Intimacy with God as “Abba, Father” Was the Driving Force That Enabled Jesus to Fulfill His Mission to the End

Intimacy with God as “Abba, Father” Was the Driving Force That Enabled Jesus to Fulfill His Mission to the End

 

 

 

 

“Now it was about the sixth hour, and darkness came over the whole land until the ninth hour, while the sun’s light failed; and the curtain of the temple was torn in two.  Then Jesus, calling out with a loud voice, said, ‘Father, into your hands I commit my spirit!’ And having said this, he breathed his last.  Now when the centurion saw what had taken place, he glorified God, saying, ‘Certainly this man was righteous!’  And all the crowds that had assembled for this spectacle, when they saw what had taken place, returned home beating their breasts.  And all his acquaintances and the women who had followed him from Galilee stood at a distance watching these things” (Luke 23:44–49).

 

 

(1)  After reading today’s passage, Luke 23:44–49, in both the Korean Bible and the Greek New Testament, I first became interested in understanding the comprehensive storyline by comparing it with the parallel passages in Matthew 27:45–56, Mark 15:33–41, and John 19:28–30.

 

1.   A Combined Narrative of the Four Gospels (in Chronological Order)

 

Supernatural Darkness (12:00 noon–3:00 p.m.)

 

From the sixth hour (12:00 noon) until the ninth hour (3:00 p.m.), sunlight is obscured and darkness comes over the whole land (Matthew, Mark, Luke).

The Cry of Anguish and Thirst (Around 3:00 p.m.)

 

When Jesus cries out loudly, “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” (“My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”), the crowd misunderstands Him as calling for Elijah (Matthew, Mark)

 

When Jesus says, “I thirst,” in order to fulfill Scripture, someone puts a sponge soaked with sour wine on a hyssop branch and brings it to His mouth (John).

 

The Final Declaration and His Death

 

After receiving the sour wine, Jesus says, “It is finished” (John), and then cries out with a loud voice, “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit!” (Luke), bows His head, and gives up His spirit (the common account).

 

Extraordinary Signs and the Responses to Them

 

The curtain of the temple is torn in two from top to bottom (Matthew, Mark, Luke), while Matthew uniquely records that the earth shakes, rocks split, and the saints who had been in the tombs are raised.

 

The centurion confesses that Jesus was “truly the Son of God” (Matthew, Mark) and “certainly this man was righteous” (Luke), while the crowds who had gathered to watch return home beating their breasts (Luke).  The women who had followed Jesus from Galilee watch these things from a distance (Matthew, Mark, Luke).

 

2.   Emphases and Differences in Each Gospel

 

Matthew: The Messiah Who Came as King and His Cosmic Authority

 

Matthew emphasizes Jesus as the “Messiah-King” who came to fulfill the prophecies of the Old Testament.

 

Eschatological signs: Matthew uniquely records not only the tearing of the temple curtain at the moment of Jesus’ death, but also the earth shaking, rocks splitting, and saints being raised from the tombs.  These cosmic supernatural signs proclaim that the power of Satan and death has been broken.

 

The lonely cry: Jesus’ cry, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”, reveals the suffering of the sacrificial substitute who bears the sins of humanity.

 

The centurion’s testimony: Having witnessed all these manifestations of authority, the centurion and those with him are brought to confess, “Truly this was the Son of God.”  Their confession is marked by awe and fear.

 

Mark: The Servant Who Quietly Bore His Brutal Suffering

 

Mark gives one of the most stark and raw descriptions of the suffering of the cross and focuses on Jesus as the “Suffering Servant.”

 

The immediacy of the scene and His silence: Mark minimizes the supernatural phenomena and vividly records the harsh mockery surrounding the cross, the darkness, and Jesus’ agonizing cry, “Why have you forsaken me?”  In doing so, he conveys the full weight of Jesus’ suffering.

 

The tearing of the curtain and the Gentile confession: Mark connects the tearing of the temple curtain from top to bottom at the very moment Jesus dies directly with the centurion’s confession.  Through this connection, the sacrificial system associated with the temple is brought to an end, and through the mouth of a Gentile centurion standing outside the temple, the declaration erupts: “Truly this man was the Son of God!”

 

Luke: The Sinless, Perfect Son of Man and His Forgiveness

 

Luke gives a profound portrayal of Jesus as the “perfect human being and righteous man” who embraces the marginalized and outcast.

 

The placement of the curtain and the immediate opening of access: Unlike the other Gospels, Luke places the tearing of the temple curtain immediately before Jesus dies.  This visually demonstrates that Jesus’ death becomes an immediate passage through the barrier that had separated God and humanity.

 

His final word of trust and forgiveness: Rather than ending with a desperate cry of anguish, Luke concludes with the peaceful and deliberate prayer: “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit.”  This demonstrates Jesus’ complete trust in God the Father.

 

The repentance of the crowd and the proclamation of His righteousness: Luke records the centurion’s confession as, “Certainly this man was righteous,” thereby emphasizing Jesus’ innocence both morally and legally.  Furthermore, the crowds who witness these events do not remain merely cynical spectators. The account concludes with them “beating their breasts and returning home,” portraying a movement toward mourning and repentance.

 

John: The Divine Son of God Who Sovereignly Directs Redemptive History

 

John emphasizes Jesus as the divine King who remains in control of the situation even on the cross rather than being helplessly subjected to it.

 

The fulfillment of Scripture and sovereignty over salvation: Jesus knows that everything has already been accomplished and says, “I thirst,” in order to fulfill Scripture.  Rather than being overwhelmed by the suffering of the cross, He demonstrates the character of a ruler who remains in control of His redemptive mission until the very last moment.

 

The triumphant declaration: Instead of leaving behind a cry of agony or merely a final word of farewell, Jesus declares with authority: “It is finished.”  This is a triumphant proclamation that His work of salvation has been accomplished.

 

A dignified death: John emphasizes that Jesus does not have His spirit forcibly taken from Him against His will.  Rather, as the King who has completed His mission, He bows His head and gives up His spirit, portraying His death as a dignified and sovereign act.

