Paid In Full: An In-depth Look at the Defining Moments of Christ's Passion (26 page)

Jesus had been faithful to His assignment even in the face of unfathomable challenges. But now the fight was over, and Jesus could cry out to the Father, “I have done exactly what You asked Me to do!”

Second,
the word
tetelestai
was the equivalent of the Hebrew word spoken by the high priest when he presented a sacrificial lamb without spot or blemish. Annually the high priest entered the Holy of Holies, where he poured the blood of that sacrificial spotless lamb on the mercy seat of the Ark of the Covenant. The moment that blood touched the mercy seat, atonement was made for the people’s sins for one more year — when once again, the high priest would enter beyond the veil of that sacred room to offer blood. This was done year after year to obtain the annual, temporary forgiveness of sin.

But when Jesus hung on the Cross, He was both Lamb and High Priest. In that holy moment as our Great High Priest, Jesus offered His own blood for the permanent removal of sin. He offered up the perfect sacrifice of which every Mosaic sacrifice was a type and symbol — and in that instant, there remained no more need of offering for sin.

Jesus entered into the Holy Place and offered His own blood — a sacrifice so complete that God never again required the blood of lambs for forgiveness. As Hebrews 9:12 says, “Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us.”

Thus, when Jesus said, “It is finished!” He was declaring the end of sacrifice, because the ultimate Sacrifice had finally been made! Atonement was
completed, perfected,
and f
ully accomplished
. It was done once and for all —
finished forever
!

Third,
in a secular sense, the word
tetelestai
was used in the business world to signify
the full payment of a debt
. When a debt had been fully paid off, the parchment on which the debt was recorded was stamped with
tetelestai
, which meant the debt had been
paid in full.
This means that once a person calls Jesus the Lord of His life and personally accepts His sacrifice, no debt of sin exists for that person any longer. The debt is wiped out because Jesus paid the price for sin that no sinner could
ever
pay.

Jesus took our place. He paid the debt of sin we owed. And when we by faith repent and receive Him as Lord,
we are set free
! This is why Paul wrote, “In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins” (Colossians 1:14).

When Jesus uttered those words, “It is finished!” it was His declaration that the debt was
fully satisfied, fulfilled
, and
complete
. His blood utterly and completely cleansed us forever. It was
far-reaching
and
all-embracing
for all of us who put our faith in Him.

Fourth,
in classical Greek times, the word
tetelestai
depicted
a turning point when one period ended and another new period began
. When Jesus exclaimed, “It is finished!” it was indeed a turning point in the entire history of mankind, for at that moment the Old Testament came to an end — finished and closed — and the New Testament began. The Cross was “the Great Divide” in human history. When Jesus cried out, “It is finished!” He was shouting that the Old Covenant had ended and the New Covenant had begun!

In that divine moment when Jesus cried, “It is finished,” all the Old Testament prophecies about Jesus’ earthly ministry were fulfilled. The justice of God had been fully met and satisfied by the Lamb of God. At that moment, the sacrifices of the Old Testament permanently ceased, for the perfect Sacrifice had laid down His life for the salvation of mankind. Jesus’ mission was accomplished. Thus, He could cry out that His task was complete!

Never forget that because Jesus was willing to offer His own blood for the full payment of our sinful debt, we are forgiven and utterly debt-free. “PAID IN FULL” has been stamped on our past sinful record because Jesus paid the price for our redemption with His own blood.

Isaiah said, “Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed” (Isaiah 53:4,5). So remember:

• If you are consumed with grief, remember that Jesus bore
  your
  grief.
  
• If you are overwhelmed with sorrows, remember that He carried
  your
  sorrow.
  
• If you are trapped in a life of transgression, remember that He was wounded for
  your
  transgressions.
  
• If you are living in sin, you can be forgiven because He was bruised for
  your
  iniquities.
  
• If you are tormented and have no peace, remember that He was chastised for
  your
  peace.
  
• If you are physically or mentally sick, remember that He was wounded for
  your
  healing.
  

