Luke
In the name of the One who died so that we might live, dear friends:
Our Savior made a number of astonishing statements during the
final hours of his life. If you want
proof, look no further than his first word.
The Jewish court system had failed him miserably. The Jewish leaders were mocking him
mercilessly. And even as the Roman
soldiers pounded iron spikes through his hands and feet and hoisted him to a
slow but sure death, what did Jesus say? “Father,
forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing” (Luke
Considering everything he had gone through that day,
considering the intense pain and agony he was enduring at that very moment,
Jesus would have had every right to pay attention to his own needs. But he didn’t. Instead he was more concerned about
others. Instead he chose to look after
the needs of his mother. And so he said
to her: “‘Dear woman, here is your son,’
and to the disciple (John), ‘Here is your mother’” (John
If it had been you or me on the cross that day, what kinds
of thoughts would have been filling our heads? How unfair the whole charade of a trial had
been? How unhelpful the disciples had
been? How unjust God had been? Not Jesus.
Can you believe that even on the cross Jesus was thinking about
evangelism? And as soon as the thief on
the cross next to him had made his death bed confession, Jesus assured him: “I tell you the truth, today you will be
with me in paradise” (Luke
And then there is that word of Jesus that defies any human
explanation. Jesus was God, and yet
Jesus had been abandoned by God. With
the sins of the world pressing down on his shoulders, with his heavenly Father
nowhere to be found, Jesus cried out: “‘Eloi,
Eloi, lama sabachthani?’ –- which means, ‘My God, my God, why have you forsaken
me’” (Mark
That is a mind-boggling statement, but it wasn’t the most
remarkable word Jesus spoke that day…because it wasn’t the final world. After he said, “It is finished” (John
HE SPOKE A WORD OF TRUST
I. An amazing prayer at the end
of Christ’s life
II.
An appropriate prayer at the end of every Christian’s life
I wouldn’t describe myself as the kind of person who is easily frightened, but there is one thing that scares me to death every time I see it. It’s when an adult (usually a father) tosses a baby into the air. The father’s smile and the infant’s laugh make it look like nothing more than a little harmless fun. But I can’t help thinking to myself: What if? What if that dad makes a mistake? What if the baby slips and falls? It’s the end of the game…and the end of that child’s trust.
On Good Friday Jesus was dropped by his heavenly Father big
time. From
And what made it even worse was that it wasn’t his fault. Jesus endured the absolute pain and anguish of the cross for one reason and one reason only, sin, the sin that Adam and Eve made a permanent fixture in our world, the sin that not even a world-wide flood could erase completely, the sin that stains every human heart.
And I’m not just talking about the heinous crimes and deviant behaviors that make the evening news, the murders and rapes and armed robberies. Jesus had to die on the cross because of our sins, because of our murderous thoughts, our lustful glances, our covetous desires…and our lack of trust.
“In God We Trust.” Those words are printed on our money, but do we live by them? Do we trust in God or do we trust more in the green paper on which those words are printed? Do we trust in God, or do we put our trust in legislation that promises to protect our borders? Do we trust in God, or do we rely on a proper balance of diet and exercise?
Our lack of trust helped raise humanity’s level of sin beyond flood stage, but according to God’s gracious plan every last drop of iniquity was diverted to Calvary, to the cross, to the place where Jesus “offered for all time one sacrifice for sins” (Hebrews 10:12). It was sin that forced the Father to turn away from his Son. It was our sin that caused Jesus to suffer and die.
And then it was done.
Jesus’ work was finished. And so
the Savior who had authority to lay down his life (see John
Even though Jesus had been forsaken by his Father, he never
questioned God’s plan. Even though Jesus
had been dropped into the agonies of hell, he never doubted God’s love, not
even for a moment. Instead he
confidently placed his soul into his Father’s hands. Even in death Jesus clung to his Father’s
prophetic promise: “Nor will you let
your Holy One see decay” (Psalm
Jesus chose the perfect words to end a perfect life, but he
never reserved the rights to that prayer.
He wants us to pray the same prayer.
He wants us to have the same trust.
He wants us to know that “Father,
into your hands I commit my spirit” is an appropriate prayer at the end of
every Christian’s life.
When Jesus placed his life into his Father’s hands, it wasn’t an isolated act of piety. Jesus’ dying prayer came at the end of an uninterrupted chain of kind words and loving deeds that began on the day he was born. For thirty three years he loved his Father with his whole heart. For thirty three years he loved his neighbor as himself.
And what makes Jesus’ amazing life even more amazing is the
fact that he didn’t do any of it for himself.
Jesus kept God’s law perfectly for us…in our place…as our
substitute. Jesus lived and suffered and
died without committing so much as a single sin so that “through the obedience of the one man the many will be made righteous”
(Romans 5:19).
And now Christ’s perfect life is ours. Now Christ’s perfect trust is ours by faith. Now when God looks at us he sees our perfect substitute. Jesus has toppled the wall of sin that separated us from God. Jesus has given us access to heaven when we die and access to our heavenly Father right now. And that changes everything. Trusting in Jesus gives us the hope of eternal life, and that same trust changes our outlook on this life.
When the money is going out faster than it is coming in,
when the stack of bills gets higher and higher and the account balance gets
lower and lower, take to heart the words of David: “I was young and now I am old, yet I have never seen the righteous
forsaken or their children begging bread” (Psalm 37:25).
When it feels like one more problem, one more crisis, one more bad break will put you over the edge, remember the
inspired words of Paul: “God is
faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also
provide a way out so that you can stand up under it” (I Corinthians
When you feel like you are all alone, when you feel like
it’s you against the world, trust the words of your Savior: “In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world” (John
As Christians we trust in God to take care of all our needs
because he has already taken care of our greatest need. The Father has given us his Son. The Son has given us his life. The Spirit has given us saving faith. Our triune God gives us everything we need
for this life and the next, and he will never let us down.
One of the greatest privileges a pastor can have is to hold the hand of a dying believer. It is humbling to watch a Christian as he/she battles illness with courage and confidence. And it is an honor to be in the presence an aged believer with a child-like faith.
I have visited people who were near death with the intention of bringing them comfort, but there were times when I left them thinking that they had strengthened me. I could see the trust in the eyes. I could hear the peace in the voice. And in some of the most difficult situations I have heard some of the most beautiful confessions: “Pastor, I am not afraid to die. I know that Jesus is my Savior. I know that Jesus is with me now. And I am ready to go home whenever he wants to take me.”
Those words are not recorded anywhere in the Bible. Those exact words never came from Jesus’
lips, but they articulate the same unwavering trust as Christ’s final word from
the cross: “Father, into your hands I
commit my spirit.”
And when you and I come to the end of this life we will be able to pray the same prayer because Jesus has taken away the sting of death. We will be able to commend our souls to our Father’s care because Jesus’ seventh word from the cross wasn’t the last word. The Word made flesh had something else to say. The God made man had one more thing to do to prove beyond a shadow of a doubt that we can trust all of his promises.
When Jesus prayed: “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit,” he spoke with complete confidence because he knew that his Father’s plan wasn’t finished on Good Friday. The divine drama that we call Holy Week included one more act featuring an earthquake and angels and an empty tomb.
As we contemplate the world-changing events of this day, as we ponder the final word Jesus spoke from the cross, we come to the realization that this is not just an appropriate prayer for Christians to pray at the end of our lives. This is a prayer that we would do well to pray every day of our lives.
Whenever we pray “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit,” we remember Jesus’ perfect trust. When we pray “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit,” we remember our Lord’s everlasting promises. When we pray “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit,” we remember what it is that makes this day good. Amen.