Although I am not very good at it, most of you know that I insisted on going to a seminary where I could study under a Greek scholar so that I could have a better understanding of the Bible. Although I probably have four years or so of Greek, languages have always been very difficult for me. In elementary school, Miss Urland, who was proficient in German, invited me into a small group of students who studied with her for three years during a study period that we shared. It was my first look at foreign languages and to be sure, it was daunting.
In high school, I took four years of French and in college, I placed out of studying another language based on my elementary and high school studies. On hindsight, realizing that I have been so active in seminary and my studies of the Scripture, primarily in the New Testament, I wish that I had taken Latin – either in high school or even college. But, it was not to be…
I went back to seminary when I was 47 years old and spent almost a decade dedicating myself to a more clear understanding of God’s Word. I started with Greek and almost dropped out the first day – I was shellshocked. To his credit, our professor, Dr. Smith, caught me on my way to drop first year Greek and exacted a promise from me that I would stick it out for three weeks. If, at the end of that time, I wanted out, he would sign my withdrawal. The trouble was, by the end of the third week, I was hopelessly in love with the Greek language and the way the original language of the New Testament was akin to reading the Bible in living color, rather than black and white.
I went on to take both Greek and then Hebrew during the rest of my time in school. The Hebrew was never as easy for me, but I knew enough to be dangerous. I should have studied it with my Jewish friends when I was very young. Another missed opportunity…
Even today, I subscribe to a “Daily Dose of Greek” which I receive in my inbox each morning. Each day, Dr. Plummer, from Southern Seminary, translates one verse of the Bible from Greek to English. He parses every verb, and completely breaks down the verse structure. I have done this for many years now. It has become quite a ministry and one that I like to support each year.
Every once in a while, I feel compelled to share a word or phrase that really brings the Scripture alive through the Greek. It has kind of become a hallmark of my teaching – the language is just so rich.
So it was easy to choose the title of today’s post when a dear friend sent me a short video on the last words of Jesus on the cross. As you may know, the English Bible translates the words as “It is finished…” As Christians we realize that the work of Jesus is done, it is over, He died to cover the sins of everyone, once and for all. The weekly sacrifices of the priests were no longer necessary. Jesus paid the price for us. He was the substitutionary atonement who bled and died for our sins.
As graphic as this is, the real word is “tetelestai” – from the Greek. And the word is much richer than what we have learned in English. It was, among other things, a word used in business. Tetelestai was written on a receipt to show that the bill, the debt, had been paid in full. John’s readers would have connected with the word through its common usage. It was also used in a judicial sense in the courts when a sentence had been fully served. Not partially served, or commuted… fully served. Finally, the word was used in a military context – signifying that a battle had been won – similar to the word “victory” or “triumph.”
So, as one definition states, when Jesus hung on the cross and uttered “Tetelestai”, He was indicating the debt of our sin had been fully paid, the judgment for our sin has been fully served and the spiritual war against death, sin and Satan has been completely won. That kind of takes our understanding of the death of Jesus on the cross to an entirely new level, doesn’t it? It is finished…
Our verse this evening is, of course, the verse describing the last words of Jesus. John tells us in his Gospel, in John 19:30, “When he had received the drink, Jesus said, “It is finished.” With that, he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.” I thought you may like to see what it looks like in the original Greek… so here it is… John 19:30, “ὅτε οὖν ἔλαβε τὸ ὄξος ὁ Ἰησοῦς, εἶπε, Τετέλεσται· καὶ κλίνας τὴν κεφαλήν, παρέδωκε τὸ πνεῦμα.”
My encouragement this evening is that Jesus and His Father devised a plan that allowed us a way to spend eternity with them. My prayer is that you will, from time to time, have an opportunity to experience the joy of having the Bible presented to you in living color… it is a blessing! Have a great day in the Lord, grace and peace…