“Then Jesus shouted, ‘Father, I entrust my spirit into your hands!’ And with those words he breathed his last.” (Luke 23:46 NLT)

Today we are going to discover the most painful moment in the life and ministry of Jesus Christ. What do you think it was? Perhaps your mind races to the crucifixion itself. You think of the spikes being driven into His hands and feet. As painful and horrific as that was, I don’t believe that was His most painful moment. Perhaps you think of the scourging that took place prior to the crucifixion. The Roman whip literally tore Jesus’ back open, exposing his vital organs. As horrible as that was, I don’t believe it was His most painful moment.

Perhaps you think of how all His disciples, with the exception of one, deserted Him in His hour of need. As horrible and painful as that must have been, I don’t believe that it was His most painful moment.

I believe Jesus’ most painful moment is captured in His words in Matthew 27:46. Jesus uttered seven statements while He hung on the cross. Each one gives us insight into what He was experiencing, fulfilling, and accomplishing as He paid the ultimate price for our sin. The first reveals the depth of His suffering.

“My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?” (Matthew 27:46 NLT).

The intimacy that Jesus shared with His heavenly Father in the Garden of Gethsemane just a few hours earlier was gone. In its place was the wrath of the holy God. Jesus used the words of Psalm 22:1 to express His agony as He faced that wrath alone. God turned away from Jesus as He endured the punishment for the sins of the world. That spiritual abandonment was far more devastating than the physical pain Jesus experienced.

“Father, forgive them, for they don’t know what they are doing” (Luke 23:34 NLT).

Jesus’ enemies believed they were getting rid of a false messiah. They didn’t realize they were crucifying the Son of God, who was giving His life to save them. Jesus’ compassion on those who mocked and tortured Him is an amazing example of divine grace.

“I assure you, today you will be with me in paradise” (Luke 23:43 NLT).

This is the work of salvation. One of the revolutionaries who was being crucified next to Him said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your Kingdom.” He placed His faith in Jesus. In reply, Jesus assured him that he would be with Him in Heaven the moment he died.

“Father, I entrust my spirit into your hands!” (Luke 23:46 NLT).

Jesus presented Himself to God as the perfect sacrifice for the sins of the world. He was ready to give up His life to complete the work of salvation.

“Dear woman, here is your son”; “Here is your mother” (John 19:26–27 (NLT).

Here’s another example of Jesus placing the needs of others above His own, even as He endured the agony of the cross. Jesus saw His mother in the crowd and wanted to make sure that she would be cared for. He entrusted her care to His beloved disciple John.

“I am thirsty” (John 19:28 NLT).

Jesus wasn’t trying to get His physical needs met. He was fulfilling the prophecy of Psalm 69:21: “They offer me sour wine for my thirst” (NLT). He said He was thirsty so that the Roman guards would give Him sour wine (vinegar).

Jesus made one final statement from the cross. That will be the focus of our devotion tomorrow.

Even in death, Jesus’ words are life-giving. His final utterances from the cross completed God’s work of salvation. They point us to eternal life, and they show us how to live this life abundantly by prioritizing God’s will.

 

Reflection question: What do Jesus’ final words reveal about Him, His work, and His priorities?

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