Reading: Luke chapter 23 verse 44-56.
Ill:
• A minister, a priest and a rabbi die in a car wash.
• They go to heaven for orientation.
• They are all asked 'When you are in your casket, and friends, family,
• And congregants are mourning over you, what would you like to hear them say?'
• The minister says, 'I would like to hear them say that I was a wonderful husband,
• A fine spiritual leader, and a great family man’.
• The priest says, 'I would like to hear that I was a wonderful teacher
• And a servant of God who made a huge difference in people's lives.'
• The rabbi replies,
• 'I would like to hear them say, 'Look, he's moving!'
Ill:
On the day that Karl Marx died, March 14, 1883:
• His housekeeper came to him and said,
• "Tell me your last words, and I'll write them down."
• Marx replied, "Go on, get out!
• Last words are for fools who haven't said enough!"
Ill:
Last words can be very revealing.
• Showman P. T. Barnum said, as he was dying, "What were today's receipts?"
• Elizabeth 1st; "All my possessions for a moment of time!"
• The great Baptist preacher, Charles Spurgeon, said as his last words, "Jesus died for me."
• And John Wesley, the founder of Methodism, said, "The best of all is, God is with us."
Jesus made seven statements as he hung on the cross:
• “Father forgive them”
• “With me in paradise”
• “Behold your son…behold your mother”
• “Why have you forsaken me”.
• “I thirst”.
• “It is finished”
• And the saying that is in our passage this morning:
• "Father, into your hands I commit my spirit"
Quote:
“These seven last words from the cross are windows that enable us to look into eternity
and see the heart of God.”
• They make a fascinating study;
• I recommend Warren W. Wiersbe book: ‘Jesus seven last words’.
Now this morning I want to look at our passage under three sections:
(A). The man on the cross (verses 44-46).
“It was now about the sixth hour, and darkness came over the whole land until the ninth hour,
45 for the sun stopped shining. And the curtain of the temple was torn in two.
46 Jesus called out with a loud voice, Father, into your hands I commit my spirit. When he had said this, he breathed his last.”
(1). Supernatural darkness (verse 44).
These three hours of darkness was a miracle.
• At noon when Jesus was put on the cross the sun should be brightest;
• But on this occasion it was darkness.
Ill:
The darkness was very significant & symbolic.
• In the Old Testament when Israel was in Egypt,
• Three days of darkness preceded the first Passover (Exodus chapter 10 verse 21).
• Now as Jesus (God's Passover Lamb) hung on the cross,
• Three hours of darkness also preceded his sacrifice.
It was a God-sent darkness that shrouded the cross that day:
• A very unique, one off act took place during these three hours of darkness;
• When as the Son of God he was made sin for us.
• A transaction took place between a holy God and a perfect sinless sacrifice;
• And it was nothing for sinful men to pry into – So the cross was shrouded in darkness.
(2). Supernatural confirmation (verse 45).
“And the curtain of the temple was torn in two”
The temple was divided up into various areas:
• (1st). There was the court of Gentiles.
• Anyone could enter that part of the temple.
• (2nd). Then there was the court of women;
• That was as far as women could go into the temple.
• (3rd). Then there was the court of Israel;
• Where men were allowed to enter.
• (4th). Beyond that was the court of the priests;
• (5th). Beyond that was the sanctuary.
• Where only the high priest and only once a year was allowed to enter there.
• The sanctuary was separated by a linen curtain.
• According to the Jewish Talmud:
• The curtain was 60 feet long and 20 feet wide,
• It was the thickness of the palm of a mans hand.
• This curtain was so heavy it needed 300 priests to manipulate it.
Notice:
• Verse 44b:
• “And the curtain of the temple was torn in two”
• Matthew chapter 27 verse 51 adds:
• “And the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to the bottom”
• “Top to the bottom”
• What happened at this moment in time was all of God’s doing, not mans!
• The old way has now been fulfilled in Jesus Christ;
• And now any Tom, Dick or Harriet can enter into his presence.
• And not only can any Christian enter his presence;
• They can enter it at all times! 24 hours a day, 365 days a year!
Ill:
• The New Testament book of Hebrews goes into great detail,
• Explaining how Jesus did not abandon the law but fulfilled it.
(3). Supernatural death (verse 46).
46 Jesus called out with a loud voice, Father, into your hands I commit my spirit. When he had said this, he breathed his last.”
The death of Jesus was unique in at least two ways:
(1).
• He committed his spirit to God.
• In other words he chose the moment when he would die.
• His life was not taken;
• He gave it!
Notice:
• He cried out, "Father, into thy hands I commit my spirit"
• (Luke chapter 23 verse 46).