 

3.   Analysis of the Key Differences (Points for Meditation)

 

The Loneliness of Matthew and Mark vs. the Sovereignty of John

 

Matthew and Mark present, in raw form, the extreme suffering of the Messiah who cries out to God, “Why have you forsaken me?”  By contrast, John presents Jesus as the sovereign ruler who completes the meticulously planned work of redemption and declares, “It is finished.”

 

Jesus’ “Righteousness” as Seen by Luke

 

Luke has a Gentile centurion proclaim Jesus to be “righteous.”  This highlights Luke’s distinctive perspective: the sinless and perfect human being died in the place of humanity.  Luke also places the tearing of the curtain immediately before Jesus’ death, visually expressing the idea that Jesus’ death immediately opened the way into God’s presence.

 

Matthew’s Eschatological Phenomena

 

The event recorded only by Matthew—rocks splitting, tombs opening, and saints being raised—proclaims that Jesus’ death was not merely the end of one human life.  It was a cosmic event that broke the power of death and signaled the beginning of a new age (Internet).

 

(a)  At this point, I became interested in whether the timing of the tearing of the curtain differs among the four Gospels if Luke places it immediately before Jesus’ death, and, if so, why it differs.

 

a.   Comparison of the Timing of the Tearing of the Curtain in Each Gospel

 

Matthew and Mark: Immediately After Jesus’ Death — Result and Proclamation

 

Sequence: Jesus cries out with a loud voice and dies → “At that moment” the curtain is torn from top to bottom → the centurion makes his confession.

 

Meaning: This sequence presents the tearing of the curtain as a redemptive-historical consequence immediately following the event of Jesus’ death.

Luke: Immediately Before Jesus’ Death — Cause and Purpose

 

Sequence: The sun becomes dark → the curtain is torn in the middle → Jesus cries out loudly, “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit” → He dies.

 

Meaning: Luke places the opening of the curtain within the climax of Jesus’ dying process, visually connecting Jesus’ death with His deliberate entrusting of His spirit to God the Father through the newly opened access.

 

b.  Why Is the Timing Different, and Why Does Luke Place It Immediately Before Jesus’ Death?

 

By changing the structural order of the events, Luke appears to emphasize three major theological messages.

 

①  The Immediate Opening of the “New and Living Way” to God (Hebrews-Thematic Context)

 

Whereas Matthew and Mark focus on the fact that the temple sacrificial system comes to an end as a result of Jesus’ death, Luke emphasizes the simultaneity between Jesus’ death and access to God.

 

At the very moment Jesus is about to breathe His last, the curtain is torn in the middle. In this way, Luke visually combines Jesus’ death with the opening of a new way directly into the presence of God.  Jesus’ death is therefore presented not as a moment of separation or failure, but as a decisive event through which a new way into God’s presence is opened.

 

②  The Visualization of Complete Trust and Communion with God the Father

 

Luke’s final saying of Jesus is: “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit.” It is an intensely intimate and peaceful prayer.

Luke places the tearing of the curtain immediately before this prayer.  Under the Old Testament system, even the high priest could enter the Most Holy Place only once a year and under conditions of profound solemnity and fear.  But now the barrier symbolized by the curtain has been completely removed. Luke thus presents Jesus as facing God the Father and peacefully and confidently entrusting His spirit to Him.

 

③  The Judgment of the Temple System and the Beginning of a New Era of Worship

 

Luke is the author who continues his history into the Book of Acts. From this perspective, the tearing of the temple curtain can be understood as signaling the end of the temple-centered order associated with the old covenantal system. By tearing the curtain immediately before Jesus dies, Luke portrays the old temple order as coming under judgment and coming to an end, while simultaneously announcing the opening of a new era in which people from all nations can approach God without being restricted to a particular physical location, through the death of Jesus (Internet).

 

(i)       At this point, I find it particularly interesting that, unlike the other Gospel writers, Luke can be understood as emphasizing the “simultaneity between Jesus’ death and the opening of the way to God” by placing the tearing of the curtain immediately before Jesus’ final breath.  I am also interested in the statement that, from Luke’s perspective, “the tearing of the temple curtain signifies the complete end of the function of the Jerusalem temple as a building.”  How can this be applied to the modern church?

 

·         The following two central messages seen in Luke—the “simultaneity of access to God” and the “end of the temple as a physical building”—present powerful and practical challenges to the modern church and to the faith life of believers.  These can be summarized in three dimensions of contemporary application:

 

1.   From a Faith Centered on the “Church Building” to a Life as a “Temple” in Everyday Life (Application of the End of the Physical Temple)

 

Luke declares that the era of the visible and magnificent Jerusalem temple has reached its expiration.  The tearing of the curtain in the middle immediately before Jesus’ death proclaims that God is no longer confined to a particular building or restricted physical space.

 

A Problem in the Modern Church: Today, many Christians may feel a special sense of holiness only when they enter a church building on Sunday morning.  Once they leave the church, they may separate their faith from their ordinary lives.  This can become a form of “temple-centered faith.

 

Practical Application: We must move beyond the misconception that “going to church” is itself equivalent to worship.  Since we ourselves have become the temple in which God dwells (1 Cor. 3:16), we should not think that we encounter God only inside a sacred church building.  Instead, we should live as everyday worshipers, encountering and worshiping God in the middle of our homes, workplaces, occupations, and ordinary daily lives.

 

2.    A Direct, One-to-One Intimacy with God Without the Need for an Intermediary

Application of the Immediate Opening of Access

 

At the moment Jesus breathes His last, the curtain is opened, and Jesus entrusts His spirit to God by calling Him “Father!”  Likewise, believers are now able to approach God directly, calling Him “Abba, Father,” without requiring a spiritual intermediary.

 

A Problem in the Modern Church: Within the modern church, there can sometimes be an implicit belief that pastors, missionaries, or spiritual leaders are closer to God than ordinary believers and that their prayers or intercession are necessary for our prayers to reach God more effectively.  This can become a kind of “modified priestly system” or intermediary mentality.

