Old Testament Reading: Psalm 31

“TO THE CHOIRMASTER. A PSALM OF DAVID. In you, O LORD, do I take refuge; let me never be put to shame; in your righteousness deliver me! Incline your ear to me; rescue me speedily! Be a rock of refuge for me, a strong fortress to save me! For you are my rock and my fortress; and for your name’s sake you lead me and guide me; you take me out of the net they have hidden for me, for you are my refuge. Into your hand I commit my spirit; you have redeemed me, O LORD, faithful God. I hate those who pay regard to worthless idols, but I trust in the LORD. I will rejoice and be glad in your steadfast love, because you have seen my affliction; you have known the distress of my soul, and you have not delivered me into the hand of the enemy; you have set my feet in a broad place. Be gracious to me, O LORD, for I am in distress; my eye is wasted from grief; my soul and my body also. For my life is spent with sorrow, and my years with sighing; my strength fails because of my iniquity, and my bones waste away. Because of all my adversaries I have become a reproach, especially to my neighbors, and an object of dread to my acquaintances; those who see me in the street flee from me. I have been forgotten like one who is dead; I have become like a broken vessel. For I hear the whispering of many— terror on every side!— as they scheme together against me, as they plot to take my life. But I trust in you, O LORD; I say, ‘You are my God.’ My times are in your hand; rescue me from the hand of my enemies and from my persecutors! Make your face shine on your servant; save me in your steadfast love! O LORD, let me not be put to shame, for I call upon you; let the wicked be put to shame; let them go silently to Sheol. Let the lying lips be mute, which speak insolently against the righteous in pride and contempt. Oh, how abundant is your goodness, which you have stored up for those who fear you and worked for those who take refuge in you, in the sight of the children of mankind! In the cover of your presence you hide them from the plots of men; you store them in your shelter from the strife of tongues. Blessed be the LORD, for he has wondrously shown his steadfast love to me when I was in a besieged city. I had said in my alarm, ‘I am cut off from your sight.’ But you heard the voice of my pleas for mercy when I cried to you for help. Love the LORD, all you his saints! The LORD preserves the faithful but abundantly repays the one who acts in pride. Be strong, and let your heart take courage, all you who wait for the LORD!” (Psalm 31, ESV)

New Testament Reading: Luke 23:44-49

“It was now about the sixth hour, and there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour, while the sun’s light failed. And the curtain of the temple was torn in two. Then Jesus, calling out with a loud voice, said, ‘Father, into your hands I commit my spirit!’ And having said this he breathed his last. Now when the centurion saw what had taken place, he praised God, saying, ‘Certainly this man was innocent!’ And all the crowds that had assembled for this spectacle, when they saw what had taken place, returned home beating their breasts. And all his acquaintances and the women who had followed him from Galilee stood at a distance watching these things.” (Luke 23:44–49, ESV)

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Please excuse any typos and misspellings within this manuscript. It has been published online for the benefit of the saints of Emmaus Reformed Baptist Church, but without the benefit of proofreading.

Sermon

Here in the text that is open before us today, we consider the death of the Son of God. 

You have probably noticed that in the introduction to the last few sermons, I have emphasized Jesus’ divinity. That Jesus was and is truly human is clear in the texts we have been considering. A traitorous friend betrayed him. He was taken captive by his enemies. His closest companion denied that he knew him. He was falsely accused, mocked, beaten, and unjustly condemned. Jesus experienced sorrow and anguish in his soul. His body was bruised. His blood was shed. His physical strength failed him—he could not carry his cross to the place of his crucifixion. Nails were driven through his hands and feet. Finally, he was lifted up from the earth on a cross of wood and was made a spectacle before men. There he died a slow, painful death. That Jesus was truly human is clear, for he suffered and died as only a human can do. But as we contemplate the man Jesus—the sufferings he endured, and the death that he died—we must not forget who he is. He is the person of the eternal Son or Word of God, incarnate (see Luke 1:32, 35; Matthew 1:23; John 1:1-14). So then, it was God who was betrayed; it was God who was put on trial; it was God who was condemned; it was God who was beaten, who bled, was crucified, and died.  

