I was going to wait to do the last two statements of Jesus’ seven last statements from the cross until Sunday, but after reading the story this morning, I was once again reminded that on Easter Sunday He is no longer on the cross. He is Risen!!! While reading the account this morning I attempted to step into the shoes of some of those who were watching all that was going on. Jesus has just spent last evening in Gethsemane with His disciples. He is in great anguish and has just asked His Father if there was any other way of doing this, but he submits to the will and plan of His Father. He continues in prayer while His disciples fall asleep and finally Judas arrives with a detachment of Roman soldiers and a crowd of people to take Jesus captive. One of His very own disciples, Judas, one of those whose feet Jesus washed just yesterday, Judas, betrays Jesus to the soldiers by giving Him a kiss. After a scuffle with a couple of the disciples, Jesus tells them to stop and reminds them that if He wanted to, He could call thousands of angels to deliver Him. Jesus goes willingly with the soldiers and is brought before Caiphas the high priest and the religious leaders where He is falsely accused and ultimately accused of blasphemy. Jesus is questioned again, struck in the head, slapped, mocked, and they even spit in His face. All this time, Peter is watching from a distance. Peter, the one who pulled his sword in Gethsemane and took of the ear of one of the soldiers, is watching and doing nothing. And yet, Peter was busy. He was asked three times if he was one of Jesus’ friends and all three times, he denied that he even knew Him only to hear the rooster crow and reminding him of the words of Jesus. The long night has come to an end and after seemingly getting no where with Caiphas, Jesus is taken to the governor Pilate. It is at this point where I want you to read the following passages. Take your time, go to a quiet place. Read it slowly and meditate on what you are reading.
Matthew 27:1-44
When morning came, all the chief priests and the elders of the people took counsel against Jesus to put Him to death. 2 And they bound Him and led Him away and delivered Him over to Pilate the governor. 3 Then when Judas, His betrayer, saw that Jesus was condemned, he changed his mind and brought back the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and the elders, 4 saying, “I have sinned by betraying innocent blood.” They said, “What is that to us? See to it yourself.” 5 And throwing down the pieces of silver into the temple, he departed, and he went and hanged himself. 6 But the chief priests, taking the pieces of silver, said, “It is not lawful to put them into the treasury, since it is blood money.” 7 So they took counsel and bought with them the potter’s field as a burial place for strangers. 8 Therefore that field has been called the Field of Blood to this day. 9 Then was fulfilled what had been spoken by the prophet Jeremiah, saying, “And they took the thirty pieces of silver, the price of Him on whom a price had been set by some of the sons of Israel, 10 and they gave them for the potter’s field, as the Lord directed me.” 11 Now Jesus stood before the governor, and the governor asked Him, “Are you the King of the Jews?” Jesus said, “You have said so.” 12 But when He was accused by the chief priests and elders, He gave no answer. 13 Then Pilate said to Him, “Do you not hear how many things they testify against You?” 14 But He gave him no answer, not even to a single charge, so that the governor was greatly amazed. 15 Now at the feast the governor was accustomed to release for the crowd any one prisoner whom they wanted. 16 And they had then a notorious prisoner called Barabbas. 17 So when they had gathered, Pilate said to them, “Whom do you want me to release for you: Barabbas, or Jesus who is called Christ?” 18 For he knew that it was out of envy that they had delivered Him up. 19 Besides, while he was sitting on the judgment seat, his wife sent word to him, “Have nothing to do with that righteous man, for I have suffered much because of Him today in a dream.” 20 Now the chief priests and the elders persuaded the crowd to ask for Barabbas and destroy Jesus. 21 The governor again said to them, “Which of the two do you want me to release for you?” And they said, “Barabbas.” 22 Pilate said to them, “Then what shall I do with Jesus who is called Christ?” They all said, “Let Him be crucified!” 23 And he said, “Why? What evil has He done?” But they shouted all the more, “Let Him be crucified!” 24 So when Pilate saw that he was gaining nothing, but rather that a riot was beginning, he took water and washed his hands before the crowd, saying, “I am innocent of this man’s blood; see to it yourselves.” 25 And all the people answered, “His blood be on us and on our children!” 26 Then he released for them Barabbas, and having scourged Jesus, delivered Him to be crucified. 27 Then the soldiers of the governor took Jesus into the governor’s headquarters, and they gathered the whole battalion before Him. 28 And they stripped Him and put a scarlet robe on Him, 29 and twisting together a crown of thorns, they put it on His head and put a reed in His right hand. And kneeling before Him, they mocked Him, saying, “Hail, King of the Jews!” 30 And they spit on Him and took the reed and struck Him on the head. 31 And when they had mocked Him, they stripped Him of the robe and put His own clothes on Him and led Him away to crucify Him. 32 As they went out, they found a man of Cyrene, Simon by name. They compelled this man to carry His cross. 33 And when they came to a place called Golgotha (which means Place of a Skull), 34 they offered Him wine to drink, mixed with gall, but when He tasted it, He would not drink it. 35 And when they had crucified Him, they divided His garments among them by casting lots. 36 Then they sat down and kept watch over Him there. 37 And over His head they put the charge against Him, which read, “This is Jesus, the King of the Jews.” 38 Then two robbers were crucified with Him, one on the right and one on the left. 39 And those who passed by derided Him, wagging their heads 40 and saying, “You who would destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days, save Yourself! If You are the Son of God, come down from the cross.” 41 So also the chief priests, with the scribes and elders, mocked Him, saying, 42 “He saved others; He cannot save Himself. He is the King of Israel; let Him come down now from the cross, and we will believe in Him. 43 He trusts in God; let God deliver Him now, if He desires Him. For He said, ‘I am the Son of God.’” 44 And the robbers who were crucified with Him also reviled Him in the same way.
