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Luke 23:34, etc. - The Seven Utterances of Christ from the Cross.

Luke 23:34, etc. - The Seven Utterances of Christ from the Cross.

There are seven sayings of Jesus uttered from the cross. They 
were spoken in the following order:  
1. the word of forgiveness: "Father, forgive them; for they know 
not what they do" (Luke 23:34, KJV)  
2. the word of salvation: "Today shalt thou be with me in 
paradise" (Luke 23:43, KJV) 
3. the word of affection: "Woman, behold thy son"; "Behold thy 
mother" (John 19:26-27, KJV) 
4. the word of anguish: "My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken 
me?" (Matt. 27:46; Mark 15:34, KJV) 
5. the word of suffering: "I thirst" (John 19:28, KJV)
6. the word of victory: "It is finished" (John 19:30, KJV)
7. the word of committal: "Father, into thy hands I commend my 
spirit" (Luke 23:46, KJV) [The One Year Bible Companion re Luke 23:34 
mod] 

The seven utterances of Jesus as He hung upon the cross are 
sometimes called the Seven Words. No gospel writer mentions more than 
three, nor less than one, of these utterances. [SDA Bible Commentary] 

The Gospels report seven utterances by Jesus as He hung on the 
cross. Three of these can be assigned to the first three hours, between 
9 a.m. and 12 noon. Four can be assigned to the next three hours, 
12-3 p.m., during which the scene was shrouded in darkness.  It is 
traditional during Good Friday services to meditate on these seven 
utterances. Surely there is much here for us to ponder. [Victor Bible 
Background Commentary] 

Jesus' first and last words from the cross were a prayer to His 
Father. [Disciple SB] 

FIRST UTTERANCE OF CHRIST FROM THE CROSS (forgiveness).

Luke 23:34a (KJV) Then said Jesus, FATHER, FORGIVE THEM; FOR 
THEY KNOW NOT WHAT THEY DO.  

Heaven viewed with grief and amazement Christ hanging upon the 
cross, blood flowing from His wounded temples, and sweat tinged with 
blood standing upon His brow. From His hands and feet the blood fell, 
drop by drop, upon the rock drilled for the foot of the cross. The 
wounds made by the nails gaped as the weight of His body dragged upon 
His hands. His labored breath grew quick and deep, as His soul 
panted under the burden of the sins of the world. All heaven was filled 
with wonder when the prayer of Christ was offered in the midst of His 
terrible suffering,--"Father, forgive them; for they know not what they 
do." Luke 23:34. Yet there stood men, formed in the image of God, 
joining to crush out the life of His only-begotten Son. What a sight for 
the heavenly universe!  DA760 

Jesus asked God to forgive the people who were putting him to 
death--Jewish leaders, Roman politicians and soldiers, bystanders--and God 
answered that prayer by opening up the way of salvation even to Jesus' 
murderers. The Roman centurion and soldiers who witnessed the crucifixion 
said, "Surely he was the Son of God" (Matthew 27:54). Soon many 
priests were converted to the Christian faith (Acts 6:7). Because we are 
all sinners, we all played a part in putting Jesus to death. The 
gospel--the Good News--is that God is gracious. He will forgive us and give 
us new life through his Son. [Life Application SB] 

Christian forgiveness is an amazing thing.... There is nothing so 
lovely and nothing so rare as Christian forgiveness. When the 
unforgiving spirit is threatening to turn our hearts to bitterness, let us 
hear again our Lord asking forgiveness for those who crucified him 
[Barclay Commentary] 

