Tetelestai

February 18

Exodus 39

Psalm 22:27-31

Proverbs 5:18-20

Matthew 27:45-66

Tetelestai

“And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice and yielded up His Spirit.  And behold the veil of the sanctuary was torn in two from top to bottom; and the earth shook and the rocks were split.”  Matthew 27:50-51 LSB

The gospel of John adds another detail about Jesus’ final moments.  “Therefore, when Jesus had received the sour wine, He said, ‘It is finished!’  And bowing His head, He gave up His Spirit.”  John 19:30 LSB  So what was Jesus talking about?  What did He mean when He said, “It is finished?” The Greek word used here is tetelestai, which means “to bring to an end, to complete, to accomplish.”  It is a strong word suggesting a major accomplishment.  It isn’t talking about checking an item off your to-do list.  It means you have completed something you’ve worked hard for. It is the word you would use when you graduate from college, when you finish writing a book, when you complete your first marathon or when you pay off your student loans.  It means, “I did it!  I worked hard and accomplished my goal!”  When Jesus uttered those last words before He breathed His last and yielded up His Spirit, He was saying, I have accomplished everything I set out to do.  It is done! This was not the cry of a helpless martyr or relief that His suffering was over.  It was the exclamation of victory!  His Father sent Him to earth to be the Divine Redeemer.  All that was required by law for sinners to be saved had now been performed.  He had lived a perfect, sinless life and had become the unblemished sacrificial lamb taking the penalty for the sins of the world.  The price of redemption was now paid in full. 

            The moment Jesus took His last breath, the temple veil was torn from top to bottom.  The veil in the temple separated the Holy of Holies from the rest of the temple.  Only the High Priest could enter the Holy of Holies once a year to offer sacrifices.  This represented the separation between sinful man and God.  Up until this time no one was allowed to approach God except the High Priest who offered sacrifices and prayers to God on behalf of the people.  They did not have access to God themselves.  The tearing of the veil symbolized that through Jesus’ death, all people could now access God’s presence without the need for intermediaries or sacrificial rituals.  The fact that the veil was torn from top to bottom indicates that it was done by God.  According to the Ryrie Study Bible, “Josephus reported that the veil was 4 inches thick, and that horses tied to each side could not pull it apart.  It barred all but the High Priest from the presence of God, but when it was torn in two at the death of Jesus of Nazareth, access to God was made available to all who come through Him.”2   Men would not have even been able to tear the veil in two from the bottom to top, much less from top to bottom.  God had taken away the separation.  It also meant that there was no longer a need for the sacrificial system because Jesus was the ultimate perfect sacrifice once for all.  The Old Covenant was complete and a New Covenant was now in place.  All who believe in and accept Jesus now have access to God through Jesus.  We no longer need to go through a priest but we are able to go to God anytime in prayer.