 

Practical Application: Respecting spiritual leaders and receiving their prayers can certainly be beneficial.  However, we should not surrender the privilege of approaching the throne of grace that has been opened directly to us.  Each believer should exercise the privilege of the “priesthood of all believers” by communicating directly with God through Scripture and prayer every day.  Before seeking an intermediary to deal with the large and small problems of our lives, we need the spiritual independence to approach God directly and boldly through the torn curtain—the God who has personally become our Father.

 

3.   Breaking Down Religious Formalism and Restoring Immediate Communication with God

 

The Old Testament temple system involved complicated sacrificial procedures, animal blood, priestly requirements, and carefully prescribed sequences of worship.  But Luke portrays the barrier as being immediately torn down in connection with Jesus’ death.

 

A Problem in the Modern Church: There are times when the church can become entangled in traditions, institutions, positions of office, and religious programs—in other words, procedures and forms—and consequently lose sight of the essential reality of spiritual communion with God.

 

Practical Application: We should continually examine whether our Christian life has become merely a matter of religious obligation or outward form—for example, simply fulfilling a required number of worship services or maintaining the appearance associated with a particular church position.  God is not someone who can be encountered only after we have fulfilled complicated religious procedures.  Even in the place where we have failed and become discouraged, even in the very moment when our hearts have been broken because of sin, when we cry out, “Lord, I thirst right now,” the Lord meets us immediately through the torn curtain.  We should trust this “immediacy of grace” and approach the throne of grace boldly every day (Internet).

 

-        Here I became curious about why, within the modern church, there has subtly arisen a “modified priesthood (the intermediary concept)”—the idea that pastors, missionaries, or spiritual leaders are closer to God than lay believers and that, only when their prayers or intercession are involved, those prayers can reach God more effectively.

 

n  “The background to the subtle establishment of a ‘modified priesthood (the intermediary concept)’ within the modern church is the result of a combination of historical, psychological, and structural factors.  Even though the Reformation declared the ‘priesthood of all believers,’ affirming that every believer can approach God directly, the reasons this idea has resurfaced are as follows” (Internet):

 

      a.    Human Religious Nature and the “Psychology of Dependence”

 

Human beings, by nature, experience fear and a sense of burden when standing directly before the holy God.

 

Shifting Responsibility and Vicarious Satisfaction: It is much easier to delegate the role of studying Scripture, praying, and taking spiritual responsibility to a verified and trained “spiritual expert” than to undertake those responsibilities ourselves.  The same spiritual dependence seen among the Israelites in the Old Testament appears among modern believers: because the Israelites were afraid of hearing God speak directly, they asked Moses, “You speak to us, and let God speak to you; then tell us what He says to us” (Exodus 20:19).  In a similar way, modern believers can develop a dependence upon spiritual leaders.

 

b.   The Historical Background of the Korean Church: The Combination of Confucian Hierarchy and Shamanism

 

Particularly within the Korean church context, existing cultural influences were strongly reflected in Christianity during the process of its introduction into Korea.

 

The Confucian Sentiment of Gun-sa-bu-il-che (君師父一體) [君師父一體 means that the king (君), teacher (師), and father (父) are to be respected and served equally, as though they were “one body (一體),” because the teaching and grace they provide are regarded as being equivalent.  The Confucian value system of treating pastors as absolute authorities comparable to spiritual “teachers” or “fathers” was naturally absorbed into the structure of the church.

 

Shamanistic Spiritualism: The spiritual paradigm in which a shaman (the intermediary) receives the will of a deity and prays for blessings also entered the church.  As a result, in some contexts this developed into the concept of a mediator of blessing—the belief that the prayers of a pastor who is especially “spiritually powerful” or “spiritually gifted” will reach God more effectively.

 

c.   The Growth of the Church and “Functional Division of Labor”

 

As modern churches grew and became institutionalized, they developed “professional management and division-of-labor structures” resembling those of corporations or other large organizations.

 

Laypeople Becoming Consumers: Pastors became “providers” offering preaching, prayer, and spiritual services, while laypeople became “consumers” or beneficiaries receiving those services.  As spiritual ministry became thoroughly professionalized and divided into specialized functions, believers naturally began to feel a psychological gap, believing that spiritual matters were the pastor’s particular domain and that they themselves were not capable of reaching that level.

 

d.   The Authoritarianism of Spiritual Leaders and “Mysticism Marketing”

 

At times, spiritual leaders have also contributed to this phenomenon by subtly emphasizing their distinctiveness in order to maintain their leadership and authority.

 

Misuse of the Old Testament Concept of the Priest: When pastors identify themselves with the Old Testament “servants of the Lord”—such as Moses or earlier prophets—and emphasize teachings suggesting that they possess a special spiritual authority or special power in prayer, this can reinforce the “intermediary concept” among believers.  Rather than helping believers develop spiritual independence, a structure that causes believers to become spiritually dependent upon the leader can be advantageous for maintaining the leader’s authority.

 

In Summary:

 

The modified priesthood is the result of the interaction of several factors: the dependent nature of human beings, who are afraid to stand before God on their own; the blending of cultural values such as Confucianism and shamanism; the institutionalization and specialization of the modern church; and the authoritarianism of spiritual leaders.

 

Ultimately, the event of the “torn veil” shown by Luke is a powerful reforming message that continually reminds us to break through this human tendency to return to religious dependence and to walk boldly, on our own, into the presence of the throne of grace every day (Internet).

 

(2)  Second, when reading the Greek New Testament, I became particularly interested in these two expressions: “σκότος ἐγένετο ἐφ’ ὅλην τὴν γῆν” (skotos egeneto eph’ holēn tēn gēn) “darkness came over the whole land” (Lk. 23:44) and “τοῦ ἡλίου ἐκλιπόντος” (tou hēliou eklipontos) “the sun’s light failed” (The Korean Bible places this phrase in verse 44, whereas in the Greek text it appears in verse 45.)  Why did the sun’s light fail and darkness come over the whole land, continuing from approximately the sixth hour until the ninth hour (v. 44)?

