The Sting of Death

And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice, and yielded up His spirit. Matthew 27:50 (nkjv)

It is difficult to read the account of Jesus’ crucifixion in Matthew 27:27-50. We wince at the violence, the suffering, and the sneering contempt of the bystanders. We sense the agony of His mother and His followers. Every dream they had was dying, and the sorrow and distress they were experiencing must have been unbearable. There are many things to note in this passage, but we will look at one: the sting of death.

This is one of the great mysteries of the Incarnation. God Himself, as a tiny baby, entered this world. He grew, as any normal boy, into manhood, and at age thirty began to reveal Himself as the Messiah of Israel, the Son of God. After three short years, He was crucified on a cruel Roman cross. How could this happen? Who could conceive of such a thing? Yet Jesus was not taken by surprise. He knew that the religious leaders would plot His death, and that one of His own would betray Him. “Now My soul is troubled, and what shall I say? ‘Father, save Me from this hour’? But for this purpose I came to this hour” (John 12:27, nkjv). Jesus knew His mission, His purpose for coming, and had drunk of this cup in the garden. He knew this hour, the hour of death and darkness was coming. Jesus, in order to fulfill His mission, had to make the ultimate sacrifice in taking on our punishment: His death.

Crucifixion was one of the cruelest ways to die. Death could occur from dehydration, blood loss, or asphyxiation. The physical suffering from such a death was excruciating, not to mention the shame and humiliation. But Jesus had to suffer something that none of His followers will ever have to experience—separation from His beloved Father. Surely this was the ultimate “sting,” revealed by Jesus’ heartrending cry, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?” (Matthew 27:46, nkjv).

In evangelical churches, we often hesitate to stop at this point and dwell on the death of Jesus. We want to hurry on to the resurrection! But why don’t you stay in this part of the story today? Surely His sacrifice merits our prayerful meditation on this, the darkest of all dark days.

Lord Jesus, I have no words to express my love and gratitude for Your sacrifice. Your life was not taken, but was freely given. Thank You for Your mercy and Your grace shown to me by Your death. Amen.