   In his book, Beneath the Cross of Jesus, A. Leonard Griffith 
tells the story of a young Korean exchange student, a leader in 
Christian circles at the University of Pennsylvania. The student left his 
apartment on the evening of April 25, 1958, to mail a letter to his 
parents. As he turned from the mailbox, he was met by eleven 
leather-jacketed teenage boys. Without a word, they beat him with a blackjack, a 
lead pipe, and their shoes and fists - and left him lying dead in the 
gutter.  
   All of Philadelphia cried out for vengeance. The district 
attorney planned to seek the death penalty for the arrested youth. And 
then, the following letter arrived, signed by the boy's parents and 
twenty other relatives in Korea: "Our family has met together and we 
have decided to petition that the most generous treatment possible 
within the laws of your government be given to those who have committed 
this criminal action.... In order to give evidence of our sincere 
hope contained in this petition, we have decided to save money to 
start a fund to be used for the religious, educational, vocational, 
and social guidance of the boys when they are released.... We have 
dared to express our hope with a spirit received from the gospel of 
our Savior Jesus Christ who died for our sins." 
   When you forgive, you are no longer a victim but a victor. 
[God's Little Devotional Bible] 

Today you will meet all kinds of unpleasant people; they will 
hurt you, and injure you, and insult you; but you cannot live like 
that; you know better, for you are a man in whom the spirit of God 
dwells. Others may have in their hearts the unforgiving spirit, others 
may sin in ignorance; but we know better. We are Christ's men and 
women; and we must forgive as he forgave. [Barclay Commentary] 

SECOND UTTERANCE OF CHRIST FROM THE CROSS (salvation).

Luke 23:42, 43 (KJV) And he said unto Jesus, Lord, remember me 
when thou comest into thy kingdom. And Jesus said unto him, VERILY I 
SAY UNTO THEE, TODAY SHALT THOU BE WITH ME IN PARADISE. 

The conversion of the thief upon the cross, which is an 
illustrious instance of Christ's triumphing over principalities and powers 
even when he seemed to be triumphed over by them. Christ was 
crucified between two thieves, and in them were represented the different 
effects which the cross of Christ would have upon the children of men, 
to whom it would be brought near in the preaching of the gospel. 
They were all malefactors, all guilty before God. Now the cross of 
Christ is to some a savour of life unto life, to others of death unto 
death. (Matthew Henry's Commentary) 

It may have been that while on the cross Jesus had taken 
occasion to acquaint them with the nature of his kingdom. While he might 
have been doing this, one of the malefactors may have continued to 
rail on him while the other became truly penitent. Such a result of 
preaching the gospel would not have been unlike what has often occurred 
since, where, while the gospel has been proclaimed, one has been "taken 
and another left;" one has been melted to repentance, another has 
been more hardened in guilt. (Barnes' Notes) 

The dying criminal had more faith than the rest of Jesus' 
followers put together. Although the disciples continued to love Jesus, 
their hopes for the kingdom were shattered. Most of them had gone into 
hiding. As one of his followers sadly said two days later, "We had hoped 
that he was the one who was going to redeem Israel" (Luke 24:21). By 
contrast, the criminal looked at the man who was dying next to him and 
said, "Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom." By all 
appearances, the kingdom was finished. How awe-inspiring is the faith of this 
man who alone saw beyond the present shame to the coming glory! 
[Life Application SB] 

To add on a thought that struck me is the fact that both the 
malefactors were equidistant from Jesus and had the liberty and were not 
compelled to make their individual decision.  One chose to seek 
deliverance from temporal death and the other chose to seek deliverance from 
the second death. One was interested only in this worldly life and 
the other was interested in eternal life.  The one who was 
interested in this worldly life, if he was delivered by Jesus, would surely 
have gone back to the ways and means of life hitherto he had lived.  
But the one, who desired life eternal, knew that the first death is 
imminent and that there is no escape for anyone from it, but to die with 
Christ is also to rise with Him. Thomas Philip (Evangelist) Bangalore, 
INDIA [thomas.philip@mailcity.com] 

THIRD UTTERANCE OF CHRIST FROM THE CROSS (affection).

