Bible Passage: John 19:30
Pastor: Joel Jenswold
Sermon Date: April 15, 2022 Good Friday

Bulletin Good Friday (Tenebrae) 2022

We want to linger just a moment over the second last thing Jesus said on the cross.  John is the only one of the Gospel writers who records these words.  It makes sense.  John was an eye witness that day.  Watching, waiting.  He saw with his own eyes and heard with his own ears those words of Jesus, “It is finished!”  But just what was finished?  Perhaps those who heard Jesus thought he was referring to his pain and agony.  But is there more?

God the Holy Spirit preserved what Jesus said using one Greek word.  “Tetelestai.”  It is a form of the verb “teleo,” which has as its basic meaning “to reach a goal.”  This can take on many different nuances.  For example, a classical Greek sculptor might complete his work of art, step back and say, “Tetelestai!”  “It’s done!”  We are told that a Greek servant who had been sent on an errand by his master would return when the job was done, and report, “Tetelestai!”  “Mission complete!”

But there is another nuance to this word that may best capture what Jesus proclaimed.  “Tetelestai” was also a word used in the realm of commerce and finance.  When a debt was satisfied, when a bill was paid, it was said, “Tetelestai!”  “Paid in full!”

This makes me think of the words Jesus taught us to pray.  Forgive us our debts. (Matthew 6:12)  Not only are those words petition, they are confession.  They are a confession that we have debt.  We have an unmet obligation before God.  God’s holy Law demands that we give to God perfect love and perfect trust 24/7/365.  And God’s Law makes it clear I owe the same to my neighbor.  I examine my life against God’s Law.  My debt is very great.  I am in over my head.  I am drowning in debt.

And the justice of God demands payment.  An offended, holy God cannot simply say, “Oh, never mind!  Just forget about it!”  To act thus would be to go against his justice.  This doesn’t make God mean, it makes him holy!  But the holy God is also rich in mercy!  So he planned the way to pay your debt.  His only Son, Jesus Christ, would pay God what you owe – perfect love and obedience 24/7/365.  And he would pay his neighbor the debt you owe – perfect, loving thoughts, words, and actions.  And, to top it all off, Jesus also pays the penalty for your unpaid debt – he suffers hell in your place.  Jesus’ word for the payment he made for you he called a “ransom.”

And when Jesus is about to give his life, he says, “Tetelestai!”  “Paid in full!”  Everything you owe is paid by Jesus!  And there is another wonderful little thing the Holy Spirit has done with this word “tetelestai.”  In Greek it is in the perfect tense.  Sounds like a boring little grammatical detail.  But listen and be amazed!  In Greek a perfect tense means that an action is completed in the past but has ongoing results.   That means that in Jesus’ act of dying on the cross, your debt has been paid once and for all and forever.  And the results of Jesus’ death are ongoing to this very day.  There is nothing you can do, nothing you NEED to do.  Nothing can be added to Jesus’ work.  Nothing need be added to Jesus’ work.  The work of Jesus is complete.  The books are closed on your account.  Across your ledger is written in huge, wonderful, red letters:  PAID IN FULL!

As I thought about this word “tetelestai” this week, I began to wonder what word Jesus might actually have said from the cross.  I say this because John wrote in Greek; Jesus spoke Hebrew or Aramaic.  I wondered what word the Hebrew version of John’s gospel used (and yes, there is a Hebrew version of John’s gospel).  The Hebrew word used is “nishlam.”  It is a word that comes from the Hebrew “shalom.”  You know that one, right?  “Peace.”  Kind of like Jesus said, “There is peace!” The Hebrew concept of “peace” is when everything is as it should be, all the debts are paid.  Things are “whole.”  Because of Good Friday, things are “whole” between you and God.  No outstanding debt and no outstanding penalties remain.  True, lasting, ultimate peace comes in knowing your debt has been forever PAID IN FULL by Jesus.

Amen.

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