Issue 1582 – Seven Sayings of Christ Part 13 October 13, 2024

Yesterday, we continued our look at the seventh of the  seven sayings, “The Word of Contentment.”

I am still using a combination of the two gospel accounts. My reconstruction may not be fully accurate (always refer back to the original texts), but it captures the essence.

Jesus said, “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit. It is finished. Bowing His head, He breathed His last.”

We left with Jesus reconciled to the Father after His Suffering. Jesus had allowed humanity and the Evil One to do their worst and laid down His life.

His first words on the cross were “Father, forgive them,” and His final words were also a call to the Father.

For more than twelve hours, Jesus had been in the hands of man. He knew what would happen to Him when He did so.

Jesus warned of it

 As they were gathering in Galilee, Jesus said to them, “The Son of Man is about to be delivered into the hands of men, and they will kill him, and he will be raised on the third day.” And they were greatly distressed. Matthew 27:22-23

Then he came to the disciples and said to them, “Sleep and take your rest later on. See, the hour is at hand, and the Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of sinners. Matthew 26:45

The powers that be did their worst to Him. He was betrayed, deserted by his friends and followers, falsely accused, wrongfully convicted, shuttled from one authority to another, mocked, scourged, beaten, tortured, and nailed to the cross. He endured the worst that people could do to Him, even though He had the power to stop it all.

Jesus could have stopped those things from happening more quickly than a heart beat. He was fully man but also fully God. He chose not to for the sake of sinners like you and me. I know it’s true but can’t wrap my head around it.

Here, we see Jesus restored into communion with the Father. We often skip past that miraculous change in direction in our reading. Hours earlier, He was forsaken by the Father and bore unimaginable suffering for us.

Now, turning back to the Father, Jesus commits His Spirit. Never again will he be in the hands of men. He will suffer no more pain, no more shame, no more humiliation. He is glorified once again with the Father.

He would return from the grave in three days and walk the earth in His resurrected body. After fifty days, He would ascend to the Father’s right hand. He will return in judgment and victory at the appropriate time. 

What a contrast, the first time He placed himself in the hands of man, and they judged Him wrongly. He will judge them perfectly and justly. Once He was in their hands, they would be in His.

His spirit is in the hands of the Father. No one can separate them. Similarly, we are sealed and safe when we give ourselves to Christ.

“My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me,is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand. I and the Father are one.” John 10:27-30

For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 8:38-39

Knowing that our eternal destiny is committed to the hands of the perfect, all-powerful, loving Father, thanks to what Christ endured, is comforting and contenting.

Tomorrow, we will look at Jesus’ words, “It is finished.”

Be blessed

Hallelu Yah / Praise God 

Kevin

Gleanings From The Word

Experience an extraordinary God in ordinary life. 

Soli Deo Gloria (For the glory of God alone)

Never let the enemy tell you that you are worthless or insignificant. Your value in God’s eyes is so great that it was worth dying for. You are a blessing to the world. You are so precious to God that his plan for heaven will not be complete without you.

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