Luke 23:46
“And when Jesus had cried out with a loud voice, He said, “Father, into Your hands I commit My spirit.’” Having said this, He breathed His last."
Fulfillment
Jesus speaks one last time. After declaring the work of the cross finished He then commits His spirit to the Father. He has endured ridicule, beatings, a crown of thorns, humiliation and the cross out of His great love for us. He has fulfilled prophecy time and time again.
Psalm 22:16-18 says:
"For dogs have surrounded me; the congregation of the wicked has enclosed Me. They pierced My hands and My feet; I can count all My bones. They look and stare at Me. They divide My garments among them, And for My clothing they cast lots."
David wrote the words of Psalm 22. And he wrote these words, "they pierced my hands and my feet" some 500 years or so before crucifixion was even invented as a form of execution by King Darius of the Persians in 519 BC. There was no form of execution that existed when David wrote this Psalm that involved the piercing of the hands and feet.
Again, prophecy.
Now, being that it was the Passover, His body and the bodies of those two thieves, had to be removed from their crosses before the Sabbath (this was the Great Sabbath that occurred during the Passover "for that Sabbath was a high day" John 19:31) and preparation for the second seder began. In order to expedite their deaths, the legs of the two thieves were broken. This was done because, as I explained on day one, in order to breathe they had to push off their feet and lift their bodies upward to take in enough oxygen. By breaking their legs, they ensured they would not be able to breathe and would die.
When they came to Jesus, John 19:33 says they saw He was already dead. So instead of breaking His legs they pierced His side just to be certain. No bones broken. He can count all His bones.
Piercing his side from the ground would have caused the spear to enter upward at an angle. Blood and water flowed out. They likely punctured the pericardial sac causing pericardial fluid to come out. Pericardial fluid contains blood and a clear fluid that they likely described as water. So the fluid that flowed from Jesus was likely this pericardial fluid.
Psalm 22:14 says:
".....My heart is like wax; It has melted within Me."
The mixture of blood and water likely resembled melted wax.
Jesus, our Savior, was gone. But only for a time. We know His resurrection is certain. He will rise from the grave, defeating sin and death! His victory is assured. The veil of the temple torn in two, opening up the Holy of Holies. No longer was a High Priest needed. We now had a High Priest who paid the price, once and for all, giving us direct access to God. We can boldly come before the throne of grace!!
Psalm 22:30-31:
"A posterity shall serve Him. It will be recounted of the Lord to the next generation. They will come and declare His righteousness to a people who will be born, that He has done this."
To a people who will be born.....to us...to our children...to our grandchildren and onward until He returns. He gave His life a ransom for many through ALL generations.
Praise Him!!
Comments
Post a Comment