Does it sound strange to you to hear me say that God endured these mistreatments? Does it sound odd to hear me say that God bled and died? If you know the truth about God, comments like these should grab your attention and move you to ask, How can it be that the one who is infinite, eternal, and unchangeable could experience these things? How can it be that God, who knows all things and has all power, could be taken captive by sinful men? How can it be that God, who is a most pure spirit, without a body, parts, or passions, could suffer in this way? How can God be bruised? How can God bleed? Finally, how can the one who has “all life, glory, goodness, blessedness, in and of himself”—the all-sufficient one—die (Second London confession 2.2)? The answer is this: it was not the divine nature that suffered, bled, and died, but the person or subsistence of the eternally begotten Son. It was the person of the Word or Son who suffered, bled, and died, not according to his divine nature, but through the human nature he has assumed. In this way, God, who cannot suffer, bleed, or die, suffered, bled, and died for us and for our salvation (see Acts 20:28). It is a great mystery, brothers and sisters. It is beyond our ability to comprehend, but it is true. This is what it took to redeem us from our sin and misery. It took a man to redeem men and women from their sin and misery, but no mere man could do it, given our sin and weakness. God had to do this work, and he has done it. Jesus Christ is a true man, but he is no mere man, and so our Savior’s name is Immanuel, which means God with us (see Matthew 1:23). 

Today, we will contemplate the death of Jesus Christ, the Son of God incarnate. The words that men say, and the words that are said to them or about them at the moment of their death, are weighty and significant. Let us consider, therefore, what Jesus said and what was said about him at the time of his death. In this text, we encounter words from God in heaven, words from sinners on earth, and words from Jesus himself.    

Words Spoken By God From Heaven

First, let us consider the words spoken by God from heaven. 

To be clear, these words spoken by God were not audible words heard with the ear; rather, they were visible words, or signs, perceived with the eye. Luke mentions two signs. 

First, he reports that as Jesus hung on the cross, there was darkness over the whole land from noon to 3:00 PM. 

This was a very ominous sign. Can you imagine it? Imagine being one of the members of the Sanhedrin who saw to it that Jesus was crucified. Or put yourself in Pilate’s shoes. He knew that Jesus was innocent, and yet he condemned him to avoid difficulty. Or imagine being one of the Roman soldiers who beat Jesus or who drove the nails through his hands and feet. Or place yourself amongst the crowds who witnessed all of this. To one degree or another, everyone knew that Jesus claimed to be more than a mere man—he claimed to be the Son of God, the King of the Jews, the Messiah. When darkness covered the land for three hours as Jesus hung on the cross, all could perceive that something truly momentous was happening. 

Some think that this was a perfectly timed solar eclipse. But this cannot be for two reasons. One, astronomers can calculate past events, and there were no solar eclipses near the time of Jesus’ crucifixion. Two, solar eclipses do not last three hours—not even close. This was a supernatural event. It was a sign from heaven. 

And what did the three hours of darkness signify? It communicated that Jesus was no mere man, but was from heaven. It signified that something momentous was happening—things in heaven and on earth were being shaken. It signified that something dark was happening—the Son of God had been unjustly condemned and crucified. And we know that the sins of those who were given to Christ by the Father in eternity were at this time laid upon him so that he could atone for them. As the Apostle says, “For our sake [God] made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God” (2 Corinthians 5:21, ESV). Christ Jesus took our sins upon himself and atoned for them through his shed blood. He bore the wrath of God in our place. 

Luke does not record this saying of Jesus, but Matthew and Mark do. “Now from the sixth hour there was darkness over all the land until the ninth hour. And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, ‘Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?’ that is, ‘My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?’” (Matthew 27:45–46, ESV). What does it mean that Christ was forsaken by God? It must have to do with the atonement or propitiation that he made for our sins. It must have to do with the fact that he bore God’s wrath in our place. Did God utterly forsake Christ? Well, no. God upheld him and raised him up on the third day. But the man Jesus did feel forsaken as he took upon himself the full weight and guilt of every sin committed by every one of his elect in every age to pay the price for them. Yes, the physical pain that Jesus endured was great—it must have hurt terribly to be beaten and whipped, to have a crown of thorns pressed down onto his head, to have nails driven through his hands and feet, and to hang on that cross for hours. But I believe the anguish Christ felt in his soul was greater (Isaiah 53:11), as he bore the sins of many on that tree (Isaiah 53:12).

