Seven times, Jesus spoke from the cross. His seventh utterance is recorded by the physician: “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit!” (Luke 23:46, ESV). We can suppose that a doctor, like Luke, had seen many men die. Some fought death and cursed God. Others, with their dying breath, begged with fear-filled eyes, asking the grim-reaper to go away. A few others passed from this life, into everlasting life, with confident faith and peaceful hope. This was the passing of Jes

“It is finished” (John 19:30). This was NOT the cry of a victim, but the exclamation of a Victor! Yes, His suffering was about to its conclusion. He had been betrayed, mocked, tried in a kangaroo court, condemned, beaten and crucified. He had hung naked and bloodied before the throngs for six awful hours. Soon He would make His seventh and final utterance from the cross: “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit!” (Luke 23:46, ESV). “It is finished” was certainly NOT code f

Psalm twenty-two paints an accurate and appalling picture of Jesus’ crucifixion... We know that David penned the word in 1,000 BC +/-, but as you read them, see the portrait of Jesus’ crucifixion... They “pierced His hands and feet” (Psalm 22:16). As the weight of the dying Man’s body pulled Him downward, His shoulders were “pulled out of joint” (Psalm 22:14). An onlooker could have easily counted his ribs (Psalm 22:17). In anguish, He cried out, “My God, my God, why have you

The crucified Lord Jesus hung upon the cursed tree for six agonizing hours... from 9:00 in the morning until 3:00 in the afternoon. At noon, with the sun high in the sky, suddenly “there was darkness over all the land” (Matthew 27:45, ESV). Like someone flipped the switched, the lights went out! Oh, it wasn’t just dim... it was dark... utterly, totally, pitch-black darkness... Remember, at the beginning of creation, God said, “Let there be light” (Genesis 1:3). As the Son of

Standing at the foot of Calvary’s cross, watching in quiet, agonizing grief, was a mom. Mary, the mother of Jesus, watched her eldest child die ... a most excruciating death. Of the seven recorded sayings of Christ from the cross, the most heart-breaking... and at the same time, the most heart-warming, is this: “Woman, behold your son” and to John, “behold your mother!” (John 19:26-27, ESV). Mary had imagined holding her son when the angel announced, “You will conceive and gi

Three men were crucified, enduring the excruciating agony of this most inhumane death sentence. One was Jesus, the King of the Jews (Matthew 27:37). The other two were criminals (Luke 23:39), accused, tried, and found guilty of robbery (Matthew 27:38, Mark 15:27). Jesus hung between the others (John 19:18) where each of the criminals had equal access. They could each see Him. They could hear Him. They watched as Jesus died. “Those who passed by derided (Jesus), wagging their

It was a spring day in Jerusalem with blossoms and blooms and birds. And people. The ancient walled city was crowded with throngs of pilgrims, present for the Passover festivities. There was something in the air that Friday morning. It was not celebratory electricity or excitement. It was a heavy shroud... a pall. For just outside the city walls, three men were being executed, Roman-style. Crucifixion. One of the men suffering at the hands of the soldiers was Jesus, an itiner

Jesus said, “The kingdom of heaven is like a grain of mustard seed” (Matthew 13:31, ESV). The mustard seed is a teeny-tiny little thing, smaller than a match-head. But when that little guy germinates and grows to maturity, it becomes a large bush. Likewise, the origins of the church were quite humble, starting with just twelve, it grew to 120 by the time of Jesus’ ascension (Acts 1:15). Soon after, their numbers grew by 3000 (Acts 2:41), and then to over 5000 (Acts 4:4). Now,

“As he sat on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately, saying, ‘Tell us, when will these things be, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?’ ” (Matthew 24:3, ESV). For the remainder of the chapter, Jesus revealed future events. Jesus promised that before the end there will be a season of widespread difficulties and distress. Earthquakes, wars, famine, persecution, and more. He promises that false teachers will lead many astray. The

Just before Jesus told the Parable of the Good Samaritan, a “lawyer stood up to put him to the test, saying, ‘Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?’ ” (Luke 10:25, ESV). The lawyer was hoping that Jesus would say something blasphemous. He didn’t. He answered the question with a question. “What is written in the Law? How do you read it?” (Luke 10:26, ESV). The lawyer, an expert in the law, answered, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all