“Jesus yielded up His Spirit.”

The death of Jesus features prominently in the thinking of the Apostle Paul.  In Philippians 3:20 he wrote that one of his overall goals in life was to “know [Christ] and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being conformed to his death…”  He begins with the resurrection, but quickly links it to suffering, the worst of which was the crucifixion.  It is this last clause, “being conformed to his death,” that ties in to our focus, yielded.

In Matt. 27:50, it says that Jesus “yielded up his spirit” and died.  This was an act of his will.  Sure, he was whipped, beaten and crucified, but none of these things killed him.  John’s Gospel records him saying, “No one takes [my life] from me, but I lay it down of myself.  I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again.  This command I have received from my Father” (10:18).  So his life was not supported by his body; his body simply served as his “mobile home” until his mission was completed, and it was time to move on.

The Greek word used by Matthew for yielded is aphiemi, which literally means “send away” (apo = from, hiemi = to send).  It is also the word chiefly used in the New Testament for the word, forgive.  Does it mean, then, “forgive his spirit”?  No, that makes no sense.  Sometimes we confuse a word’s literal definition and its association.

When we drive our car, and we come to an intersection and are faced with a yield sign, what does that sign mean?  It simply means that if another car is coming, we let them go by first.  We are the ones who stop and let the others proceed.  That is exactly what “yield” means here.  On the cross Jesus decided it was time to “let his spirit go on,” leaving his earthly tabernacle because this phase of his mission on earth was complete.  He went on to another life, ultimately to a higher, more glorious life, that of perfect relationship with the Father that would forever be unhindered by sin on the earth.  Never again would he have to face the cares of the world as He did on his first visit here.

So when Paul stated that he wanted to be “conformed to His death,” he was saying that he, too, needed to “let things go.”  What kind of things?  Hurts, anger, disappointments, loneliness from being separated from loved ones, the fallout of our failures or those of others, cross-cultural offenses by those in our host culture, anything in the past or present that would hinder his walk with the Lord.  Doesn’t that encompass forgiveness?  When we forgive someone, don’t we choose to “let go of” the offense of another?  And when we do, aren’t we deciding that the issue (our being wronged) will never play a part in our future?  Things happen every day—at work, in relationships (like marriage), in life—that cause us to struggle in relationships.  Paul implied that every believer needs to “let go of” these things.

Is there a trade-off for doing such yielding?  Of course!  When Jesus “let go of” his spirit, he had a forward view.  Hebrews 12:2 says, “…[F]or the joy that was set before him [he] endured the cross, despising the shame…”  Jesus knew he was trading something he already had—life limited by the flesh— to something much better that he would receive—perfect relationship with the Father unhindered by the flesh.  That is resurrection life!  Isn’t that how believers are to walk, “in newness of life”?  (Romans 6:4.)  God would have each one of us to lay aside, to “let go of,” the things in this world that hinder our walk with the Lord.  All these things are temporal in nature.  He wants us to move into that life of unblocked fellowship with our Heavenly Father.  It was difficult for Jesus; it will likewise be hard for us.  But we have nothing to lose except the weights of the world we choose to carry.  We have everything to gain by following our Savior.

He yielded.  Will you?