John 19:26, 27 (KJV) When Jesus therefore saw his mother, and 
the disciple standing by, whom he loved, he saith unto his mother, 
WOMAN, BEHOLD THY SON!  Then saith he to the disciple, BEHOLD THY 
MOTHER! And from that hour that disciple took her unto his own home. 

He calls her woman, not mother, not out of any disrespect to 
her, but because mother would have been a cutting word to her that 
was already wounded to the heart with grief; (Matthew Henry's 
Commentary) 

The relationship between John and Jesus was more intimate than 
that between Jesus and the other disciples, and John could therefore 
carry out the duties of a son more faithfully than they. That Jesus 
entrusted His mother to a disciple is acknowledged as evidence that Joseph 
no longer lived, and is thought by some to indicate that Mary had 
no other sons of her own, at least in a position to care for her. 
Jesus' older brothers, sons of Joseph by a former marriage (see on 
Matt. 12:46), did not, at this time, believe in Him, and He may have 
felt that their attitude toward Mary would have been critical and 
unsympathetic, as it had been toward Him. [SDA Bible Commentary] 

In this passage there is something which is surely one of the 
loveliest things in all the gospel story. When Jesus saw his mother, he 
could not but think of the days ahead. He could not commit her to the 
care of his brothers, for they did not believe in him yet (Jn 7:5). 
And, after all, John had a double qualification for the service Jesus 
entrusted to him--he was Jesus' cousin, being Salome's son, and he was the 
disciple whom Jesus loved. So Jesus committed Mary to John's care and 
John to Mary's, so that they should comfort each other's loneliness 
when he was gone. [Barclay Commentary] 

Behold, my beloved disciple shall be to you a son, and provide 
for you, and discharge toward you the duties of an affectionate 
child. Mary was poor. It would even seem that now she had no home. 
Jesus, in his dying moments, filled with tender regard for his mother, 
secured for her an adopted son, obtained for her a home, and consoled 
her grief by the prospect of attention from him who was the most 
beloved of all the apostles. What an example of filial attention! What a 
model to all children! And how lovely appears the dying Saviour, thus 
remembering his afflicted mother, and making her welfare one of his last 
cares on the cross, and even when making atonement for the sins of the 
world! (Barnes' Notes) 

   Jesus had been flogged and crucified. His physical suffering 
was unimaginable. More than that, the world's sin was crushing him, 
and God had abandoned him. Jesus was spiritually empty. But despite 
all this, Jesus was concerned about his family. He instructed John 
to care for Mary, Jesus' mother.  
   Jesus' physical and spiritual anguish was for a purpose 
though. Jesus' blood and spirit would give birth to a new family - to 
God's children - to the Church. Jesus would be "the firstborn among 
many brothers and sisters" (Romans 8:29). The disciples were no 
longer slaves, nor friends. They were brothers (John 15:15; 20:17). 
Jesus had established a new family.  
   Our families are precious gifts from God, and we should look 
after their needs in all circumstances. We should care for those who 
are our family by blood and for those who are our family by the 
Spirit. In doing so, we honor the work of Jesus' death. He brought us 
together, people who were separated and alone. He brought us into God's 
family and united us by his Spirit. "Since we are living by the Spirit, 
let us follow the Spirit's leading" by caring for our families with 
the fruit of the Spirit (Gal. 5:25). [One Year NLT SB re John 
19:25-27] 

GREAT VIDEO CLIP ON THIS 3RD SAYING OF CHRIST FROM THE CROSS BY 
SHAWN BOONSTRA: 

http://www.itiswritten.com/television/episodes/2270

FOURTH UTTERANCE OF CHRIST FROM THE CROSS (anguish).

Matthew 27:46 (KJV) And about the ninth hour Jesus cried with a 
loud voice, saying, Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani? that is to say, MY 
GOD, MY GOD, WHY HAST THOU FORSAKEN ME? 

