Tetelestai – Wannabe Christian Doorman

Last week I shared a thought about Jesus’s last words. I feel that there was so much that I didn’t say, so this week is a continuation of last week’s post.

Brief summary of last week’s post.
Was Jesus’s last words, a source of strength and a vision for what He was doing?

A marathon runner may well understand what “The Wall” is better than me. I’ve heard that it is a point when your body effectively says, “No more, this is where you stop!” To overcome this point, it takes a sheer force of will, to overcome what the body wants to do. Which is to stop.

Running a marathon, is but a gentle walk in the park, when compared to the path that Jesus walked, in going to, and remaining on the cross. So I think that I’m on safe ground to say that Jesus, would have had to face His own “Wall”, during His crucifixion.

How do you overcome “The Wall” then?

For a marathon runner, having their eyes fixed on the finishing line, can make a big difference!
A vision of where they want to be.
A vision of where, they Will Get TO!
A vision of what it is, that they want to achieve.

Again, I think that I’m on safe ground to say that Jesus, would have had a vision of what He was endeavouring to achieve, whilst He was walking the path, laid out in front of Him, on the day that He willingly went to the cross. He even spoke His vision out, on the cross with His last words. Tetelestai. (It is finished, complete, paid in Full!)

We know that Jesus didn’t want to go to the cross, as we can read..

Matthew 26:37-39
³⁷He took Peter and the two sons of Zebedee along with him, and he began to be sorrowful and troubled. ³⁸Then he said to them, “My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me.”

³⁹Going a little farther, he fell with his face to the ground and prayed, “My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will.”

Luke 22:40-44
⁴⁰On reaching the place, he said to them, “Pray that you will not fall into temptation.” ⁴¹He withdrew about a stone’s throw beyond them, knelt down and prayed, ⁴²“Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done.” ⁴³An angel from heaven appeared to him and strengthened him. ⁴⁴And being in anguish, he prayed more earnestly, and his sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground.

Was this time, in the garden of Gethsemane, one of the walls that Jesus had to overcome?

We can see something of how Jesus overcame these walls in…

Hebrews 12:2
²fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

Jesus endured the cross, willingly, for the Joy, that He knew was coming.

This is where I can start to overlook all the pain and suffering that Jesus went through. It was for Joy, that Jesus endured all that pain and suffering, after all, and that price has now been paid.
So we can now rejoice with Him, for all that He has done, can’t we?

Well, Yes we can!
Because Jesus Has paid the price. But, it was a Heavy price to pay, which I think that, sometimes (or most times), I just don’t get.
We even have a song with this very thought included in it. (From, Here I am to worship.)

I’ll never know
How much it cost
To see my sin
Upon that cross

I’m thinking that I’m just starting to get a glimpse of how bad it was, by seeing that Jesus, was possibly saying ‘Tetelestai” (It is finished, complete, paid in Full!) as a source of strengthening, so that He could focus on the Joy that was coming, once the price had been paid.

As much Jesus’s final words was a statement of victory over sin and death, how much were they a vision of what he was achieving, so that He could and would, stay the course?

It was a choice for Jesus to willingly go to, and to remain on the cross. Jesus had disciples who were willing to, and tried to, fight for Jesus, as seen in..

Luke 22:49-51
⁴⁹When Jesus’ followers saw what was going to happen, they said, “Lord, should we strike with our swords?” ⁵⁰And one of them struck the servant of the high priest, cutting off his right ear.

⁵¹But Jesus answered, “No more of this!” And he touched the man’s ear and healed him.

There really is no question that Jesus went willingly to the cross. He told His disciples not to fight, and even healed one who had come to take Him away.

I find it a bit (or a lot) ironic that Jesus even gives a demonstration of His Power and Authority, by healing one of those, who came to arrest Him.

Jesus went willingly to the cross. Knowing the pain and suffering that He was to face.

With regards to remaining on the cross.
How many Heavenly beings were just waiting for a word to step in and free Jesus from the torture of the cross?
How quickly could Jesus have set Himself free, if He was to choose to?
Jesus is fully God as well as being fully man. He had the power to release Himself, if He had chosen to. But,”For the joy set before him he endured the cross”.

If there was any other way for the price to be paid, then I’m pretty sure that it would have been taken. How many Heavenly beings would have gladly paid the price, so that Jesus wouldn’t have to?
But Revelation 5 tells us.

Revelation 5:1-6
5 Then I saw in the right hand of him who sat on the throne a scroll with writing on both sides and sealed with seven seals. ²And I saw a mighty angel proclaiming in a loud voice, “Who is worthy to break the seals and open the scroll?” ³But no one in heaven or on earth or under the earth could open the scroll or even look inside it. ⁴I wept and wept because no one was found who was worthy to open the scroll or look inside. ⁵Then one of the elders said to me, “Do not weep! See, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has triumphed. He is able to open the scroll and its seven seals.”