Jesus paid the price for your salvation, for your liberation, for your physical healing, and for your complete restoration. When the price for your forgiveness was complete, Jesus bowed His head and died. God’s justice had been fulfilled. The Old Covenant had ended, and the New Covenant had begun. It was the fulfillment of one and the beginning of another.

Think of the price Jesus paid and what His death accomplished for you. Doesn’t it make you want to stop for a few minutes to thank Him for what He has done for you? Where would you be today if Jesus had not died on the Cross for you? Why don’t you take a little time right now to express your heartfelt thanksgiving to Jesus for paying the debt you never could have paid!

Jesus endured excruciating painful torture, humiliation, and shame on Calvary’s Cross. Death by crucifixion was considered so scandalous that it forever marked how the one who died in that manner was remembered.

Meditate on the kind of death Jesus died in order to purchase your freedom from the power of sin. If sin requires that kind of penalty, why would you allow it to linger in any area of your life?

As the ground was splattered with Jesus’ sinless, holy blood, the entire universe witnessed His faithful fulfillment of the Father’s will. Jesus won the greatest victory in the history of the human race — a victory we were incapable of winning for ourselves.

Consider how much it cost Jesus to proclaim, “It is finished.” Ask yourself:
Choice by choice, day by day, am I willing to pick up MY cross — my opportunity to obey the will of the Father for my life?

If every debt and credit-card bill you owed was suddenly paid off, how would you act? Jesus paid in full your debt to sin. Consider the far-reaching implication of that truth. Sickness, torment, grief, and guilt have no right to oppress you or demand anything from you. Jesus paid your bill, cancelled your debt, and left you with a zero balance! How should that truth influence what you say and do on a daily basis?

Chapter 27:
The Day
the Earth Trembled

The historians Phlegon, Thaddus, and Julius Africanus all referred to the darkness that covered the earth at the time of Jesus’ crucifixion. Critics of the Bible have attempted to explain away this supernatural darkness by alleging that it was due to an eclipse of the sun. This is impossible, however, for the Passover occurred at the time of a full moon.
¹⁰

The Bible informs us that the darkening of the sky started at the sixth hour (
see
Matthew 27:45; Mark 15:33; Luke 23:45). This is significant, for the sixth hour (noontime) was the very moment that the high priest Caiaphas, arrayed in his full priestly garments, began the procession in which he would enter the temple courts to slaughter a pure, spotless Passover lamb.

In fact, a great number of unblemished lambs were slaughtered in the temple courts during those hours of darkness — one lamb slaughtered for every household in Israel (unless, of course, the household was too small). This supernatural darkness that covered the land lasted until the ninth hour — about the time when the sacrifices of the Passover lambs would be coming to an end.

It was at this moment that Jesus cried out,
“It is finished!”
(John 19:30). As He heaved upward to breathe for the last time, Jesus gathered enough air to speak forth a victory shout. His assignment was complete! After proclaiming those words with His last ounce of strength, Matthew 27:50 tells us that He “…yielded up the ghost.”

What Matthew tells us next is simply
amazing
! He writes, “And, behold, the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom….” The word “behold” is the Greek word
idou
. This is a very difficult word to translate, for it carries such intense feeling and emotion. The
King James Version
most often translates this word as
behold
. But in our contemporary world, it might be better rendered,
Wow!

This word
idou
carries the idea of
shock, amazement,
and
wonder
. It’s almost as if Matthew says,
“Wow! Can you believe it? The veil of the temple itself rent in twain from top to bottom!”
Matthew wrote about this event many years after the fact, yet he was still so dumbfounded by what happened that day that he exclaimed in effect,
“Wow! Look what happened next!”

There were two veils inside the temple — one at the entrance to the Holy Place and a second at the entrance to the Holy of Holies. Only the high priest was allowed to pass through the second veil once a year during the Festival of Atonement. That second veil was 60 feet high, 30 feet wide, and an entire handbreadth in thickness! One early Jewish writing states that the veil was so heavy, it took 300 priests to move or manipulate it. Humanly speaking, it would have been impossible to tear such a veil.