Then Jesus shouted, "Father, I entrust My spirit into Your hands!" And with those words He breathed His last. Luke 23:46
We celebrate Jesus' resurrection every year, as we should, but if we are not careful, we can forget to acknowledge the pain and agony that it took to get to that moment. There was no celebrating for those who loved and followed Jesus on the night that He was crucified. It was a dark, confusing time for those who observed the crucifixion and death of their Lord, Jesus. The night of His death and crucifixion is recorded in Luke 23.
After Jesus had been tried by a number of political and religious leaders and been severely beaten, it was time for His crucifixion. Because He was so weak from His beatings, He could not even carry His own cross. The soldiers leading Jesus grabbed a man named Simon to walk behind Jesus and carry His cross. Then, next to two criminals, Jesus was crucified. He was nailed to a cross. There was a sign posted on Jesus' cross that said: "This is the King of the Jews." It was written to mock Jesus, but no truer statement has been written.
The time came for Jesus' death. The sky grew dark at 12 noon, and Jesus breathed His last breath - until His resurrection. To all who were watching these events unfold, the situation seemed hopeless. Jesus had been killed, and His movement appeared to be defeated. All hope was not lost, however. Three days later, Jesus was going to rise from the dead, conquering sin and death. Before we jump too quickly to the resurrection, we must pause and consider the price Jesus paid for our sins: brutal torture, abandonment from His closest friends, and death. He paid that price for you, for me, and for the sins of the world. Entrusting His spirit to God, He breathed His last breath. Jesus went through pain and agony because He could not bear the thought of being in Heaven without us.
As we think about what Jesus did for us, the only response is to say "thank you." One way to do this is to listen to your favorite worship song and sing. Take a few moments to do that right now. Listen to your favorite worship song, thanking Jesus for everything He has done for you, especially His brutal and painful death on the cross.
As they led Jesus away, a man named Simon, who was from Cyrene, happened to be coming in from the countryside. The soldiers seized him and put the cross on him and made him carry it behind Jesus. A large crowd trailed behind, including many grief-stricken women. But Jesus turned and said to them, “Daughters of Jerusalem, don’t weep for me, but weep for yourselves and for your children. For the days are coming when they will say, ‘Fortunate indeed are the women who are childless, the wombs that have not borne a child and the breasts that have never nursed.’ People will beg the mountains, ‘Fall on us,’ and plead with the hills, ‘Bury us.’ For if these things are done when the tree is green, what will happen when it is dry?”
Two others, both criminals, were led out to be executed with him. When they came to a place called The Skull, they nailed him to the cross. And the criminals were also crucified—one on his right and one on his left.
Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they don’t know what they are doing.” And the soldiers gambled for his clothes by throwing dice.
The crowd watched and the leaders scoffed. “He saved others,” they said, “let him save himself if he is really God’s Messiah, the Chosen One.” The soldiers mocked him, too, by offering him a drink of sour wine. They called out to him, “If you are the King of the Jews, save yourself!” A sign was fastened above him with these words: “This is the King of the Jews.”
One of the criminals hanging beside him scoffed, “So you’re the Messiah, are you? Prove it by saving yourself—and us, too, while you’re at it!”
But the other criminal protested, “Don’t you fear God even when you have been sentenced to die? We deserve to die for our crimes, but this man hasn’t done anything wrong.” Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your Kingdom.”
And Jesus replied, “I assure you, today you will be with me in paradise.”
By this time it was about noon, and darkness fell across the whole land until three o’clock. The light from the sun was gone. And suddenly, the curtain in the sanctuary of the Temple was torn down the middle. Then Jesus shouted, “Father, I entrust my spirit into your hands!” And with those words he breathed his last.
When the Roman officer overseeing the execution saw what had happened, he worshiped God and said, “Surely this man was innocent.” And when all the crowd that came to see the crucifixion saw what had happened, they went home in deep sorrow. But Jesus’ friends, including the women who had followed him from Galilee, stood at a distance watching.
Now there was a good and righteous man named Joseph. He was a member of the Jewish high council, but he had not agreed with the decision and actions of the other religious leaders. He was from the town of Arimathea in Judea, and he was waiting for the Kingdom of God to come. He went to Pilate and asked for Jesus’ body. Then he took the body down from the cross and wrapped it in a long sheet of linen cloth and laid it in a new tomb that had been carved out of rock. This was done late on Friday afternoon, the day of preparation, as the Sabbath was about to begin.
As his body was taken away, the women from Galilee followed and saw the tomb where his body was placed. Then they went home and prepared spices and ointments to anoint his body. But by the time they were finished the Sabbath had begun, so they rested as required by the law.
