The First Word: A Word of Forgiveness Had we been in Jesus’ situation, we would have found the strength to utter some memorable words – words of power, words that would have blistered the ears of anyone who heard them. One thing they wouldn’t have been is the word of forgiveness that Jesus spoke. Forgiveness isn’t something that comes easily to us. And when the other person isn’t deserving of our forgiveness, then it usually doesn’t come at all! Our combination of anger and the twisted notion that forgiveness must be earned results in our iciness toward the person or our choice words spoken in the heat of the moment. Yet what does Jesus speak? A word of forgiveness! Don’t misunderstand Jesus when he says, “They do not know what they are doing.” The Jewish leaders understood that they had condemned an innocent man to death and trampled on the very concept of justice. The Roman soldiers, even if they didn’t know Jesus’ history, knew full well that Jesus didn’t deserve to be put to death for merely claiming to be a king. While neither group understood that they were putting the Son of God himself to death, they knew enough to understand that what they were doing was wrong. Jesus’ word of forgiveness doesn’t suggest that the Jewish leaders and Roman soldiers were free from blame. After all, ignorance of the law is no excuse as we well know from being pulled over for breaking an unknown traffic law. You still need to pay the price for doing something wrong. Rather, Jesus’ word of forgiveness charges the Jewish leaders and Romans soldiers with guilt. Otherwise, Jesus wouldn’t have spoken about forgiveness. So Jesus asks God the Father to delay his justice, to not immediately hold them accountable, but instead to give them more time to come to a recognition of their sin and, by the working of the Holy Spirit, to faith. Jesus’ prayer was perhaps later answered at Pentecost when 3,000 of the Jewish people finally realized what they had done. The book of Acts tells us that they were “cut to the heart” (Acts 2:37) when they recognized their sin in putting Jesus to death. When they asked Peter what they should do, he told them to repent and be baptized for the forgiveness of sins. They did, and they received forgiveness from their Father. Does this word of forgiveness also extend to us, who so often know what we are doing when we sin? Of course it does! When we were born in sin, God did not bring immediate judgment upon us. Nor did God merely delay judgment, but he actually answered Jesus’ prayer by bringing us to faith in Jesus. And in Jesus, we have the forgiveness he first requested for us on the cross—a forgiveness he was about to win on that cross. Amen.
The Second Word: A Word of Promise Had I been Jesus, I would have tried to conserve energy as much as possible while hanging on the cross. Yet Jesus speaks at some length in this second word. Granted, it’s only 12 words in English, but Jesus could have gotten by with a simple “Okay” to the criminal’s request. Why the lengthy reply? Because Jesus wanted this to be a word of sure promise. This was no casual, throwaway, “yeah, probably” or “we’ll play it by ear” type of promise. That sort of promise might work when the kids ask if tonight is the night we go to Eegee’s for their flavor of the month. While that sort of hopeful uncertainty is an acceptable response to some requests, it’s not for this request. The request the criminal makes is the same one we make. We want to know, we need to know, that Jesus will remember us when he comes into his kingdom. We want him to remember us when we, like this criminal, face our last hours. Therefore, Jesus begins by saying, “Amen I tell you.” Have no doubt about it—this is a word of promise from the one whose promises can always be trusted. Jesus then speaks about “today.” Another word of definite promise. Not “sometime.” Not “eventually.” Not “after you’ve finished paying for whatever I don’t pay for here on the cross.” Jesus means today. Right away. Jesus continues on by saying, “you.” This thief wanted to be sure of what was going to happen to him, a criminal who was getting what his deeds deserved. He wanted assurance that there was room and welcome in heaven even for him. Isn’t that what you want to know? You know the depth of your sinfulness and what you deserve because of it. You want to know if there is room and welcome in heaven for a sinner like you. And there is, for Jesus spoke a definite and personal word of promise when he said to the thief, “You.” Then he finished with “will be with me in paradise.” Again, not “might be.” Not “could be.” Jesus speaks a word of promise that says with certainty “will be,” and it’s the “with me” that especially comforts us. That’s what ultimately great about eternity, right? To be with Jesus is to live in paradise. And we will have it in Jesus’ abiding presence. Tonight Jesus tells us the truth in this second word from the cross, a word of promise. He remembers you, and when you die, you may be certain of immediately being with him in heaven forever. Amen.