• Interestingly, none of the New Testament writers are content to simply say;
• That Jesus died; they all say that His spirit went into the hands of God.
• They want us to understand that His death was not the end;
• But rather, the beginning of a new relationship.
For all people their life is taken from them:
• Suicide victims may determine their own life span;
• But all they do is rob them of the life-span God wants them to enjoy.
• For everyone else;
• Our life is taken from us.
• But not so with Jesus.
• He determined the very moment he would die – he dismissed his own spirit!
(2).
• His death was vicarious, substitutional.
• He did on behalf of someone else – human race.
• “God made him who had no sin, to be a sin offering for us”.
• Quote:
“And when I think, that God his son not sparing,
sent him to die, I scarce can take it in,
that on the cross, my burden gladly bearing,
he bled and died to take away my sin”.
NOTICE THREE THINGS IN THIS VERSE REGARDING THE DEATH OF JESUS:
(1). He had The Father's Presence.
• Jesus died confidently because He had the Father's presence.
• He said, "Father."
• Three times on the cross,
• When Jesus was addressed God, his first word was "Father”.
Throughout the life of Jesus the word ‘Father’ was on his lips:
(a).
• When He was 12 years old, He said,
• "Did you not know that I must be about my Father's business?" (Luke chapter 2 verse 49).
(b).
• In the Sermon on the Mount,
• He used the word "Father" more than 15 times.
(c).
• John in his gospel, for example chapter 5;
• It was this use of the word ‘Father’ for God that really annoyed the Pharisees.
(d).
• In the upper room discourse and in His high-priestly prayer (John 17)
• Jesus talked about the ‘Father’ many times.
The point I am trying to make is:
• Jesus died confidently;
• Because he had the Father's presence with him!
(2). He had The Father's Promise
• He died confidently because He had the Father's promise.
• All three of the prayers of Jesus from the cross are tied to Scripture.
(a).
• When Jesus prayed (Luke ch 23 vs 34); "Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do"
• He was fulfilling Isaiah 53:12:
(b).
• When He cried out "My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me" (Matthew ch 27 vs 46),
• He was quoting Psalm 22 verse 1.
(c).
• When He said, "Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit" (Luke ch 23 vs 46),
• He fulfilled Psalm 31 verse 5.
Throughout his life:
• Jesus lived by God's Word,
• And if you live by God's Word, you can die by God's Word!
(3). He had The Father's Protection:
• Third, He had the Father's protection.
• "Into YOUR hands I commit my spirit" (Luke chapter 23 verse 46).
• Jesus had predicted to his To His weary disciples in the garden of Gethsemane
• (Matthew chapter 26 verses 45-46):
• That he was: "going to be delivered into the hands of sinners."
• And that prediction came true!
Ill:
• For many hours Jesus had been in the hands of sinners.
• The hands of sinners took hold of Him and bound Him.
• The hands of sinners shoved Him.
• The hands of sinners lacerated His back.
• The hands of sinners stripped Him.
• The hands of sinners put a crown of thorns upon His head.
• The hands of sinners put nails through his hands and his feet.
• The hands of sinners lifted him up to die.
• But there came a time for Jesus;
• When the hands of sinful men can do nothing more .
And as Jesus came to the conclusion, the finale of His work:
• Jesus Christ was no longer in the hands of sinners;
• He was in the Father's hands.
• He had voluntarily gave Himself into the hands of sinners;
• Now He voluntarily gives Himself into the hands of God
(B). The people around the cross (vs 47-49):
(1). Roman Centurion (verse 47):
“The centurion, seeing what had happened, praised God and said,
Surely this was a righteous man.”
To die on a cross was to die in shame:
• The Jews categorised crucifixion and hanging to Deuteronomy chapter 21 verse 23:
• “Anyone who hangs on a tree is under God’s curse”.
• The Romans believed it to be “A most cruel and disgusting punishment”.
• In fact no Roman was allowed to die by crucifixion (beheaded by the sword).
No right thinking Roman would give honour to a man who died on a cross:
• Crucifixion was for murderers and rebels;
• Crucifixion was for the scum of the earth, the lowest of the low.
• Yet this soldier, who had probably seen hundreds of Jewish men crucified;
• Saw something unique in this man.
Notice: That this centurion:
• He would have been in charge of the execution testified publicly:
• By “Praising God” in other words “He worshipped God”.
• The uniqueness of what he saw;
• Not only gripped his attention but moved his heart!
Ill:
• He must have been shocked when Jesus instantly died,
• For victims of crucifixion often lingered for days
• He must have been shocked when Jesus shouted
• For victims of crucifixion did not have the strength to speak.
