And when all the crowd that came to see the crucifixion saw what had happened, they went home in deep sorrow.
—Luke 23:48 (NLT)
Our Lord has modeled the art of dying.
Though mercilessly tortured, He refused to retaliate. Though seared by pain from thorns thrust on His head and iron spikes nailed through His hands and feet, He remained emotionally under control. Though cursed and maligned, He never defended Himself. By the time His life ended, impaled on that rugged cross, His facial features were so swollen and His body so bruised, He scarcely bore the resemblance of a man. And despite all that, in dying He spoke a prayer learned as a child at His mother’s knee: “Father, into Your hands I commit my spirit.”
What a model for us to follow as we breathe our last! Regardless of our woes and memories of mistreatment, this is how to die.
Our Lord has modeled the secret of living.
With no root of bitterness, no shred of blame, no thought of retribution, or no hint of revenge, He held Scripture in His heart and childhood prayers on His lips.
Having entrusted your soul to Him at the time of your conversion, have you deposited your spirit with Him? Have you come to terms with your past, the unfair treatment and unkind words? Just as Christ did, don’t stop short of fully forgiving those who don’t deserve it.
Calmly accept where you are today, all the pain notwithstanding, as Christ did. Remember, He was still hanging on that cross, surrounded by darkness, when He released it all to the Father. As His follower, you do the same.
Jesus, Refuge of the weary,
Blest Redeemer, whom we love
Fountain in life’s desert dreary,
Savior from the world above,
O how oft Thine eyes, offended,
Gaze upon the sinner’s fall!
Yet, upon the cross extended,
Thou didst bear the pain of all.
Do we pass that cross unheeding,
Breathing no repentant vow,
Though we see Thee wounded, bleeding,
See Thy thorn-encircled brow?
Yet Thy sinless death hath brought us
Life eternal, peace, and rest;
Only what Thy grace hath taught us
Calms the sinner’s stormy breast.
—GIROLAMO SAVONAROLA, 1454–1498
When Jesus breathed His last, it seemed He was gone forever. But God had other plans, as we’ll see.
— Pastor Chuck SwindollAdapted by Insight for Living staff from The Darkness and the Dawn by Charles R. Swindoll. Copyright © 2001 by Charles R. Swindoll, Inc. Used by permission of HarperCollins Christian Publishing. www.harpercollinschristian.com
