John 19:30 It Is Finished
Jesus said, “It is finished.” With that, he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.
A child sits down at the kitchen table to do his homework. Five minutes later his parents hear his book slam shut and one word: “Done!” You send him up to his room to make his bed and clean his room. Thirty seconds later you hear, “Done!” It’s a common enough scene that any parent, when they hear a child say, “Done,” should automatically ask, “Yes, but was it done right? Was it done well?”
Our Lenten services this year have all centered around three-word phrases. Love one another. Watch and pray. I am he. Behold the man. Take and eat. But our theme wouldn’t have made much sense to the Gospel writers, Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. Three words of truth? In the Greek that they wrote, “Love one another,” is just two words. “I am he,” is just two words. Jesus didn’t say, “Take and eat.” He just said, “Take, eat.” Two words of truth.
And today, as he was dying on the cross, we hear him cry, “It is finished!” No, not really. In Greek he only spoke a single word, tetelesthai. One word. Maybe that should have been translated with your child’s favorite word after an unpleasant assignment: Done!
And the parent in you automatically asks, “Yes, but was it done well? Was it done right?” In Jesus’ case, we shouldn’t have to ask. During his ministry the people said of Jesus, “He has done everything well.” After Jesus died, a Roman centurion said of him, “Surely, this was a righteous man.” A Roman, who didn’t even know him, because he died well. And God the Father said of him twice, “This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” And the Father isn’t pleased with anything but perfection. He testified that the Son did all things well.
But, God the Father? Isn’t that the same God the Father who had just poured out all of his wrath and anger and righteous judgment and punishment on Jesus? God the Father took crucifixion, the most agonizing form of execution and death that the Romans could invent and made it more excruciating by adding all the anguish and punishment of hell itself as Jesus hung upon the cross. Jesus looked up to heaven and asked, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” That God the Father? When Jesus said, “Done,” would his Father have been satisfied that it was done well and done right?
Just before he died, Jesus said one other thing, that shows us he knew his Father was still pleased with him. He said, “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit.” And God the Father confirmed that in the most powerful way on Easter morning by raising him from the dead. When Jesus said, “Done,” it was done well, and done right.
But what was done? If you had been there, standing at the foot of the cross, whether you were one of Jesus’ followers like the disciple John or Mary Magdalene, or you were one of those who sent Jesus to the cross, a Pharisee, a member of the Sanhedrin, or a Roman soldier, and you heard this dying man say, “Done. It’s over. It is finished,” and a moment later he is dead, what would you think he meant? Just one thing, his suffering. His life was over, and he knew it.
But that one Greek word, “tetelesthai,” doesn’t just mean it’s over, but it’s accomplished. That same one word has been found written on Roman bills of sale, on contracts, and on sales receipts, so some people think it could be translated, “Paid in full.” That’s a nice thought. “Paid in full,” describes very well what Christ’s death means for us. The price of our sins has indeed been paid in full. But even on those receipts and contracts, it doesn’t really mean, “Paid in full.” It means more than that. It means the contract has been fully met on both sides. It means the party of the first part has paid the full amount he owed, but it also means the party of the second part has completed the terms of the agreement. He has delivered what he promised or done all the work he agreed to do. Everything is complete. ‘Tetelesthai’ written on a Roman contract meant this contract can now be filed away, because there’s nothing left that anyone needs to do.
When a child slams his textbook shut and says, “Done,” he might be done, but it’s not “tetelesthai.” It’s not really complete until he turns it in and his teacher grades it. If he passes, it’s done. That homework can be filed away. But if the teacher says, “No good. Do it over,” then obviously, it’s not yet done, despite what the child said. If you send him back to his room to make his bed right and clean his room completely, then he’s not really done, is he?
If God requires anything of us to make our salvation complete—if we still have to make our bed or clean our room or keep the law or pay some price before forgiveness and peace and heaven and eternal salvation are ours, then it’s not finished.
But when Jesus said, “It is finished,” it was finished. Everything God sent him to do was completed, and it was done well. The price of our sins was paid, and it was paid in full. Our salvation was accomplished, and there is nothing more that we need to do before God will finally say, “Now, it’s done.”
Whether it’s Three Words of Truth—It is finished—or one word, tetelesthai, “Done!” our salvation is accomplished. Our sins have been paid for. Our forgiveness is won. And we owe nothing but a debt of gratitude to God’s Son, our Savior, for the free and full gift of his grace, in Jesus’ name. Amen.
