'TETELESTELI!
- IT IS FINISHED!
By
Bill Coppack
Note:
Rev. Dr. William Coppack entered the Lord's presence on Sunday 1/09/2002. He
will me missed by all in The Fellowship of Evangelistic Ministries [FEM] and by
the many churches he preached in.
“When
Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, he said, It is finished: and he bowed
his head, and gave up the ghost.” John
19:30
Very
significant indeed are the descriptions given by the writers of the tour Gospels
of the very last words uttered by the Lord Jesus Christ on the cross. Matthew in
his account of the Crucifixion of our Lord and Saviour simply tells us that
"Jesus, when He had cried again with a loud voice, yielded up the
Ghost." (Matthew 27:50). Here we are told what our Lord did, but not what
He said. When the Apostle John wrote his account he tells us exactly what the
Lord Jesus Christ said immediately before he expired; "It is
finished", but not the manner in which they were uttered. There is no doubt
that Christ's last word on the cross came with a loud voice. For it was the note
of triumph; the shout of the victor and not the despair of a victim.
Our
Lord's note of triumph as recorded in John's Gospel has always caused the
English translators of the New Testament a problem. In the original it was only
one word, 'Tetelesteli', not three. As there is no English word quite like the
original one, and translators have had to use three words in order to convey
something of the force of its original meaning. The word conveys, 'that which
has once been accomplished can never ever be repeated, and remains effective for
all time and eternity'.
It
is the aim here to draw attention to three aspects of this final utterance of
Christ on the Cross in order to convey the nature and meaning of our Lord's
victory gained at Calvary.
1.
The Associations of the Word. When our Lord cried out triumphantly "Tetelesteli!" - "It
is finished!". He was using an expression that would have been familiar
in the area where He lived and conducted His ministry, for it was a word:
a) Associated with the world of the architect.
When
a master builder and architect had
seen his magnificent building finally completed he looked at it with
satisfaction and said 'Tetelesteli!' -'It's finished!'
b) Associated with the artist.
When
a Greek painter or sculptor had finally completed his masterpiece and was
completely satisfied with the results of his work, he would stand back and
simply say "Tetelesteli!" - "It
is finished!"
c) Associated with the world of the Arena.
When
a runner had passed the winning post after a gruelling Marathon race and the
Laurel wreath was placed upon his head, he would gasp, as the champion runner of
all Greece, "Tetelesteli!" "It is finished!"
When
the Lord Jesus Christ had poured out His soul in Gethsemane and endured the
agony and shame of the cross. He likewise cried out in holy triumph, "Tetelesteli!"
"It is finished!" The Holy Son of God had won the greatest battle in
all time and eternity. Christ was the victor, the devil had been completely
defeated, Satan's power was doomed. He and those that sided with him in the
rebellion in heaven would ultimately be destroyed. As the God Man, the Lord
Jesus Christ had defeated Satan in the temptation in the wilderness. Now at
Calvary He had completely routed the eternal enemy of His Heavenly Father. He
had also purchased completely the plan of God for the redemption of mankind. No
wonder He cried out "Tetelesteli!" "It is finished!" He was
the triumphant One!
2.
The Accomplishment of the Word. When on that accursed cross, where the dearest
and best that Heaven could afford was cruelly executed like the lowest criminal
on earth. He accomplished the Salvation of every single individual who exercises
saving faith in His Sacred Name. When our Saviour bowed His head upon the cross,
He cried with a loud voice "It is finished!"; the great work which His
Father had given Him to do was completed; and all that was prefigured and
foretold concerning His passion was ended. He by His one offering, finished
transgression, and made an end of sin. It is from this point of view that the
Lord Jesus Christ is called, not only the Author, but also the Finisher of our
faith (Hebrews 12:2). The finished work of the Lord Jesus Christ purchased and
accomplished three things concerning the salvation of the individual soul:
a) The Purchase of Redemption.
The
word Redemption is largely unused in modem society and only familiar to
Evangelical believers. Redemption is from a word which means literally '"to
buy back". It is a word respectively used by the ancient Greeks and also by
New Testament writers to signify the act of setting a captive free through the
payment of a Lutron or Redemptive Price. In the New Testament meaning Redemption
is the price paid by the Lord Jesus Christ for the deliverance of the soul from
the clutches of Satan and the evils of sin. This is why the Apostle Paul writes
about "being justified freely by His Grace through the Redemption that is
in Christ Jesus" (Romans 3:24). He also informs believers "You are
bought with a price" (1 Corinthians 6:20). It is the Apostle Peter who
tells us exactly what the 'Redemptive Price' paid by the Lord Jesus Christ was,
"You were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold ... but
with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without
spot." The idea of substitution is clearly evident -one thing is paid for
another, the "Blood of Christ" for the Redemption of captive and
condemned men and women.
b) The Provision of Regeneration.
