Focus: It is finished

Friday’s Reading: Matthew 26:47 – 27:51, Mark 14:43 – 15:38, Luke 22:47 – 23:49, John 18:3 – 19:37

It is finished. 

We followers of Jesus are well-aware of these oft-repeated Good Friday words (John 19:30). We’ve probably heard the Greek translation — tetelestai — which means, “Paid in full.”  I have reveled in this glorious news and celebrated it every Easter season, but do we realize just how GOOD this Good Friday declaration really is? Why is it SO good?

Because Jesus paid it ALL in full. 

We know Jesus declared, It is finished. But what exactly did He finish?

In a word, salvation.

Jesus purchased our salvation. He finished our salvation. He accomplished our salvation. Yes, yes, we know that. We bring people to church so they will pray a prayer and “get saved” so they can go to heaven when they die.

That is great! Going to heaven when we die is glorious. But guess what?! The Good News is even more GOOD than that. Can you believe it?!

There’s more.

This one little word, salvation, is so rich.

In the Greek, the word “salvation” is SOZO, and it’s so much bigger than just a ticket to heaven. 

• Remember how Jesus physically healed every single person who came to Him? That word for “healed” or “made well” is … SOZO. Salvation! (Luke 8:48 and 50, Acts 14:9)
• Remember how Jesus delivered people from demonic oppression, giving them emotional and mental deliverance from torment? That word is … SOZO. Salvation! (Matt. 4:23-34, Luke 8:36)
• Remember how Jesus brought forgiveness and saved people from sin, giving the gift of eternal life? That word is … SOZO. Salvation! (Matt. 19:25, many more)

God created people as whole people–body, soul, and spirit. The Good News is that Jesus came to rescue our whole person–body, soul, and spirit. There is no distinction in the Greek language between the work Jesus did in granting forgiveness for sin (Spirit), healing for the body (Body), and deliverance from mental torment (Soul).

He paid for IT ALL. He paid for our full salvation.

When we bought our last home, it was built in 1906, and apparently the appliances were only a few years newer. 🙂 Fine. I was so happy to have a home I didn’t care about ancient appliances! But a week after we moved in, the dishwasher completely broke, and we realized that the oven wasn’t fully functional. Although I was still happy to have purchased the home, it was a bummer that it didn’t function to its full capacity. We’d spent our savings on the down-payment, so we didn’t have extra cash to buy new appliances.

I tried to figure out how to make due for the time being, until “someday” far off when we could get new ones.

Then one day, we off-handedly mentioned to our realtor about the appliances. She replied,

“Oh! Did I not tell you? I purchased a home warranty for you. The warranty covers all your appliances–you can get new ones for free!”

What?! I had no idea. I knew we had not purchased a home warranty, but I had no idea she’d done that for us.

We had access to so much more than I ever realized. 

Now every time I see my brand new (fully-functioning!) appliances, I think of salvation. How Jesus purchased so much more than I ever realized. Whole-being salvation: Body, soul, spirit. And all of this is available fully and only in Jesus Christ:

And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved. Acts 4:12

Hallelujah! Jesus is Good News indeed!

I’m the first to admit, I don’t know how all this works. It is a process, a relationship with a Good Good Father who teaches us to persevere, die to ourselves, take up our cross, continue in prayer, asking continually and never giving up. All the rest of the Scripture speaks to how this plays out in our experience. But what I hope we can meditate on today is that JESUS PAID IT ALL. It’s already be purchased.

Father, help us to receive all that Your precious Son died to give us. 

Good Friday is good indeed!

{Thanks for reading.}