When he had received the drink
Jesus said, "It is finished". With that, he bowed his head and gave
up his spirit. John 19:30.
We had a new carpet fitted some time ago. The shop asked us for a deposit at the time we made the order, and then the rest of the payment when they came to do the work. On that second payment the bill was stamped "Paid". This was the official confirmation that we had settled the bill fully. It was a nice feeling to know that everything was in order: the work was satisfactorily done and - most of all - we didn't owe any money.
In the world of the New Testament, the word "Paid" would have been the Greek tetelestai, which literally means "finished", "completed", "done", "over". And this is the word John uses in telling us about Jesus' dying word on the cross: "It is finished". Jesus was declaring in the most public way possible that he had at last accomplished the work his Father had sent him to do, the work of making atonement for the sins of the human race.
Of course, because we weren't there we can never know exactly how Jesus uttered that word - very likely it was with "the loud voice" mentioned in the other gospels. But I think we can be absolutely certain that it was a cry of triumph rather than a whimper of defeat. Jesus wasn't weakly saying "It's all over, I've had enough, I can't take any more." No: he was celebrating a victory.
This is massively important. The human mind seems to be hard-wired to think that, if we are to be right with God, then we must try very hard indeed to put ourselves right. The work belongs to us. We must be "religious". We must go to church. We must do good deeds. We must give money to charity. If we manage to do all these things, we might just be lucky enough to squeeze into God's favour - the credit side of the balance sheet will outweigh the debit side. Have you ever found yourself thinking this way? Is this perhaps the way you think now?
If it is, can I offer you that great word tetelestai ! It reminds us that when Jesus died for us on the cross he left us absolutely nothing else to do. He did it all. All we need to do is receive that forgiveness and salvation as a perfectly free gift. This is the meaning of that other great Bible word "grace" - which has been defined as "God's undeserved favour", or more simply as God's mercy, generosity and love.
"But isn't that just too good to be true!" somebody might say. Certainly it seems like it, I agree. But that's the way it is, thank God. Why else is the heart of the Christian message called the "gospel", which means "good news"? After all, it's hardly good news to be told that you must work with all your might and main to achieve salvation - and even then you still might not make it. But to be offered salvation as a free gift from God because of what Jesus did on the cross - well, that really is good news.
Of course, all this doesn't mean that we needn't bother with living good lives, being involved in worship, showing love and generosity and all the rest. The point is that we do these things as a grateful response to God's amazing grace. We do these things not in order to be saved, but because we are saved.
We sometimes sing, "The price is paid,/ Come let us enter in/ To all that Jesus died/ To make our own". Yes! It is finished. Is this the greatest word that has ever been spoken?
Father, thank you that the work of salvation is a finished, completed work. Thank you that this takes away my insecurity about where I stand with you. Help me daily to enjoy my status as a forgiven child of God - and to live worthy of that status! Amen.
We had a new carpet fitted some time ago. The shop asked us for a deposit at the time we made the order, and then the rest of the payment when they came to do the work. On that second payment the bill was stamped "Paid". This was the official confirmation that we had settled the bill fully. It was a nice feeling to know that everything was in order: the work was satisfactorily done and - most of all - we didn't owe any money.
In the world of the New Testament, the word "Paid" would have been the Greek tetelestai, which literally means "finished", "completed", "done", "over". And this is the word John uses in telling us about Jesus' dying word on the cross: "It is finished". Jesus was declaring in the most public way possible that he had at last accomplished the work his Father had sent him to do, the work of making atonement for the sins of the human race.
Of course, because we weren't there we can never know exactly how Jesus uttered that word - very likely it was with "the loud voice" mentioned in the other gospels. But I think we can be absolutely certain that it was a cry of triumph rather than a whimper of defeat. Jesus wasn't weakly saying "It's all over, I've had enough, I can't take any more." No: he was celebrating a victory.
This is massively important. The human mind seems to be hard-wired to think that, if we are to be right with God, then we must try very hard indeed to put ourselves right. The work belongs to us. We must be "religious". We must go to church. We must do good deeds. We must give money to charity. If we manage to do all these things, we might just be lucky enough to squeeze into God's favour - the credit side of the balance sheet will outweigh the debit side. Have you ever found yourself thinking this way? Is this perhaps the way you think now?
If it is, can I offer you that great word tetelestai ! It reminds us that when Jesus died for us on the cross he left us absolutely nothing else to do. He did it all. All we need to do is receive that forgiveness and salvation as a perfectly free gift. This is the meaning of that other great Bible word "grace" - which has been defined as "God's undeserved favour", or more simply as God's mercy, generosity and love.
"But isn't that just too good to be true!" somebody might say. Certainly it seems like it, I agree. But that's the way it is, thank God. Why else is the heart of the Christian message called the "gospel", which means "good news"? After all, it's hardly good news to be told that you must work with all your might and main to achieve salvation - and even then you still might not make it. But to be offered salvation as a free gift from God because of what Jesus did on the cross - well, that really is good news.
Of course, all this doesn't mean that we needn't bother with living good lives, being involved in worship, showing love and generosity and all the rest. The point is that we do these things as a grateful response to God's amazing grace. We do these things not in order to be saved, but because we are saved.
We sometimes sing, "The price is paid,/ Come let us enter in/ To all that Jesus died/ To make our own". Yes! It is finished. Is this the greatest word that has ever been spoken?
Father, thank you that the work of salvation is a finished, completed work. Thank you that this takes away my insecurity about where I stand with you. Help me daily to enjoy my status as a forgiven child of God - and to live worthy of that status! Amen.
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