After this, Jesus, knowing that all things were now accomplished, that the Scripture might be fulfilled, said, “I thirst!” Now a vessel full of sour wine was sitting there; and they filled a sponge with sour wine, put it on hyssop, and put it to His mouth. So when Jesus had received the sour wine, He said, “It is finished!” And bowing His head, He gave up His spirit. John 19:28-30

I just returned home from Italy where I was awed by the works of the Renaissance masters. I was surprised to find out that Leonardo da Vinci was notorious for not finishing his works. Art historians postulate that Leonardo became so emotionally attached to his paintings that he could never put on the last brush stroke. I can totally relate. There are many half-done projects littering my house because I think maybe I could do better!

One project Leonardo DID finish, which cemented his status as a master, was his painting of Jesus and his disciples at the last supper.

Not surprisingly, unlike Leonardo, Jesus did not fail to finish his works. When he was on the cross he declared “It is finished.” The Greek word he used was “tetelestai.”

TETELESTAI

Every Jewish person standing, watching, waiting at the foot of the cross would have instantly recognized this word, “tetelestai.” They heard it every year on Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement. The most holy of all Jewish holidays, Yom Kippur was the only day of the year the high priest entered into the holy of holies, behind the veil, to make an offering to pay for the sins of all of the Jews all over the world for the entire year.

On Yom Kippur the high priest offered to God a bull, a ram, seven lambs and a goat. After cleaning himself, changing into special garments and burning incense, the priest sprinkled animal blood on the holy of holies. The priest proclaimed the sins of the people to be transferred to a goat (the scapegoat) and the goat was driven off to the wilderness. When this was accomplished, the priests would declare to the waiting crowd “it is finished,” or tetelestai.

By saying “it is finished,” Jesus announced to the Jewish world that there was no more need for sacrifices or temples because his work on the cross completely fulfillment what the Hebrew sacrifice foreshadowed.

In the time of Christ, when an artist completed a piece of art, he declared “tetelestai,” at the piece’s unveiling. This announced that his masterpiece was complete. No more touch-ups or adjustments necessary, the work was finished.

PAID IN FULL

The word tetelestai was used more commonly in Jesus’ time when someone paid off a loan. They were issued a receipt that was stamped with the word ‘tetelestai.’ This meant that their debt was now paid in full.  This was verification that they were no longer responsible for any of that debt, that everything they owed was completely and permanently paid for.

It is finished. Jesus is our permanent priest. “Unlike the other high priests, he does not need to offer sacrifices day after day, year after year, first for his own sins, and then for the sins of the people. He sacrificed for their sins once for all when he offered himself.” Hebrews 7:27 It was a thorough, complete job.

“It is finished.” We don’t need to strive to do what Jesus has already done for us. It is indeed finished. We just need to trust him that he completed the work.

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