He
said, “It is finished!” and bowing His head He gave up His spirit. – John 19:30
It was declared for all to hear and then witnessed. Matthew records, “Jesus cried out with a loud voice, then yielded up His spirit’ (27:51) and Mark echoes those words, “Jesus cried out with a loud voice, and breathed His last” (15:37). Luke tells us “Jesus had cried out with a loud voice ‘Father, into Your hands I commit My spirit’ and having said this, He breathed His last words” (23:46)
Finished. "Tetelestai", from the Greek meaning 'made perfect', fulfill; complete. 'Tetelestai' - scripture using the tense of the verb that indicates both a point in time completed and that would continue to be so. Christ covered the debt of all man's sin. Romans 5 describes the peace and hope attained through the events on Good Friday. "just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, in this way death came to all, because all sinned" - "Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we no stand and boast in the hope of the glory of God". You see until that darkened day, we were unable to have true peace with the Father. Sin separated us so much so that in the Holy of Holies in God's tabernacle, there hung a curtain visually and physically establishing separation between YHWH and the people. It hung as a marked boundary between God and the sinfulness of man. It was not possible to go beyond that boundary so much so that if anyone other than the High Priest entered the Holy of Holies, he would instantly die.
“It
is finished!” With this loud cry, He breathed His last. The earth shook, the rocks split, tombs broke
open and the bodies of many holy people were raised to life (Matthew 27:51:52)
“It
is finished!” The moment was most loudly
and definitively proclaimed by the rend.
For in that moment of atoning sacrifice, direct access to God was
accomplished so thoroughly that the curtain in the Holy of Holies was
completely torn.
“At
that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom.” –
Matthew 27:51
“The
curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom.” – Mark 15:38
“And
the curtain of the temple was torn in two.” – Luke 23:45
This
moment, the rend – the tearing of the curtain – was so significant and so
meaningful that three out of the four Gospels testified of it using the Greek “schizo”
– to rend; to be torn with force; to split or sever violently.
“It
is finished!” – “Tetelestai” – then, now, for all time. Beautifully complete
with the rending of a curtain. And now:
“In
Him and through faith in Him we may approach God with freedom and confidence.” –
Ephesians 3:12
“We
have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the
riches of His grace.” – Ephesians 1:7
“For
through Him we have access by one Spirit to the Father.” - Ephesians 2:18
“Having
therefore, brethren, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by
the blood of Jesus.” – Hebrews 10:19
It
is my prayer for you that you may with all freedom and confidence, as a result
of Christ’s atonement and the riches of His grace, openly enter directly into
the presence of the Father and be overwhelmed by Love.
