τετέλεσται!

Dan McClellan thinks he knows what τετέλεσται means in John 19.   On the face of it, he sounds completely rational— until you realize that all he is doing is looking at the word in isolation, divorced from the rest of John, especially in relation to its narrative structure and the themes of covenant & cosmic redemption, revelation, & reconciliation. 

Let’s try this…instead of reading the word in isolation, let’s read it as part of the Gospel of John in which the (Suzerain) Covenant between God & Man is up front & center along with comprehensive cosmic redemption & reconciliation with & for the whole of the created order.  

John follows the general outline of a suzerain covenant. 

Preamble (John 1:1 - 18)

Historical Prologue (John 1:19 - 2:25)

General Stipulations (John 3:1 - 12:50)

Specific Stipulations (John 13:1 - 18:40)

Renewal, Document Clause (John 19:1 - 19:42)

Witnesses, & Victory  (John 20:1 - 21:25)

                            In addition

John 1:1–7 (ESV): 

Preamble 

1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 

Historical Prologue 

2 He was in the beginning with God.

General Stipulations 

3All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. 

Specific Stipulations 

4 In him was life, and the life was the light of men. 

Renewal/Document Clause

5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. 

Witnesses

6 There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. 7 He came as a witness, to bear witness about the light, that all might believe through him. 

The outline then repeats as follows: 

John 1:8 - 13 (ESV): 

Preamble 

8 He was not the light, but came to bear witness about the light. 

Historical Prologue 

9 The true light, which gives light to everyone, was coming into the world. 

General Stipulations 

10 He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world did not know him.

Specific Stipulations 

11  He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him.

Renewal, Document Clause 

12 John 1:12–13 (ESV): But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, 

Witnesses 

13 who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God. 

It repeats a 3rd time: 

John 1:14 - 19 (ESV): 

Preamble 

John 1:14 (ESV): And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth. 

Historical Prologue 

15 (John bore witness about him, and cried out, “This was he of whom I said, ‘He who comes after me ranks before me, because he was before me.’ ”) . 

General Stipulations 

16 For from his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace.

Specific Stipulations 

17 For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. 

Renewal, Document Clause 

18 No one has ever seen God; the only God, who is at the Father’s side, he has made him known. 

Witnesses 

19 And this is the testimony of John, when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, “Who are you?”

Even if you don’t think the Pericope Adulterae is canonical, it was placed in John for a good reason:  

John 7:53 - 8:11 

Preamble 

Historical Prologue 

General Stipulations

Specific Stipulations 

Renewal, Document Clause 

Witnesses & Victory

Preamble/Shema

* They went each to his own house, but Jesus went to the Mount of Olives. 

Yeshua is also a cipher for God atop His holy mountain (Sinai)

Historical Prologue 

* We enter text into a specific time & place,  both on Earth & in Heaven this the sort of thing Yeshua did.   

Early in the morning he came again to the temple. All the people came to him, and he sat down and taught them. 

* As the sun continued to rise over the new covenant administration, Yeshua, now in heaven & the literal theanthropic Redeemer-Mediator, continued His 3fold ministry of Prophet, Priest, & King.

The scribes and the Pharisees brought a woman who had been caught in adultery, and placing her in the midst they said to him, “Teacher, this woman has been caught in the act of adultery. Now in the Law, Moses commanded us to stone such women. So what do you say?” This they said to test him, that they might have some charge to bring against him. 

General Stipulations & Specific Stipulations 

Jesus bent down and wrote with his finger on the ground. 

* He, the God-Man, spoke & wrote Scripture.  

Renewal

And as they continued to ask him, he stood up and said to them, “Let him who is without sin among you be the first to throw a stone at her.”  

* The Lord presents them with a moral dilemma, a morals test of sorts. Covenant renewal involves a morals test, & moral tests challenge us.  Will we rise to that challenge or shrink back? 

Document Clause

And once more he bent down and wrote on the ground. 

* The Lord continues writing Scripture. 

Witnesses

But when they heard it, they went away one by one, beginning with the older ones, and Jesus was left alone with the woman standing before him. 

Then He tood up and said to her, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?” She said, “No one, Lord.” And Jesus said, “Neither do I condemn you; go, and from now on sin no more.” ]]

* A public challenge was issued that the woman’s accusers realized they could not answer. 

We also find it in the Book of Revelation. 

Preamble (Rev. 1: 1 - 8)

Historical Prologue (Rev. 1:9 - 3:22)

General Stipulations (Rev. 4:1 - 11:19

Specific Stipulations (Rev. 12: 1 - 18:24 

Renewal, Document Clause (Rev. 19:1 - 22:7)

Witnesses & Victory  (Rev. 22:8 - 22:21)

1 John 1:1 - 4 

1:1 Preamble/Shema; which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we looked upon and have touched with our hands, concerning the word of life—

1:2  Historical Prologue the life was made manifest, and we have seen it, and testify to it and proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and was made manifest to us— 

1:3 - 4 General & Specific Stipulations; Renewal & Document Clause & Witnesses 

1:3that which we have seen and heard we proclaim also to you, - so that you too may have fellowship with us;  - and indeed our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ.  4 And we are writing these things so that our joy may be complete.

Exodus 20 & Matthew 22:36 - 40 

Preamble / Shema & Historical Prologue (Exodus 20:1  - 2 ; Matthew 22: 36 - 37) Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?” And he said to him,

1  And God spoke all these words, saying 

2 I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.

General Stipulations  & Specific Stipulations  (20:3 - 17)

• Table 1 - Love God exhaustively & perfectly (Matt. 22:37 - 38) 

And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.  

• Table 2 : Love Your Neighbor before Yourself (Matt. 22:39)

And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself.

Renewal, Document Clause, & Witnesses (20: 18 - 21)

Matthew 22:40 : On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.”

Deuteronomy: 

Preamble (1:1-5)

Historical Prologue (1:6 - 4:43)

General Stipulations (4:44 - 11:32)

* Decalogue 5 : 1 - 21 

Specific Stipulations (12:1 - 26:19)

Renewal, Document Clause (27:1 - 30:20) 

Witnesses & Victory  ( 31: 1 - 34:12)

Sermon on the Mount:

Prologue/Decalogue: (5:1 - 12)

Historical Prologue: (5:13 - 17) identifies the vassals/vassal state;  (5:13 - 16); identifies the Deliverer (5:17)

General Stipulations (5:18 - 20).

Specific Stipulations (5:21- 7:11)

Renewal and Document Clause (7:12 ) 

Witnesses & Victory  (7:13 - 27)

All of that is just a representative amount.  It also appears in the 2 temptation narratives, in the long ending of Mark, Leviticus 18 & Romans 1:18 - 32, & the entire book of Romans.  Every covenant document emanating from God deploys it in the OT.   The Covenant is the ultimate work of art that expresses the Imago Dei & the Beautific Vision. 

τετέλεσται describes finishing all kinds of things: construction, sculpting, farm work, business arrangements, sewing linens, or even just the list of things to get done in a day.   John’s usage of the term, when understood as a word that describes the comprehensive nature of His mission & the covenantal system, embraces all of these meanings.    

The gentleman to whom Dan is replying needs some refinement —- but Dan himself is wrong.  All we have from him is a trivial word study that examines the usage of τετέλεσται in John 19 divorced from its overall context.    He’s painting by numbers when John has written the Cistene Chapel.   

Considered as part of a cosmic covenantal narrative — which most certainly is what John is — Christ spoke this word, in context, at & as the culmination of His life & work.   It’s analogous to Michaelangelo or Da Vinci looking back comprehensively on their life’s work & pronouncing it good & complete just like God did in the creation narrative.