As it pertains to this event being momentous, the darkness was a sign that the last days (the days of the New Covenant) had arrived and that the former days (the days of the Old Covenant) had come to an end. Amos 8, which was written over 700 years before the birth of Christ, is a key text. There, the LORD declared through the prophet that, “The end has come upon my people Israel” (Amos 8:2, ESV). When would this be? When would the end come upon Old Covenant Israel?  In verse 9, we read, “‘And on that day,’ declares the Lord GOD, ‘I will make the sun go down at noon and darken the earth in broad daylight. I will turn your feasts into mourning and all your songs into lamentation; I will bring sackcloth on every waist and baldness on every head; I will make it like the mourning for an only son and the end of it like a bitter day’” (Amos 8:9–10, ESV). When darkness covered the earth from noon til 3:00 PM, it was to fulfill this prophecy and to show that the end of Old Covenant Israel had come. The members of the Sanhedrin and most of the Jewish people would have been familiar with this prophecy, and others like it (Joel 2:1-2, 10, 30-32). They must have seen it as ominous. 

The second sign that Luke mentions is found in verse 45: “And the curtain of the temple was torn in two” (Luke 23:45, ESV). Matthew and Mark add this detail: “…from top to bottom” (Mark 15:38, ESV). Matthew tells us that “the earth shook, and the rocks were split” (Matthew 27:51, ESV) (see Joel 2:10). So, a lot was happening as Jesus hung on the cross. And all of these occurrences, perfectly timed by the providence of God, communicated things about Jesus and his death. 

What did the tearing (from top to bottom) of that gigantic curtain, which separated the Holy Place from the Most Holy Place in the temple, communicate? Two things: One, it communicated that God was done with that Old Covenant Temple, its priesthood, and its sacrifices. Jesus, it must be remembered, predicted the destruction of the Temple (Luke 21:5-9). It would be destroyed in the year 70 AD in fulfillment of the prophecies uttered by Jesus. The tearing of the curtain from top to bottom was a precursor. It was a sign that the Old Covenant order was soon to pass away. Two, the tearing of the curtain from top to bottom was a sign that God had opened up the way into his presence, that is to say, into the heavenly Holy of Holies, through the death of Jesus. The Holy of Holies of the Old Covenant temple symbolized heaven. No one except the high priest could enter that portion of the temple, and only once a year, having been cleansed with washings and with animal blood. This communicated that the way into God’s presence had not yet been opened up fully. Sinners were kept at a distance. But through the death of Christ, the way into heaven was opened up. This is also what the tearing of the curtain in the temple signified. Think of it, God could have sent another sign to communicate that he was done with the Old Covenant temple and its order. An earthquake could have damaged the walls or knocked over one of its lavers, etc. But by rending the curtain that separated the Holy Place from the Holy of Holies, God also communicated that Jesus the Messiah, through his death, had opened up the way into the very presence of God in heaven. 

You might recall that the Apostle comes to the same conclusion, saying, in Hebrews 10:19, “Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus, by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain, that is, through his flesh, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful” (Hebrews 10:19–23, ESV).

When Jesus hung on that cross and died, God spoke from heaven concerning him. He did not speak with words, but with signs and wonders. Those who were familiar with the Old Testament Scriptures should have known exactly what these signs meant. But even the Gentiles who knew not the Scriptures could understand that God was speaking through these signs. They could comprehend that Jesus was no mere man, but was from heaven, and that something momentous was taking place.   

Words Spoken By Sinners On Earth

This brings us to the second portion of this sermon, wherein we will consider the words spoken by sinners on earth. 

First, consider the words uttered by a Roman centurion. A centurion was a commander of about 100 men in the Roman army. This man was no ordinary soldier, therefore, but was likely over the soldiers tasked with carrying out these three crucifixions on this day. When he witnessed the signs and wonders, and after Jesus breathed his last breath, Luke tells us that the centurion “praised God, saying, ‘Certainly this man was innocent!’” (Luke 23:47, ESV). Was this profession of faith in Jesus as the Messiah? Did this centaurian turn from his sins and confess Jesus as Lord? I cannot say for sure. But one thing is clear. Based upon what he observed—the signs and wonders and Jesus’ conduct on the cross—this centurion was convinced of Jesus’ innocence. 

