Deacon Ministry

7 Last Words From The Cross

Take the last hours of Jesus on earth and look upon them like a clue to hope and fear as believers of the faithful. Can you even fathom being present as Jesus was nailed to the cross and as he faced certain death, can you imagine what it was like for Jesus those last few hours on the cross? If he did not suffer, if he did not bleed, if he did not feel every bit of the pain of execution as he gulped for air, then he would not be the Christ we know. He was filling his role in history on that cross. He was the word made flesh. On that cross, suffering the weight of everyone’s sins, yet showing them all grace and truth and giving mercy to all. Only Christ can do this. Just before he goes to the Garden of Gethsemane on the eve before his death, Jesus spoke as he lifted his eyes to heaven and said, “Father, the hour has come; glorify thy Son that thy Son also may glorify thee.” John 17:1. On the darkest of days, Good Friday, can you even begin to feel his deep sadness and pain. The betrayal, the arrest, the beatings, and the crucifixion, the gasping for air and finally his death. As you stand at the cross in the moments of Jesus’ greatest pain, may we bear in mind the central, emotional truth of Good Friday and that the Christian tradition grew from the most heart wrenching violent and mysterious sacrifice imaginable. That of a Father’s offering of his own son. We kneel before the cross, watching the soldiers casting lots for his clothing and mocking him saying, “If you are the Christ, take yourself down from there. You said you have saved others, then save yourself.” Above his head was the inscription, “This is the King of the Jews.” In Greek, Hebrew, and Latin. Luke 23:32-38. The following are the last words from the cross. “Father forgive them. They know not what they do.” Quite an affirmation of the enormity of God’s mercy. Look at the grace even while enduring unbelievable pain. He erased all sins so that we could have a clean slate. Jesus had to submit to the will of the Father who said His son had to die a violent death so that one day all will be forgiven and granted eternal life if we believe and remain faithful to him.

The Second Word is from Luke 23:39-43. “Assuredly I say to you, today you will be with me in paradise.” 2
criminals were to be crucified with Jesus. One mocked Him saying, “ If you are the Christ, say yourself and us.”
The other one said to Him, “Lord, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” It is the hope of many
that one day we will dwell in communion with the Lord and all those He has chosen to forgive.

The Third Word: Now there stood by the cross of Jesus, is Jesus’ mother Mary, Mary the wife of Cleopas, and
Mary Magdalene. When Jesus saw His mother and the disciple standing by Him whom He loved, He said to His
mother, “Woman, behold thy Son”, then to the Disciple standing by him, “Behold thy mother.” John 19:25-27.
The Fourth Word “My God, my God why has thou forsaken me.” Matthew 27:45-46. Now in the sixth hour
there was darkness over all the land. And in the 9th hour, Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “Eli, Eli Lama
sabachthani,” his words, “My God, my God, why has thou forsaken me. “He prayed saying , Father, if thy be
willing remove this cup from me; nevertheless not my will be done, but thine will be done.

The Fifth Word, “I thirst”. There was a vessel of vinegar, and they filled a sponge with vinegar and put it to His
mouth. John 19:28-29. Paul describes in Corinthians, “For I received from the Lord what I also delivered to you.
That on the night He was betrayed took bread and broke it and gave thanks and said, “This is my body which is
for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” In the same way He took the cup saying, “this cup is the new
covenant. Do this as often as you drink it in remembrance of me for as often as you eat this bread and drink
the cup you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes”. We are told to obey the commandment; to do this in
remembrance of me and we are mysteriously but unmistakably in communion with God!

The Sixth Word, “It is finished” and he bowed his head and gave up the spirit. When Jesus died on the cross, he
became the perfect and final sacrifice for all sin. Jesus was the ultimate Lamb of God and by his sacrifice, the
work of forgiveness was finally complete. So, in his last words, Jesus was communicating that the work he
came for was accomplished. When Jesus came to this world, He told us what His job was. To provide salvation
to a lost and broken world. The limits of the almighty are higher than the heavens above and are deeper than
the depths below. The measure is longer than the earth and wider than the sea. Paul tells us that the peace of
God surpasses all understanding.

The Seventh Word “Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit.” Luke 23:46. With a final word entrusting his
soul to the Lord, he surrendered to pain and to mortality and died. In the same way, Jesus commended his
spirit to God giving all to the will of the Father. As told in scripture handed down from generation to
generation, He rose on the 3rd day as He had promised. In the gospel of Matthew, the risen Jesus says, “Lo, I
am with you always, even to the end of the world.” We know this much, In the shadow of the cross, hope, not
certainty and surely not fear, is the truth that endures despite all the pain and all the heartbreak and tears. In
the world, ye shall have tribulation.” Jesus said “but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.” So, we pray
now and always.

Thanks for Reading,
Jan Wilson-Board of Deacons