 

1.  The Impossibility of a Natural Phenomenon (Solar Eclipse)

 

Among some Greek manuscripts, there have been attempts to translate “τοῦ ἡλίου ἐκλιπόντος” in verse 45 as referring to the sun undergoing an eclipse.  The English word “eclipse” itself is related to the Greek verb ἐκλείπω (ekleipō), meaning “to fail,” “to cease,” or “to lose its light.”  However, this was certainly not an ordinary natural solar eclipse.

 

Impossibility Based on the Timing: Jesus died during Passover, which was associated with the fourteenth day of the lunar month, around the time of the full moon, when the moon is on the opposite side of the Earth from the sun.  A solar eclipse, in which the moon comes between the sun and Earth, cannot occur at the full moon.

 

Impossibility Based on the Duration: A natural total solar eclipse cannot maintain complete darkness for three hours.  The fact that the sun’s light failed and darkness continued for approximately three hours—from 12:00 noon until 3:00 p.m.—is therefore understood in this interpretation as an extraordinary supernatural intervention of God beyond the ordinary laws of nature.

 

2.   The Fulfillment of Old Testament Prophecy: Messianic Judgment and the “Day of the LORD”

 

Within the biblical context, the transformation of daylight into darkness symbolizes God's severe judgment.  Through this expression, Luke portrays the fulfillment of the prophecies of the Old Testament prophets at the cross of Jesus.

 

Fulfillment of Amos 8:9: “‘And on that day,’ declares the Lord GOD, ‘I will make the sun go down at noon and darken the earth in broad daylight.’”

 

Joel 2:31: “The sun shall be turned to darkness, and the moon to blood, before the great and awesome day of the LORD comes.”

 

The fact that the sun’s light failed beginning at the sixth hour—12:00 noon, the time when daylight should have been at its brightest—can be understood as the entire universe bearing witness that the “day of judgment” had arrived, as God’s wrath and judgment fell upon Jesus Christ, who was bearing the sins of humanity.

 

3.   The Deeper Meaning of the Greek Verbs Egeneto (ἐγένετο) and Eklipontos (ἐκλιπόντος)

 

σκότος ἐγένετο (skotos egeneto): “Darkness came into existence”

The verb ἐγένετο (egeneto), whose basic form is γίνομαι (ginomai), can carry more than the idea of an ordinary change in weather.  It conveys the nuance of something coming into being or occurring, almost as though a new spiritual or cosmic condition had been brought about by God.  In contrast to Genesis 1:3—“Let there be light” (γενηθήτω φῶς)—the scene at the cross depicts the light of the world being withdrawn when the Creator dies, with primordial darkness, reminiscent of Genesis 1:2—“…and darkness was over the face of the deep…”—covering the earth.  It describes a profound spiritual and cosmic shock.

 

τοῦ ἡλίου ἐκλιπόντος (tou hēliou eklipontos): “The sun failed”

 

The verb ἐκλείπω (ekleipō) does not merely mean that the light became dim.  It can convey the stronger ideas of failing, ceasing, becoming exhausted, or coming to an end.  The sun, which had supplied light and life to the whole world, is portrayed as ceasing its function before Jesus Christ—the true Light and Creator of the world—as He gives His life on the cross.  In this interpretation, the sun itself seems to surrender its role as the source of daylight before the death of the Creator.

 

4.   Why Did It “Continue” for Three Hours?

 

The three hours from the sixth hour to the ninth hour represent the climax of Jesus’ suffering on the cross and the time of “separation and silence” between God and His Son, Jesus.

 

As the God who is light turned away from Jesus, who was bearing the sins of humanity as an atoning sacrifice, spiritual separation occurred.  That suffering and separation in the spiritual realm were reflected in the physical created world as three hours of continuous darkness.

 

In Summary:

The statement that “the sun’s light failed and darkness came over the whole land” is understood here not as an ordinary natural phenomenon but as an event in which the created sun ceased its function before the death of the Creator, the true Light.  It is presented as a cosmic sign revealing how weighty and thorough God’s judgment upon His only-begotten Son was in relation to the sin of humanity (Internet).

 

(a)  Here I find it particularly fascinating that in the Greek expression: “σκότος ἐγένετο” (skotos egeneto) — “darkness came into existence” the word ἐγένετο (egeneto, “came to be” or “came upon”) appears to stand in striking contrast to the wording of Genesis 1:3: “Let there be light” — γενηθήτω (genēthētō) and “there was light” — ἐγένετο (egeneto).  In this way, the expression describes a spiritual shock in which, when the Creator dies on the cross, the light of the world is withdrawn and primordial darkness, reminiscent of Genesis 1:2—“…darkness was over the face of the deep…”—covers the earth.  What makes this especially interesting to me is the thought that the “darkness” (Lk. 23:44) present at Jesus’ death on the cross stands in contrast to the “light” created by the Triune God in Genesis 1:3, while at the same time signifying that through Jesus’ death God intended to accomplish the work of new creation—the history of salvation, through which we become new creations (2 Cor. 5:17).

 

                  (i)       The contrast between the “first creation (Old Creation)” in Genesis 1 and the “new creation (New Creation)” accomplished through the cross is further illustrated through the connection between the Greek verb ἐγένετο (egeneto).  The following is an expanded summary of this profound spiritual and redemptive-historical significance into three key points (Internet):

 

a.   The Reversal of the First Creation: Preparation for Re-Creation Through Judgment

 

In Genesis 1:2–3, God speaks into the primordial chaos and darkness (σκότος) and says, “Let there be light,” and as a result, light comes into existence: ἐγένετο φῶς — “there was light.” 

 

But on the cross, the opposite phenomenon takes place.  When the Creator, who is the true Light, dies, darkness comes into existence over the whole land (σκότος ἐγένετο).

 

Structural Contrast: If Genesis describes the process: darkness → light comes into existence (ἐγένετο), the cross presents: the death of the true Light → darkness comes into existence (ἐγένετο).  This represents a cosmic shock in which the order of the first creation is symbolically reversed.

 

Theological Meaning: This means that God completely judged the first creation, which had been corrupted by human sin.  Just as an old building may be completely demolished before a new building is constructed, Jesus on the cross takes upon Himself the darkness of the first creation and completes the judgment of atonement through His own body.

