The nail of surrender
Jesus’ third prayer from the cross reveals a wonderful attitude about death. Instead of fearing death and its darkness, Jesus committed his spirit into the safe keeping of his Heavenly Father. At the cross his spirit faced things too terrible for us to conceive. But Jesus had a secret: He did not face them alone. Even when he felt alone, He was not. Though his soul felt the sting of separation, his will remained fastened with faith. When his spirit was overwhelmed even to the point of death, he chose to commit his spirit to the Father.
I have often found great comfort in “committing” whatever I am facing to the Lord. When I find myself overwhelmed by the responsibilities of parenting in the 21st century I can say, “Father, into your hands I commit my children.” When my work schedule has me backed into a corner, I say, “Father, into your hands I commit my calendar.” The apostle Paul clearly was in the habit of committing his struggles to the Lord, for he affirmed, “I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep what I have committed to him until that Day” (2 Tim. 1:12).
Jesus I.D.
On the cross Jesus completely identified with us and with our needs—that’s what the Savior of the world does. Now he calls us to identify with him in his life, his death and his resurrection—that’s what a follower of Christ does. To have the right Easter I.D. we must identify with Jesus on the cross. Too often Christians tend to hurry past the Cross and to rush to the Resurrection. That’s understandable, but regrettable. The Resurrection represents the victory, and all of us love the exhilaration of a victory. But there is so much to consider and experience at the Cross. So much we cannot afford to miss. Unless we look long enough at the Cross, the Resurrection will never mean nearly as much to us as it did to Christ.
