Good Friday: The Eternal Expired

"And Jesus uttered a loud cry and breathed his last." (Mark 15:37)

In Mark 15:37 we read that the very embodiment of eternal life has come to the end of his life. Mark tells us that Jesus “breathed his last”, which in Greek literally means, “He expired.” Think of that for a moment; the eternal one expired.

When Jesus drank the sour wine he fulfilled the final prophecy, and thus, there was nothing left for him to accomplish. He had endured the darkness of God’s wrath and felt the forsakenness of sin, now he was ready for his departure. This is when he “uttered a loud cry:” literally, “he let it go with a great voice.” Even though Mark does not tell us what Jesus said when he cried out, we are not left to speculate. The other gospel writers fill in the details for us. For instance, John 19:30 says, “When Jesus had received the sour wine, he said, ‘It is finished,’ and he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.” The loud cry of Jesus was, Τετέλεσται (tetelestai), which has major theological implication. All that was necessary for Jesus to accomplish on the cross, was now complete. There was nothing left to add, by Christ or by us. This does not mean that the entire work of salvation had been completed, since the resurrection and ascension were still to come. However, according to the words of John 19:30, the payment for sin on the cross was done.

Further investigation uncovers that the loud cry of Christ was not limited to one word. Luke 23:46 fills out the rest of the picture for us: “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.” These words are utterly amazing. Think about what Jesus had said just a few moments before, “My God, My God, why have you forsaken me?” Now, instead of God he says Father, and instead of forsakenness we see familial love. Why the change? Because he was finished bearing the wrath of God. In whatever way the communion of the Father and Son had been broken at the cross, it was now restored and the Son entrusted himself to the loving care of the Father. The Puritans used to pray that they would “die well” and this is certainly an example of that. After enduring the fierce wrath of the Father, Jesus entrusted himself to the faithful love of the Father with his last breath.

The final cry of Christ is incredibly revealing, and not just for the words he chose. The cross killed its victims through either organ failure or asphyxiation. In cases of the latter, extreme fatigue and strategic positioning would eventually make it impossible for the crucified to expand his lungs to breathe. This, apparently, did not happen with Jesus. The fact that he had the strength and lung capacity to “let it go with a great voice” indicates that his death was caused by something other than asphyxiation. The most likely medical explanation for the death of Christ is that his heart literally exploded. The stress of crucifixion and the shock of all the contributing factors pushed his heart to the limits of physical capability. But, remarkably, this did not happen until Jesus allowed it to happen. Consider the words of John MacArthur:

When He finally expired on the cross, it was not with a wrenching struggle against His killers. He did not display any frenzied death throes. His final passage into death—like every other aspect of the crucifixion drama—was a deliberate act of his own sovereign will, showing that to the very end, He was sovereignly in control of all that was happening. John says, “Bowing His head, He gave up His spirit” (John 19:30). Quietly, submissively, He simply yielded up His life. (The Murder of Jesus, 223)

There is no question that Jesus died well, but the fact that he died at all should shock our theological sensibilities. How could Jesus die? How could the Eternal One expire? The answer may not satisfy every curiosity, but it is clear: in his human nature, Jesus endured physical death so that we could experience eternal life. His death did not destroy his eternality, it opened the door for us to benefit from it. The death of Christ is our hope of life. We know this to be true because Jesus is no longer dead. He died, but he did not stay dead. He was crucified, dead, and buried, but he is alive. In fact, he is life and could not remain in the grave. His resurrection not only proves his eternality, it guarantees our eternal life. The Eternal One “is Jesus our Lord, who was delivered up for our trespasses and raised for our justification” (Romans 4:24–25).

The clearest and most important principle in the entire Bible is that Jesus endured death on our behalf and all who believe in him have life eternal. Jesus made this truth the center the focal point of his preaching ministry:

1. Now after John was arrested, Jesus came into Galilee, proclaiming the gospel of God, and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.” (Mark 1:14–15)

2. Whoever believes in him may have eternal life. For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. (John 3:15-16)

3. Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life. He does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life. (John 5:24)

4. For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who looks on the Son and believes in him should have eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day. (John 6:40)

5. Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes has eternal life. (John 6:47)

After preaching salvation by grace alone through faith alone for three years, Jesus died on the cross to make this message a reality. The Eternal One has accomplished everything that is necessary for our eternal life. It is finished, the only thing left for us to do is believe. He has accomplished it all and if we entrust our souls to him as he entrusted himself to the Father, he will not fail us.

Parts of this article are excerpted from The Irony of the Cross by Paul Shirley, pp. 95-100.