Luke 23:32-43
Two others, who were criminals, were led away to be put to death with Him. 33 And when they came to the place that is called The Skull, there they crucified Him, and the criminals, one on His right and one on His left. 34 And Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.” And they cast lots to divide His garments. 35 And the people stood by, watching, but the rulers scoffed at Him, saying, “He saved others; let Him save Himself, if He is the Christ of God, His Chosen One!” 36 The soldiers also mocked Him, coming up and offering Him sour wine 37 and saying, “If You are the King of the Jews, save Yourself!” 38 There was also an inscription over Him, “This is the King of the Jews.” 39 One of the criminals who were hanged railed at Him, saying, “Are You not the Christ? Save Yourself and us!” 40 But the other rebuked him, saying, “Do you not fear God, since you are under the same sentence of condemnation? 41 And we indeed justly, for we are receiving the due reward of our deeds; but this man has done nothing wrong.” 42 And he said, “Jesus, remember me when You come into Your kingdom.” 43 And He said to him, “Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in paradise.”
John19:25-27
but standing by the cross of Jesus were His mother and His mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. 26 When Jesus saw His mother and the disciple whom He loved standing nearby, He said to His mother, “Woman, behold, your son!” 27 Then He said to the disciple, “Behold, your mother!” And from that hour the disciple took her to his own home.
Matthew 27:45-47
Now from the sixth hour there was darkness over all the land until the ninth hour. 46 And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” that is, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” 47 And some of the bystanders, hearing it, said, “This man is calling Elijah.”
John 19:28
After this, Jesus, knowing that all was now finished, said (to fulfill the Scripture), “I thirst.”
Matthew 27:48-49
And one of them at once ran and took a sponge, filled it with sour wine, and put it on a reed and gave it to Him to drink. 49 But the others said, “Wait, let us see whether Elijah will come to save Him.”
John 19:30a
When Jesus had received the sour wine, He said, “It is finished,”
Luke 23:46
Then Jesus, calling out with a loud voice, said, “Father, into Your hands I commit My spirit!” And having said this He breathed His last.
Matthew 27:51-56
And behold, the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. And the earth shook, and the rocks were split. 52 The tombs also were opened. And many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised, 53 and coming out of the tombs after His resurrection they went into the holy city and appeared to many. 54 When the centurion and those who were with Him, keeping watch over Jesus, saw the earthquake and what took place, they were filled with awe and said, “Truly this was the Son of God!” 55 There were also many women there, looking on from a distance, who had followed Jesus from Galilee, ministering to Him, 56 among whom were Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of James and Joseph and the mother of the sons of Zebedee.
I hope that you enjoyed these passages of Scripture. You will notice that I have highlighted the seven last statements of Jesus from the cross. I want to finish our devotional with the last two; “It is finished” and “Father, into Your hands I commit My spirit.”
Jesus has just received the sour wine to wet his lips and he proclaims that “It is finished!” What is finished? Jesus knew that He was suffering and enduring the crucifixion for a purpose. He had said earlier in John 10:18 when talking about His life He said “No one takes it from Me, but I lay it down of My own accord. I have authority to lay it down and authority to take it up again. This command I received from My Father.” These three words were packed full of meaning. What was finished here was not only Jesus’ earthly life, not only the suffering and dying, not only the only payment possible for sin and the redemption of the world, but the very reason and purpose He came to earth was finished. Jesus’ final act of obedience to the Father was complete. The Scriptures have been fulfilled. Jesus came here to die for you! Jesus came here to die for me! Jesus is the only sacrifice possible for the salvation of us all. The wrath of God had to be satisfied and the only way that it could be done was by the Father sacrificing His Son for us. God killed His Son on the cross. God did it, not the Roman soldiers. God loves us that much, so much, that He gave His Son for us. IT IS FINISHED!!!
Shortly after that, Jesus says “Father, into Your hands I commit My spirit.” Jesus trusts His Father. For the next several hours, He would be, for the first time ever, separated from His Father Who He had enjoyed for all eternity. Jesus entered death in the same way that He lived each and every day of His earthly life. He offered up His life as the perfect sacrifice and placed Himself into the hands of God. Jesus uses the words of Psalm 31:5 when He dies as the innocent sufferer, trusting God for vindication. There is no better place to be than in the hands of God. One of my favorite verses is found in that same Psalm in verses 14 & 15 where the psalmist says: ‘But I trust in You, O Lord; I say, “You are my God.” My times are in Your hands.’
I trust you in everything; in times of happiness, in times of sadness, in times of rejoicing, and in times of distress. What a message for us at this very difficult time of our lives today. When you find yourself watching the news and hearing all of the statistics, where do you go? When you hear of those who are at the highest risk, does the face of a loved one come into full view? If you spend enough time dwelling on all of the news and the statistics, you will inevitably be driven to a very dark place where you will seemingly feel paralyzed. Maybe you can imagine a little bit how the disciples must have felt as their leader and hope and friend was crucified. They all went into hiding and were fearful for their own lives. But Jesus! But Jesus!!
I want to once again encourage you to reflect on the goodness and graciousness of God to us. He has done everything that needs to be done for you and for me. Rejoice and be glad, because Sunday is coming!
Happy Good Friday!!!
Jerry