying to pass it until finally, the Slave Trade Act passed in 1807.
Another speech remembered in the annals of history was given in 1863 by President Abraham Lincoln. It has been called one of the most memorable speeches in American history and we know it as the Gettysburg Address. It consisted of 272 words scribbled on the back of an envelope and lasting only three minutes in its delivery...but it’s impact is still felt to this day. The address was given after the battle of Gettysburg where 8,000 soldiers lost their lives and were buried in shallow graves. The speech was a part of the dedication of that hallowed ground where these soldiers’ bodies lay, now known as Soldiers' National Cemetery. Probably many of us can still quote the opening lines of his speech more than 150 years later.
“Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent, a new nation, conceived in Liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal…”
During World War II there was another famous speech given at the House of Commons, in London, on June 4, 1940, by one of the greatest orators of the 20th century...despite being born with a speech impediment. With his strong, reassuring voice, Winston Churchill boldly asserted:
“We shall go on to the end. We shall fight in France, we shall fight on the seas and oceans, we shall fight with growing confidence and growing strength in the air, we shall defend our island, whatever the cost may be. We shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the landing grounds, we shall fight in the fields and in the streets, we shall fight in the hills; we shall never surrender.”
On August 28, 1963, when I was just five years old, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., delivered a history-defining message to over 250,000 civil rights supporters from the steps of the Lincoln Memorial. It is considered by many to be one of the greatest oratory pieces in American history. A century after the Gettysburg Address and the emancipation proclamation, the promise of full equality was not yet realized. African-Americans still experienced racial discrimination, but amidst all these struggles, the voice of Dr. King sent out a message of hope. Most people today can still recall one of the central phrases that still echoes from his speech all these decades later: “I have a dream…”
A more recent speech that stands out in my memory, because I watched as it was being delivered, was by President Ronald Reagan. In it he issued a challenge to then Soviet Union Leader Mikhail Gorbachev from the Brandenburg Gate near the Berlin Wall on June 12, 1987, commemorating the 750th anniversary of Berlin. Reagan called on Mr. Gorbachev to tear down the Berlin Wall as an emblem of his desire to increase freedom in the Eastern Bloc through glasnost and perestroika. The words that still ring in our ears from that day are: “Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!”
There are so many other speeches that could be highlighted that it would takes days, if not weeks or months, to bring them all to our attention. The point of these particular speeches I’ve highlighted is to illustrate the importance and power of words and how some of them have impacted the course of history.
However, if we could take all of the speeches given from all around the world that are recognized as having monumental impact on history and total their impact together, it still wouldn’t compare to something Jesus said just moments before He yielded His spirit to His Father as He hung on the cross.
If you remember, Jesus was crucified about 9 a.m. on Friday morning and hung on the cross for a total of six hours...or until 3 p.m. in the afternoon. During the first three hours Jesus spoke three times:
1. To offer forgiveness to any of His enemies that would receive it.
2. To tell the repentant thief that he would be in Paradise with Him.
3. To commend the care of His earthly mother to the Apostle John.
From noon until 3 p.m. the skies grew eerily dark as Jesus bore our sins on the cross. And, at the close of those three hours Jesus spoke four more times:
1. To utter His cry, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken me?”
2. To speak the most important word (singular) Jesus would say from the cross.
3. To acknowledge His thirst.
4. To give up His spirit to His Father.
To refresh our memories about the misery of Jesus’ crucifixion, let’s consider a few paragraphs from the book, The Day Jesus Died, as syndicated columnist and author, Jim Bishop, gives narrative to how it would have played out before all the onlookers and soldiers involved in this brutal event. He writes...
“The executioner laid the crossbeam behind Jesus and brought him to the ground quickly by grasping his arm and pulling him backward. As soon as Jesus fell, the beam was fitted under the back of his neck and, on each side, soldiers quickly knelt on the inside of the elbows. Jesus gave no resistance and said nothing, but he groaned as he fell on the back of his head and the thorns pressed against his torn scalp.
“Once begun, the matter was done quickly and efficiently. The executioner wore an apron with pockets. He placed two five-inch nails between his teeth and, hammer in hand, knelt beside the right arm. The soldier whose knee rested on the inside of the elbow held the forearm flat to the board. With his right hand, the executioner probed the wrist of Jesus to find the little hollow spot. When he found it, he took one of the square-cut iron nails from his teeth and held it against the spot, directly behind where the so-called lifeline ends. Then he raised the hammer over the nail head and brought it down with force...
“...The executioner jumped across the body to the other wrist….As soon as he was satisfied that the condemned man could not, in struggling, pull himself loose and perhaps fall forward off the cross, he brought both of his arms upward rapidly. This was the signal to lift the crossbeam. Two soldiers grabbed each side of the crossbeam and lifted. As they pulled up, they dragged Jesus by the wrists. With every breath, he groaned. When the soldiers reached the upright, the four of them began to lift the crossbeam higher until the feet of Jesus were off the ground. The body must have writhed with pain.