• He must have been shocked when Jesus had prayed for his enemies
• For victims of crucifixion were normally full of hate towards their executioners.
• He must have been amazed by the conduct and character of Jesus.
• For no other victims of crucifixion died like he did!
• He could not explain it;
• But no-one had ever died like this man, and he gave public declaration to the fact!
(2). The crowd (verse 48):
“When all the people who had gathered to witness this sight saw what took place, they beat their breasts and went away.”
The crowd was made up of people who had come to "witness the sight"
• As soon as Jesus died, the sight was over and they began to drift away one by one,
• These people were not believers.
• They had come to see an execution;
• Ill: Throughout history people have always gathered at a public execution.
• That fascination (although hard to understand) still happens today.
• Ill: Recently with execution Saddam Hussein on the internet.
As soon as Jesus died, the sight was over and they began to drift away one by one,
• They left beating their breasts;
• They too were struck by the uniqueness of the situation.
(3). The Followers (verse 49-56).
These followers divide up into two groups:
(a). The women (verse 49 and 55-56).
49“But all those who knew him, including the women who had followed him from Galilee, stood at a distance, watching these things”
55“The women who had come with Jesus from Galilee followed Joseph and saw the tomb and how his body was laid in it.
56 Then they went home and prepared spices and perfumes.
But they rested on the Sabbath in obedience to the commandment”.
• It is significant that the women were the last at the cross;
• And the first at the tomb on Easter morning.
• They couldn’t prevent their Lord and saviour die.
• But they could make sure that he was buried properly.
• It was too late to do anything that first day.
• So when the time was right they would return to prepare the body properly.
Quote:
• “The body was usually washed and straightened and then bandaged tightly;
• From the armpits to the ankles in strips of linen about a foot wide.
• Aromatic spices, often of a gummy consistency,
• Were placed between the wrappings or folds.
• They served partially as a preservative;
• And partially as a cement to glue the cloth wrappings into a solid covering.
• When the body was thus encased, a square piece of cloth was wrapped around the head;
• And tied under the chin to keep the lower jaw from sagging”.
(a). Joseph of Arimathea (verse 50-54).
50 “Now there was a man named Joseph, a member of the Council, a good and upright man,
51 who had not consented to their decision and action. He came from the Judean town of Arimathea and he was waiting for the kingdom of God.
52 Going to Pilate, he asked for Jesus' body.
53 Then he took it down, wrapped it in linen cloth and placed it in a tomb cut in the rock, one in which no-one had yet been laid.”
• Joseph and John in his gospel tells us with his friend Nicodemus;
• (John chapter 19 verses 38-42):
• Come to Pilot and ask for the body of Jesus.
• Both these men were members of the Jewish council,
• The same Jewish council that had ordered Jesus to be crucified!
• These two men had been secret followers (ill: Nicodemus “Came by night”).
• But now these two hidden followers;
• Suddenly find the courage to become open followers.
They agreed to take care of the burial of Jesus:
• The new tomb was purchased by Joseph.
• Many believe he purchased it for himself, to be used at some future occasion.
• Personally I am not convinced he brought it for himself to use,
• I think he deliberately brought it for Jesus.
• No rich man would prepare his own burial place so near a place of execution;
• We would say today, he would want something
• Joseph was from Arimathea;
• Why would he buy a tomb so far from his own home.
Verse 52:
• When Jesus died, Joseph immediately went to Pilate for permission to have the body,
• It would need a person of some authority and standing to go before Pilot.
• The women and the other disciples could not go;
• They probably would not get past Pilots front door!
• But as a member of the Jewish council;
• Joseph could go!
Verse 53:
• Joseph was given permission;
• So he tenderly took Jesus from the cross,
• And quickly took the body to the garden,
• Where it was washed and wrapped it with the spices.
• This was a temporal burial;
• They would return after the Sabbath to do the job properly.
Note:
• Let me finish by reminding you;
• That when they laid Jesus into the new tomb,
• They were fulfilling an Old Testament prophecy:
• Quote: Isaiah chapter 53 verse 9,
“He was buried like a criminal;
he was put in a rich man’s grave.”
• The body of Jesus should have been thrown on the garbage dump outside the city.
• All condemned criminals lost the right to proper burial,
• But God saw to it that His Son's body was buried with dignity and love!
• Step one in God exalting (lifting up) his victorious son.
• Step two would be his resurrection;
• Step three his ascension!
Quote: Philippians chapter 2:
8”..… he humbled himself in obedience to God
and died a criminal’s death on a cross.
9 Therefore, God elevated him to the place of highest honour
and gave him the name above all other names,
10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,
in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
11 and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord,
to the glory of God the Father.”
