April 6, 2007

FINAL WORDS

Selected Scriptures

The title of my message this morning is “Final Words.” The words of a dying man are often weighted with great significance. When a man was dying by crucifixion, they were doubly so. The process of death by crucifixion was an agonizing one. Spikes were driven through the wrists and feet. The weight of the body hung suspended from those spikes, and as the victim weakened and sagged under the pull of gravity, the chest cavity collapsed. The ultimate cause of death in most crucifixion victims was asphyxiation, as the lungs filled with fluid and he was no longer able to pull himself up and draw a breath. For hours he hung, with every breath an agony. The effort of speech under these conditions was incredible. Every word, every phrase was like gold, especially as death drew near.

The gospels record seven sayings of Jesus, spoken under those conditions, spoken from the cross. Today, on this Good Friday, as we remember the events that took place on Calvary, just outside the city of Jerusalem, I want to examine together these seven sayings, and to glean from them what we can about the character and nature of Jesus as well as the meaning of the events that took place on that cross.

To trace these sayings, we have to move around in the different Gospel accounts, as no single record includes all seven sayings. There are three recorded in Luke, three in John, and Matthew and Mark share the final one. We will look at them in the probable order in which they were spoken.

As I meditated on Jesus’ words, one thing struck me immediately. The first three sayings are all directed toward the needs of other people. I don’t know about you, but when I am in pain, either physical or emotional, my first instinct is to turn inward, to focus on my own needs and on what I am feeling. When I am personally experiencing pain, I find it very difficult to reach out and give to others. Yet in the midst of incredible pain and suffering, Jesus reached out to touch others. Even more incredibly, his first words were spoken on behalf of the very men who were inflicting the pain on him.

1. Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing. (Luke 23:34)

I am not sure how far to extend the intent of these words of Jesus. Did they embrace the whole human race? Did they include the whole Jewish nation? What about the Jewish leaders? I do know this. At the very least, his words included the Roman soldiers: the one who held his arm down, the one who placed the point of the metal nail against his wrist and struck the blow with the hammer. The ones who callously sat down and played a game of dice for his clothing.

Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing. Jesus was living what he had taught. In Matthew 5:43, Jesus taught his followers, You have heard that it was said, “Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.” But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you. And that is exactly what Jesus is doing here. He is praying for those who were not only persecuting him. They were killing him!

In the second saying, recorded for us by the Apostle John, Jesus continues to reach out. In this case to his own mother. As he hung there on the cross, he saw her standing off to the side, with his other followers. We can only imagine the horror and the suffering which must have been mirrored in Mary’s eyes and on her face. And Jesus, in the hour of his own suffering, took time to minister to his mother.

2. When Jesus saw his mother there, and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby, he said to his mother, “Dear woman, here is your son,” and to the disciple, “Here is your mother.” From that time on, this disciple took her into his home. (John 19:26)

Once again, Jesus is displaying his selfless character and love. At this point in time, Jesus’ own brothers and sisters did not yet believe in him. He knew that it was important for Mary to be cared for by those who shared a true faith in him. So he reached out to commit her to John’s care. And as John tells us, “from that time on this disciple took her into his home.” Some suggest that John led her away immediately from the scene to spare her the trauma of continuing to watch Jesus suffer.

Jesus then turned his attention to someone else. The Bible tells us that Jesus was not the only one crucified that day. Two thieves were also hanging on crosses, one on either side of him. At first we are told that both thieves joined in the general mocking and ridicule of Jesus. But then one of them must have seen something in Jesus’ face and demeanor. Maybe it was even his prayer for the forgiveness of his tormentors. Whatever the case, he rebukes his friend with these words: Don’t you fear God, since you are under the same sentence? We are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve. But this man has done nothing wrong. Then turning to Jesus he said, Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.

Jesus’ response to this man makes the third of his seven sayings:

3. I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise. (Luke 23:43)

In the thief we see the basic ingredients which lead to salvation. Repentance (he acknowledged his own sinfulness), Faith (he recognized that Jesus was a king and he expressed faith in his kingdom), Prayer (he asked to be remembered). In response to his words, we see Jesus’ grace as he welcomed the dying thief into his kingdom.

