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A Dying Man’s Final Words
Only one person in history never left behind any unfinished business. His name is Jesus Christ.
He is the only person who could come to the end of his life and say—with absolute and total truthfulness—"I have finished everything I set out to do.”
It is Friday in Jerusalem and a huge crowd has gathered at the place called Skull Hill. It was on the north side of the city, just outside the Damascus Gate, and located by the side of a well-traveled road. The Romans liked to hold their crucifixions in public places. Killing people in public had a salutary effect on the masses.
This particular crucifixion started at 9 A.M. For three hours everything proceeded normally. Then at exactly 12 noon, the sky went black. Not overcast, but pitch black, so black that you couldn’t see your hand in front of your face. It wasn’t anything normal like an eclipse. The darkness seemed to pulse and throb, almost like the darkness was a living thing,
an evil mutant creature escaped from some science fiction movie.
Only this was no movie. What happened was real. For three hours darkness fell across the city of Jerusalem. There were screams, hideous cries, moans, and other unidentifiable sounds. Then, just as suddenly as it started, the darkness lifted, disappeared, vanished, and sanity returned to the earth.
One glance at the middle cross made it clear that this man Jesus would not last much longer. He looked dead already. His body quivered uncontrollably, his chest heaving with every tortured breath. The soldiers knew from long experience that he wouldn’t make it to sundown.
Then it happened. He shouted something—"My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” Someone in the crowd shouted back to him. Moments passed, death drew near, then a hoarse whisper, “I thirst.” The soldiers put some sour vinegar on a sponge and lifted it to his lips with a stalk of hyssop. He moistened his lips and took a deep breath. If you listened you could hear the death rattle in his throat. He had less than a minute to live.
Then he spoke again. It was a quick shout. Just one word. If you weren’t paying attention, you missed it in all the confusion. Then he breathed out another sentence. Then he was dead.
What was that shout? In Greek it is only one word … Tetelestai … “It is finished.”
Was, Is And Always Will Be
Tetelestai comes from the verb teleo, which means “to bring to an end, to complete, to accomplish.” It’s a crucial word because it signifies the successful end to a particular course of action. It’s the word you would use when you climb to the peak of Mt. Everest; it’s the word you would use when you turn in the final copy of your dissertation; it’s the word you would use when you make the final payment on your new car; it’s the word you use when you cross the finish line of your first 10K run. The word means more than just “I survived.” It means “I did exactly what I set out to do.”
But there’s more here than the verb itself. Tetelestai is in the perfect tense in Greek. That’s significant because the perfect tense speaks of an action which has been completed in the past with results continuing into the present. It’s different from the past tense which looks back to an event and says, “This happened.” The perfect tense adds the idea that “This happened and it is still in effect today.”
When Jesus cried out “It is finished,” he meant “It was finished in the past, it is still finished in the present and it will remain finished in the future.”
Note one other fact. He did not say, “I am finished,” for that would imply that he died defeated and exhausted. Rather, he cried out “It is finished,” meaning “I successfully completed the work I came to do.”
Tetelestai, then, is the Savior’s final cry of victory. When he died, he left no unfinished business
behind. When he said, “It is finished,” he was speaking the truth.------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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So anyway....the word....tetelastai. It has played over and over in my mind this last week or so. Probably because I had my own "it is finished" moment, but I think also because God wanted me to dig a little deeper into the riches of Easter. And I have. :) I am so thankful to know that despite all the labor...despite all the work and all the turmoil of these tumultuous times we are living in, that when it comes right down to it, the real work is done, and I can rest in knowing that 'His wounds have paid my ransom' (as the song that is playing first on my playlist so eloquently says). Christ's death on the cross and His resurrection to life that Easter Sunday so long ago finished the work that God began in the beginning of time. :) Christ's death and resurrection is the payment for all the sins of man, and He has promised that if we just call on Him, ask Him into our hearts and declare Him Lord over our lives, He is faithful to complete our work too! Isn't that amazing?! I sit in sheer awe that such a big, powerful God loves me THAT much! :) He loves you that much too! Wow!
Now to the grand finale of my novel of a post? For those of you who have hung on to the bitter end here...(teeheehee) my own little meaning behind the word "tetelestai"....MY WEBSITE IS FINISHED!!!! :) Most of you know that I have been working on this for a few weeks (along with revamping much in the way of this little business of mine), and though the bulk of the work was done about 10 days ago, it wasn't 'official' until today (4/1). So...I thought it would be fun to share it with you guys and maybe hear your thoughts, feedback and suggestions. I am really interested to hear what you think! Its been a long time coming, and pretty nerve-wracking for me to do, but now its done! Hooray!!!!
Click here to see it!
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