“The four men pushed upward until the mortise hole was over the upright...When the crossbeam was set firmly, the executioner reached up and set the board which listed the name of prisoner and the crime. Then he knelt before the cross. Two soldiers hurried to help, and each one took hold of a leg at the calf. The ritual was to nail the right foot over the left, and this was probably the most difficult part of the work. If the feet were pulled downward, and nailed close to the foot of the cross, the prisoner always died quickly. Over the years, the Romans learned to push the feet upward on the cross, so that the condemned man could lean on the nails and stretch himself upward [to breathe].” (Jim Bishop, The Day Jesus Died, Kindle Book)
Author and well known speaker, Chuck Swindoll, adds, “Excruciating pain stabbed the dead-weight body that hung on unbending nails. Each movement (up and down to get His breath) cut deeper into bone and tendons and raw muscle. Fever inevitably set in, inflaming the wounds and creating an insatiable thirst. Waves of hallucinations drifted the victim in and out of consciousness. And in time, flies and other insects found their way to the cross.” (Charles R. Swindoll, Beholding Christ...The Lamb of God, A Study of John 15-21, p. 82)
As horrifying as this description is to us, it doesn’t even begin to compare to the worst part of Christ’s suffering. That took place during the agonizing hours as He hung there in darkness from noon until 3 p.m., separated from His Father while bearing the full weight of our sins and their penalty. No physical suffering could ever compare to those hours as Jesus became sin for us and God executed His wrath against mankind’s wickedness on His Own Son.
Though Jesus spoke several times from the cross, there is one specific word He uttered that changed the course of history for all eternity.
The word I’m referring to is most often translated in our Bibles by three words: “It is finished” (John 19:30). However, the Greek New Testament has just one word at this point: Tetelestai. And, it is the most important of all the words spoken by Jesus from the cross.
Tetelestai speaks of the very purpose for which Jesus had come from Heaven to earth. It explains the reason He allowed mankind to do to Him what was done in crucifying Him on Golgotha.
This same word is used in John 19:28 and is translated there as the word “accomplished.” The three synoptic Gospels do not record Jesus saying this word, but each author records that Jesus cried out something very loudly (cf. Matthew 27:50; Mark 15:37; Luke 23:46) before giving up His spirit. When coupled with the eyewitness account of Jesus’ crucifixion given to us by John (John 19:28-30), we can assume that what Jesus cried out loudly is this all important declaration: Tetelestai.
The picture these accounts draw for us is of Jesus gathering His breath one more time amidst all the agonizing pain He had endured in order that He might announce as loudly as possible that He had accomplished or finished the work God had given Him to do.
This was not the cry of a defeated man, nor merely an announcement of imminent death. This was the shout of victory from One that had completed and accomplished all that was given Him as His mission. This was His shout of triumph! This is the Champion boldly declaring that He had successfully completed His lifetime achievement! This loud cry declares that His redemptive work is finished because He had been made sin for all mankind (2 Corinthians 5:21) and has suffered the penalty of God’s justice against our sin!
This word is used in a number of other contexts in the Roman world and those contexts help us further understand the meaning of what Jesus was saying when He shouted this word in the closing moments before yielding up His spirit. For instance…
- When an artist finished a painting and laid down his brush for the final time, he might say, Tetelestai, meaning his “picture is perfect.” As the Master Artisan, Jesus declared from the cross that the “picture of salvation” He had begun four millennia before was now perfected...It is finished!
- When a servant completed his work given to him by his master he might say, Tetelestai, meaning, “I have finished my work.” Jesus, as the Suffering Servant, accomplished all the work the Father had given Him to accomplish...It is finished!
- A priest, when inspecting an animal brought to the Temple for sacrifice would announce, Tetelestai, when the animal proved to be without blemish and acceptable as an offering according to God’s Law. Jesus Christ, our Great High Priest, was/is the unblemished Lamb of God, the only perfect sacrifice approved and acceptable to God...It is finished!
- A judge might have said, Tetelestai, when he conferred a sentence or issued a ruling that a sentence had been completed. The Father was satisfied with the price Jesus paid on the cross and accepted its payment for mankind’s sin. Because His justice was satisfied we can be forgiven...It is finished!
What Jesus had completed on Calvary brought an end to the need of the sacrificial system that the nation of Israel had long followed. The Apostle Paul and the author of Hebrews make this abundantly clear…
“For the death that He died, He died to sin once for all; but the life that He lives, He lives to God.” (Romans 6:10)
“For such a High Priest was fitting for us, who is holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, and has become higher than the heavens; who does not need daily, as those high priests, to offer up sacrifices, first for His own sins and then for the people’s, for this He did once for all when He offered up Himself.” (Hebrews 7:26-27)
“But Christ came as High Priest of the good things to come, with the greater and more perfect tabernacle not made with hands, that is, not of this creation. Not with the blood of goats and calves, but with His own blood He entered the Most Holy Place once for all, having obtained eternal redemption.” (Hebrews 9:11-12)
“And every priest stands ministering daily and offering repeatedly the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. But this Man, after He had offered one sacrifice for sins forever, sat down at the right hand of God…” (Hebrews 10:9-10)
Once Jesus had given His life as the perfect sacrifice for mankind’s sin, there was no need for any more animal sacrifices.