 

b.   “It Is Finished” — Τετέλεσται (Tetelestai) — and the Rest of Creation

 

In Genesis 1, after completing the work of creation over six days, God saw that everything was very good, and on the seventh day He rested.

 

Jesus, having completed the work of new creation through the cross, declares in the Gospel of John: “It is finished” — τετέλεσται (tetelestai).

 

This declaration breaks through the primordial darkness of those three hours—the condition reminiscent of Genesis 1:2.  It is a cosmic proclamation that the great spiritual work of liberating creation, which had been groaning under the power of Satan and sin, and recreating sinners as holy new creations (2 Cor. 5:17), has been completed.

 

If the light of the first creation marked the beginning of physical life, then the blood of Jesus flowing through the torn veil after breaking through the darkness of the cross becomes the “light of the new creation” that gives us eternal life.

 

c.   Contemporary Application: The Grace of Egeneto (ἐγένετο) — “Coming Into Being” — in Our Lives

 

The work described in 2 Corinthians 5:17—“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation”—takes place in our lives today in a corresponding way.

 

New Creation Rising from a Spiritual Grave: When we believe in Jesus and are born again, the darkness and order of our old self and sin die with Christ on the cross and become completely inoperative: ἐκλείπω (ekleipō) — “to fail,” “to cease,” “to lose its light” (Lk. 23:44).  And within that dark grave of despair, God once again speaks “Let there be light” into our hearts and begins the work of spiritual new creation—another work of ἐγένετο (egeneto).

Comfort for Believers: Therefore, the deep spiritual or circumstantial darkness that believers encounter in life—humiliation, discouragement, and suffering—is not necessarily a sign of destruction.  Rather, it can be understood as a “prelude to new creation”—a work that the Creator God carries out just before breaking the old patterns of our lives and bringing forth an entirely new work of salvation and the grace of becoming a spiritual new creation (Internet).

 

(3)  Third, as I meditate on Jesus’ words from the cross, “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit” [Πάτερ, εἰς χεῖράς σου παρατίθεμαι τὸ πνεῦμά μου (Pater, eis cheiras sou paratithemai to pneuma mou)] (Lk. 23:46), I desire to receive the grace that these words offer.  What is particularly interesting is that among the seven sayings of Jesus from the cross, the words in today’s passage, Luke 23:46—“Father, into your hands I commit my spirit”—are the seventh and final saying.  Yet only Luke records this seventh saying.  Luke alone also records the first saying: “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do” (Lk. 23:34), and the second saying: “Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise” (v. 43).  What is the significance of this, and why did Luke alone record this saying?  I also became curious about whether this has a connection with the Book of Acts.

 

(a)  The fact that Luke, the author of Luke’s Gospel, uniquely records Jesus’ final words from the cross—“Father, into your hands I commit my spirit”—appears to reflect Luke’s distinctive theological intention and a carefully constructed redemptive-historical foundation that continues into the Book of Acts.  The following is an in-depth analysis of the three questions I raised: What is the redemptive-historical meaning of this saying?  Why did Luke alone record it?  How is it connected with the Book of Acts? (Internet)

 

                       1.   The Redemptive-Historical Meaning of the Saying: Fulfillment of Psalm 31 and Perfect Trust

 

Jesus’ final words are a quotation from the prayer of Psalm 31:5: “Into your hand I commit my spirit.”  This was also a “bedtime prayer” that Jewish mothers taught their children to pray before going to sleep at night.

 

The Addition of “Father” — Πάτερ (Pater): Jesus personally adds the word “Father” before the words of the Psalm.  After passing through the agonizing experience of Matthew and Mark—“My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”—He finally declares that His intimate Father-Son relationship with God has been completely restored.

 

The Deliberate Entrusting — παρατίθεμαι (paratithemai): The word παρατίθεμαι (paratithemai), translated “I commit” in Luke 23:46, is a commercial and legal term meaning to entrust something valuable for safekeeping.  Jesus was not having His life forcibly taken from Him by Satan or by Roman political power.  Rather, after completing His mission, He deliberately and confidently entrusted His most precious possession—His spirit—into the hands of His Father.

 

2.   Why Did Only Luke Record This Saying? (Luke’s Theological Reason)

 

Luke was traditionally understood to be the only Gentile among the Gospel writers as well as a physician.  He was deeply interested not simply in Jesus’ physical suffering but in Jesus as the “perfect human being and righteous man” who serves as a model, and in the forgiveness and love of God the Father.

 

The Mystery of Luke’s Three Unique Sayings from the Cross: Luke uniquely records: The first saying — the prayer of forgiveness: “Father, forgive them.”  The second saying — the promise of Paradise: “Today you will be with me in Paradise.”  The seventh saying — the prayer of trust: “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit.”

 

A Structure That Begins with “Father” and Ends with “Father”: The beginning and ending of Luke’s account of Jesus’ sayings from the cross converge upon the word: “Father.”  Luke thus redefines the place of execution—the most brutal of environments—as a place of the most holy and intimate communication, where the Son asks the Father for forgiveness and entrusts His spirit to Him.  The purpose is to emphasize that the way for sinful humanity to once again call God “Father” has been opened through the death of Jesus alone.

 

3.   The Necessary Connection with Acts: Stephen’s Martyrdom and the DNA of the Church

 

Luke and Acts were originally one continuous historical work, commonly referred to as “Luke–Acts.”  Through his portrayal of Jesus’ final moments, Luke presents a perfect model for the church and believers who would emerge in the Book of Acts.

 

The “Decalcomania” with Stephen’s Death (Acts 7:59–60): The deacon Stephen, the first martyr of the church in Acts, reproduces the pattern of Jesus’ death with striking similarity.

 

Jesus (Luke 23:34): “Father, forgive them.”  à Stephen (Acts 7:60): “Lord, do not hold this sin against them.”

 

Jesus (Luke 23:46): “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit.”  à Stephen (Acts 7:59): “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.”

 

The Core Connection with Acts:

Luke wanted to demonstrate that the church in Acts would carry forward the DNA of Jesus Christ.  The love that forgives even enemies, demonstrated by Jesus at the cross, and the absolute trust in God that remains unshaken even in the face of death are not characteristics that end with Jesus alone.  Through Stephen, Luke proclaims that these qualities are to be reproduced in the lives of the believers in Acts who have received the Holy Spirit—and, by extension, in the lives of believers in the contemporary church—as the proper way of life for Christ’s followers.

