Am I Prepared to Finish What I Was Made For?

When Jesus had received the sour wine, he said, “It is finished,” and he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.

John 19:30

All of us go through life leaving behind a trail of unfinished projects and unfulfilled dreams. How few there are who can come to the end of life and say, “I finished exactly what I set out to do.”

Only one person in history never left behind any unfinished business. He is the reason and the name for our worship today. His name is Jesus Christ. He is the only person who could come to the end of his life and say, vwith absolute and total truthfulness, "I have finished everything I set out to do.”

It is finished was a quick shout. Just one word. Then he was dead. What was that shout? In Greek it is only one word -Tetelestai - “It is finished.”

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. 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.”

One another fact to be noted - 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.”

What was it that was finished?

Matthew Henry, the New Testament commentator,  In his remarks on this saying of Jesus (volume 5, p. 1201), he lists 8 things that were finished or completed when Jesus cried out “It is finished.”

1. The malice of his enemies was finished.

2. The sufferings ordained by God were finished.

3. All the Old Testament types and prophecies were fulfilled.

4. The ceremonial law was abolished.

5. The price of sin was paid in full.

6. His physical sufferings were at an end.

7. His life was now finished.

8. The work of redemption was now complete.

But there is still more to the meaning of tetelestai. It means all of the above, but it especially applies to the price paid for the sins of the world. Merrill Tenney in Expositor’s Bible Commentary, notes that the verb was used in the first and second centuries in the sense of “fulfilling” or “paying” a debt and often appeared in receipts. “It is finished” (Tetelestai) could be interpreted as “Paid in full.”

“Paid in full” means that once a thing is paid for, you never have to pay for it again. In fact, “paid in full” means that once a thing is paid for, it is foolish to try to pay for it again.

A beautiful hymn written by James Proctor and composed by H.S. Thompson tells what it is finished is all about.

Nothing either great or small—

  Nothing, sinner, no;

Jesus did it, did it all,

  Long, long ago.

           

“It is finished!” yes, indeed,

  Finished every jot:

Sinner, this is all you need—

    Tell me, is it not?

Dear Friends as we partake in the Good Friday service today may we participate with the full knowledge that He has paid it in full and what else do I need now as a sinner than submitting myself to His great plan and purpose.

May we be able to observe the service in its sanctity and solemnity.