The Seven Last Words on the Cross (3)
To understand the spiritual meaning contained in the Sixth and Seventh Words that Jesus spoke before He died on the cross, and to become true children of God.
Scripture Reading: John 19:30; Luke 23:46
“Therefore when Jesus had received the sour wine, He said, ‘It is finished!’
And He bowed His head and gave up His spirit.”
“And Jesus, crying out with a loud voice, said,
‘Father, into Your hands I commit My spirit.’ …”
Memory Verse: Hebrews 10:20
“By a new and living way which He inaugurated for us through the veil,
that is, His flesh.”
Reference Scripture: Matthew 27:51–53
“… After the resurrection of Jesus, they came out of the tombs and entered
the holy city and appeared to many.”
“And Jesus, crying out with a loud voice, said, ‘Father, into Your hands I commit My spirit.’
Having said this, He breathed His last.”—Luke 23:46
The method of crucifixion does not strike the vital spots, but it is known to be extremely harsh. Because a person hangs on a wooden cross and dies slowly, the pain goes beyond imagination. The hands and feet of Jesus, who was nailed to the cross, tore under the weight of His body, and the sharp thorns of the crown pressed deeply into His head, covering His face with blood. His body, wounded by the scourging, continued to bleed under the hot sun, and the depth of this suffering cannot be measured. Finally, Jesus spoke His last words, “It is finished,” and “Father, into Your hands I commit My spirit,” and He breathed His last.
The Sixth Word – “It is finished.”
The reason Jesus came to this earth was to open the way of salvation for mankind by dying on the cross. After completing His public ministry of about three years, He was crucified without any sin and completely fulfilled the providence of human salvation. Therefore, just before He died on the cross, He confessed, “It is finished.”
Jesus, who came to this earth as the Word made flesh, perfectly kept all the laws of God. This does not mean that He condemned those who failed to keep the law. Instead, He tirelessly taught the truth day and night so that even one more soul could repent and gain salvation. He continually healed those who were bound by disease and weakness because of sin, and those who were demon-possessed. In the end, by dying on the cross according to the will of God, He opened the way of salvation for humanity, who had been walking toward death.
Being nailed to the cursed cross for sinners is something that is absolutely impossible without love. Yet Jesus, the Son of God, died on the cross and revealed this love, thereby completing the Law of the Old Testament through love. By this, He destroyed the stronghold of the evil one and achieved complete victory, and so He declared, “It is finished.”
Also, in the words “It is finished,” there is the meaning that, just as Jesus fulfilled the providence of salvation through obedience to the will of God even to death, we also must act only according to the will of God and accomplish everything. This means that we must fight against sin to the point of shedding blood, cast it away, and accomplish spiritual love (1 Corinthians 13:4–7), the fruit of the Holy Spirit (Galatians 5:22–23), and the Beatitudes (Matthew 5:3–12), so that we may resemble the heart of the Lord. Such a person faithfully carries out his God-given mission, prays fervently, evangelizes diligently, and leads many souls into the Lord’s arms.
The Seventh Word – “Father, into Your hands I commit My spirit.”
Jesus had suffered on the cross for six hours, pouring out water and blood, so just before His death, He had no physical strength left. Yet He still cried out loudly, “Father, into Your hands I commit My spirit,” and then He breathed His last.
In the Fourth Word, Jesus said, “My God,” but in the Seventh Word, He called Him “Father.” This is because the mission of being the sacrificial offering for the atonement of sin had been completed, and therefore He could call God “Father.”
Why, then, did Jesus leave the final words, “Into Your hands I commit My spirit”?
It was to let us know that Jesus, like any human being, has spirit, soul, and body.
The body of Jesus died to fulfill the will of God, but His spirit could not be destroyed by anyone, and thus He entrusted His spirit into the hands of God the Father.
