Word Study: Tetelestai
On Sunday evenings, our Bible Study group has been working our way through Galatians. As we have looked at the scripture to make sense of Paul’s letter to the churches in the area of Galatia, I’ve been amazed at how passionately he speaks against the work of those who are trying to lead the church away from the truth. The false teachers have been trying to convince the young Christians in Galatia that circumcision was a requirement for salvation. What is the truth that Paul is so passionately defending? Jesus is enough. He is all we need.
Any time we make our relationship with God about Jesus + anything we are missing the point.
To that end, we recently looked at this record of the final words of Jesus as recorded in the gospel of John:
[28] After this, Jesus, knowing that all was now finished, said (to fulfill the Scripture), “I thirst.” [29] A jar full of sour wine stood there, so they put a sponge full of the sour wine on a hyssop branch and held it to his mouth. [30] When Jesus had received the sour wine, he said, “It is finished,” and he bowed his head and gave up his spirit. John 19:28-30
Jesus declares, “It is finished.”
Because our English language has no one-to-one translation of the original language, we came across the Greek word tetelestai.
As we dug into this word, we were reminded again why Paul was so passionate in his defense of the gospel. Why? The gospel is sufficient. Jesus is all we need.
The word tetelestai means to finish or accomplish - to conclude, complete, or discharge a debt.
We learn more about what Jesus meant when we consider that the word tetelestai had been used to describe:
A business context: like ancient receipts, our sin-debt has been paid in full
A judicial context: a sentence that has been fully served
A military context: the battle has been won, we have experienced triumph or victory.
As Josh Howerton has said, the “Debt of our sin is fully paid, the judgement for our sin is fully served, and the spiritual war against death, sin, and Satan is won in Christ.”
So, now, Paul’s passion makes a lot more sense. The work of Jesus on the cross is finished, and it is sufficient. There is nothing else we need.
As we make our way through each day, may we be reminded that Jesus is always enough.
I am so glad to be a part of this amazing church community. You have a special gift of teaching and leadership. The study of the Bible and its history, is rich and powerful. By giving us Greek, Hebrew or Aramaic translations, you have given us a glimpse into what early Christianity was like. Thank you for all you do.
Shawn, I really am thankful for all of the effort you put into these studies. I have learned so much being able to attend the bible studies. So sorry I had to miss last week. This blog is wonderful! Keep sharing the good news.