“It Is Finished!”

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-

The last word that Jesus spoke on the cross was the word tetelestai, which is translated “It is finished.” In the Greek-speaking world of the time, the term was written on official documents to indicate that a bill had been paid in full, kind of like a rubber stamp that says PAID. Therefore, when they heard tetelestai, the people at the foot of the cross (and those who read John’s account afterward) would have made the unmistakable connection: The death of Jesus Christ has paid in full for their sins.
When we read “It is finished,” we don’t automatically get that full meaning. We hear it in a sort of flat, unemotional way. To us it kind of sounds like “Game Over,” like what the head coach might say to the assistant coach as the time winds down in a losing game. “It’s finished; we’re done.” But that’s not how Jesus uttered it. He was finished, all right — finished winning!
See, the term was also used in the Greek-speaking world as a cry of victory. People would shout it in the streets as a conquering army returned home: “Tetelestai! The battle is over! Victory is ours! Celebrate!”
We follow a victorious King, yet many followers of Jesus still drift along in the doldrums of defeat. We languish in loss. We walk with bowed heads and slumped shoulders — frustrated in our battle against sin and perplexed about our next move.
But on the cross, Jesus Christ won the victory in the battle of the ages. On the cross, He was making two decisive statements: He had paid in full the entire sin debt of all humankind, and He was declaring victory for us as well. “We are more than conquerors through Him who loved us” (Romans 8:37).

Following Today
What sin struggle is threatening to defeat you? Are you walking in discouragement and failure, or could you dare to believe that sin has already been defeated? Write out a “victor’s prayer” over your battles. Don’t write it as if victory hasn’t yet been achieved; claim a decisive victory today. Tetelestai!