Jesus said, “It is finished.” With that, he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.
A child sits down at the kitchen table to do his homework. Five minutes later his parents hear his book slam shut and one word: “Done!” You send him up to his room to make his bed and clean his room. Thirty seconds later you hear, “Done!” It’s a common enough scene that any parent, when they hear a child say, “Done,” should automatically ask, “Yes, but was it done right? Was it done well?”
Our Lenten services this year have all centered around three-word phrases. Love one another. Watch and pray. I am he. Behold the man. Take and eat. But our theme wouldn’t have made much sense to the Gospel writers, Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. Three words of truth? In the Greek that they wrote, “Love one another,” is just two words. “I am he,” is just two words. Jesus didn’t say, “Take and eat.” He just said, “Take, eat.” Two words of truth.
And today, as he was dying on the cross, we hear him cry, “It is finished!” No, not really. In Greek he only spoke a single word, tetelesthai. One word. Maybe that should have been translated with your child’s favorite word after an unpleasant assignment: Done!
And the parent in you automatically asks, “Yes, but was it done well? Was it done right?” In Jesus’ case, we shouldn’t have to ask. During his ministry the people said of Jesus, “He has done everything well.” After Jesus died, a Roman centurion said of him, “Surely, this was a righteous man.” A Roman, who didn’t even know him, because he died well. And God the Father said of him twice, “This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” And the Father isn’t pleased with anything but perfection. He testified that the Son did all things well.
But, God the Father? Isn’t that the same God the Father who had just poured out all of his wrath and anger and righteous judgment and punishment on Jesus? God the Father took crucifixion, the most agonizing form of execution and death that the Romans could invent and made it more excruciating by adding all the anguish and punishment of hell itself as Jesus hung upon the cross. Jesus looked up to heaven and asked, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” That God the Father? When Jesus said, “Done,” would his Father have been satisfied that it was done well and done right?
Just before he died, Jesus said one other thing, that shows us he knew his Father was still pleased with him. He said, “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit.” And God the Father confirmed that in the most powerful way on Easter morning by raising him from the dead. When Jesus said, “Done,” it was done well, and done right.
But what was done? If you had been there, standing at the foot of the cross, whether you were one of Jesus’ followers like the disciple John or Mary Magdalene, or you were one of those who sent Jesus to the cross, a Pharisee, a member of the Sanhedrin, or a Roman soldier, and you heard this dying man say, “Done. It’s over. It is finished,” and a moment later he is dead, what would you think he meant? Just one thing, his suffering. His life was over, and he knew it.
But that one Greek word, “tetelesthai,” doesn’t just mean it’s over, but it’s accomplished. That same one word has been found written on Roman bills of sale, on contracts, and on sales receipts, so some people think it could be translated, “Paid in full.” That’s a nice thought. “Paid in full,” describes very well what Christ’s death means for us. The price of our sins has indeed been paid in full. But even on those receipts and contracts, it doesn’t really mean, “Paid in full.” It means more than that. It means the contract has been fully met on both sides. It means the party of the first part has paid the full amount he owed, but it also means the party of the second part has completed the terms of the agreement. He has delivered what he promised or done all the work he agreed to do. Everything is complete. ‘Tetelesthai’ written on a Roman contract meant this contract can now be filed away, because there’s nothing left that anyone needs to do.
When a child slams his textbook shut and says, “Done,” he might be done, but it’s not “tetelesthai.” It’s not really complete until he turns it in and his teacher grades it. If he passes, it’s done. That homework can be filed away. But if the teacher says, “No good. Do it over,” then obviously, it’s not yet done, despite what the child said. If you send him back to his room to make his bed right and clean his room completely, then he’s not really done, is he?
If God requires anything of us to make our salvation complete—if we still have to make our bed or clean our room or keep the law or pay some price before forgiveness and peace and heaven and eternal salvation are ours, then it’s not finished.
But when Jesus said, “It is finished,” it was finished. Everything God sent him to do was completed, and it was done well. The price of our sins was paid, and it was paid in full. Our salvation was accomplished, and there is nothing more that we need to do before God will finally say, “Now, it’s done.”
Whether it’s Three Words of Truth—It is finished—or one word, tetelesthai, “Done!” our salvation is accomplished. Our sins have been paid for. Our forgiveness is won. And we owe nothing but a debt of gratitude to God’s Son, our Savior, for the free and full gift of his grace, in Jesus’ name. Amen.