What did Jesus mean when He cried loudly from the cross, Tetelestai? He was saying that the plan of redemption was complete. What the blood of bulls and goats could not accomplish (cf. Hebrews 10:1-4), He had accomplished through the shedding of His Own blood.
No one can add anything to Christ’s work and no one can take anything away from it. What He did on Calvary in paying mankind’s sin debt will stand forever as full payment of that debt. Jesus knew when He cried loudly, Tetelestai, that His work was complete and He had accomplished all that God required for mankind’s redemption. We might paraphrase the definition of Tetelestai as, “MISSION ACCOMPLISHED!”
Illustrations of spiritual things are usually imperfect, but let me try to impress upon you what John is declaring to us in His Gospel about Jesus’ loud cry from the cross.
Several years ago, friends of ours wanted us to have the experience of staying at the Greenbriar Hotel for one night so that we could say we had “been there and done that.” (This was before the days of special rates that are sometimes offered today in the off-season.) The cost was elaborate, but it was a gift and one we greatly appreciated.
What we learned when we got there was that not only had our friends paid for our night’s stay, they had also paid all of the tips and meals that we were to enjoy that evening and the next morning before leaving for home.
When we arrived, someone parked our car for us. They helped us with our luggage and took us to our room for the night. There were delicacies left in the room and chocolates arrived later that evening. For a couple of hours we wandered through the hotel looking at the stores, restaurants, and the beautiful amenities of this exquisite place. We had our picture made in one of the grand rooms of the hotel. There was a movie theatre showing one of the current films that year, a bowling alley, a “bunker” to tour, etc., and it was all available to us paid for by our friends.
When supper time arrived we made our way to the dining room for our dinner reservation and a meal we were told would be delicious. The waiter explained the menu and placed our napkins in our laps. There was live music in the dining hall and constant attention to everything we wanted that evening. The meal was several courses long and concluded with a dessert that was out of this world. And, when we finished the meal, we simply left the dining room because everything had been paid for by our friends.
Later that evening when we arrived back to our room, our robes had been laid out on the bed and ready for lounging the rest of the evening. Did I already mention that chocolates arrived later that evening? Everything was simply beyond anything we had ever experienced before or since.
The next morning continued more of the same luxurious treatment with breakfast and our own continued gawking as we walked through that grand old estate to view as much as possible before leaving for home that day. And, it didn’t cost us ANYTHING because it was all paid for by our friends.
As imperfect as this illustration might be, it is a way of describing what Jesus meant when He cried loudly from the cross, Tetelestai. All of the blessings and benefits of God’s eternal salvation are made possible through the death (payment) of Jesus Christ on Calvary. There isn’t anything for us to add to it and there certainly isn’t anything we would ever want to take away from it. It is complete, finished and accomplished...by Christ alone.
This is the one word Christ cried loudly from the cross that will go on echoing throughout the corridors of eternity because what He has done needs no assistance or additions...IT IS FINISHED!
I love the way Evangelist Ray Prichard concludes his sermon on this saying of Jesus. He says...
“Let me tell you the best news you’ve ever heard. It doesn’t matter what ‘your’ sin is. It doesn’t matter how many sins you’ve piled up in your life. It doesn’t matter how guilty you think you are. It doesn’t matter what you’ve been doing this week. It doesn’t matter how bad you’ve been. It doesn’t matter how many skeletons rattle around in your closet.
“All of your sins have been stamped by God with one word—Tetelestai—Paid in full.
“Anger---------------------------Tetelestai-------------- Paid in Full
Uncontrolled ambition-------Tetelestai-------------- Paid in Full
Gossip---------------------------Tetelestai-------------- Paid in Full
Drunkenness-------------------Tetelestai-------------- Paid in Full
Fornication----------------------Tetelestai-------------- Paid in Full
Embezzlement-----------------Tetelestai-------------- Paid in Full
Lying---------------------------- Tetelestai-------------- Paid in Full
Disobedience------------------Tetelestai-------------- Paid in Full
Slothfulness--------------------Tetelestai-------------- Paid in Full
Pride-----------------------------Tetelestai-------------- Paid in Full
Murder---------------------------Tetelestai-------------- Paid in Full
Bribery---------------------------Tetelestai-------------- Paid in Full”
He goes on to say, “Those are just examples. Just fill in the blank with whatever sins plague your life. Then write over those sins the word Tetelestai because through the blood of Jesus Christ the price for ‘your’ sins has been Paid in Full.”
Now, all that remains is for each person to receive the payment Christ made on Calvary for his/her sins to experience God’s gift of forgiveness and eternal life! Would you be willing to do that right now?