The
term regeneration occurs only twice in the Bible, and, in each case, signifies a
"new beginning" or act of "new birth" (Matthew 19:28 &
Titus 3:5). In the third chapter of John's Gospel, the Lord Jesus Christ
clarifies the meaning of regeneration by calling it a new or second birth, and
proceeds to make it an indispensable necessity. This new birth is a Divine
transformation and comes to mankind as a direct gift from God alone (Romans
6:23). A person's morality, good deeds, noble character, or even religious
practices cannot win for that man or woman eternal life. This comes as a direct
gift from God through the new birth. Apart from the atoning sacrifice that the
Lord Jesus Christ made on the cross at Calvary, the new birth would be an
absolute impossibility. The new birth and the cross stand together. Before God
could pardon a sinner and adopt him or her into the family of God, the Lord
Jesus Christ had to make an atoning sacrifice on the cross and pay the
'Redemptive Price' for man's salvation. This the Lord Jesus Christ accomplished
on the cross and was able to cry out in jubilant triumph "Tetelesteli!"
"It is finished!"
c) The Provision of Reconciliation.
The
Word of God clearly teaches that man is a sinner in need of saving grace. When
Adam and Eve disobeyed the direct command of God, as recorded in the third
chapter of Genesis, they caused the ruination of the entire human race. Adam was
the federal head and representative of the whole human race, consequently his
sin affected the whole of mankind. Sin has brought many problems to mankind. A
major one is how can sinful man be reconciled to a perfect and holy God? The
answer is through the Cross of our Lord Jesus Christ. At Calvary He made it
possible for you and me to be reconciled to our holy Creator. When our Lord had
hung in physical agony on the cross for six hours He cried out in anguish of
soul. "Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani?" that is to say, "My God, my
God why hast Thou forsaken Me" (Matthew 27:46). The question that arises
here is where was God when Jesus hung on the cross? The answer to such a
question has been given to us by the Apostle Paul, "God was in Christ
reconciling the world unto Himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and
hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation" (2 Corinthians 5:l9).
Reconciliation
signifies bringing into friendly relationship those at variance, or making peace
between enemies. Just as an earthly ruler cannot but be opposed to those who
rebel against his authority, so God, the righteous Ruler of the universe, cannot
but be opposed to those who break His holy laws. But God, desiring to turn men
from rebellion to obedience, and from sin to righteousness, has. for this
particular purpose, in Christ reconciled mankind to Himself. Because the Lord
Jesus Christ has suffered on the cross in our place, the work of reconciliation
is now complete. It only remains for the sinner to complete the reconciliation
by turning to God in repentance and saving faith. This is the reason why our
Lord and Saviour died on the cross, to reconcile you and me
to God. Well might he cry out in triumph, "Tetelesteli!" "It
is finished!"
3.
The Application of the Word. The Sacrifice made by our Lord Jesus Christ on the
cross nearly two thousand years ago has an effect upon every single individual.
In order for the cross to have a practical effect upon a person's life there
must be:-
a) A Responsive Heart.
Pontius
Pilate, the Roman Procurator of Judea at the time of our Lord, asked the mob who
were thirsting for Christ's blood, "What shall 1 do then with Jesus which
is called Christ?" (Matthew 27:22). The crowd that day rejected Him and
sent the innocent One to the cross. The vast majority of people still reject the
Lord Jesus Christ today. What a person does with the claims of the Lord Jesus
Christ upon their lives today determines where they will spend eternity.
Significant are the words of the Apostle in the immortal prologue to the fourth
Gospel. "He came unto His own and His own received him not. But as many as
received Him, to them gave He power to become the children of God, even to them
that believe on His Name; which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the
flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God" (John 1:11-13). That was the
triumph of the cross. He is able to pardon, save and adopt into the family of
God all those who call upon His Holy and sacred Name.
b) A Repentant Heart.
Repentance
is one of the forgotten doctrines of the Bible in many so called evangelical
circles today. The tendency in modern Evangelism is to exhort people to come to
the Lord Jesus Christ, before the Scriptural condition of repentance has been
met. The first command of the Evangel in the New Testament through the lips of
John the Baptist is "Repent for the kingdom of heaven is at hand"
(Matthew 3:2). In Matthew's Gospel the very first message of the Lord Jesus
Christ, when He took up His public ministry was that of Repentance; "From
that time Jesus began to preach, and to say, ' Repent for the Kingdom of Heaven
is at hand'". It is also very significant that the first Gospel message
preached on the day of Pentecost was that of repentance towards God;
"Repent, and be baptized everyone of you in the Name of Jesus Christ and
you shall receive the remission of sins" (Acts 2:38). Here it is
categorically stated that the remission (Forgiveness) of sins cannot be obtained
unless there is first a repentant heart. Paul, the Apostle to the Gentiles,
first preached repentance to unconverted people. On Mars Hill in the city of
Athens he cried out passionately, "God commandeth all men everywhere to
repent" (Acts 17:30).
From the Biblical perspective Repentance has a twofold
aspect. There is the initial or primary repentance, when a soul believes the
Gospel, turns from their sin and trusts in the Lord Jesus Christ alone for
Salvation. Then after the new birth has taken place, life is a continual
repentance. In its simplest meaning, repentance is a turning away from a life of
sin to follow after the life of righteousness, offered to the heart and life by
God's only begotten Son. The true believer constantly turns away from the sinful
lifestyle, offered by the world, and with God's help and grace constantly seeks
to live his or her life for the glory of God alone. A believer's lifestyle is
therefore the exact opposite to that of the unrepentant, unconverted worldling.
The
application of Christ's victory at Calvary is the believer's potentially and can
be ours practically by constant trust in our sinless suffering Saviour.