Today most of the church celebrates “Good Friday.” Growing up, I always wondered what was so good about it? This is the day that our Lord Jesus Christ was beaten, nailed to a cross, and suffered the punishment for the sins of the world! I’m sure He didn’t think it was especially good at the time!

Anyway, to celebrate today, I want to look at one thing Jesus said while He was on the cross. As we talked about yesterday, it wasn’t the physical suffering or the physical death of Jesus that accomplishes our salvation, it’s the spiritual death. On the cross, He suffered the punishment for sin – separation from God. This was when God the Father “turned out the lights” and Jesus cried out.

But Jesus had exactly one word to say after He endured our punishment.

John 19:30

30 Therefore when Jesus had received the sour wine, He said, "It is finished!" And He bowed His head and gave up His spirit.

I know, you’re saying, “that’s three words!” But actually, in the Greek, it’s only one. It’s the Greek word TETELESTAI.

Thayer’s Greek English Lexicon defines this word as to bring to a close, to finish, to execute, to complete, to fulfill, and to perform the last act which completes a process.

In the Greek verb tense, this word means that it is completed with the result that it keeps on being finished. It is finished, and it will always be finished.

In Rome, when a prisoner was serving a prison sentence, there would be a stone tablet outside their cell detailing their crimes. When they served their sentence, the guards would write TETELESTAI on the tablet, meaning the sentence had been completely carried out. The person could not be punished again. In the same way, Jesus has completely paid the penalty for our sin. It is done.

When Jesus Christ said “it is finished” it means that everything is accomplished for salvation. Jesus Christ accomplished on the cross everything needed for us to stand before God, to provide us an eternal inheritance, and to be righteous and blameless before Him.

Notice, Jesus didn’t say, “it is finished unless Mal changes his mind, or commits a willful sin, or doesn’t do enough good deeds.” This word Jesus spoke tells us that we cannot add to the work of Christ on the Cross. There are no additional requirements; it is DONE.

So celebrate the fact that your salvation was completely accomplished by Jesus Christ on the Cross. When He paid the price for your sins, it gave you the chance to simply believe and accept it, and you could spend eternity with Him.

Colossians 2:13-14

13 When you were dead in your transgressions and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He made you alive together with Him, having forgiven us all our transgressions,

14 having canceled out the certificate of debt consisting of decrees against us, which was hostile to us; and He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross.