Matthew 21:31-32,42 NASB
[31] …”Truly I say to you that the tax collectors and prostitutes will get into the kingdom of God before you. [32] For John came to you in the way of righteousness and you did not believe him; but the tax collectors and prostitutes did believe him; and you, seeing this, did not even feel remorse afterward so as to believe him.
[42] Jesus said to them, “Did you never read in the Scriptures, ‘The STONE WHICH THE BUILDERS REJECTED, THIS BECAME THE CHIEF CORNER stone; THIS CAME ABOUT FROM THE LORD, AND IT IS MARVELOUS IN OUR EYES’?
Matthew 22:1-10 NASB
[1] … Jesus spoke to them again in parables, saying, [2] “The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who gave a wedding feast for his son. [3] And he sent out his slaves to call those who had been invited to the wedding feast, and they were unwilling to come. [4] Again he sent out other slaves saying, ‘Tell those who have been invited, “Behold, I have prepared my dinner; my oxen and my fattened livestock are all butchered and everything is ready; come to the wedding feast.”‘ [5] But they paid no attention and went their way, one to his own farm, another to his business, [6] and the rest seized his slaves and mistreated them and killed them. [7] But the king was enraged, and he sent his armies and destroyed those murderers and set their city on fire. [8] Then he said to his slaves, ‘The wedding is ready, but those who were invited were not worthy. [9] Go therefore to the main highways, and as many as you find there, invite to the wedding feast.’ [10] Those slaves went out into the streets and gathered together all they found, both evil and good; and the wedding hall was filled with dinner guests. …
Luke 14:17 puts it this way, “Come; for everything is ready.”
When Jesus used the word “Tetelestai” at the Cross He was basically saying “Come; for everything is ready.”
The fallen condition of humanity was so desperate and so deep, there was nothing at all that the creation could do to work its way out of its ruined condition. Redemption had to happen in the realm of humanity but outside of any human effort to help in any way. Jesus finished work in His death, burial, and resurrection accomplished everything, and made everything ready, so he could simply say “come.” We come to him without anything to offer except for a yielded humanity which is full of weaknesses and brokenness. He takes us as we are, and seats us at the banqueting table of salvation, clothed in Christ, unable to add anything to what he has already provided, other than our praise and thanksgiving. It is those who are broken and weak like the prostitutes and tax collectors he talked about, who are the most prone to say yes to His invitation. Those who think they are adequate either the say no, or come thinking they have something to offer, instead of realizing that He offers everything. When Jesus quoted from Psalm 118:22 He wasn’t just talking about himself but was also declaring a spiritual principle, and that is, new life comes forth from stones that the builders have rejected. When Jesus was crucified he was crucified on a huge boulder on a mountainside, and in that huge boulder were several crevices because the boulder was cracked, and what the Romans would do was they would wedge the end of the cross into the crevice and then put wedges on either side to hold the cross in place. It was a huge stone, or vast boulder that was used because it was no good for excavation because it had several large cracks in it. It was a stone that the builders had rejected. Broken people, sinners that is, are like stones that have been rejected. They are flawed, and Jesus is saying that it is “the flawed” who hear the invitation to come and receive everything that he’s made ready to live a new life as a new creation. The moment we become Christians we take our place tat the banqueting table where everything has already been made ready for us to enjoy and to celebrate. We can’t add anything to it; we can only rest in it, or reject it. Maybe you have been a Christian for many years and you have discovered after many years of struggling that you are very flawed, and because of that the enemy has lied to you and told you that you are now disqualified from fulfilling your destiny to be Christ like. If that’s you, then you misunderstood how the Christian life works from the beginning, so the solution is to go back to the start when Jesus said it is finished, and remember that it is just for folks like you who are flawed, that can manifest new creation, and Christ likeness, because you now understand clearly that you have nothing to offer, but you can now from this point forward rest in The Everything that he made ready at the Cross for you. Come unto me all you who are weary and heavy laden and I will give you rest.