What Made You Give Up The Ghost

What Made You Give Up The Ghost?

Scripture Reference: Mark 15:35-37 (KJV)

Mark 15: 35 And some of them that stood by, when they heard it, said, Behold, he calleth Elias. 36 And one ran and filled a spunge full of vinegar, and put it on a reed, and gave him to drink, saying, Let alone; let us see whether Elias will come to take him down. 37 And Jesus cried with a loud voice, and gave up the ghost.

First I would like to talk about what a ghost is.

The word web defines a ghost as: A writer who gives the credit to someone else

In other words it is like an actor who wins an academy award for playing a part that was written and directed by someone else so he owes most of the credit to the outside sources. However it takes the skills and dedication of the actor to be able to effectively play the role that is presented.

Easton’s Bible Dictionary defines ghost as: an old Saxon word equivalent to soul or spirit. It is the translation of the Hebrew nephesh and the greek pneuma, both meaning “breath”, “life”, “spirit”, the “living principle”. The expression to give up the ghost means to die.

Saints who gave up the ghost

Abraham - his time had passed (Genesis 25:8 Then Abraham gave up the

ghost, and died in a good old age, an old man, and full of years; and was

gathered to his people. )

Ishmael - his time had passed (Genesis 25:17 17 And these are the years of the

life of Ishmael, an hundred and thirty and seven years: and he gave up the

ghost and died; and was gathered unto his people. )

Isaac - his time had passed (Genesis 35:29 29 And Isaac gave up the ghost, and

died, and was gathered unto his people, being old and full of days: and his sons

Esau and Jacob buried him. )

Jacob - his time had passed (Genesis 49:33 33 And when Jacob had made an

end of commanding his sons, he gathered up his feet into the bed, and yielded

up the ghost, and was gathered unto his people. )

Job - wanted to (Job 3:11 Why died I not from the womb? why did I not give up the

ghost when I came out of the belly?)

Job felt that his situation was so terrible that he wondered why didn’t he just give up the ghost at birth instead of facing the terrible anguish and pain that he was facing.

Some us feel like we should have given up our ghosts a long time ago and we would probably have never had to go through with many of the different situations that life presents to us.

The widows - because of their seven fold grief (Jeremiah 15:9 She that

hath borne seven languisheth: she hath given up the ghost; her sun is

gone down while it was yet day: she hath been ashamed and

confounded: and the residue of them will I deliver to the sword before

their enemies, saith the LORD.)

God has caused so much death to come to these people that the women were growing weak and weary from the grieving of their lost husbands at the hands of wrath from an angry God. They felt so bad that they wanted to just give up the ghost (Jeremiah 14, 15).

Some of us have been taking death blows from the enemy so long that it seems like the easy thing to do is just give up the ghost instead of seeing more tragedy at the hands of our enemies but hold on saint.

The priest and elders - because of their lack of meat to relieve their

souls. (Lamentations 1:19 I called for my lovers, but

they deceived me: my priests and mine elders gave up the

ghost in the city, while they sought their meat to relieve

their souls.)

This was during a time that Jerusalem was being punished by God for their sins (Lamentations 1:1-19). Because the priest could not find the most important thing that they needed to give them piece within they gave up the ghost.

Why were they in the city seeking for God who they should have held within? They were in the wrong place looking for the wrong thing.

This is like many of us. Our sin is causing us to search for things of God in places that we should never be.

What are we expecting to find there?

Ananias - after he had lied (Acts 5:5 And Ananias hearing these words fell

down, and gave up the ghost: and great fear came on all them that heard

these things.) .

This is truly an awkward situation. This man of God had just lied to Peter an apostle and caused immediate death upon his body. Since the bible does not say who he gave his ghost to we are left to wonder where did his ghost go?