Jesus' final prayer from the Cross

Finishing Well

In Luke 23:44-49 we see the final hours of Jesus’ life. He’s hanging on the cross...falsely accused and judged, but innocent. There are no surprises to Jesus, throughout this whole process really. He is completely in control, even when it might appear at times that religious leaders, government leaders and even the crowd are calling the shots, we know...Jesus is in control of His destiny.

Darkness covers the land from noon to three o’clock. I remember the huge response to the eclipse a couple of years ago, so I can imagine that this darkness, which would be far greater than any eclipse could ever be, must have been really shocking.

The curtain in the Temple is torn into two pieces. How quickly did this news spread? We have no idea, but it’s clearly connected to this moment in time. Symbolizing there is no longer a divide between connection with God and the common man...we all have access.

What stands out to me most though, is the fact that Jesus in His final words cries out loudly. Luke specifically tells us the volume of His voice. It’s of note. This is not the final whisper, it’s a finish that is all out, and clearly tells us, that even in the final moments, Jesus is still in control.

I’ve run quite a few races over the past few years, several 5k’s, a few 10k’s, a couple half marathons and even a full marathon one time. There have been moments, especially in the full marathon, when I walked or at least slowed down my running, my mantra was to just keep putting one foot in front of the other and not stop. I trusted that continued forward movement would get me to the finish. I knew I wouldn’t medal or have any record time, I just ran with the goal of finishing. No matter the distance or location, I have always ran across the finish line. Once the finish line was in sight, I realized that I had more in the tank and wanted to finish strong and confident.

That’s the impression of Jesus I get, here on the cross in His final moments. He has run the race set out before Him. It’s clear that the end is in sight and rather than crawl across the line quietly...it’s as if He raises His arms in victory and loudly commits the final energy He has to complete it.

It’s so remarkable that the people witnessing His death respond immediately. The Roman Centurion is clear in his declaration “I know this was a good man!”. The people gathered, watch and immediately feel deep grief and sorrow at what they’ve just been a part of. Jesus' close friends were in shock, they watched from a distance, probably trying to understand what in the world had just happened.

Today, we have the luxury of knowing what happens three days later. But just imagine if you were there and didn’t know what was going to happen. What do you think you would’ve felt witnessing this moment?

Knowing what we know in the present day, clearly this is a moment of victory...Jesus has completed the mission, the race set out before Him. And so we celebrate, rightly so.

May all of us finish the race well,

Ruth Spencer