 

4.   Grace and Application for Believers Today

 

Trust That Overcomes the Fear of Death: Luke portrays Jesus’ final moments as a peaceful rest.  Likewise, whether at the final moment of our lives or in the midst of extreme suffering, we can have the spiritual courage to trust that there is a “Father” who will safely receive our souls and to confess: “I entrust myself to You” — paratithemai.

 

The Confidence of One Who Has Been Given a Mission: Like Jesus, only those who have faithfully completed their mission can offer this prayer in its fullest sense.  It reminds us that our daily lives should not be centered on our own desires, but should become the lives of people who have been entrusted with a mission—lives devoted to fulfilling the Lord’s will, so that on the final day we may joyfully place our souls and the fruit of our lives into the hands of the Lord (Internet).

 

(i)      Here, when I compare the first of the seven words Jesus spoke on the cross recorded by Luke, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing” (Lk. 23:34), with the final, seventh word, “Father, into Your hands I commit My spirit” (v. 46), my heart is deeply moved by the fact that Jesus began with a prayer of forgiveness to “Father” [Πάτερ (Pater)] and ended with a prayer of entrusting Himself to the Father.  Jesus, who taught His disciples the Lord’s Prayer by saying, “When you pray, say this: ‘Father’ [Πάτερ (Pater)], hallowed be Your name …” (11:2), prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane, “My Father [Πάτερ μου (Pater mou)], if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; yet not as I will, but as You will” (Mt. 26:39).  I became curious about what lesson we should learn from the fact that even on the cross Jesus prayed twice to “Father” [Πάτερ (Pater)] (Lk. 23:34, 46), and what connection this has with the meaning of the Aramaic-Greek linguistic combination “Abba Father” (Ἀββᾶ ὁ πατήρ) found in Romans 8:15.

 

a.   Three lessons for us from Jesus’ address to “Father” on the cross

 

The fact that Jesus filled both the beginning and the end of His time on the cross with the word “Father,” even amid the extreme suffering of the cross, gives us three great spiritual lessons today.

 

① The “strength of relationship” that transcends circumstances and environment

 

Even amid the agony in the Garden of Gethsemane, when His drops of sweat became like drops of blood, and amid the soul-tearing pain and shame of the cross, the way Jesus addressed God never wavered even once: “Father.”

 

Lesson: Our faith and prayers should not dance according to our circumstances. Whether life is abundant or whether we are in the midst of desperate suffering and loneliness like that of the cross, genuine faith is trusting that God is still my faithful “Father.”

 

② He personally demonstrated the model of prayer through His own life (and death)

 

When Jesus taught His disciples how to pray, He instructed them to call God “Father” [Πάτερ (Pater)] rather than using the solemn and distant forms of address traditionally used by the Jews (Lk. 11:2).  And just as He had taught them, He Himself perfectly lived out the model of prayer by calling God “Father” on the most horrific execution site of His life.

 

Lesson: For Jesus, the title “Father” was not an abstract doctrine or theological theory, but a real and unique lifeline that He held onto until the very moment His breath ceased.  Our prayers, too, should not be merely formal religious language, but raw and genuine communication directed toward our Father.

 

③ Intimacy that guarantees the beginning and the end of the mission

 

When Jesus began His public ministry, He heard a voice from heaven saying, “You are My beloved Son” (Luke 3:22), and as He brought His public ministry to its end, He died on the cross calling out to the “Father.”

 

Lesson: The power that sustained Jesus throughout His entire life was His “identity as the Son.” It was not the success of His ministry or the applause of people, but His intimacy with the Father that gave Him the strength to fulfill His mission to the very end.

 

b.   Connection with “Abba Father” (Ἀββᾶ ὁ πατήρ) in Romans 8:15

 

The expression “Abba Father” (Ἀββᾶ ὁ πατήρ) in Romans 8:15 is a decisive declaration of the Holy Spirit showing how Jesus’ prayer of “Father” [Πάτερ (Pater)] has been inherited by us: “For you did not receive the spirit of slavery leading again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption, by whom we cry out, ‘Abba, Father!’” (Rom. 8:15).

 

① The meaning of combining the Aramaic “Abba” (Ἀββᾶ) and the Greek “Pater” (πατήρ)

 

Abba (Ἀββᾶ): In Jewish households of that time, this was the Aramaic (household language) used by a child when addressing his father, carrying a sense of the greatest intimacy and complete trust. Its nuance corresponds closely to the Korean expression “Dad” or “Daddy.”

 

Ho Pater (ὁ πατήρ): This is the form with the Greek definite article, expressing a public or formal relationship and reverence toward God in His absolute dignity as the Creator of the universe.

 

The mystery of the combination: The reason the apostle Paul combined these two words was to emphasize that the One who is the “most intimate Abba” is simultaneously the “holy God who rules over the entire universe,” [Pater (“Father”)], encompassing both the Old and New Testaments and both Jews and Gentiles.

 

②  The essential connection between the event of the cross and “Abba Father”

 

In the Old Testament era, sinful human beings could not dare to call God “Abba.” It was a unique privilege belonging only to Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son.

 

But in Luke 23, Jesus called out, “Father!” and, as the temple curtain was torn in two (Lk. 23:45), He breathed His last, and that exclusive privilege was transferred to us. 

 

Because of the blood Jesus shed on the cross, we received “the Spirit of adoption” (the Holy Spirit).

 

Therefore, we who were once sinners can now dare to cry out in the Holy Spirit to that same “Father” whom Jesus called in the place of suffering: “Abba, Father!”

 

In summary:

 

Jesus’ prayer, which began with “Father” and ended with “Father” on the cross, was more than simply His last words.  It was the cry of atonement through which He gave humanity the “authority of adoption” to call God “Father.”

