God was well aware that the violence and pain of Calvary would be dreadful beyond description. Creation itself would hide its eyes (see Matthew 27:45), and the very foundations of the earth would shake (see Matthew 27:57). God’s heart would break, the angels would watch in shock and horror, and the Son of God Himself would cry out in anguish (see Matthew 27:46). But in history’s greatest irony, this violent death would also be love’s crowning act.

The dying man on the Cross was also a seed. Millions of God’s kids were in Christ’s womb, waiting to be born. Until the Resurrection and Pentecost, His words in John 12:24 were not fully understood: “Truly, truly I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit.” Christ was the “grain of wheat”; we are the “much fruit.”

Most people are confused about Christ’s words, “It is finished,” uttered by Him on the Cross. Hollywood’s typical depiction of Him, barely whispering with His last bit of strength, “It… is… finished” (John 19:30), is inaccurate. The producers, of course, see this statement as Christ announcing His death. Nothing could be farther from the truth.

In the first place, those were not His last words spoken from the Cross; this was Christ’s next-to-last statement. His final words were, “Father, into Your hands I commend My spirit” (Luke 23:46). Also, the words, “It is finished,” actually are from one Greek word – and the word does NOT refer to His death! Christ was actually making an announcement, a proclamation. He did not barely breathe out the word in His final breath; He cried out with a loud voice (Mark 15:37)!

The Greek word is tetelestai. Jesus was quoting from Psalm 22:31; three of His seven sayings on the Cross come from this Psalm. The Hebrew word used in the Psalm is asah. We don’t really know whether Jesus shouted the Hebrew or Greek word. Since Scripture uses both, it is fair to say that both words accurately describe what He was communicating.

Asah, the Hebrew word in Psalm 22, means “to perform, accomplish, or fulfill” a goal.(1) It is also the Hebrew word for “create,” used often to describe different facets of the Genesis creation. With these definitions in mind, Jesus could have been announcing that He had accomplished His mission, performing all that was required of Him. Or, He could have been declaring the birth of “the new creation.” Or both!

TETELESTAI

The root of the Greek word Jesus used in John 19:30, teleo, means “to complete, perform, or accomplish;” another definition is “to finish a necessary process, with the results rolling over to the next level or phase of consummation.”(2) And still another meaning is “to pay.” This form of the word Jesus used, tetelestai, was stamped on the invoices of that day, meaning, “paid in full.”(3) And the tense of the word in the Greek language indicates both “a point in time that something was finished, completed, or paid, and also that it would continue to be complete!” In other words, “once and for all.”

WOW!

Putting the definitions of asah and tetelestai together, here is a summary of what Christ was declaring: “I have accomplished all that was necessary, for all time and eternity, to redeem the human race. I have paid the debt in full, consummating their redemption.” This decree was a New Testament version of the Genesis commands, “Let there be!”

The Resurrection, three days later, was a foregone conclusion. God had already seen and declared it – that’s why He laughed at the powers of darkness when they declared Christ would not rule over them (Psalm 2:1-4). Hell has never intimidated Yahweh, nor made Him question His ability to do as He says. As far as God was concerned, Christ had risen before He even died!

And also, as far as God was concerned, a glorious Church, an Ekklesia that could fully reveal and represent the risen Lord was guaranteed. A governmental arm of God’s Kingdom on earth, one which the gates of Hell could not prevail against, was inevitable. Yes, the maturing of this Ekklesia is still in process, but just as surely as Christ is risen, its complete success is settled in Heaven.

Can you imagine satan’s headache every year at this time? While on earth, Christ defeated him in every possible way for three years. The blind saw, the lame walked, the deaf heard, and the dead were raised. Then, just when satan thought he had finally defeated the Son of God, Christ turned the tables and rose from the dead. “At least He was finally gone from earth, back to Heaven,” satan must have thought. Then, on the day of Pentecost, satan’s absolute worst nightmare was realized: there were 120 more people just like Christ! Then another 3000!

Those in the Upper Room received Christ’s nature and righteousness (2 Corinthians 5:17-21). They were now one with Him (1 Corinthians 6:17), filled with His Spirit (Acts 2:4), even called Christians, which means, “little Christs.” First John 4:17 actually says, “all that Jesus now is, so are we in this world.”

And the multiplication has never stopped!!!

Christ has brought us back into the family of God. He made us His brothers and sisters, sons and daughters of the Most High God, His joint-heirs. We bear His image and name, are filled with His Spirit, and are completely authorized to reveal and represent Him on earth. And this can never be stopped. It is finished, indeed!

That … is what the Cross and Resurrection mean to me!

Pray with me:

Thank You, Father, for sending Jesus. Thank You for loving us enough to reverse the Fall and bring us back into Your family. Thank You for such a great salvation.

Thank You, Jesus, for coming. Thank You for joining the human race, so that we could join You in Your family. Thank You for making us Your joint-heirs. Thank You for the Cross. Thank You for the Resurrection, for winning. You are the Conquering King, You never lose, You are good—all the time—and we love You with all of our hearts.

Thank You, Holy Spirit, for coming to dwell in us. Thank You for being our Helper, our Counselor, our Guide, our source of power, and for being ever-present with us.

This day we celebrate the three of You, our great God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit!

Communion

We take this bread now and hold it up before You as a remembrance of Christ’s broken body. Through this sacrifice, He took our suffering and purchased our health. We proclaim His death, burial, resurrection, and victory over all of Hell. As we partake of it now, we partake of His wholeness. Eat the bread.

And now, as we drink the wine, we honor and place our faith fully in the shed Blood of Jesus for the remission of our sins. We also remember that His Blood does more than cleanse us of sin; it also makes us new creations in Christ Jesus. We are born again. We celebrate this great victory over sin and the curse. We receive health, wholeness, and salvation as we do this today. And we decree that through the Blood of Christ, satan and his forces are forever defeated. Drink the juice.
Sources:BREAKING CHRISTIAN NEWS

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