Daily Devotional For Saturday, April 19, 2025
Today is the day after Good Friday and the day before Easter. It is finished! Jesus said these words from the cross. The Greek New Testament word is “Tetelestai.” What does this mean? This word Jesus used, was used in 3 ways in Jesus’ day.
- First, “tetelestai” was used in a business or financial way to indicate that a literal debt had been paid in full.
- Second, “tetelestai” was used in a judicial sense in courts when a person’s sentence had been served in full.
- And third, “tetelestai” was used in a military way that a battle had been won. So check this out. When Jesus was hanging on the cross and He shouted out “tetelestai” — “It is finished” — He was saying, “Your debt of sin is fully paid. The judgment for your sin has been fully served and the spiritual battle against death, hell and the devil has been completely won.” In Christ the work of salvation, victory, reconciliation and new life is fully yours. Southside, it is finished. You don’t need a priest. All you need is Jesus.
John 19:30 reminds us how Jesus covered every area of our lives spiritually in saying, “It is finished.” I have heard people say, “I’m finished.” Sometimes they say that when a project or task is complete. Sometimes people say it when they are finished for the day in their career. I’ve heard terminally ill patients say it when they have exhausted all hope and treatments. They give up fighting and let death come.
There comes a point when you realize it’s time to end something. Jesus did not give into death. He walked through it and when He had met God’s requirement of payment for sin, there was no further need for Him to hang alive on the cross. One of the reasons Jesus said this is found in John 19:28-30. Jesus had fulfilled all the Scripture about why He came and how He had met God’s requirement on the cross. This means there was a double meaning in Jesus saying “tetelestai” – Jesus’ work was completed and Scripture was fulfilled.
Assignment: Jesus stayed to the very end and fulfilled “tetelestai.” Think about what you need to do to stay the course with Jesus in this life until He says to you, “Come home.” What is that? What do you need in terms of time, resources, and etc. to do this? If you have benched yourself, how can you get off that bench and be in this life with the Lord?
Scripture To Meditate: John 10:18, “No one can take My life from Me. I sacrifice it voluntarily. For I have the authority to lay it down when I want to and also to take it up again. For this is what My Father has commanded” (NLT).
Prayer To Pray: “Dear Lord, help me to stay in this battle to the very end. Help me to fight the good fight and to keep the faith. Lord, I pledge to You my loyalty and commitment to the very end no matter what. I love You Lord. In Jesus’ name, Amen!”
I love you Southside! – Pastor Kelly