In these first three sayings, Jesus reached out to others. He wasn’t just reaching out to mass humanity. He was reaching out to individuals, real people who were part of this unfolding drama; the soldiers, his mother, the thief. So it is today. Jesus doesn’t just reach out to the mass of humanity. He reaches out to individuals; to you and to me; caring, loving, ministering to each individual in his/her individual need. This has always been his way. And his care for individuals was epitomized in these first three sayings from the cross, all spoken in personal agony and with great effort. I wonder if you have sensed his individual care for you as well.

As we piece together the gospel accounts, we find that these first three sayings were all spoken in the morning between 9 AM and noon. Then, dramatically, it is as though God draws a veil of darkness across the scene. Matthew tells us: From the 6^th hour (noon) until the ninth hour (3 PM) darkness came over all the land. There is no record of Jesus uttering any words during those dark and awful hours.

At the end of this period of darkness, Jesus utters a loud cry of spiritual agony and torment which still tears at our hearts today. Both Matthew and Mark, who record this saying of Jesus, render it in the original Aramaic language which Jesus would have used:

4. Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani? – My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? (Matthew 27:46)

We are confronted here with mystery. How can Jesus be separated from God? “I and the Father are one,” Jesus claimed. “If you have seen me, you have seen the Father.” How can they be separated? It is the finite confronting the infinite. We simply cannot plumb the depths of theological mystery contained in this awful cry. But we can detect the reason why it happened. As Isaiah 53:6 states, The Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all. The sins of the world were laid on Christ. And God the Father, in his holiness, turned away. We are not only faced with profound theology here. We are also faced with deep pain, outweighing even the physical anguish he was experiencing. The agony of spiritual separation from his Father was probably the deepest pain that Jesus felt during his hours on the cross.

His cry of spiritual and emotional pain was followed by a very human cry of physical torment.

5. I thirst! (John 19:28)

This cry emphasizes the humanity, the actual “physicalness” of Jesus. One of the agonies of crucifixion was the process of dehydration: loss of blood, sweat, response to physical trauma, hours in the baking sun with no shade. Jesus in his humanity expresses his anguish. “I am thirsty!” The soldiers fill a sponge with the cheap wine that they carried with them, placed it on a staff and held it to his lips. His thirst now temporarily satisfied, Jesus gave another loud cry. This time it is a cry of triumph.

6. It is finished! (John 19:30)

This simple statement carries a variety of meanings all of which are suitable to the occasion and the context.

His suffering was over. Imagine a mother comforting a child after a painful medical procedure at the doctor’s office: “It’s over. It’s finished.”

His mission has been accomplished. These are the words of a servant reporting to his master. “It is finished.” Jesus has accomplished the mission he came to fulfill. In his own words, “The Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve and to give his life a ransom for many.” That mission has now been fulfilled.

There is one more common use for this sentence. It is actually only one word in Greek: tetelestai. It was a word common in the financial realm. Often on the bills of the day, when a bill had been paid, the merchant would write across it: “Tetelestai!” “It is finished – paid in full.” Jesus paid the debt for our sins with his suffering and when his suffering was at an end he cried out that wonderful word: Tetelestai!

Jesus’ seventh and final saying from the cross contains words of immense confidence and a great sense of relief.

7. Father, into your hands I commit my spirit. (Luke 23:46)

And with these final words, by a sovereign act of will, he dismissed his spirit, bowed his head and took his last breath. And so Jesus, the Messiah died.

As we meditate on these seven sayings of the Savior on the cross, we find that they are rich in application.

There are applications of imitation. As Christ’s followers, we are to become like Christ in our character and actions. Jesus forgave his enemies. He reached out to others, even in his personal pain. He took care of his mother. He reached out in love to the individuals around him. Maybe somewhere in this rich display of Christ’s character there are truths you need to apply to your life.

There is certainly the application of worship. As we consider Christ upon that cross, what courage! What love! What sacrifice! What a Savior!

Finally, there is the application of salvation. Like the thief who hung on a cross beside Jesus. He saw something in Jesus that he had never seen before. And his response to Jesus serves as model for us. Repentance (I am a sinner. I deserve to die.) ; Faith (in Jesus’ righteousness, in his identity as a king, as the Son of God); The petition grounded in that faith (Lord, remember me, extend your favor to me). Have you gone through those three steps? If not, why not do it today?