Jesus was not questioning God; he was quoting the first line of 
Psalm 22--a deep expression of the anguish he felt when he took on the 
sins of the world, which caused him to be separated from his Father. 
This was what Jesus dreaded as he prayed to God in the garden to take 
the cup from him (Matthew 26:39). The physical agony was horrible, 
but even worse was the period of spiritual separation from God. 
Jesus suffered this double death so that we would never have to 
experience eternal separation from God. [Life Application SB] 

Did God actually forsake Jesus? (27:46) The divine and human 
natures of Jesus were never separated, even during the crucifixion. Yet 
it is clear, difficult as it is to explain, that Jesus' intimate 
fellowship with God the Father was temporarily broken as he took the sin of 
the entire world on himself. Jesus used the words of Psalm 22, which 
begins with despair but ends with renewed trust in God. By quoting that 
psalm, Jesus may have hinted that he knew the broken relationship with 
his Father would soon be restored. [Quest SB] 

In an awesome sense which we cannot begin to grasp the Godhead 
itself was ripped and torn, and the anguish Jesus felt was deeper and 
more real than all the anguish felt by our sin-cursed race. All this, 
all of history's sin and suffering, was suddenly, stunningly 
shouldered by the Son of God, and in the resultant sundering of that 
intimate tie that bound Father, Son, and Spirit together, Christ suffered 
more than we can ever imagine or begin to know. [Victor Bible 
Background Commentary] 

In that moment the weight of the world's sin fell upon the heart 
and the being of Jesus; that that was the moment when he who knew no 
sin was made sin for us (2Cor 5:21); and that the penalty which he 
bore for us was the inevitable separation from God which sin brings. 
No man may say that that is not true; but, if it is, it is a 
mystery which we can only state and at which we can only wonder.... That 
is a saying before which we must bow in reverence.... [Barclay 
Commentary] 

   We have all at least thought it: My God, why have You 
forsaken me? We've all come to the point where we feel like God has left 
us to despair in our bad situations. Whether it's because of 
medical problems, relational difficulties, or financial setbacks - we 
know what it's like to feel abandoned.  
   Yet, for some reason, it's disturbing that Jesus said it on 
the cross. Matthew 27:46 tells us, "About the ninth hour Jesus cried 
out with a loud voice, saying, 'Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani?' that 
is, 'My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?'"  
   The word forsaken means to abandon or leave helpless. Yet, 
generally, we are accustomed to hearing it in terms of God's promise to 
never desert us. As Deuteronomy 31:6 says, "The LORD your God, He is 
the One who goes with you. He will not leave you nor forsake you."  
   Therefore, because we know that God honors His promises, we 
are convinced that God is never going to forsake us. And even when 
it feels like God is nowhere to be found, we claim the promise and 
have confidence that He is still with us.  
   However, when we read that Jesus said it on the cross, it's 
somewhat disconcerting. Of course, we understand that Jesus had to be 
crucified in order to forgive us of our sins (see Heb. 9:22); and we know 
that it was excruciating for Him. Still, it was an outburst that 
seems strange coming from Jesus.  
   Think about it: Jesus had been on the cross almost six hours. 
Why did He say it just as He was about to die-when He was almost 
through with the mission? After all, Jesus knew that the Father would 
keep His promise to resurrect Him from the grave (see Ps. 16:10). So, 
knowing the promise, and knowing the suffering would be over very soon - 
why did Jesus say that God had forsaken Him? We know it couldn't be 
from a lack of faith.  
   Sometimes in the immensity of all that happened at the cross, 
we lose the small details of God's astounding plan. However, it's 
important to note the exact moment when Jesus cried out.  
   The Mishnah, which is the oral law of the Jewish people, 
reports, "The slaughter of the Passover Lamb was performed during the 
ninth hour." The ninth hour. We learn that at the exact moment when 
the lambs were being sacrificed in the temple, Jesus was crying out 
about being forsaken.  
   If you've ever wondered when exactly Jesus became our sin 
offering - understand that it was in that one awful, horrifying, 
redeeming moment that He cried out. Because it was in that moment that He 
became sin for us. As Paul teaches us in 2 Corinthians 5:21, "He made 
Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the 
righteousness of God in Him." In 1 Corinthians 5:7 Paul confirmed, "Indeed 
Christ, our Passover, was sacrificed for us."  
   In that moment, Jesus knew what it meant to be separated from 
God. For the first time since before the beginning time - Jesus 
didn't feel God's presence. That doesn't mean that the Godhead was 
breached - Jesus was still fully God. Rather, it means that the Son 
understood the poverty of being separated from the Father. The hopelessness 
of it. The loneliness of it. It was the most heart-wrenching, awful 
moment of His life - worse than any scourging, beating, or crucifixion. 
 
