Evening Service, 3rd May 2009
To stand at a grave side after a funeral, to walk around a cemetery reading the tombstones is one of the most sobering events of life. It is a very confronting scene. In many ways it is a lonely scene.
In this saying we come to the climatic moment of the crucifixion, for it is with this word that Jesus dies. It is a sobering word. Here as it were, we stand at the edge of a newly filled grave. Here we walk around the tombstones of those who have gone before us. Here we are not only confronted with Jesus’ death but our own. May it be that here that we can confront our own by Christ’s death.
As we look at this last saying, by introduction let us briefly notice 3 things
Firstly, this is a prayer. Indeed the first, fourth (or the middle) and last sayings from the cross are prayers. Prayer was a vital part of Jesus’ life on this earth, and here we are reminded that it was so even at His death. What better way to die and indeed to live but that of prayer?
Secondly, this is a quotation of Scripture, from Ps 31:5a. Here we see that Christ died as He lived in an atmosphere of the Word of God. Christ continually quoted the Bible during His public ministry. ‘The great majority of His expressions may be traced to the Old Testament’ (Spurgeon). Clearly Jesus was very familiar with it. If the Incarnate Word lived on the Inspired word, to again quote Spurgeon, how much more so should we. As Paul tells us “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly” (Col 3:16). But not only do we see here that Jesus lived in an atmosphere of the Word of God, but that it was from an awareness of that Word that He engaged in prayer to God. Here is the proper preparation for death as for life. Listening to God and speaking to God – open channels of communication. How we should give ourselves to that and make use of it.
Thirdly, Jesus is speaking of His human spirit, and its existence beyond death. In this Jesus was declaring that He was fully human with body and soul (or spirit). These were not meant to be separated from each other, but when it occurs we have physical death. The spirit then goes to God who gave it, for one destination or another – heaven or hell – depending on a person’s relationship with God during their life, on whether the person was saved or not before death. In His human nature Jesus faced death, the separation of the body and spirit. His body would be laid in the tomb or grave, and His human spirit would go to God – but as He speaks of this He does so with a calm and collected assurance, committing Himself to His Father.
Now this is a very precious and very full saying, as were all the others, there is a wealth of truth and blessing in this last saying. Let me try to bring out some of that wealth and blessing by noting that it is:
1. A word of Love
His last word to men from the cross is “It is finished”. His last word to God from the cross is “Father, into Your hands I commend My spirit.”
How precious is that word “Father” which Jesus cries here. The first recorded word of Jesus in this life is also His last – “Father”(Lk 2:49). This is all the more wonderful in the light of all that has just occurred on the cross, especially that which is brought to light by the words “My God, My God why have You forsaken Me?” Suffering God’s wrath for our sins He could not cry “Father”, He felt “forsaken” by His Father, and could only hang on to Him with the double grip of faith as He cried “My God, My God”
But now He again can take up that name, indicating that once again He was experiencing the reality and joy of His relationship with God His Father. The cry “It is finished!” signalled the end of the darkness that covered the Father’s face from His soul, even as the physical darkness covered the earth. Now that God’s wrath was completely poured out and finished He was able to return to this word that declares the relationship of love and the awareness and enjoyment of it.
An observer might think that Jesus could never again know the love of His Father, but here He declares it is otherwise. In dying His expiring heart was lifted up and comforted with the thought that God was His Father. Once again He was enjoying and refreshed by the love of His Father who was well pleased in Him for the work He had finished upon the cross.
2. A word of Hope
This was His last word to the Father from the cross, but it was also His first word in going home to His Father. It was His greeting His Father.
Jesus was aware once again of His Father’s nearness, but also of His interest (that His Father would receive His human spirit), and blessing (that His Father would receive His human spirit in love not justice, that He was falling into the hands of a loving Father, not into the hands of an “consuming fire” as the ungodly will according to Heb. 12:29). Had he not already asserted this? In comforting the dying repentant thief He declared His own hope, “Today you shall be with Me in paradise”.
Appearances are deceptive. It is as if Jesus is saying, ‘It may look as if in death I am just like a dog and that there is nothing more to Him – but this is not so, My human spirit goes to be with the Father. It may look as if I die as a criminal who will immediately upon death appear before God’s judgement bar without hope and comfort, but that its not so – I die accomplishing the satisfaction of God’s law and the appeasement of God’s wrath, so I go confidently in the Father’s hands’.
Jesus knew where He was going in death – home! To be with His Father!
