“Therefore let it be known to you, brethren, that through this Man is preached to you the forgiveness of sins» (Acts 13:38).
IT WAS ON HIS FIRST VISIT TO JERUSALEM, on the occasion of the Passover, that Jesus gave evidence of understanding what the purpose of His birth was into our world.
The biblical account says that after the Passover feast, Joseph and Mary set out on the journey home, unaware that Jesus had stayed behind in Jerusalem. After three days of a harrowing search, when they finally found Him, His mother asked Him, » ‘Son, why have You done this to us?’ . . . And He said to them, ‘Why did you seek Me? Did you not know that I must be about My Fathers business?’ » (Luke 2:48—49).
With this answer, Jesus for the first time indicated that He had a special mission to fulfill. And once He understood the nature of that mission, He never lost sight of it. He was therefore able to say at the beginning of His ministry: «My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me, and to finish His work» (John 4:34). And before He took His last breath, as He was hanging from the cross, He exclaimed, «It is finished!» (John 19:30).
What did He mean by the words «It is finished»? That «Christ did not yield up His life till He had accomplished the work which He came to do.»—The Desire of Ages, ch. 79, p. 758. In this sense, the expression «It is finished» (Greek tetelestai) refers not to a finished man, who has reached the end of His strength, but speaks of a finished work.
According to Warren W. Wiersbe, tetelestai was a commonly used word in Jesus’s time. It was used by the servants when they completed a task; and the artists, when they finished their works of art. Greek priests also used it when worshipers brought an animal to the temple as a sacrifice. If the animal met the requirements, the priest said tetelestai («It is perfect»). And when a person completed the payment of an installment purchase, the seller issued a receipt with the word tetelestai: «Paid in full.'»
What are we saying? Exactly what the apostle Peter affirms in today’s Bible verse that forgiveness of our sins is possible, thanks to the sacrifice our Lord completed on the cross; because by shedding His precious blood, Jesus completely paid off our debt of sin, and gave us a new opportunity.
In other words: We are no longer subject to servitude! When sin abounded, grace abounded much more!
Thank You, Jesus Christ, for canceling my debt of sin.
Today I want to use the freedom You have given back to me to accept You as my Lord and Savior.
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Taken from: Devotional Readings for Adults 2022
“GREAT IS OUR GOD!”
From: FERNANDO ZABALA
Colaboradores: Xiomara Perdomo & Angelica Cuate
