It is finished

John 19:30
I have to admit, I'm not a fan of paying bills. Don't get me wrong, I pay them, but it's more as an unwilling participant than a fan. I never wake up saying "Yes! I get to pay more bills today." Nor do I say, Look honey! My paycheck has already been spent. Let's go celebrate." Rather, the checks get written, the books get balanced, and I praise God for providing us enough money this month to cover it all. It seems, at times, that the only check I'm ever on the receiving end of is a reality check, and I usually find those in the form of a past-due notice. Still, every once in a while I get to experience the eternal bliss of seeing the ever endeavored double zeros at the bottom of a final invoice. "Paid in full." I can't describe the amount of peace those words bring to my soul. I sometimes feel that they are my illusive Pegasus, and fabled Yeti. How awesome it was to see them at the bottom of my confirmation notice when the final installment was made on our car. I don't want to exaggerate the moment, but it was as if I had been freed after a horrific and lengthy incarceration. If you have ever purchased a new car, you might know what I mean. I have to wonder if John's readers felt the same way when they read his account of Jesus' death on the cross. He wrote, "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)." It is finished! John used the word 'tetelestai' (te-tell-es-tie), a common word used in business transactions in his day. No doubt that his Greek audience would have fully understood its meaning. The word was added to official documents to indicate that an account had been "Paid in full". In other words, the terms of agreement have been fulfilled, and the transaction was now finished. Jesus hung on the cross, the terms of His agreement with the Father have been fulfilled, and the transaction of payment for all man's sins is finished. Paid in full. I can't describe the amount of peace those words bring to my soul. It is no exaggeration to say that at that moment, all God's creation had been set free from a horrific and lengthy incarceration. Before that moment, freedom was our illusive Pegasus; leaving us nothing to look forward to beyond the balancing of our books at the judgment seat of God. It is finished, however, our freedom has just begun.  [mp]

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Michael D'Urbano
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