 

Because of that blood-stained prayer, today, as Romans 8 says, we are able, even amid any crisis or fear in life, not to tremble like fearful slaves, but to confidently and intimately cry out to Almighty God the Creator, “Abba! Daddy!” and entrust our lives into His hands (Internet).

 

(4)  Fourth, I would like to receive the lesson God gives me as I meditate on the words, “After He had said this, He breathed His last” [τοῦτο εἰπὼν ἐξέπνευσεν (touto eipōn exepneusen)] (Lk. 23:46).  In particular, I would like to meditate on these words in connection with the words describing Stephen the deacon, who, like Jesus, prayed, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them.  And when he had said this, he fell asleep” [Κύριε, μὴ στήσῃς αὐτοῖς τὴν ἁμαρτίαν ταύτην. καὶ τοῦτο εἰπὼν ἐκοιμήθη (Kyrie, mē stēsēs autois tēn hamartian tautēn. kai touto eipōn ekoimēthē)] (Acts 7:60).  The reason is that, not only for myself but also for the beloved believers, I hope that before we fall asleep in the Lord (die), we will pray like Stephen the deacon or Jesus.

 

(a)  The parallel structure between these two passages—the final death of Jesus (Lk. 23:46) and the final martyrdom of Stephen the deacon (Acts 7:60)—perfectly demonstrates the “most glorious and ultimate model of a Christian’s death” that Luke, the author of Luke and Acts, wanted to show us.  Through a detailed comparison of the Greek text, artificial intelligence has organized three essential spiritual lessons that we should embrace before we fall asleep in the Lord (die) (Internet):

 

1.   The perfect decalcomania of the Greek sentence structure: “Having said this …”

 

When Luke recorded Acts, he intentionally used the same Greek sentence structure in order to visualize Stephen’s death as an extension of the death of Jesus Christ on the cross and as a perfect imitation of it.

 

Jesus Christ (Luke 23:46): καὶ τοῦτο εἰπὼν ἐξέπνευσεν (kai touto eipōn exepneusen): “And having said this, He breathed His last.”

 

Stephen the deacon (Acts 7:60): καὶ τοῦτο εἰπὼν ἐκοιμήθη (kai touto eipōn ekoimēthē): “And having said this, he fell asleep.”

 

[Lesson ①] The death of a person living on mission is determined by his “last words.”

 

Neither of them lost consciousness and died miserably amid the pain of flying stones and harsh breathing.  After clearly completing the essential spiritual declaration that had to be made with his own will and reason, each died boldly, as though completing a planned schedule.

 

The lesson for us and for believers is that when our final breath comes to an end, our lives too should conclude as those who have lived on mission, clearly confessing with our lips a confession of faith toward God and a declaration of our soul, rather than leaving behind words of attachment to the world or screams of pain.

 

2.  The contrast between the verbs: “exepneusen (ἐξέπνευσεν)” and “ekoimēthē (ἐκοιμήθη)”

 

Luke used ἐξέπνευσεν (exepneusen) for Jesus’ death, meaning “to breathe out” or “to release one’s breath/spirit,” while he used ἐκοιμήθη (ekoimēthē) for Stephen’s death, meaning “to fall asleep.” Here we find a remarkable redemptive-historical reversal.

 

Jesus’ exepneusen (breathing His last): Jesus truly experienced “death (breathing His last),” receiving in His entire body the full weight and terror of death and the curse of God in their raw reality.

 

The believer’s ekoimēthē (falling asleep): Because Jesus first experienced true death, Stephen, the believer who followed Him, could understand death no longer as destruction but as “sleep from which one will awaken.”  Although the scene was horrifying, with Stephen being struck by stones and bleeding, Luke describes it peacefully as “falling asleep.”

 

[Lesson ②] The hope of “falling asleep” that overcomes the fear of death

 

For every believer who dies in Jesus, death is not “the end” but “sleep.” Just as a child who has worked hard and grown tired throughout the day peacefully falls asleep in the arms of his or her parents, a believer who has fulfilled his or her mission for the Lord falls into a peaceful sleep in the Lord’s arms at the moment of closing his or her eyes and will certainly awaken on the morning of the resurrection.  When this understanding of death is planted in believers, they can close their eyes peacefully and without fear at the final moment of life.

 

3.  The transmission of prayer: the DNA of forgiveness and entrusting

 

The pattern of prayer that Jesus demonstrated on the cross was reproduced in Stephen, clearly showing how the “DNA of forgiveness and entrusting” that the church must inherit is passed down.

 

First, the transmission of the “prayer of forgiveness.”

 

Jesus looked upon those who were crucifying Him and cried out, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing” (Lk. 23:34).

 

Even in the horrifying moment when he was dying while being struck by flying stones, Stephen the deacon reproduced this prayer of forgiveness from Jesus.  He knelt down and cried out loudly, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them” (Acts 7:60), thereby demonstrating how the DNA of Jesus Christ’s love, which embraces even His enemies, flows through the Holy Spirit into the life of a disciple.

 

Second, the transmission of the “prayer of entrusting.”

 

Just before He breathed His last, Jesus said, “Father, into Your hands I commit My spirit” (Lk. 23:46), voluntarily entrusting His most precious spirit into the hands of the Father.

 

Stephen the deacon likewise looked toward the Lord in glory and prayed, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit” (Acts 7:59).  The perfect prayer of trust that Jesus offered toward God the Father reached Stephen and became a confession of faith and an act of entrusting directed toward “the Lord Jesus,” gloriously demonstrating what the death of a believer should be like.

 

Ultimately, the prayers that burst forth from these two men at the final moment of death were not simply a coincidence.  Because Stephen had continually and fully meditated on Jesus’ words and life and was filled with the Holy Spirit, the DNA of Jesus that had been deeply accumulated within him could burst forth as prayer even in the most urgent and painful moment of his life.

 

[Lesson ③] The final prayer is the accumulation of daily life.

 

The reason Stephen was able to pray exactly as Jesus did immediately before his death was that he had continually and fully meditated on Jesus’ words and life and was filled with His Spirit.  In the urgent moment immediately before death, what has normally filled the inner person tends to burst forth.

