The Humanity of Jesus on the Cross!
Jesus was the Son of God. He was God in the flesh. “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God…And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth” (John 1:1, 14).
But when Jesus died on the cross, He was a Man. The writer of Hebrews: “…It is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment” (Hebrews 9:27). How did Jesus face death? What did He do or say when He was close to His death?
Jesus was Conscious of His Death!
Jesus foretold His death on the cross. More so, He was conscious of the time that was at hand when He prayed in the garden: “And He was withdrawn from them about a stone’s throw, and He knelt down and prayed, saying, ‘Father, if it is Your will, take this cup away from Me; nevertheless, not My will, but Yours, be done.’ Then an angel appeared to Him from heaven, strengthening Him. And being in agony, He prayed more earnestly. Then His sweat became like great drops of blood falling down to the ground” (Luke 22:41-44).
Are you conscious of your mortality? I am not asking this question to inflict fear, but the Bible admonishes us to number our days: “So teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom” (Psalm 90:12).
Jesus shows us, that when we are close to death and are conscious of it, we call upon the most important people in our lives: (1) God, and (2) Our closest loved ones!
I have seen at least four deaths in my family:
· My grandfather – I was five years old and playing in the streets when I was called to the bedside of my grandfather. I heard his prophecy about me and the two brothers younger than me. Then he looked at my mother and prophesied over the fourth son she would conceive in the immediate future. My youngest brother was born two years after my grandfather’s death! His final words before he closed his eyes: “I am going to partake of the fruit of the Tree of Life in heaven!”
· My Grandmother – I was 18 when my grandmother called me to her bedside and told me on a Friday morning: “Jesus told me that He would take me home Sunday at 2:00 AM.” The next two days, I watched her describing heaven and counting the number of angels flooding the room. She was awestruck at the countenance of Jesus who was close to her in her last moments! Her last words: “My Jesus has come! I am going home with Him!” It was exactly 2:00 AM, Sunday morning!
· My Great aunt – I was 25 years old when I was called to the bedside of my great aunt. She couldn’t speak but whispered at the last moment: “The angels have come, and I am going home!”
· My Mother – I was 32 years old, and doing my graduate studies at Penn State. I had to rush home leaving behind Hema (we were married the previous year) to see my mother in her last moments. The Lord gave me the indication that my mom had but 7 days before He would take her home. I saw her struggling in the hospital with ovarian cancer. Her stomach was filled with fluid, and she could not lie back down. I spent 6 full days from morning till night, leaning her on my shoulders, singing songs, and praying with her. As she had done countless times, she once again described how God promised her four sons before she was conceived with the first one, and that the firstborn would serve Him as God’s servant. She was proud of how God led me to come into His service! It was the seventh day morning when I visited her. She was struggling without speech. I said to her: "Mom, you are going to be all right.” She shook her head sideways, looked up, and made the sign that she was leaving for her heavenly home.
Most recently, when we were in Quito, Ecuador for ministry, I was hospitalized in a critical condition on October 21, 2023. It was early morning around 3 AM that day, when I was gasping for breath and realized that I was close to death. The doctors in the ER confirmed the same. Immediately, I called upon the Lord for His mercy and grace to intervene, and then told the doctors that I wanted to see Hema and Rachel who were with me in that great nation for ministry. God heard my cry and when I opened my eyes, I saw the two most beautiful faces in all the world (Hema’s and Rachel’s) looking at me. The prayer I prayed was that of David for himself: “O God, You have taught me from my youth; and to this day I declare Your wondrous works. Now also when I am old and gray-headed, O God, do not forsake me, until I declare Your strength to this generation, Your power to everyone who is to come” (Psalm 71:17-18). We thanked the Lord together for His miracle intervention, finished our ministry, and departed that great nation on schedule.
In all cases in my family and a few others, I have seen the godly examples conscious of God and their closest loved ones surrounding them in their last moments. Jesus’ last moments on the cross prove that it is all right for us to pray to God to make us conscious to know when God will call us home with God’s presence filling us and our loved ones surrounding us.
Think of this for a moment – Who do you want to call in your last moment? Who do you want to share your precious last moments with? The answer to both questions will reveal your relationship with God and your loved ones!
Jesus Was Closest to the Father!
Jesus called on God three times when He was on the cross:
1) Word of Forgiveness: Jesus’ first statement was a prayer to the Father: “Then Jesus said, ‘Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do’” (Luke 23:34). That describes the character of Jesus leaving the earth with forgiveness close to His death.
