Tetelestai: More Than “It Is Finished”

“Jesus knew that his mission was now finished, and to fulfill Scripture he said, “I am thirsty.” A jar of sour wine was sitting there, so they soaked a sponge in it, put it on a hyssop branch, and held it up to his lips.  When Jesus had tasted it, he said, “It is finished!” Then he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.” John 19:28-30 NLT

“It is finished.” 

These were the last words spoken by Jesus and recorded by John. Although it may seem like a simple sentence, it actually has a deep meaning when translated from the original Greek. In his gospel, John used the Greek word “tetelestai”  which comes from the root “teleo.” When a person owed a debt that they had paid off, they would say, “Tetelestai,” which meant “the debt is paid in full.” 

So when Jesus said this word on the cross, the people would have understood it to mean “the debt has been paid in full.” Which, in and of itself, is a very cool way to look at what Jesus did on the cross for us, but there is more to this word than just the literal translation. 

There are many translations other than “it is finished.” For example, In Luke 12:50 we see its meaning as “completed.” In Luke 18:31, the definition is “fulfilled.” But in Matthew 17:24, it is translated as “paid” which was probably the most common use of the word in Jesus' time. 
Next, a little language lesson for you. In Greek, there are different tenses: present, future, aroist, imperfect, and perfect. Each of these endings has a very specific meaning of the duration of the word. For example, the future tense is describing an action that will occur in the future (shocker). Most of the verbs in this passage occur in the aorist tense, meaning the past tense.

But the only one that is not past tense is our word tetelestai. This word is in the perfect tense. The perfect tense means that the action has been brought to completion and the effects are felt in the present. So we don’t just translate it as “It is finished” we translate it as “it has been finished and is completed” and those effects are still being felt today. So what does this mean for us today?

In the Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible, Brown (1999) says, “What is finished? The Law is fulfilled as never before, nor since, in His “obedience unto death, even death of the cross”; Messianic prophecy is accomplished; Redemption is completed”. There is nothing left unfinished. Jesus completed everything for the sake of the world. He paid a debt that we could have never paid back and expects no payment from us. He made a sacrifice that will continue to last until the end of the world. His actions on the cross will cover sins far into the future and continue for eternity.

Another commentary, Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on the Bible (2003), says, “It is finished; all the types and prophecies of the Old testament, which pointed at the sufferings of the Messiah, were accomplished. It is finished; the ceremonial law is abolished; the substance is now come, and all the shadows are done away. It is finished; an end is made of transgression by bringing in an everlasting righteousness. His sufferings were now finished, both those of his soul, and those of his body. It is finished; the work of man’s redemption and salvation is now completed.” So what does all of this mean or why does it even matter? 

Jesus gave up his life so that we are able to be righteous in the eyes of the Father. In Romans 8, starting in verse 1, Paul states, “Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus,  because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit who gives life has set you free from the law of sin and death.  For what the law was powerless to do because it was weakened by the flesh, God did by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh to be a sin offering. And so he condemned sin in the flesh, in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fully met in us, who do not live according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.” 

And 2 Corinthians 5:21 says, “God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.” Jesus came to be our sacrifice once and for all so that we might be able to dwell with him for eternity. Past, present, and future.
That means that we no longer have to make sacrifices, AND we don't have to worry about being far from God. We are chosen and loved no matter what. Jesus finished it. These effects are going to be felt forever; it is a never-ending action. Jesus paid it all -  for you, for me, forever.

Brown, D., Fausset, A. R., & Jamieson, R. (1999). Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible. Zondervan. Henry, M., & Scott, T. (2003). Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on the Bible. Thomas Nelson.