It was now about noon, and darkness came over the whole land until three, because the sun’s light failed. The curtain of the sanctuary was split down the middle. And Jesus called out with a loud voice, “Father, into your hands I entrust my spirit.” Saying this, he breathed his last.”
Luke 23:44-46
Though fully God, Jesus was also fully human. Because of this, he experienced grief, sorrow, anger, and disappointment. He hungered and thirsted, and grew tired, just as we do. He treasured friendships and knew joy. Imagine the sound of his laughter. And in his humanity, he experienced suffering and pain.
As Jesus traveled to Jerusalem at the approach of Holy Week, he knew his fate: arrest, torture, and an agonizing death. But it didn’t deter him—he set off firmly and unflinchingly, committed to finishing his mission. There would be no backing out.
And yet, as he rounded the last curve and crested the last hill, when the city came into view, he wept. “As he approached and saw the city, he wept over it…” Luke 19:41
It wasn’t his fate that grieved him; it was the fate of the Jews. “If you, even you, had only known on this day what would bring you peace—but now it is hidden from your eyes.”
What must the disciples and his followers have thought?
After composing Himself, Christ went directly to the Temple and drove out those who were selling their wares, making his “house of prayer…a den of thieves…” Luke 19:45-46
The defilement Jesus saw in the temple was a mirror of the sins he sees in us, for which he was preparing to substitute with his righteousness on the Cross.
“Don’t you yourselves know that you are God’s temple and that the spirit of God lives in you? If someone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy him; for God’s temple is holy, and that is what you are.” (1 Cor 3:16-17)
This week, as we are reminded of the cross that awaited our Savior, and the empty tomb three days later, worship Him not only as God, the Creator, but also as Son of Man, the Redeemer. May we always seek to walk in a way worthy of His sacrifice.
It is finished. He has risen!
Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank You for pouring over us Your extravagant grace—loving us so much that You sent Your One and only Son to cleanse us and bring us back to You. Please forgive us for living lives that are often divided, one foot in the world and one in heaven. Forgive us for how we stray and forget. Please Lord, help us to live out Your desire for us—to increasingly become more Christ-like. May we never forget who You are, and who we are in You. To remember that You have a plan and a purpose, whatever our struggle—and that You are with us always.
