When a servant completed an assigned task in the assigned manner, she would report, "Tetelestai. It is finished."Jesus is the True Servant who accomplished his Father's will and mission to save humanity.
Priests
If a priest examined a sacrificial lamb and found the animal to be without blemish, he declared, "Tetelestai. It is complete." Jesus is the True High Priest and the True Passover Lamb.
Artists
When an artist stepped back from her sculpture for the final time, she declared, "Tetelestai. It is finished." Jesus' life, death, and resurrection are the consummation of God's grand design for salvation established before the foundations of the earth.
Debt Collectors
When a debt was paid off in full, the promisory note was marked, "Tetelestai. Paid in full." Jesus is the King who paid the Debt of Sin that we could not pay. He has cancelled out the ledger by nailing it to the tree.
Prisoners
When a convict completed his sentence or underwent his punishment, his case was marked, "Tetelestai. It is finished." Jesus bore the punishment for all our sins. He was crushed for our iniquities, and the punishment that brought us peace was laid upon him.