Three things intrigue me about this centurion. One, Luke tells us that he praised, or gave glory to, God. I wonder what he did to indicate this? Did he fall to his knees? Did he lift his hands to heaven? Did he cry aloud? Whatever he did, it was clear that he gave glory to God. Two, I wonder how Luke knew about this centurion’s confession? I can see two possibilities. Perhaps this man cried aloud so that the bystanders could hear him, and then, word spread. Or perhaps this centurion did become a follower of Jesus, and his confession at the foot of the cross was reported within the churches. The third thing that intrigues me about this centurion is recorded in Matthew and Mark. He not only confessed that Jesus was innocent, but that he was the Son of God, Matthew 27:54 says, “When the centurion and those who were with him, keeping watch over Jesus, saw the earthquake and what took place, they were filled with awe and said, ‘Truly this was the Son of God!’” (Matthew 27:54, ESV). Mark puts it this way: “And when the centurion, who stood facing him, saw that in this way he breathed his last, he said, ‘Truly this man was the Son of God!’” (Mark 15:39, ESV). 

Secondly, consider what the multitudes who witnessed this spectacle said about Jesus’ crucifixion. Verse 48: “And all the crowds that had assembled for this spectacle, when they saw what had taken place, returned home beating their breasts” (Luke 23:48, ESV). This means they grieved, openly mourned, and perhaps even repented over the injustice that they saw. This fulfilled the prophecy of Zechariah 12:10. The LORD spoke through Zechariah the prophet over 500 years before Jesus was born, saying, “I will pour out on the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem a spirit of grace and pleas for mercy, so that, when they look on me, on him whom they have pierced, they shall mourn for him, as one mourns for an only child, and weep bitterly over him, as one weeps over a firstborn” (Zechariah 12:1, 10, ESV). What a marvelous prophecy this is. Did you catch it? It was the LORD (YHWH) who said, when the people “look on me, on him whom they have pierced…” Whom did they pierce? They pierced the LORD (YHWH), the Son of God incarnate? And what would the people do? They would grieve and mourn. And how would they mourn? “[A]s one mourns for an only child, and weep bitterly over him, as one weeps over a firstborn.” Indeed, the multitudes who witnessed the crucifixion of Jesus did mourn over the crucifixion of YHWH, particularly, the crucifixion of the only and eternally begotten Son of God.

Thirdly, consider what the acquaintances of Jesus said, not with their words, but by their actions. Verse 49: “And all his acquaintances and the women who had followed him from Galilee stood at a distance watching these things” (Luke 23:49, ESV). This communicated two things: interest and uncertainty. I do believe this fulfills what was said by King David, who was a type of the Christ to come. In Psalm 31:1, he said, “Because of all my adversaries I have become a reproach, especially to my neighbors, and an object of dread to my acquaintances; those who see me in the street flee from me” (Psalm 31:11, ESV). And in Psalm 38:11, David says, “My friends and companions stand aloof from my plague, and my nearest kin stand far off” (Psalm 38:11, ESV). Yes, Jesus’ true friends and close acquaintances would, after his resurrection, draw near to him. But when Jesus was crucified, most of them stood afar off in horror, dread, and despair. They did not know what to think or do at this time. It would take the resurrection of Jesus to open their eyes to God’s plan of redemption. 

So then, when we consider the words of sinners on earth, we observe three things: One, it is the most unlikely of people who give glory to God, confess that Jesus was innocent, and that he was the Son of God—a Roman centurion (and some of his fellow soldiers). This anticipates the advancement of the kingdom of God amongst the most unlikely of people, namely, the Gentiles. Two, even the multitudes could see that a great injustice had been committed. They came to see a spectacle, and they went home beating their chests in mourning and grief. This anticipates the great success of the gospel of Jesus Christ amongst the Jews in the earliest days of the church. On the day of Pentecost and shortly thereafter, thousands of Jews would be cut to the heart and brought to repentance and faith in Jesus through the preaching of the gospel (Acts 2:37). Three, when Luke tells us that the close acquaintances of Jesus stood afar off, it anticipates their sorrow and uncertainty between Jesus’ crucificion and resurrection on the third day. These disciples of Jesus were despondent. They would have to be convinced that Jesus was the Son of God and Messiah by nothing less than his resurrection from the dead.  

