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By Hank Walker | Pastor at Peach City Fellowship

Lazy “pulpits” tend to perpetuate all kinds of apocryphal stories—stories that “preach well,” but are factually untrue. For instance, have you ever heard that Jesus’ reference to a camel passing “through the eye of a needle” (Matt. 19:24; Mark 10:25; Luke 18:25) is not about a literal needle, but a gate in the wall of Jerusalem that went by that name? The story sounds plausible, but is TOTALLY made up! When Jesus used this hyperbolic expression, He really DID mean that it is nearly impossible for wealthy people to “enter the kingdom of God.”

In recent days, I saw another one of these fictions that is annoyingly persistent on social media and (sadly) in Christian churches around Easter. It goes like this: When Jesus was on the cross and declared, “It is finished” (John 19:30), the Greek verb he used, “tetelestai,” was an ancient “accounting term,” written on receipts to signify that a bill had been “paid in full.” Those perpetuating this story argue that Jesus carefully chose this verb to demonstrate that man’s sin debt had been “paid in full”. Although Jesus DID “propitiate” or “satisfy” God’s wrath against sinners, His use of “tetelestai” refers to the “completion” of ALL His redemptive work—not just paying the penalty for people’s sin.

Additionally, the claim that tetelestai means “paid in full” lacks support from ANY existing ancient literature, manuscripts, codices, papyri, or inscriptions. Outside the Bible, this verb signified the “completion” of various tasks like construction, art, or farming. In context, when Jesus used this reference, His point was that He had “completed” the entire mission the Father had given Him, and that He had “fulfilled” ALL the prophecies which spoke of the things He would accomplish as Messiah, the God-man who had “put on flesh and dwelt among us” (John 1:14).

At this point, some might ask, “What damage is actually done when examples like this are used?” MUCH! Is it appropriate to use a lie to tell the truth? As silly as such a proposition sounds, that is what we are talking about. Moreover, when preachers parrot such things, they demonstrate that they are not doing what Christ has called them to do—or what their churches rightly expect them to do: to “LABOR in preaching and teaching” (1 Tim. 5:17)

Grace and peace, y’all. Soli Deo Gloria