No One Ever Died Like That

Then Jesus shouted, “Father, I entrust my spirit into your hands!”   Luke 23:46

On the cross, Jesus became the sacrifice for our sins. The punishment that brought us peace was upon him. He endured all the dimensions of hell, and the love of the Father was beyond his reach. That’s why he cried out in the darkness, “My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?” (Matthew 27:46). But the story doesn’t end there.

The last words of Jesus were not uttered with an exhausted sigh, but with a shout. He came through it, and he said in triumph, “It is finished! . . . Father, I entrust my spirit into your hands!” (John 19:30; Luke 23:46). Do you see the significance of this? The hell is over. The price is paid. The infinite agonies endured by the Son have passed. The light of the Father now shines on him again.

Notice that Jesus was not overwhelmed by death. It did not overcome him. He did not run out of strength. He had said, “No one can take my life from me. I sacrifice it voluntarily” (John 10:18). Christ’s life was not taken; it was given. He gave himself in death.

Mark adds, “When the Roman officer who stood facing him saw how he had died, he exclaimed, ‘This man truly was the Son of God!’” (Mark 15:39). Do you see the glory of that? No one else ever died like that!

Then, on the third day, Jesus rose from the dead! Several weeks later, on the day of Pentecost, Peter began to preach the message that “God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, to be both Lord and Messiah” (Acts 2:36).

Jesus is the one who brings salvation to you. He has cleared the enemies from the valley of death. He has opened paradise. He has borne the sentence of death for our sins, and he offers forgiveness to all who will come to him in repentance and faith. Don’t push him away. Come to him and receive what he has purchased for you. Receive the gift of God by faith and make it your own.

For further reading, see John 10