Luke 23:44-49

v. 44-49 "It was now about the sixth hour, and darkness came over the whole land until the ninth hour, for the sun stopped shining.  And the curtain of the temple was torn in two.  Jesus called out with a loud voice, 'Father, into your hands I commit My spirit.'  When He had said this, He breathed His last.  The centurion, seeing what had happened, praised God and said, 'Surely this was a righteous man.'  When all the people who had gathered to witness this sight saw what took place, they beat their breasts and went away.  But all those who knew Him, including the women who had followed Him from Galilee, stood at a distance, watching these things."

It is hard to not tear up every time I read about Jesus dying.  He chose to die for people that He did not know, those of us who had not been born yet, those who are wicked sinners and even those that hate Him.  The earth grieved, darkness fell upon the earth.  There would have been no doubt with the events taking place that Jesus was truly the son of God.  The curtain in the temple was torn in two.  The temple was made up of three parts: court for all people; the Holy Place, only priests could enter; and the Most Holy Place where the high priest alone could go once a year to atone for the people's sin.  When Jesus died the curtain in the Most Holy Place was torn to break the barrier that stood between God and man.  We do not have to go through anyone to get to God.  I think we should learn from church leaders, but they will not be with us at judgment.  He offers us a personal relationship, all we have to do is knock and the door will open. 

Jesus called out to God for the last time as a man and was giving everything to God.  To our last breath we are should speak to our Father.  The centurion, who was the commander of the Roman soldiers, saw what happened and praised God.  The Romans in general were not believers in God, this man saw proof of something greater than himself.  The crowds were in agony because they also saw what happened and knew Jesus was something more than they thought.  Regret is a wicked tool of the enemy.  Bitter regret must have permeated their souls.  The people who knew Jesus stayed and watched from a distance.  There are many situations that we don't have control over and we feel helpless.  If we turn to God then we will not be helpless.