FATHER, FORGIVE THEM FOR THEY KNOW NOT WHAT THEY DO
YAHSHUA’S prayer for forgiveness, embraced the entire world lost in sin and indifferent to God’s love; a world ignorant, blinded and controlled by the enemy. His prayer of forgiveness resounded throughout the entire world at the moment when He was being crucified, breaking the chains Satan had all mankind imprisoned. That was love being transfigured in the most clear and precise action from our Lord, Messiah, YAHSHUA, impossible for men to grasp and understand the deep meaning of its expression. Between the nailing of His hands on the cross, the Roman soldiers and their centurion heard Him praying forgiveness for them; few hours later when He died, seeing all that was happening through nature in response to the Creator of life’s death, they perceived that that Man was not an ordinary man, as they treated Him to be, but for sure the Son of God. Repenting of their cruelty toward Him, they made their world to know through confessing that YHASHUA was indeed the Son of God.
TODAY YOU WILL BE WITH ME IN PARADISE
Those two thieves were Jews; they knew YAHSHUA better than the Roman soldiers who were physically crucifying Him. I suppose that when one of the thieves heard YAHSHUA’S prayer of forgiveness for those soldiers, he had a change of heart toward YAHSHUA while the other thief continued railing at YAHSHUA saying, Are You not the Messiah? Rescue Yourself and us (Luke 23:39) But the repented thief reproved him by saying, Do you not even fear God, seeing you yourself are under the same sentence of condemnation and suffering the same penalty? And we indeed suffer it guilty, receiving the due reward of our actions; but this Man has done nothing out of the way- then he said to YAHSHUA, Lord, remember me when You come in Your kingly glory! YAHSHUA then answered him, Truly, I tell you, today you shall be with Me in Paradise (Luke 23:41-43). Forgiveness was then sealed for that thief with the promise of eternal life in heaven in the presence of YAHSHUA. For God so loved the world that He gave up His only begotten Son, so that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life (John 3:16). That thief was promised life eternal in the last hours of his life. He did not need to be baptized, nor do good deeds to enter heaven. YAHSHUA was the way to heaven and His sacrifice on the cross acquitted him of the penalty of his sins before the heavenly Father.
WOMAN, SEE YOUR SON; SEE YOUR MOTHER
As an older Son, YAHSHUA made sure to make provision for His mother. It did not matter if She had other sons, He was not going to leave earth without having his mother provided for. When He introduced His mother to John as his mother, YAHSHUA was letting go of his relationship as her Son. Mary accomplished her role as means of God sending His Son to the world, but now He was returning to His position of God, or God’s Son without the human part, which was necessary while on earth to fulfill the Father’s demand of saving the world. At that moment, Mary was experiencing the fulfillment of the prophecy from God’s servant, Simeon, who uttered this prophecy to her at the time when they took YAHSHUA to the temple at the end of His eight days old. He said, Behold, this Child is appointed and destined for the fall and rising of many in Israel, and for a sign that is spoken against; and a sword will pierce through your own soul also- that the secret thoughts and purposes of many hearts may be brought out and disclosed (Luke 2:34-35). Watching her Son suffer was indeed as if a sword was piercing through her soul. Agonizing for her Son, He comforted her by giving her a son in His place. The Bible says that John from that hour, took her into his own (John 19:27b).
I THIRST
After this, YAHSHUA knowing that all was now finished, said in fulfillment of the Scripture, I thirst (John 19:28). He was fulfilling the words uttered by the psalmist in chapter 22:15: My strength is dried up like a fragment of clay pottery; [ with thirst] my tongue cleaves to my jaws; You have brought me into the dust of death. YAHSHUA suffered much from the Romans, who mercilessly scourged Him over six hundred scourges and to finalize their cruelty, they force a crown of thorn on His head. He lost a lot of blood under their cruel actions against Him. His body was indeed in shock and dehydrated. When in the Garden of Gethsemane, He suffered hematohidrosis- a condition when a person sweats blood. It happens when one is going under extreme stress. But most of all, YAHSHUA was suffering our thirst. A thirst that can never be quenched; a thirst that water can never satisfy. A thirst that a rich man in hell suffered without remedy to alleviate it. It was the thirst from the flame in hell. This rich man cried in agony to Abraham saying, Have pity and mercy on me and send Lazarus (the beggar) to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, for I am in anguish in this flame (Luke 19:19-31).
