The Seven Last Words of Jesus

A person’s final words can be extremely powerful. They can reveal their deepest thoughts or emotions. They can be words of love or forgiveness.  Or they can be words of comfort for those left behind. They are so final and can reveal what was uppermost in the person’s mind as they left Earth. They are also often perceived as the most authentic thoughts and desires of the person. Whatever the words are, they will leave a lasting memory for those who hear them.

All of Christ's teachings were powerful words of life. But the last seven words, in particular, hold significant importance. These last words contain lasting examples of how we must live and think. So, the seven Fridays between Ash Wednesday and Easter are a great opportunity to meditate on one of Jesus’ last words, connecting it to the meaning of those Fridays.

1. “Father, forgive them for they do not know what they’re doing” (Luke 23:34)

   
   

Forgiveness means pardon, absolution, mercy, wipe the slate clean, to cancel a debt. We understand why the first words of Jesus on the cross are forgiveness, because that’s the point of the cross. Jesus is dying so that we might be forgiven for our sins and be reconciled to God for eternity. God chooses to wipe away our sins because He is a God of amazing grace.

When we hear the words “Father, forgive them,” we must know that it is us who is forgiven through Jesus! Jesus’ prayer for forgiveness transcendence time and includes all of history, even all of us!

Question to reflect on: Do we take time on a regular basis to confess our sins?

2. “Truly I say to you today you will be with me in paradise” (Luke 23:43)

   
   

Jesus said this statement to the second criminal who was crucified next to him. Jesus used the word paradise for a particular reason because in Greek the word PARADEISOS meant garden.  And in Greek, in the Old Testament, this was the word used for the Garden of Eden.

The second criminal’s cry for remembrance may feel like a desperate last gasp effort. But it is a reminder that we should live our lives each day as disciples of Jesus.  Our relationship with Him comes down to simple trust. We are welcome in paradise with God because God is merciful, and we need to put trust in Jesus. We need to live our lives with our trust in God alone for our life now and that the world to come is in His loving hands. We also repeat those words that the criminal said, “Jesus remember ME when you come into your kingdom, for today I seek to live for my trust is in You.”

Question to reflect on: Have we put our ultimate trust in Jesus?

3. “Woman, behold your son, and he said to his disciple, behold your mother.” (John 19:26–27)

   
   

When a Jewish man referred to his mother as “woman” it wasn’t rude or disrespectful. It is a term of respect.  In fact, in Greek, it signifies her role as the "New Eve" and mother of all. It is only in John’s gospel that Mary is at the foot of the cross and Jesus trusted her to His disciples. To do this while in great suffering says a lot about Jesus’ love for His mother and His trust in His disciples. In that final moment of Jesus’ life, He gave us the greatest gift of a relationship with His mother.  Mary was the “first disciple”, someone who always said yes to Jesus. We can try to be more like her.

Thank you, Jesus, for bearing my sin on the cross. I give you my praise, my love, my heart, and all that I am because you have given me all that you are.

Question to reflect on: What thoughts come to mind when you ponder about Mary being at the cross watching her son die?

4. “My God, my God why have you forsaken me? (Matthew 27:46)

The word forsaken means to give up, to leave altogether, or to abandon.  Truly feeling separated from God is far worse than even the pain and suffering on the cross.  Jesus was quoting words of Psalm 22, offering his suffering to the Father.  We sing this psalm on Good Friday.  Jesus endured such a trial to save us from our sins. He knew, even though the Father was silent that God was always with Him.  God doesn’t abandon us either.  He provides a loving presence to help spare our own pain and struggles.

Question to reflect on: Have you ever taken the time to consider that Jesus was abandoned by his Father so that you might not be?

5. “I am thirsty” (John 19:28)

Jesus experienced extreme thirst while on the cross. He lost a lot of blood and sweat even before the crucifixion. The soldiers gave Jesus sour wine. In Psalm 69 it says “if only one person would show me pity, if only one person would turn in comfort me, but instead, they gave me poison for food.” Jesus was taking upon himself, the sin of the world. Being thirsty is an uncomfortable feeling. Jesus was thirsty for love, prayers, service, holiness. He also was thirsty for souls, for people’s love, and repentance. Jesus thirsting can mean a call for us to trust him and to accept his mercy.

Question to reflect on: What does Jesus’s statement of “I am thirsty” suggest to you about Jesus? About yourself?

6. “It is finished” (John 19:30)

   
   

Jesus had accomplished His mission, what He had been sent to do.  We are the beneficiaries. We have hope for this life and for the next. His death on the cross revealed the love and grace of God, His father. He embodied that love and grace by dying for the sin of the world and opening up way for all of us to live under the reign of God. One day what God has begun in us will also be finished by His grace.

Question to reflect on: Do you have confidence that God will finish that which he has begun in you?

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

   
   

Jesus put his future right into the hands of his father. Those words came from Psalm 31: 6.  The word hands means to help, to assist guide. Those are words of intimacy of Jesus to His father. Those are also words of surrendering and praying because he knew that there’s life beyond death.

Question to reflect on: Have you put your life beyond this life into God‘s hands?

Responding to the Cross: A Prayer of Hope and Trust

Jesus, we are comforted to know that the cross was not an end for you when you trusted your spirit into your Father‘s hands.  You did so in anticipation of what was to come.  As we reflect upon your death and these seven words that you said, we respond, not in despair, but in hope.

I offer my prayers, my works, my sufferings, and my trials each day, and place them at the foot of your cross, Jesus. Your blood has washed away sin and given us the gift of life everlasting. We thank you for doing that which we could never have done.  We seek your guidance and grace to do your will every day. Please show us the path we should walk, for we entrust our life to you. We adore you oh Lord, and we praise you, for by your Holy Cross and resurrection you have redeemed the world.