   Perhaps that was the way that Jesus best experienced what 
it's like to be us - what it feels like to be a sinner - without 
actually being one (see Heb. 2:14).  
   In that moment, Jesus felt every fear that you and I feel. He 
felt the consequences of sin. He felt what it means to be forsaken - 
what it means to be without God's perfect love. Perhaps that's what 
is at the core of every time we feel forsaken, abandoned, enraged, 
offended, and hurt: It all comes from fear. We're afraid of being left 
with nothing. We're scared of being unloved and rejected. We're 
terrified of dying alone. However, at the core of it all is the fear that 
comes from not feeling God's perfect love.  
   Yet, 1 John 4:18 says, "There is no fear in love; but perfect 
love casts out fear, because fear involves torment. But he who fears 
has not been made perfect in love."  
   Friend, perfect love doesn't abandon you. When you experience 
God's perfect love and are obedient to His will, it doesn't matter 
what happens - you are fully convinced of God's provision and 
protection.  
   Therefore, whenever you feel forsaken, remember that the 
resurrected Christ knows exactly how you feel. He knows the depth of your 
pain. And He did not leave you helpless to face your fears - He did 
not abandon you to a life without the perfect love of God.  
   So, the next time you read the profound words, "My God, My 
God, why have You forsaken Me?" Thank Jesus for identifying with you 
in such a deep way. And realize that you can always count on Him, 
because there's no situation you will face that He will not face with 
you. [Life Principles SB By Charles Stanley] 

FIFTH UTTERANCE OF CHRIST FROM THE CROSS (suffering).

John 19:28 (KJV) After this, Jesus knowing that all things were 
now accomplished, that the scripture might be fulfilled, saith, I 
THIRST. 

Thirst was one of the most distressing circumstances attending 
the crucifixion. (Barnes' Notes) 

It was foretold that his tongue should cleave to his jaws, . (Matthew Henry's Commentary) 

The wording indicated that Jesus was fully conscious and was 
aware of fulfilling the details of prophecies. [Bible Knowledge 
Commentary] 

The fatigue which he had undergone, the grief he had felt, the 
heat of the day, and the loss of blood, were the natural causes of 
this thirst. This he would have borne without complaint; but he 
wished to give them the fullest proof of his being the Messiah, by 
distinctly marking how everything relative to the Messiah, which had been 
written in the prophets, had its complete fulfilment in him. (Adam 
Clarke Commentary) 

The physical need of the sufferer asserted itself, the only 
outward indication he permitted to escape his lips. Even so, he stated a 
fact rather than voicing an appeal. [Wycliffe Bible Commentary] 

"I thirst" spoke both of physical and spiritual agony, for 
Christ suffered the torment of hell for our sins. He thirsted that we 
might never thirst. [Wiersbe Expository Outlines] 