Words Spoken By Jesus From The Cross

We have considered words spoken by God from heaven and words spoken by sinners from on earth. Let us now consider, briefly, the words spoken by Jesus from the cross. Luke reports only these (verse 46): “Then Jesus, calling out with a loud voice, said, ‘Father, into your hands I commit my spirit!’ And having said this he breathed his last” (Luke 23:46, ESV).

When Jesus committed his spirit into God’s hands, he was entrusting God with his human soul, or life. When a human being dies, his body is laid in the grave to decay, but his soul lives on, and so it was with Jesus’ human soul. He, the eternal Son of God, assumed a human nature. He has a human body and a human soul. And immediately before his physical death, he committed his soul to God the Father, saying, “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit!” 

In this act, Christ teaches us what we must do when our death draws near. We, too, must commit our spirits or souls into the care of our Father in heaven. This is what Steven, the first martyr of the church, did before he died. “And as they were stoning Stephen, he called out, ‘Lord Jesus, receive my spirit” (Acts 7:59, ESV). Isn’t it interesting that Steven cried out to the Lord Jesus? Why? It is only because Jesus has died and risen again that we may have confidence to be received by God in heaven when we die. We will be received by God in heaven because of Jesus. Our souls will enter heaven because he has opened up the way through his shed blood and his victorious resurrection. God the Father kept Jesus. He did not abandon Jesus’ soul to Sheol, or allow his body to see corruption or decay (see Psalm 16:10). And it is because God the Father kept Jesus, body and soul, that we may have confidence that he will keep us too, if we are united to Jesus by faith. And so, we should pray the prayer of Jesus every day, and especially as the day of our death draws near, saying, “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit!” 

Conclusion

I’ll move this sermon toward a conclusion now by making a few brief suggestions for application. 

First, as you consider the words spoken by God from heaven through the signs and wonders he performed, consider the greatness of Christ, the supreme significance of the crucifixion of Christ, and what was accomplished there on that cross, and respond accordingly. 

Consider the greatness of Jesus. He, being the eternal Son of God, came down from heaven. He suffered and died for us and for our salvation. Consider the greatness of his person and the greatness of his love. Oh, what love Christ has shown to sinners! What mercy and grace! How can we not respond to his love with love? How could we not worship and adore him, and out of gratitude for what he has done, seek to obey him from this day forward?     

Consider also the momentousness of that event. A New Covenant was established by Christ when he died and rose again; his eternal kingdom began; and a new creation was ushered in. All of this was accomplished through the suffering and death of the Son of God on the cross. That old wooden cross was a tree of death for Jesus, but it is a tree of life for us (see Galatians 3:13-14). If we wish to have the promised blessings of the New Covenant, be citizens in Christ’s eternal kingdom, and taste the goodness of the new creation, we must be found in Christ, united to him by faith. If you have not yet done so, you must turn from your sins and trust in Jesus today. If you have faith in Jesus, you must abide in him. 

And as you contemplate the darkness that covered the land when Jesus hung on that cross, consider how awful the crucifixion of Jesus was. Yes, he suffered physically, but he suffered in his soul more. Do not forget that he who knew no sin became sin on that cross. Do not forget that Christ took the sins of all who believe in him upon himself to pay the full penalty and to bear God’s wrath in our place. As we consider this, we should be moved to love Jesus more and to cling ever more tightly to him. 

Secondly, as you contemplate the words spoken by sinners on earth as Christ hung on the cross, I pray that you would be moved to draw near to Jesus and to give God glory for Christ and the cross. It will do you no good to stand afar off from Jesus and to merely contemplate him; it will do you no good to walk away from the spectacle of the cross, grieving over the injustices perpetrated there. No, to benefit from the work Jesus has done, you must draw near to him. You must turn from your sins, come to the foot of the cross, and trust Jesus, giving God all glory, honor, and praise. You and I are not innocent, but Christ, the innocent one, died in our place. I pray that you would comprehend God’s plan of redemption and draw near to Jesus, trusting in him, for the forgiveness of your sins. 

Thirdly, and finally, as you contemplate the words spoken by Jesus from the cross — “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit!” — I pray that you would do the same day by day, and especially when the day of your death draws near. Dear friends, we must commit our souls into the care of our Father in heaven. And the only reason we can do this with confidence is that Jesus Christ, the eternally begotten Son of God, has died for us and for our salvation, and rose again on the third day, securing for us right standing before God and the hope of life everlasting.