The Third Word: A Word of Love That was the number one thing on Jesus’ mind at that point? Jesus was always focused on loving his neighbor, but with everything else that was happening, how could the one thing on his mind be that his mother Mary would be cared for? He had nails through his hands and feet. His back was cut to shreds. He had a crown of thorns embedded in his scalp. Now I realize she was his mother. But with the wrath of God for the sins of the world about to hit him like a runaway freight train, this is what’s on his mind? Apparently it was, because he took some of what little strength he had remaining and spoke this word of love. Oh, we can try to make it comprehensible and point out that family matters all the time, especially mothers. But as we make that argument, don’t we end up condemning ourselves for the way we have dealt with our mothers? Our words to our mothers, who have had great influence on us, have not always been words of love. Instead, they have been the opposite with words of dismissiveness and rebellion, of anger and disrespect. Those loveless words have come in far less trying circumstances than what Jesus faced on the cross. And we can’t even come up an excuse for it. In this word of love, we see that Jesus, our substitute, kept God’s command to love his neighbor. Obeying God’s Fourth Commandment in our place, he kept God’s command to love his mother so that his perfect obedience might be credited to our account. In this word of love, we see something else as well – Jesus’ overriding love for his family, that is, us. We might be inclined to think that Mary was worthy of such love and concern from Jesus because she was his mother. But listen to how Jesus describes who his family is, “‘Who is my mother? And who are my brothers?’ 49He reached out his hand toward his disciples and said, ‘See, my mother and my brothers! 50For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother.’” (Matthew 12:48-50) When Jesus says, “Whoever does the will of my Father in heaven,” you may think that excludes you, but remember that the will of God the Father is that we believe in his Son as our Savior. Because the Lord has given you faith in Jesus, Paul’s words in Galatians chapter 3(:26) apply to you: “In fact, you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus.” Jesus’ first word from the cross was a word of forgiveness that covered your soul because your sins have been covered. This word of love tells you that the rest of you is also covered by Jesus’ love for you. Amen.
The Fourth Word: A Word of Anguish The title for this fourth word is “A word of anguish.” But that title—and especially the word anguish—is woefully inadequate. Anguish doesn’t do justice to what Jesus experienced that day. The unspoken answer to Jesus’ question about why God had forsaken Jesus is this – because God was punishing Jesus. Not only for every sin you have ever committed (which would be a staggering burden on its own), but also for the sins of the whole world. This unspoken answer tells us what Jesus was experiencing. But it doesn’t provide the word that best describes this last word of Jesus. What word could accurately describe Jesus’ suffering the holy and just wrath of God for every sin ever committed? Anguish is a word to be used only in the most extreme circumstances, to describe only the deepest of human emotions and sorrow, the most painful feelings we’ve ever experienced. While I don’t mean to dismiss deepest anguish you’ve experienced, it doesn’t feel right to use this same word to describe what Jesus experienced on the cross. Take the deepest emotional sorrow you have experienced and multiply it by the worst physical pain you have endured. Then take the result and throw it away—because not even that can do justice to what Jesus suffered than the word anguish can. So what word would do it justice? To describe the living hell that Jesus endured in our place on the cross? While anguish doesn’t quite cut it, it’s the closest we can come to. So we use it with the full knowledge of what incomparable suffering Jesus endured on the cross for us. And then we stand mutely in reverent awe and wonder at the love that led Jesus to suffer hell in our place on that cross so that we would never have to experience its indescribable anguish. Amen.
The Fifth Word: A Word of Fulfillment Why did Jesus speak this word? If we accept the premise that the most obvious answer is the correct one, then the answer would appear to be because Jesus was thirsty. And there’s no doubt that he was. A raging thirst was one of the effects of crucifixion. It’s good to hear this for it reminds us that though Jesus spoke different last words than you and I would, what he experienced on the cross was real. As a living, breathing human being, Jesus felt real pain as much as you and I would. What took place on Calvary that day was not a charade or Jesus pretending. These were actual nails driven through actual tendons and nerves bringing along actual pain. And this was actual thirst. All this reminds us that this was a real payment for sin made on the cross on our behalf. And our sins have really been paid for. But getting back to Jesus’ thirst, was his desire to quench it the primary reason why Jesus spoke this word? Not so much. Rather, the answer is mentioned in the text: “to fulfill the Scripture.” The same Savior who came to fulfill every one of God’s commands (Matthew 5:17,18) had also come to fulfill every prophecy made about him. In Psalm 22(:15), Jesus had prophesied about himself, “My strength is dried up like broken pottery, and my tongue is stuck to the roof of my mouth.” Then in Psalm 69(:21) he said, “They put bitter poison in my food. For my thirst they gave me sour wine to drink.” Given all he’d been through, it hardly seems important that Jesus would fulfill this small portion of Scripture. But that’s never been Jesus’ way. He didn’t take any days off from being your Savior or a coffee break from being your perfect substitute. He left nothing undone. Therefore, there’s no need for you to do something to be saved or to finish off what Jesus started. Even in this seemingly most minor of matters, Jesus has done it all. Amen.