   One of the women who lingered at the foot of the cross had 
once known thirst that ordinary water couldn't quench. She had been 
an outcast among her peers, and there was no place in society for 
someone like her. She had a great need, and nothing could fill the 
emptiness, the void within her. Then came the day when she met Jesus. 
Although her accusers had already given up on her and would readily have 
stoned her, Jesus saw her need, and rather than give up on her, he 
faced her accusers and saved not only her life but her soul as well. 
From that moment forward, Mary Magdalene was a devoted disciple of 
Christ, following him even to the foot of a brutal cross. When Jesus 
cried out in thirst, the soldiers mistook it for weakness of the flesh 
and thrust sour wine to his lips. What they didn't comprehend is 
that Jesus' words were a declaration of his completion of his 
Father's work. He was thirsty because he was being poured out as an 
offering, not only for the grateful woman who knelt at his feet but also 
for generations of people to come.  
   Jesus, you poured out your life like an offering and gave me 
living water that saved and restored my soul. Help me to take that same 
living water and extend it to those around me who are thirty. Please 
use me to reach out to the abandoned, the scorned, the unlovable, 
with your sacrificial love. [Praying Through The Bible By Fuller] 

I have a great need for Christ, I have a great Christ for my 
need. Charles Haddon Spurgeon (1834-1892)  

SIXTH UTTERANCE OF CHRIST FROM THE CROSS (victory).

John 19:30 (KJV) When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, 
he said, IT IS FINISHED: and he bowed his head, and gave up the 
ghost. 

"It is finished" was the shout of victory. [Scofield SB]

The sixth word or saying that Jesus spoke from the cross was a 
single Greek work which means It is finished. Papyri receipts for taxes 
have been recovered with this word written across them, meaning "paid 
in full." This word on Jesus' lips was significant. When He said, 
"It is finished" (not "I am finished"), He meant His redemptive work 
was completed. He had been made sin for people (2 Cor. 5:21) and had 
suffered the penalty of God's justice which sin deserved. [Bible 
Knowledge Commentary] 

   "It is finished" (Jn 19:30). It is finished is in English 
three words; but in Greek it is one--Tetelestai (5055-GSN)--as it 
would also be in Aramaic. And tetelestai (5055-GSN) is the victor's 
shout; it is the cry of the man who has completed his task; it is the 
cry of the man who has won through the struggle; it is the cry of 
the man who has come out of the dark into the glory of the light, 
and who has grasped the crown. So, then, Jesus died a victor with a 
shout of triumph on his lips.  
   Here is the precious thing. Jesus passed through the 
uttermost abyss, and then the light broke. If we too cling to God, even 
when there seems to be no God, desperately and invincibly clutching 
the remnants of our faith, quite certainly the dawn will break and 
we will win through. The victor is the man who refuses to believe 
that God has forgotten him, even when every fibre of his being feels 
that he is forsaken. The victor is the man who will never let go his 
faith, even when he feels that its last grounds are gone. The victor is 
the man who has been beaten to the depths and still holds on to God, 
for that is what Jesus did. [Barclay Commentary re Mat.27:45-50] 

Until this time, a complicated system of sacrifices had atoned 
for sins. Sin separates people from God, and only through the 
sacrifice of an animal, a substitute, could people be forgiven and become 
clean before God. But people sin continually, so frequent sacrifices 
were required. Jesus, however, became the final and ultimate 
sacrifice for sin. The word finished is the same as "paid in full." Jesus 
came to finish God's work of salvation (John 4:34; 17:4), to pay the 
full penalty for our sins. With his death, the complex sacrificial 
system ended because Jesus took all sin upon himself. Now we can freely 
approach God because of what Jesus did for us. Those who believe in 
Jesus' death and resurrection can live eternally with God and escape 
the penalty that comes from sin. [The One Year Bible Companion] 

   With one prophecy after another falling into place, Jesus 
went to the cross and died for the sins of the world. Finally, he 
said, "It is finished." God's plan, which the Bible says was put into 
place before the creation of the world, was finally fulfilled. The 
centerpiece of God's rescue mission was complete.  
   The death of Jesus is the ultimate expression of love, and 
it's available to anyone who will agree to be rescued. To some, the 
thought that a sacrificial death was necessary is offensive; to others, 
it's everything. Paul made this message of the cross the essence of 
his preaching because it's the only means of our salvation. Jesus' 
death removed everything that stood between us and God so we can have 
perfect fellowship with him through faith. [NIV Once A Day Bible] 

