Day 52.

I came to understand that the Bible is one narrative dealing with how God has dealt and is dealing with, this planet in rebellion. As part of my 4 year Theology Degree I studied two years of New Testament Greek. I developed a love for one particular word.

It’s not what you think! It’s not a common word, but it is profound and in various ways occurs at critical places in the New Testament narrative. (e.g. John 19:28-30). My favourite word is part of Jesus’ seven sentence sermon, preached over six hours from the cross. What a sermon it was! A seven-sentence sermon of prayer, promise, provision, position of substitution, pain, perfection and presentation.

How fitting that the sermon begins with forgiveness and ends with triumph. Consider the narrative; who is this man who washes the glory out of the sun with His blood? Who is this man who promises heaven to a hated and despised thief? Who is this man, who when his heart breaks the rocks of the temple split and the temple curtain is torn asunder? Who is this man that when He dies the graves are opened and the dead live? Who is He?
They stripped Him, but He had already stripped himself 33 years earlier, when He left His Royal garments of glory in heaven above. So, this is no new thing. Man’s maker made man. The Lord of the stars hanging between heaven and earth as if He were not fit for either. Born in the place with sacrificial animals, now dying in man’s place as our sacrifice and substitute.
Hanging on the cross He Himself is the Gospel! Calvary is the law magnified, justice satisfied, sin nullified, the father glorified, the sinner justified and satan petrified. All this took place when Jesus uttered my favourite word. ‘Tetelestai,’ “It is finished” John 19:28. (it is just one word in the Greek). These are the greatest words your heart will ever hear. Your salvation is finished! Complete! (Col 2:10) Your debt is paid in full (another meaning of the word). There is nothing more you can do to make your salvation more thorough. You cannot add to it, you cannot improve on it, you cannot earn it – before or after – you can only accept it and live in a finished work.
God uttered at creation a similar declaration when He finished His work! (Gen2:1-2) Then He rested on the Sabbath, which He memorialized by sanctifying, blessing, and making Holy. Now Jesus utters the word / phrase at the conclusion of our re-creation (2Cor.5:17) and He rested in the tomb on the Sabbath, thus memorialising the spiritual rest we have in a finished work of salvation.
A similar word phrase is uttered at the end of the 7 last plagues, ginomai – “It is done.” Is it any wonder then, that the seven last plagues are running the days of creation backwards (de-creation) and that all the plagues are the plagues of the cross; Calvary’s darkness, Calvary’s thirst, treated like a leper (outside the gate), the earthquake (CF Sinai) , the spiritual struggle of Gethsemane. What does it all mean? Accept the fact that Jesus took the wrath of God on your behalf or experience it for yourself! More on this tomorrow.