Tetelestai. This one simple and yet profound Greek word is translated in English as “it is finished.” The question that must be followed up for a Christian is, what exactly is “finished?” Further, what does “finish” actually mean? While the following list is by no means exhaustive, I hope these four points are encouraging as we reflect on some of our Lord’s final words before His deaths.

The covenant of redemption is that agreement or covenant between the Father and the Son where the Father, before the world even began, gives a task to the Son. That task was - go and save fallen humanity. The Son voluntarily accepts this task, becomes human, and dies as us and for us in our fallen condition. All that the Father asked of the Son to do on earth was accomplished.

John 1:14, 10:18, 17:1-5; Galatians 1:4; Philippians 2:5-11

If you’ve ever looked at a shadow, you recognize you are obviously not observing the real thing, but merely a shadow of something real. Often, as children, we enjoy interacting with shadows in a dark room where we employ light and use our hands to make shadow-puppets on the wall. Clearly, the puppets are shadowy representations of real-life things. For example, animals are common; if you are like me, then gang signs. There are a lot of shadows in the Old Testament Scriptures pointing to a future Messiah. All of these shadows, whether in the form of the Garden of Eden, the sacrificial system, the Temple of Jerusalem, or the nation of Israel, all of them find their fulfillment in the reality of Jesus Christ.

Matthew 5:17; 2 Corinthians 1:20; Colossians 2:16-17; Hebrews 8;5, 10:1

3. The active and passive obedience of the Son to the Father is the end of Adam’s humanity and the beginning of a new humanity.  
 
In Adam, all of humanity is cursed with sin. We are unavoidably sinful by birth. Imprisoned by and enslaved to sin we are hopeless and without help. However, the birth of Jesus was the birth of someone who would not fail to obey God’s commands and laws. Jesus was the last Adam – one who would represent all of fallen humanity. In Jesus’ active obedience, He followed all of God’s commands and never committed sin. In Jesus’ passive obedience, He endured the penalties of our sin through His suffering and death.

Romans 3:10; 1 Corinthians 15:22; 2 Corinthians 5:17; 1 Peter 2:22; 1 John 3:5

 
4. The Father’s wrath against sinners is completely and eternally satisfied in His Son.
 
As a result of our ongoing treason against the King of the universe and His commands, God is wrathful against sinners. To satisfy His wrath, punishment for our sins are required. At the very moment of Jesus’ death, every sinner’s sin whether past, present, or future was judicially imputed by the Father to His only Son. Our suffering became His suffering, and our death became His death. This amazing exchange was not something that we earned or even deserved, but was rather extended because of God’s grace and love. Despite this, it doesn’t stop there. The depth of the Son’s death extended to eternity so that any sin, no matter what it is, committed by those have been made right, or justified, through Jesus are simply non-existent in the eyes of God. When the Father sees us, He sees our representative, the Son.

Psalm 103:12; Isaiah 53:1-12; Romans 1:18, 4:1-8, 8:34; Hebrews 7:25, 10:10-18

-- Joey Presutti