US pastor and author Max Lucado has marked the 50th anniversary of becoming a Christian in a very personal - and permanent - way: with his first tattoo.
At 70 years old, the Oak Hills Church pastor shared a photo on Instagram of himself getting the Greek word “tetelestai” tattooed on his forearm. The word, meaning “It is finished,” is a reference to Jesus’ final words on the cross, as recorded in John 19:30.
“I’m celebrating the golden anniversary of God’s great grace in my life,” Lucado wrote in a Good Friday post. “My testimony is interwoven with my favourite word in the Bible.”
Lucado explained that the message of Jesus’ sacrifice is what first turned his life around as a 20-year-old. He described his young self as a “scoundrel” whose life was a mess. But in 1975, a preacher shared a message about “grace greater than sin” and everything changed.
“This was the message that changed my life,” Lucado said. “On the cross Christ paid my debt. It is paid - paid in full.”
Now serving as interim pastor at Gateway Church in Southlake, Texas, Lucado said he chose to get the tattoo as a lasting way to say thank you to Jesus for paying the debt he could never pay.
He closed his post with a Good Friday blessing for his followers: “My Good Friday prayer is simple: May Christ grant you what He has given me - grace upon grace.”
