Text: John 19:28-30
Tetelestai is the Greek word Jesus said on the cross before He died. It means ‘It is finished’.
We cannot argue that Jesus lived. There are several eyewitnesses accounts to prove that, scientific evidences, historical evidences, medical evidences and collaborative evidence to prove that Jesus existed!
Tetelestai in Greek talks of completeness. It is used in several occasions to describe different things.
1. When a servant is given an assignment, he reports to his master ‘Tetelestai’ which means done.
2. When a person owing tax pays, and they give him his tax receipt, the last line says Tetelestai meaning all debt owed has been settled.
3. Tetelestai is also the word used in Jewish tradition. When you want to offer sacrifice, the priest inspects the sacrifice and when all due requirements has been met, he tells you Tetelestai.
When Jesus said Tetelestai, It simply means the task has been accomplished, the debt has been paid and the requirement of the law has been met. It is finished.
Jesus knew that His mission was finally done. He didn’t have to taste death, but that’s how it was scripted.
However, it is not enough that He came and died. The icing on the cake is that He rose. He rose for your justification. We celebrate his death, but more importantly we should celebrate His resurrection. All through history, Jesus is not the only man who has died for a cause, but He is the only man who has resurrected from the dead.
The Bible said when they came to look for Him, they couldn’t find him there. Resurrection was such a threat to people that when He rose, they paid soldiers to tell a lie that He didn’t rise (Mathew 28). When He rose, it confers deity on Jesus, meaning everything He has ever said was true!
Why Did Jesus Rise?
1. He came to restore to us the life of God that man lost in the garden.
2. He came to restore to us the nature of God, which is righteousness.
3. He came to restore man’s dominion over the earth. The dominion man lost by not taking responsibility.
It is not by works, but by the blood of the lamb. It is by the finished work on the cross.