⁶Then I saw a Lamb, looking as if it had been slain, standing at the center of the throne, encircled by the four living creatures and the elders. The Lamb had seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God sent out into all the earth.

Jesus was the only one who could pay the price, and we all, who accept and invite Him into our hearts and lives, now benefit from the price, that He paid, as heavy and tough, as it was.

The final thoughts for this post, are going to, if we can start to grasp, just how much of a price, was paid for us, then could we start to be more willing to say “Yes” to Him, who paid such a high price for us?
Could we try to stop looking for and finding or making reasons, to say no to Him. Could we in fact, try to open our hearts up to Him, who is Worthy of All Honour, Glory and Praise.

Revelation 3:20
²⁰Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with me.

Sometimes, I’ll have thoughts, and just think, “Yes, this rings soo true!” But then I’ll look at it again, and think, “Was I just getting carried away with myself?” This partly falls into this category (though, the more I look at this, the more it rings true for me), but I do think that there is something here. So I’ll post this, and leave it up to you, and Our Lord God, to see if it rings true. (I do pray, that God will open this up to you, in a similar way, to which He has opened it up to me.)

Jesus’s last words on the cross are well know.

John 19:28-30
The Death of Jesus

²⁸Later, knowing that everything had now been finished, and so that Scripture would be fulfilled, Jesus said, “I am thirsty.” ²⁹A jar of wine vinegar was there, so they soaked a sponge in it, put the sponge on a stalk of the hyssop plant, and lifted it to Jesus’ lips. ³⁰When he had received the drink, Jesus said, “It is finished.” With that, he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.

I have heard and read that the word Jesus spoke was, “Tetelestai”.
The short version of what Tetelestai means is, it is finished, paid in full, complete, nothing more to do.
If you would like to have the long version, then do a web search, and I’m sure that you will find a better explaintaion than what I can give here.
Hopefully a basic understanding of the word, will be enough to understand where I’m going with this today.

I heard a sermon recently, where it was said that the disciples who were at the cross, could hear Jesus saying over and over again, the word, “Tetelestai”.
I don’t know if this is true or not, but it started in me, a thought process, that then revealed a something to me, which I’m about to share.

Was Jesus saying to Himself, “Tetelestai, Tetelestai, Tetelestai,” over and over, as He hung on the cross?
When He made His final statement of, “Tetelestai”, was He then making known, His thoughts, that He had been focusing on?

It is well documented that “Tetelestai”, was a statement of “Victory!” (From web searches.) We even have…

1 Corinthians 15:55-57
⁵⁵“Where, O death, is your victory?
Where, O death, is your sting?”

⁵⁶The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. ⁵⁷But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

So it accepted that the word was a statement of Victory, but, was the word, “Tetelestai”, also a source of strenght and encouragment to Jesus?

The cross was Victory, but it was also pain and suffering, for Jesus, which He endured, for a Greater Good!
The redemption of all mankind.

John 3:16
¹⁶For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.

It Was Victory, on the cross, but the pain and suffering, was also, very real for Jesus.
I think that sometimes, that part can be lost on me. I can sort of, just see past it… to the Victory.

But, for Jesus, the experience was very much so real. Which leads me to the thought of, “How did He endure it?”
Was repeating “Tetelestai”, part of how He endured it?

Proverbs 29:18 (King James Version)
¹⁸Where there is no vision, the people perish: but he that keepeth the law, happy is he.

Through out the Bible, we are told time and time again, to remember what God has done for us.

Deuteronomy 6:6-9
⁶These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. ⁷Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. ⁸Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. ⁹Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates.

As Jesus endured the cross, could this be what Jesus was doing? (If He was repeating to Himself, “Tetelestai”)

Could it be that Jesus was declaring His Victory to all, as well as speaking strength to Himself, by declaring to Himself, “Tetelestai (It is/will be finished, complete, paid in full.)? Instead of having His focus on what He was going through, could it be that He was choosing to focus on what He was achieving by repeating to Himself, “Tetelestai (It is/will be finished, complete, paid in full.)”?

If the answer is yes, then is this a further lesson, by example, of how to deal with or go through a tough time?

If anyone is going through a tough time, then could having a vision for a greater purpose, be a source of strength and encouragement?

If we are going through a tough time, then what do we focus on?
The hardship? …
Or can we shift our focus onto something else?
The purpose? (If we know one?)
The Answer?
A word of encourgement?
Help from a higher source? (Our Lord God Has The Highest Honour and IS The Highest Power!)

Can we try to do as Jesus did, and focus on what matters more, rather than what we are experiencing?

____________________

There is a direct follow up post to this one. Please, do consider having a read of that one, also. It is,

Do I miss, What the Cross was, for Jesus?