The Sixth Word: A Word of Completion Finished. It’s hard for us to think of things actually being finished. I suppose that little things get finished like doing your taxes or reading a book. But the laundry, grocery shopping, cleaning, car and home maintenance—those sorts of things are never really finished. They need our constant attention or redoing before long. And who of us would say that we are finished working on our relationships with others? Even if there isn’t something that needs fixing, there’s always something we can do to make a relationship better. Many people think the same way about their status before God. They view their status before God as unfinished, always under construction. They not only talk about getting on God’s good side, but also what they need to do to remain there. People who do this appear to be very humble, but they are in fact very wrong. When they think that way, they ignore what Jesus meant when he said, “It is finished.” What did Jesus mean for the sacrifices for sin? The writer of Hebrews says, “Christ was offered only once to take away the sins of many.” (Hebrews 9:28) “This priest…offered one sacrifice for sins for all time.” (Hebrews 10:12) Finished! What did Jesus mean for the condemnation of God’s law? The apostle Paul says, “There is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” (Romans 8:1) “He was handed over to death because of our trespasses.” (Romans 4:25) Finished! What did Jesus mean for the necessity of perfectly measuring up to God’s standards? The writer of Hebrews says, “By one sacrifice [Jesus] has made perfect forever those who are being sanctified.” (Hebrews 10:14) Finished! Jesus’ sixth word from the cross was literally a word. In the original Greek, the phrase “it is finished” is the sole word: tetelestai. It was the word a shopkeeper would write on someone’s bill when it had been paid in full. Jesus summoned his remaining strength on the cross to speak these words because they needed to be heard. Not by his Father who already knew it, but by us who are tormented by our sins. Jesus spoke this word to us so that when the Devil comes to us on our deathbed and holds the Ten Commandments before us to fill us with despair, we can say to him – It is finished! It is finished! The blood of Jesus Christ his Son has purified me from every sin. (1 John 1:7). We will hear Jesus speak these words one more time. When the whole world is judged on the Last Day, Jesus will stamp the bill for our sins “Paid in Full” and say those glorious words: “It is finished.” Amen.
The Seventh Word: A Word of Confidence We have come to the final word that Jesus spoke from the cross. If you do an internet search for famous last words, you’ll be able to read any number. Many of them are words of wit, probably preserved to illustrate the spirit of the speaker who remained confident in the face of death. I suspect they’re intended, if only subconsciously, to comfort us with the idea that death isn’t particularly intimidating. Rather, death merely serves as a setup for a punch line. The reality, of course, is that death is the last punch line ever spoken. For it delivers a knockout punch that silences everything. One might think, then, that Jesus’ last word would be a word of defeat or despair. Instead, he says, “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit.” Those are not words of defeat, despair, or death. They are confident words of victory and life. As Jesus assured the thief on the cross that he would be in paradise today, so Jesus expected the same. His body would be placed into a grave, but his soul would immediately soar into the loving embrace of his Father. And three days later, his soul would reunite with his body—a perfect, glorified body. Once again Jesus addresses God as his Father. He knew that he had done everything God had asked of him. He knew he stood blameless before God. He knew he could address him as Father. Therefore he could, and he did, peacefully and confidently entrust his soul to God. At our last hour, we can echo Jesus’ confident words as we confidently say in Luther’s Evening Prayer, “Into your hands I commit my body and soul and all things.” Even in death, we are confident for we know what Jesus has promised. We need not fear having our souls sentenced to everlasting suffering by an angry judge. Rather, at our last hour, we look forward to having our loving Father take our souls to heaven, because we too will stand blameless before God. We will confidently stand before God with sins paid for and completely removed all because of Jesus’ death on the cross. Amen.