One of my favorite passages of scripture occurs this day in history. This is one I’ve used in a sermon and that is Jesus before Pilate. Pilate asks Jesus “What is truth?” and never waits for Jesus to answer. That is so profound because if he waited, maybe Jesus would’ve said “me”. But, let’s examine the crucifixion because I want to point out something profound that occurred to me recently after all these years as a Christian.

Matthew 27 ⁴⁵ Now from the sixth hour darkness fell upon all the land until the ninth hour. ⁴⁶ 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?” ⁴⁷ And some of those who were standing there, when they heard it, began saying, “This man is calling for Elijah.” ⁴⁸ Immediately one of them ran, and taking a sponge, he filled it with sour wine and put it on a reed, and gave Him a drink. ⁴⁹ But the rest of them said, “Let us see whether Elijah will come to save Him.” ⁵⁰ And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice, and yielded up His spirit. ⁵¹ 

Physically, this is what Jesus went through according to Scripture:
Before the cross- Jesus wore a crown of thorns. Jesus was spat on. Jesus was offered a drink to dull the pain-He refused it. Jesus was severely whipped, beaten with hands, struck repeatedly with a staff, etc. So much physical endurance that we know His face was marred.
During the crucifixion- Jesus collapsed under the weight of the cross because of His physical condition, so Simon of Cyrene stepped up to carry the cross the rest of the way. Jesus was then nailed to the cross-through His wrists and feet. Jesus was hung and likely caused dislocation of limbs due to weight (from Psalm 22). Jesus was naked and His clothes were divided among soldiers. Jesus was dehydrated. Jesus struggled to breathe-He had to push up to speak.

Yet- He didn’t die. I want to point out something specific, here. Matthew 27:50 says that Jesus willingly, by choice, yielded up His spirit. Jesus chose to die. Not just the whole act, etc., but meaning when it came down to His last breath instead of having that cup taken from Him, he willingly made a decision to die just like you and I would make a decision in our mind to do something. First was the yell, and then He made a decision. Could you imagine? Many of us have been with love ones when they pass. We know the dying process is just that- a process. Unless death comes quick, it is a process. For Jesus, there was a choice and then based on the yell, He felt death as He decided to yield His spirit.

Jesus came and knew He would die. But then, He still chose to die in the last seconds as a conscious decision. Let that sink in. His whole life, from being at the right hand of the Father, to his descension in a virgin birth, to His earthly ministry, to his last seconds- He consciously chose to die even after the beatings. The physical nature would’ve killed any man and we know from Roman history crucifixion it killed many; however in very last seconds He still chose death Himself. All the way until the end it was a choice to die for you and me. Before He took His last breath a mere thought could’ve wiped out the mockers, fully healed Him, and removed the pain but instead He chose us. Then, the Earth responded immediately to the death of its Creator by going dark, splitting open rocks, and the dead walking.