3. A word of Determination
Even at this late stage Jesus could have got down from the cross. But instead He actively committed Himself to the whole task, declaring “I commend my spirit into Your hands”. In Matthew 27:50 it is noted that then Jesus “yielded up His spirit”, or literally ‘He dismissed His spirit” – the picture of kingly authority dismissing a servant. By this Jesus declares that He was in control till the last. Earlier Jesus had said “I lay down My life that I may take it up again. No one takes my life from Me, but I lay it down of Myself…” (John 10:17,18). That is what we see right to the end. It was not that men took His life, He gave it for us. He was obedient to the last, but not as one who had to but as one who wanted to.
Jesus’ death was a voluntary death. It is not that His will was swamped by the onslaught both of man and then of God, but it remained active and determined. It was not forced upon Him, but He did it as an act of service to God for us. Here He was glorifying His Father even at the end.
Why is this important? Without it His obedience would not have been true. God declares that we are to love Him “with all heart… soul… strength” (Deut. 6:5). It is not enough to merely do the right thing, we must be wholly and willingly given over to it. It must be done with a mind that being informed by the Word of God understands that this pleases God and consents to it, with a heart that delights in and loves what pleases God, and a will that is determined to please God. This is where the thinking of many as to what constitutes ‘good’ is wrong. If there is no total involvement of the inner person it is not good in God’s sight for it is not done for Him. Anything less is mechanical, robotic. But that could never be said of Jesus – His obedience was voluntary because it was God-centred and God-honouring from beginning even to the end.
What a challenge and corrective this is to our ‘obedience’! But even more without this level of obedience there could not have been a redemption; there would have been an end to God’s wrath but we would have been left in the position of Adam before the Fall except with a darkened mind, a polluted heart and a will in bondage. The penalty paid, but without hope of being accepted before God. No, we needed a perfect righteousness to be given to us – which Jesus’ obedience unto death achieved for us.
4. A word of Confidence
The word “commend” means to entrust and commit. Jesus puts Himself into His Father’s hands. What better place could there be? What safer place could he find? None!
Jesus had emphasised this reality in John 10:29 – “no one is able to snatch them out of My Father’s hand”. The Father’s hand is the place of perfect and eternal security.
Just as nothing could harm Noah when God’s hand had secured the door of the ark, so nothing can touch the spirit of believers which is grasped by the hand of Omnipotence. Weak as we are ourselves we are “kept by the power of God” (1 Pet 1:5).
Here He applies it to Himself also. Throughout His life He was conscious of being in His Father’s hands, and He sees it will be no different in death. By this Jesus was expressing His hope in His resurrection, of the re-union of His body and soul, and that till that moment on the third day in which the spirit would be reunited with a resurrected body His spirit would be with the Father, enjoying the Father’s love, safe in the Father’s custody.
5. A word of Comfort
On His last word to us we hang our hope; on His last word to His Father we hang our comfort. Christ had no fear in coming into the very presence of God. In the same way through Christ we who trust in His death on our behalf, have no need to fear approaching God – in life and in death. He could greet Him with the cry “Father!” so now can we. We can go confident of the Father’s love for us in Christ. Let us not doubt it.
There was a time when we dreaded the thought of coming near to God for we were guilty and God was angry with us, but now we praise God for His anger is turned away and He comforts us because of Christ. The very throne which was a place of dread has now become the place of shelter.
This is true in life for in Hebrews 4:16 we read “Let us come boldly to the throne of grace…” ; in 1 Peter 5:7, “cast all you care on Him for He cares for you”; and in Phi 4:19 “He will supply all my need”. No harm shall come upon us but that which He will make it work for good. The Psalmists constantly call God our shelter, fortress, rock or tower. We must commit ourselves into His hands wherever we may be – that is the safest place.
This is true in death as well. Here is an example to us as to how to die, because ‘in Christ’ this is the fruit of our death too. Like Paul writing near the end of his life in 2 Tim.1:2 we can entrust to Him “until that day” of the resurrection what we have committed into His hands: our salvation, including our soul in paradise and our body in the grave. Both are under His care. We need not fear the grave again! Death is defeated and the grave is but a storage locker for the body. This was the mind of Stephen: “Lord receive my Spirit”. That is the godly application of Christ’s words for one’s own death.
Happy indeed are those who have a last day like that, who believe this, who think this even if they can’t say it.
But not so the unbeliever – that will be terrible day for them! May God lead such to seek Him and to find Christ through whom alone there is eternal life.