2) Word of Abandonment: “And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, ‘Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani?’ that is, ‘My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?’” (Matthew 27:46). Jesus felt forsaken as He carried the weight of our sins and cried out to God for help.
3) Word of Reunion: “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” (Luke 23:46). Jesus knew where He came from and where He was going: “Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into His hands and that He had come from God and was going to God” (John 13:3).
Jesus’ first and last words were prayers to the Father. Jesus was closest to His Heavenly Father and Jesus calling on the Father speaks of His righteousness and right standing with God to the very end!
Jesus Finished His Last Earthly Act with His Mother!
Word of Love and Reconciliation: “Now there stood by the cross of Jesus His mother, and His mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. When Jesus therefore saw His mother, and the disciple whom He loved standing by, He said to His mother, ‘Woman, behold your son!’ Then He said to the disciple, ‘Behold your mother!’ And from that hour that disciple took her to his own home” (John 19:25-27).
Jesus loved and respected His earthly mother, Mary, and loved John the Beloved! When Jesus saw them standing together, He handed Mary to John to love her and care for her.
Jesus Saved the Thief on the Cross!
Word of Salvation: “Then one of the criminals who were hanged blasphemed Him, saying, ‘If You are the Christ, save Yourself and us.’ But the other, answering, rebuked him, saying, ‘Do you not even fear God, seeing you are under the same condemnation? And we indeed justly, for we receive the due reward of our deeds; but this Man has done nothing wrong.’ Then he said [b]to Jesus, ‘Lord, remember me when You come into Your kingdom.’ And Jesus said to him, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, today you will be with Me in Paradise’” (Luke 23:39-43).
Jesus came to save that which was lost. It was His purpose, and He did not depart from it even at His death. Conviction and repentance from the thief made Jesus reach out to him to offer him salvation.
Jesus Had Physical Suffering!
Word of Agony and Physical Suffering: “After this, Jesus, knowing that all things were now accomplished, that the Scripture might be fulfilled, said, ‘I thirst!’” (John 19:28).
Jesus suffered enormous physical suffering on the cross for six hours. We must remember that Jesus in agony prayed earnestly at the Garden of Gethsemane to the point of sweating blood that might have weakened Him. The ordeal of pre-trial lashes, the crown of thorns, the burden of carrying the cross for several miles, and the piercing of nails on His wrists and ankles all took a toll on Jesus. Toward the end of giving up His life, Jesus was in physical anguish and was thirsty. His lungs were compressed to the point of suffocation, and He died on the cross in just six hours while so many survived the crucifixion in agony and pain for a few days before their deaths.
We should never forget the agony Jesus suffered on the cross for our sins. When we pick up our cross daily and follow Jesus, we are conscious of His pain and suffering on the cross.
Jesus Finished His Purpose for Which He Came to the Earth!
Word of Redemption/Word of Accomplishment: “Now a vessel full of sour wine was sitting there; and they filled a sponge with sour wine, put it on hyssop, and put it to His mouth. So, when Jesus had received the sour wine, He said, ‘It is finished!’ And bowing His head, He gave up His spirit” (John 19:29-30).
It is Finished!
The Mission is Accomplished!
The Purpose of Destroying the Works of the Devil Has Been Fulfilled!
Man is No Longer a Slave to Sin, For Sin Was Nailed to the Cross!
We Are No Longer Strangers but the Children of The Most High Through Jesus!
Death, the Wages of Sin, Was Exchanged by The Gift of Eternal Life by Jesus!
Adam’s Disobedience Was Made Right by the Obedience of Jesus on The Cross!
Redeemed by the Blood of Jesus!
We Have Peace with God by The Blood of Jesus!
We Have Victory over Satan by the Blood of the Lamb!
Prayer
“Heavenly Father, I love You and adore You and bow down before You. I am forever grateful for my Jesus who paid for my sin on the cross of Calvary. I am a new creation in Christ Jesus; all the old things have passed away, and things have become new by Your grace and mercy. Help me to have the wisdom to number my days and be conscious of Your holy presence in my life every day. By Your grace and the power of Your Holy Spirit, I will finish strong as Your witness. Help me Lord, to be a blessing to all my family and those around me. In the Most Precious and Wonderful Name of Jesus, I pray. Amen! Amen!!”
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John Jeyaseelan