God that his Son took on human flesh and dwelt among us. Jesus became one of us so that, as God, he could represent God to us and, as man, he could represent us to God. Hallelujah, what a Savior!
Our Lord’s next to the last statement on the cross was, “It is finished” (John 19:30). It is only one word in Greek (tetelestai), but what a word it is! It can mean that a task has been completed or that a debt has been discharged. I suspect that both ideas are in mind here, for the task of dying in our place was completed, and our debt of sin was paid for by Jesus. What news could be better than this? Think of it. Jesus left nothing for us to do to gain salvation as he paid the full price for our sin! Jesus' final word on the cross, was another
prayer, "Into your hands, I commit my spirit" (Luke 23:46). From heaven, God's Son came and to heaven, he would go. Our Lord's atonement was made, the price for our sin paid. His work on earth completed, Jesus returned to heaven where he ever lives to make intercession for us. One day, Jesus will return and take us to live with him forever and ever! Praise His holy name!
After Jesus had thus spoken to Mary and John, darkness covered the land from noon until about 3 PM. Then Jesus prays once again, his fourth statement. It is the most arresting and startling of all his statements on the cross: “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” (Matthew 27:46). We may surmise that Jesus’ prayer was toward the end of his suffering divine wrath in our place, as our substitute. Indeed, Jesus was the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world! His prayer is from Psalm 22 and it reminds us of Isaiah’s prophecy in his fifty-third chapter. We should always thank God for sending his Son to die in our place, paying the penalty for our
sins.
Our Lord’s fifth statement from the cross was simply, “I thirst” (John 19:28). With his atonement completed, Jesus was exhausted spiritually and physically. And so, he thirsted. Truly, God’s Son was also man, for God cannot thirst. We may thank God that his Son took on human flesh and dwelt among us. Jesus became one of us so that, as God, he could represent God to us and, as man, he could represent us to God. Hallelujah, what a Savior!
Our Lord’s next to the last statement on the cross was, “It is finished” (John 19:30). It is only one word in Greek (tetelestai), but what a word it is! It can mean that a task has been completed or that a debt has been discharged. I suspect that both ideas are in mind here, for the task of dying in our place was completed, and our debt of sin was paid for by Jesus. What news could be better than this? Think of it. Jesus left nothing for us to do to gain salvation as he paid the full price for our sin!
Jesus' final word on the cross, was another prayer, "Into your hands, I commit my spirit" (Luke 23:46). From heaven, God's Son came and to heaven, he would go. Our Lord's atonement was made, the price for our sin paid. His work on earth completed, Jesus returned to heaven where he ever lives to make intercession for us. One day, Jesus will return and take us to live with him forever and ever! Praise His holy name!
