Tetelestai

By Yvon Prehn

"Tetelestai!" was the final cry of Jesus from the cross and it means, "it is finished."

 

It is an extraordinary cry of victory and hope.

 

Though the word "tetelestai" is often a part of sermons on the Easter message of salvation, there are many questions about it we will explore to help us better understand the depth of meaning and implications of the word in what follows including:

• What does it mean?
• What is finished?
• Did Jesus really say "tetelestai"?
• If the victory is won and the battle over, why is life so hard?
• And how should we live in this challenging time, considering what He said?

In this book you will find encouragement and hope in your life battles while we wait for the finished work of our Lord on the cross to become the reality of our forever with Him.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Bible 805
• Release date: Apr 15, 2022
• ISBN: 9798201194710

Yvon Prehn

Yvon Prehn is the founder and director of Effective Church Communications. For over 30 years she taught church communication skills, and strategy all over North America and now creates online materials to equip, train, and encourage church communicators. Yvon is the author of many articles and books, including the first book out on desktop publishing, The Desktop Publishing Remedy, published by David C. Cook in 1994. Yvon's materials have helped thousands of people in Christian ministry and churches maximize their communications and enabled them to use communications to help their churches fully fulfill the Great Commission.

Book preview

Tetelestai, is more than a word for Easter

In many Easter sermons we are reminded that Jesus’ final word from the cross, as recorded in John, was Tetelestai ! which translated from the Greek means, It is finished!

Tetelestai is an incredible word and not just because it sounds great and is fun to say but for the multitude of meanings and implications wrapped up in it and the questions it inspires.

The main question inspired by this word that I would like to explore here is What exactly did Jesus finish on the cross and what does it mean to me?

Though Easter is the event that motivated my exploration of the word, tetelestai, the questions it raises, the implications of it, and the applications inspired by it, all go far beyond Easter and have a practical impact on how we live our daily lives as we attempt to be all Jesus wants us to be.

We’ll start at the basics of the word and then end with application.

What was finished when Jesus cried Tetelestai as his last words from the cross?

In brief, now finished was the work of our salvation, the healing of the breach with our Creator. The price of our redemption was paid, peace with God was accomplished.

It was the ending of a story thousands of years in the making. The making of this story is one of the reasons why I encourage everyone to read their Bibles in chronological order.

The story of redemption is progressive, and it is only when you read it chronologically are you able to clearly see God’s work through the ages.

Allow me to briefly review it—

In the beginning humanity was created to walk with God in a perfect paradise forever. Adam and Eve lived in peace and harmony with each other, their Creator, and their world.

But somehow, someway, that was not enough for them.

They wanted the