Tetelestai | Paid in Full
“When he had received the drink, Jesus said, “It is finished.” With that, he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.”
I remember an experience I had of discovering a book that had already been paid for when I was at Barnes and Noble. You see, my wife and I were waiting for dinner when we decided to go across the street and visit this bookstore. As I was strolling through the aisles I saw a book that I had wanted and so I picked it up to check the price but then a piece of paper fell out of the book. Turns out, it was the receipt. I was astonished, the receipt was right there in the book just waiting for someone to come pick it up! After checking with the front desk I found myself gladly taking the free book that was just waiting for someone to receive it.
How odd would it have been if I had tried to buy that book? Impossible! Why? Because it has already been paid for.
Amid excruciating pain, Jesus uttered one of the most powerful phrases in history - "It is finished." This sixth cry from the cross is known as the cry of victory. However, when we examine the gospel accounts, it may not seem victorious at all. Crucifixion was the most brutal way of executing criminals, and it was considered a form of rejection, ridicule, and condemnation. It was so despised that even the Roman laws prohibited crucifixion for Roman citizens.
The phrase "It is finished" is a single word in Greek, Tetelestai, meaning "paid in full." This word was commonly used in three different ways.
First, when a servant completed the task assigned by a master, he would say Tetelestai. It was a way for the servant to report the successful completion of the task assigned. Jesus, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world, came to serve and not to be served. He was obedient to His Father's will, humble and obedient to the point of death on the cross, rejected by the world He came to save. Thus, when Jesus looked up to the Father, having completed His task, He declared, "Tetelestai." as a suffering servant. It is completed.
The second use of this word was when a priest examined a sacrifice and found it without blemish or spot, he would say Tetelestai over it, meaning, it is sufficient. In the old sacrificial system, the blood of goats and lambs covered the people's sins, foreshadowing what was truly needed. Christ, the perfect and sinless Lamb of God, took away the sin of the world, and as our High Priest he declares, "Tetelestai." It is sufficient.
The third and most common use of Tetelestai was by a merchant. When a debt was paid, the word Tetelestai would be written over it, meaning "paid in full." Just as grace and a right relationship with God have already been paid for, we cannot earn it, renegotiate, or work it off. The only thing left to do is to receive the grace of God joyfully through faith in his son Jesus. So Jesus declares “Tetelestai!” It is paid in full.
The sacrifice of Jesus is complete, sufficient, and paid in full.
The blood of Christ is the only thing that takes away our sins - past, present, and future - paid in full through the blood of Jesus. There is nothing left to be done except to call upon the name of the Lord to be saved. It is already done - the only thing we can do is believe.
As Jesus cries out, "It is finished!" from the cross, we can rest assured that God so loved the world that He sent His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have everlasting life. When we humble ourselves, confess our sins, and ask for forgiveness, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins. Therefore, let us declare with confidence and gratitude that Jesus paid it all - all to Him we owe. Every sin we committed against God has been paid in full, and we have the opportunity to receive his gift of grace.
