Matthew 27:50

Matthew 27:50

And after Jesus cried out again with a great voice He sent His Spirit away.

Thoughts for Today

First Thought:

Once more Jesus cried out.  I may be making more of it than I should, but I think it is worth remembering the point I brought out a few days back.  When Jesus cries out, He no doubt draws all eyes to Him.  The world looks on as He dies.  Even in the persecution of the cross, He is crying out to draw us to His example.

Are you willing to draw people to God even through your suffering?  Why do we tend to hide in the midst of suffering?

Second Thought:

I also find power in this verse.  Jesus has been beaten.  He has been flogged. He has carried His cross out of Jerusalem.  He has been nailed to a cross.  His strength should be gone.  He should be tired, broken, and belittled.  Yet His voice is still great.  His greatness is not defined by this world or His position in it or His reputation.  His greatness is defined by the Father and His obedience to Him.

What allows Jesus to be great, even upon the cross?  Are you great in the midst of your suffering?  In what way does our greatness in God as borne through suffering mark who we are as an individual?

Third Thought:

The phrase “yielded up His Spirit” is a very interesting phrase.  It is an idiom that literally means “to send away the spirit” as I have translated here.  It is a word of submission.  It is a word of surrender.  Jesus surrenders here at this moment.  He surrenders to death.  He voluntarily stops struggling against the punishment of the cross and dies.   Jesus does not die after a great struggle preventing death.  Jesus struggles and wrestles against the sin of the world and submits to death so that God can demonstrate His power.  Jesus submits so the Father can act through Him.

How do you submit?  Are you willing to submit even into death?  Do you believe God can have victory even over death?

Passage for Tomorrow: Matthew 27:51-53