MY GOD, MY GOD, WHY HAVE YOU FORSAKEN ME?
YAHSHUA’S cry resounded throughout the entire world, echoing the anguish of His soul, as it travelled through mountains and valleys. Heaven remained in silence. It was the moment when God the Father couldn’t look at His Son, Who was carrying all the sins of the world. Angels joined Him in awe! Darkness enveloped the earth; for three hours the sun refused to shine at the worse moment before YAHSHUA expired. Meanwhile, our sins weighted heavily on Him; nevertheless, it was the will of the Father to bruise Him; to put Him to grief and make Him sick; He was being bruised for our guilt and iniquities. (Isa. 53) The separation of God from His Son was hell in every way; no peace, but anguish of the soul. To think that the Son of God, the Creator of all living things and of the world, was separated from His Father because of our sins, is reason for all to consider and ponder. How can YAHSHUA being One with God the Father be separated from Him? Philip said to Him, Lord, show us the Father; then we shall be satisfied; YAHSHUA replied, Have I been with all of you for so long a time, and do you not recognize and know Me yet, Philip? Anyone who has seen Me, has seen the Father. How can you say then, Show us the Father? (John 14:8-9) In a prophetic way, the psalmist starts the psalm twenty-second with the prophetic words, MY God, My God, why have Me? And from the words of My groaning? Many years later, YAHSHUA uttered these words in a loud voice: Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani? – MY GOD, MY GOD, HAVE YOU FORSAKEN ME? (Matt.27:46). It was then three o’clock in the afternoon. Six hours had passed since He was hung on the cross, suffering to the extent of the Law’s demands for punishment, for “the terms of God’s law in such matters were as just as they were inflexible. Ex. 21:24-25 we read. Eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, burning for burning, wound for wound, stripe for stripe.” Ref. A.E Ware).
INTO YOUR HAND, I COMMIT MY SPIRIT
So, He gave up His spirit, saying, into Your hand, I commit My spirit. He breathed His last breath on earth on that period of time, having paid in full for the atonement of humankind’s sins. He uttered a loud cry, and breathed out His life (Mark 15:37). When that happened, the curtain of the sanctuary was torn in two from top to bottom; the earth shook and the rocks were split; the tombs were opened and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep in death were raised (Matt. 27:51-2). A clear picture of the rapture when YAHSHUA’S saints will be resurrected, As Paul described, But each in his own rank and turn: Christ the firstfruits, then those who are Christ’s [own will be resurrected] at His coming (I Cor. 15:23).
IT IS FINISHED!
Alleluia, Praise and honor be given to the Lamb of God! Deserving is the Lamb, Who was sacrificed, to receive all the power and riches and wisdom and might and honor and majesty and blessing! (Rev.5:12). These words were uttered by many angels on every side of the throne and of the living creatures and the elders in the revelation John had about the end at the Island of Patmos. We will join them someday in gratitude to our King of kings, Lord of Lords, when all knees will bow down before Him and every tongue will confess that He is Lord to the glory of God the Father (Phil. 2:10-11). When He said, It is finished, it is paid in full!
God has disarmed the principalities and powers that were ranged against us and made a bold display and public example of them, in triumphing them in Him and in it [the cross] (Col. 2:15). Then, what shall we say? I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life I now live in the body I live by faith in the Son of God, Who loved me and gave Himself up for me (Gal. 2:20). Because He lives, we shall live forever with Him!
Light from the Word 