We continue, with Selwyn, to consider the last words of Jesus uttered on the cross, just before His death: ‘Father, into your hands I commit my spirit.’ How wonderful it will be when it comes time for us to say these words and pass from the imperfection of this world into a perfect heaven with our amazing God, arms wide open to welcome us.
I thought this was a really good study. Selwyn’s introduction is great: “The point we are making as we meditate on our Lord’s final words on the cross is this: Jesus Christ could commit Himself into the hands of His Father because in life He had committed Himself to His Father. … Commitment is most easy in death amongst those for whom it has been most easy in life. … In every moment of His life Jesus committed Himself to His Father’s will and so, in the moment of His dying, the final commitment came easily to Him. … It reveals the heartfelt union of His will with the will of the One who permitted Him to be put to death.”
In one sense I’m anxious about the possible, physical pain of death but this is more than cancelled out by the assurance I have that Jesus will help me through this difficult process. In life, I try to discern what is my Father’s work and ask Jesus for His help to do this work. I know that Jesus has overcome death and through Him I will live.
The last words of Selwyn are worth thinking about – long after you have read them: “I can’t be sure about this, but it seems to me that our Lord sank contently into death as He did into sleep, in the sure knowledge that He was safe in His Father’s arms.” Do you agree?
“Safe in the Father’s arms”
We continue, with Selwyn, to consider the last words of Jesus uttered on the cross, just before His death: ‘Father, into your hands I commit my spirit.’ How wonderful it will be when it comes time for us to say these words and pass from the imperfection of this world into a perfect heaven with our amazing God, arms wide open to welcome us.
I thought this was a really good study. Selwyn’s introduction is great: “The point we are making as we meditate on our Lord’s final words on the cross is this: Jesus Christ could commit Himself into the hands of His Father because in life He had committed Himself to His Father. … Commitment is most easy in death amongst those for whom it has been most easy in life. … In every moment of His life Jesus committed Himself to His Father’s will and so, in the moment of His dying, the final commitment came easily to Him. … It reveals the heartfelt union of His will with the will of the One who permitted Him to be put to death.”
In one sense I’m anxious about the possible, physical pain of death but this is more than cancelled out by the assurance I have that Jesus will help me through this difficult process. In life, I try to discern what is my Father’s work and ask Jesus for His help to do this work. I know that Jesus has overcome death and through Him I will live.
The last words of Selwyn are worth thinking about – long after you have read them: “I can’t be sure about this, but it seems to me that our Lord sank contently into death as He did into sleep, in the sure knowledge that He was safe in His Father’s arms.” Do you agree?