Human beings are composed of spirit, soul, and body (1 Thessalonians 5:23), and when life on this earth ends, the spirit and soul leave the body, which is the tent. The body from which the spirit has departed decays and returns to dust. The saved spirit goes to heaven and enjoys eternal happiness, while the unsaved spirit falls into hell and suffers forever (Luke 16:19–31).
If God were to receive only the spirit of a saved person but not the soul, what would happen?
The person would know the truth in heaven, but they would not remember or understand the things cultivated on earth through the soul—tears, sorrow, poverty, sickness, and other experiences. Thus, they could not fully feel the true happiness of heaven or give thanks from the heart. Because all the things we see, hear, and learn on earth are stored in the brain with feelings and are recalled again through the function of the soul, God receives both the spirit and the soul of a person.
There is another reason Jesus entrusted His spirit to the Father.
It is because God the Creator is the One who governs the universe, rules over human life, death, blessings, and disaster. Not even a sparrow falls to the ground apart from the Father’s will. Everything belongs to God and is fulfilled under His sovereignty, and so Jesus prayed in this way.
Why did Jesus cry out loudly, “Father, into Your hands I commit My spirit”?
It was so that everyone could hear and understand. Also, because crying out in prayer is the will of God, and because this was a prayer entrusting His spirit to God, Jesus cried out all the more earnestly.
Jesus’ prayer of committing His spirit into the Father’s hands shows that He completely fulfilled the will of God. Because He obeyed the Word of God and perfectly fulfilled His mission, He could confidently entrust His spirit to the Father. At last, Jesus left the Seven Words and died—and truly astonishing events took place.
Matthew 27:51–53 says,
“And behold, the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom; and the earth shook and the rocks were split. The tombs were opened, and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised. And coming out of the tombs after His resurrection they entered the holy city and appeared to many.”
Here, “the veil of the temple was torn from top to bottom” means that Jesus, as the atoning sacrifice, tore down the wall of sin that had separated God and us.
The veil was the long curtain set in the temple to separate the Holy Place from the Most Holy Place. In the Holy Place, the anointed priests entered to offer sacrifices and communicate with God. The Most Holy Place was the extremely holy place where God’s presence dwelled, and only the high priest entered once a year to offer sacrifices for sinners.
However, after Jesus became the atoning sacrifice on the cross, the veil that had separated the Holy Place and the Most Holy Place was torn, and from that moment on, ordinary people could enter both the Holy Place and the Most Holy Place. Through the shedding of His blood, Jesus tore down the wall of sin that had stood between God and us.
Now anyone who believes in the Lord can enter the holy sanctuary of God to worship, and when praying, they do not need a priest or prophet to mediate; they can directly communicate with God. This is why the Apostle Paul said,
“Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the holy place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way which He inaugurated for us through the veil, that is, His flesh.” (Hebrews 10:19–20)
Next, what does it mean that “the earth shook, and the rocks split, and the tombs were opened” when Jesus died?
It means that all nature—mountains, trees, and every created thing—was moved. This is the expression of God’s sorrow over human wickedness. Even though He gave His only begotten Son as the atoning sacrifice, people remained hardened in heart, refusing to accept the Lord and heading toward destruction, and God expressed His grief over them.
It also says that “the tombs were opened, and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised; and after Jesus’ resurrection they came out of the tombs.”
When Jesus died, many tombs were opened, and after Jesus rose from the dead on the third day as the firstfruits of resurrection, they came out of the tombs.
This passage shows that everyone who believes in the Lord receives forgiveness of sins, gains life again, and will be resurrected.
Therefore, may you deeply understand the love of the cross, become a true child of God, and reach complete salvation.
Plus
What is “spirit”?
It means what does not die, does not decay, and does not change. It is eternal. It refers to life itself and the truth itself.
What is “soul”?
It refers to the memory system inside a person’s brain cells, the knowledge stored in it, and the actions of recalling and thinking based on that knowledge.
What is “body”?
In the physical sense, it means the flesh, the physical body. In the spiritual sense, it refers to what decays and changes over time, and to the untruths that are dirty, corrupt, and temporary.