   "It is finished." 
   Stop and listen a moment. Let the words wind through your 
heart. Imagine the cry from the cross. The sky is dark. The other two 
victims are moaning. Jeering mouths of the crowd are silent. Perhaps 
there is thunder. Perhaps there is weeping. Perhaps there is silence. 
Then Jesus draws in a deep breath, pushes his feet down on that Roman 
nail, and cries, "It is finished!"  
   What was finished? 
   The history-long plan of redeeming man was finished. The 
message of God to man was finished. The works done by Jesus as a man on 
earth were finished ... The sting of death had been removed. It was 
over. from No Wonder They Call Him The Savior [Grace For The Moment SB 
By Max Lucado] 

   Come to Me and listen! Attune yourself to My voice, and 
receive My richest blessings. Marvel at the wonder of communing with the 
Creator of the universe while sitting in the comfort of your home. Kings 
who reign on earth tend to make themselves inaccessible; ordinary 
people almost never gain an audience with them. Even dignitaries must 
plow through red tape and protocol in order to speak with royalty.  
   Though I am King of the universe, I am totally accessible to 
you. I am with you wherever you are. Nothing can separate you from My 
Presence! When I cried out from the cross, "It is finished!" the curtain 
of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. This opened the 
way for you to meet Me face to Face, with no need of protocol or 
priests. I, the King of kings, am your constant Companion. (Isa. 50:4; 
55:2, 3; John 19:30; Mat. 27:50, 51) [Jesus Calling by Sarah Young] 

SEVENTH UTTERANCE OF CHRIST FROM THE CROSS (committal).

Luke 23:46 (KJV) And when Jesus had cried with a loud voice, he 
said, FATHER, INTO THY HANDS I COMMEND MY SPIRIT: and having said 
thus, he gave up the ghost. 

The fact that Jesus dismissed His spirit is evidence that He was 
in full control of the situation.  [Wiersbe Expository Outlines] 

Jesus died with the words of Ps. 31:5 upon His lips. The 
attitude thus expressed brings to a sublime climax the spirit of humble 
submission to the will of the Father exemplified throughout Jesus' life on 
earth. [SDA Bible Commentary] 

Jesus died with a prayer on his lips. "Father, into your hands I 
commit my spirit." That is Ps 31:5 with one word added--Father. That 
verse was the prayer every Jewish mother taught her child to say last 
thing at night. Just as we were taught, maybe, to say, "This night I 
lay me down to sleep," so the Jewish mother taught her child to say, 
before the threatening dark came down, "Into thy hands I commit my 
spirit."  Jesus made it even more lovely for he began it with the word 
Father. Even on a cross Jesus died like a child falling asleep in his 
father's arms. [Barclay Commentary] 

   The words are from yet another psalm, Ps. 31:5, and were used 
in Israel as an evening prayer. The psalm is a beautiful expression 
of unshakable confidence. It reminds us that, although Christ 
accepted death as the Father's will, His suffering in no way threatened 
the loving bond of trust that existed between them. 
   The words of that psalm, penned by David, remind us that even 
in the darkest of times God is our refuge too. Jesus' willingness 
to suffer for us is unshakable proof that as He committed His 
spirit into the Father's hands, so can we. [Victor Bible Background 
Commentary re Mar.15:34] 

CLOSING PRAISE AND WORSHIP SONGS:

Were You There? by Crystal Lewis: 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FXexU27jCRM 

More Than Wonderful by Sandi Patti & Larnelle Harris: 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SRTwUvZG5a0 

How Great thou Art by Carrie Underwood with Vince Gill: 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pLLMzr3PFgk