Will we all face all that Jesus faced on the Cross? Will we ever go through all the suffering, agony and pain he went through? NO, we never will. But there is one thing all of us will face and that is the reality of death. When our own time shall dawn upon us, how will we face that moment? What will be the frame of our mind? This question is disturbing for many, they don’t want you to talk about it or even mention it. But Jesus always spoke about it and He also showed us how to face death when our time comes.
Before we talk about it let me be sure and clear : Jesus was not killed/murdered/crucified by the will, power, authority and schemes of Men, rather He gave up His Spirit, in His own time, According to His own will, as part of His own plan and under His own Authority
Reason One: Jesus declared: No one takes my life from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have the authority to lay it down and authority to take it up again.
• No one took the life of Jesus
• Jesus offered up His life according to His own will
• Jesus has authority to lay his own life and take it up again
While talking to Pilate Jesus reminds him, you would have no power over me if it were not granted from Above. Even when the Scripture mentions that Judas would betray Jesus, John says Jesus knew that the Father had put all things under His power.
These verses are a definite indicator that Jesus was in absolute control over His death, no one else and nothing else.
Reason two: The Romans devised Death on the Cross with the sole purpose of keeping a man alive for as long as possible and inflict pain as much as possible. People would hang on the cross of two to three days before they died. Scripture tells us when the Jews did not want to keep the bodies on the Cross for the Sabbath, the Soldiers came and broke the legs of the two thieves. Why? this sped up the process of dying. But when they came to do the same to Jesus, they realized that He was already dead.
How is that possible? How did He die so soon? Many say that it was because of the extreme pain and torture that He went through, but we know this happened because Jesus was in absolutely control over His own death. He gave up His Spirit at His own will. Even on the Cross our Savior was Sovereign. His hands were nailed and yet He was in Control.
Jesus at Calvary teaches us to be grounded in God’s Word, Find hope and Strength in it
Even in this most trying time of His the son of God holds on to the word of God. These words that Jesus spoke are found in Psalm 31, a Psalm of David. It is from the Word, Jesus finds hope and encouragement. Just like David Jesus cries out to the Father, you are my Rock and Fortress, you are my Refuge, into your hands I commit my Spirit.
My dear Christian, we will grow weary and tired, weak and fragile, we won’t be strong but we must be grounded and rooted in the Word of God. No matter what, we can constantly dive into God’s Word. His word is the only thing that will give us hope, assurance, comfort, encouragement and much more. That is why we need to fill ourselves with God’s Word. Jesus Christ was saturated with the Word. He faced every situation, answered every question, dealt with every challenge through Scripture. And upon Golgotha he faced death grounded
What about us? Do we draw strength and hope from God’s word? Do we look at our lives and the world through the lens of God’s word? The first place a Christian must run to is the word of God. Read it, meditate upon it, memorize it, fill your lives with it
Jesus at Calvary teaches us that Death is not the End
What happens after death is a question everyone has tried to answer. This whole event at Golgotha tells us that death is not the end of it all. Even the thief on the Cross knew it. Jesus commits His Spirit into the care of the Father reminding us that our Spirits are eternal. Death is not the end. They are either in the care of the Father for glorification or for judgment and damnation
We live in a world where people do not believe that there is life after death, they reject the idea of eternity. But Calvary tells us that our Spirits are eternal. Those wh don’t believe this live for today as if there is no tomorrow. The people of God live eternity and all that we do today is an investment for eternity.
These words of Jesus remind us that our Spirits are of utmost importance. Our bodies shall go the grave and turn to dust, but our Spirit shall and will be eternal. As the Children of God we know that death is not the end. We must take utmost care of our spirit and soul. Do we value it? Do we care for it? Do we nurture it well? The Spirit can be and will be nurtured only by Spiritual things.
Jesus at Calvary teaches us to Trust God alone
Into thy care….The Greek word for Commend means to deposit, Jesus is literally saying Father I place my Spirit into thy care. Even the Hebrew word Paqad means to commit yourself or something in the care of someone, and the noun means “one who looks after” Father I am placing my spirit into they care for you to look after it.
After all that He has been through, not just in the past few days but his entire life and ministry, Jesus always placed His trust in the Father. And this is the same Father who promises and assures us that He will not lose even one of His sheep.
When we face death, we face it knowing that we are in the loving care of the one and only sovereign God. The Christian will find rest in God alone.
Jesus at Calvary shows us the power and authority of God
Why commit His spirit in the hands of the Father? Who is the one who has power over us after death? Who is the one who has power and authority over the Spirit? Who is the one who can care for our spirit or even can destroy the spirit? Jesus commits His Spirit into the Hands of God, because God alone has the power and the Authority. Do not forget this!!! As Christians we know for sure that when we face death, the God whom we serve has authority over death and beyond. The authority to resurrect us, the authority to grant us glorified bodies, the authority to grant us eternal life and a place in heaven. It is all in the hands of God.
Jesus at Calvary teaches us the blessedness of Hope
Jesus is not crying out loud in desperation, despair or dejection. This is a cry of hope and assurance. Yes Father, I know I can trust you, I can depend upon you. You are my Hope and you will never let me down. As Christians we need to have this blessed hope. Yes life is hard and tough, when we will be at the end it could be a million reasons to lose hope.
But none of it matters because when we end we end with Hope. This hope is our joy and strength even when we know that our time to depart has come. What a blessing to die in Hope!!! This is what Jesus taught us.