 

If we want to close our eyes like Jesus and Stephen, then beginning today in our ordinary daily lives, we must live lives that forgive our enemies and practice entrusting our sovereignty to the Lord at every moment.  Only those whose daily lives are lives of entrusting can entrust their souls to the Lord without wavering even at the very moment when they breathe their last.

 

Summary and blessing for believers:

 

If we want believers to pray like Stephen before going to be with the Lord, the message our church must proclaim is clear.

 

We must proclaim that, because of Jesus’ true death, our death has become peaceful sleep, and we must practice a life of forgiveness and entrusting every day in the places where we live our lives.  When we do so, believers will be able to confess at the twilight of their lives, “And having finished saying this,” and, while looking toward the glorious throne of the Lord, peacefully fall asleep (Internet).

 

(5)  Fifth and last, I would like to spend some time meditating on the responses of the people when Jesus died and reflecting them upon each of ourselves.  The first person was the centurion, who, when he saw Jesus’ death, “glorified God, saying, ‘Certainly this man was righteous’” [ἐδόξαζεν τὸν θεὸν λέγων· Ὄντως ὁ ἄνθρωπος οὗτος δίκαιος ἦν (edoxazen ton theon legōn· Ontōs ho anthrōpos houtos dikaios ēn)] (Lk. 23:47).  The second group was the crowd that had gathered to watch, and when they “saw what had happened, they all beat their breasts and returned” [θεωρήσαντες τὰ γενόμενα, τύπτοντες τὰ στήθη ὑπέστρεφον (theōrēsantes ta genomena, typtontes ta stēthē hypestrephon)] (v. 48).  The third group consisted of “those who knew Jesus” [οἱ γνωστοὶ αὐτῷ (hoi gnōstoi autō)] and the women who had followed Him from Galilee, and the Bible says that they “stood at a distance, watching these things” [μακρόθεν ἑστῶτες ὁρῶντες ταῦτα (makrothen hestōtes horōntes tauta)] (v. 49).

 

(a)  The responses of the three groups of people standing beneath the cross are a mirror that reflects, in its entirety, our spiritual position and inner condition today as we respond to the atoning death of Jesus Christ.  Through the vivid descriptions in the Greek text, this is a meditation guide for deeply reflecting these three responses into each of our own lives (Internet):

 

1.  The centurion: the praise of “edoxazen (ἐδόξαζεν)” (“glorified”) and the proclamation of “dikaios (δίκαιος)” (“righteous”)

 

The centurion, a Gentile and an executioner, was the first to respond after witnessing the supernatural signs and the dignified death of Jesus.

 

Meaning in the original language: The Greek word edoxazen (ἐδόξαζεν), translated here as “glorified,” is an imperfect tense verb.  This means that the centurion did not simply admire what he saw once and then stop.  Rather, he was shocked by what he witnessed at the cross and began continually praising and confessing God. He also proclaimed that Jesus was dikaios (δίκαιος: righteous).

 

Reflection for myself: From the lips of a Gentile who appeared to be the person furthest from the gospel came continual praise and a proclamation of Jesus’ innocence.  When I meditate on the cross every day, is continual praise toward God flowing from the center of my life, like the centurion’s imperfect tense action?  I must examine whether I am living boldly before the world, truly proclaiming Jesus as the only righteous One and Savior of my life.

 

2.  The crowd that gathered to watch: the regret and beating of the chest expressed by “typtontes (τύπτοντες)” (“beating”)

 

The Jewish crowd that had mocked Jesus and gathered to watch Him was deeply frightened and psychologically shaken after witnessing “what had happened,” including the darkness of the sun and the rocks splitting apart.

 

Meaning in the original language: The crowd went away “typtontes ta stēthē (τύπτοντες τὰ στήθη)”, literally beating their chests with their fists without restraint, and “hypestrephon (ὑπέστρεφον)”, they returned.  This was a visible expression of their belated self-reproach and fear that they had killed the Messiah, as well as their bitter regret.

 

Reflection for myself: The beating of their chests was a kind of spiritual awakening, but sadly they did not proceed to the fruits appropriate to repentance. They simply grieved and “returned” to their respective homes.  Am I remaining in the “faith of a spectator,” shedding emotional tears because my heart is pierced by sin during Sunday worship or before the Word, yet failing to turn the direction of my life toward the Lord and simply returning to my old daily routines and former ways?

 

3.   Those who knew Him and the women: the silence and standing at a distance of “makrothen (μακρόθεν)” (“far away”)

 

Those who “knew Jesus,” including the disciples who had been intimate with Him, and the women who had faithfully supported Him with their material resources and prayers, were unable to come close to the scene of His suffering and remained at some distance.

 

Meaning in the original language: The Bible describes them as “makrothen hestōtes (μακρόθεν ἑστῶτες)”, that is, “standing at a distance,” watching all these things. This vividly reveals the spiritual helplessness and limitations of the disciples who loved the Lord but maintained psychological and physical distance because they were afraid of the suffering and shame of the cross and the swords of the Roman soldiers.

 

Reflection for myself: These were not people who did not know the Lord at all.  They were “those who knew Jesus.” Yet before the suffering of the cross, they became bystanders who watched from a distance—“makrothen.”  Is my faith a “makrothen” (“at-a-distance”) faith, in which I try to maintain a safe distance from the Lord?  While wanting to draw close to the places of the Lord’s blessing and grace, do I perhaps have within me the cowardice of quietly taking one step backward and merely watching from a distance when it comes to the places of suffering, commitment, and the cross where the Lord wants me to stand?  I must reflect deeply within my heart on whether such an attitude exists within me.

 

Overall self-reflection

 

The scene beneath the cross asks us today: Am I a “worshiper” whose life has been transformed before the cross, like the Gentile centurion, continually exalting the Lord?  Am I a “regretful spectator” who beats my chest before the Word but soon returns to my ordinary place in life?  Or am I a “distancing disciple” who says that I know the Lord but, when confronted with suffering and responsibility, runs away and stands at a distance?

 

As we meditate on these three kinds of people, we receive the holy challenge to move our feet from where we have been “standing at a distance” and come directly beneath the cross, and to move from merely beating our chests to the genuine place of repentance (Internet).