TETELESTAI- AND HIS OTHER LAST WORDS

It was the Persians who came up with the idea of crucifying others, but it was the Romans who mastered this instrument of death. It was a disgusting form of execution and it was designed to be as public, as shameful, and as painful, as possible. Men were flogged to the edge of death, before they were marched to their own crucifixion site, carrying their own 100 pound crossbar. Then, they were either nailed or tied to their cross and lifted up to hang there until they suffocated to death (unless the soldiers on duty ran them through or broke their legs to accelerate their dying). This is the way the Romans executed people and Jesus was no exception. On the day we call "Good Friday," on a hill called "Calvary" or "Golgotha," an innocent man was nailed to his cross and lifted up to die. As a man, he suffered the pain that all of the others suffered, but as the Son of God, he also suffered the burden of our sins- yours and mine. He died a tortured death... for us, as he was struggled to breathe beneath the sign that read, "Iesus Nazarenus, Rex Iudaerum" (King of the Jews- INRI). He died with grace and with surrendered faith on his lips and according to the gospels, he said these things:

1)    Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do. 
These are among the greatest words ever said! Who among us has ever heard of a wrongly condemned and suffering man uttering, Father, forgive them... for being the... insecure, frightened, and self-centered creatures they are? Good news indeed... but who, exactly, is "them"?  When he prayed, "Forgive them," was he talking about the Romans who were crucifying him, the authorities who condemned him, the disciples who had abandoned him, or everyone of us who stood beneath the cross and cried out, "Crucify him. Crucify him"?

2)    Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise.
What a wonderful thing this is to say to a man... who's hanging on the cross next to you! All the convicted thief said was "remember me." He didn't cite a catechism. He didn't mention his denomination. He simply pleaded in a beautiful prayer, "remember me," and Jesus gave him a ticket to heaven! Wow! This is too much grace for who those who harbor deeply rooted beliefs that they need to be "good enough" for God. Truth is- grace is both necessary and sufficient for salvation!

3)    Woman, behold your son! Behold your mother!
Death is a "passing" into a new realm, but for those who are left behind, life goes on. For parents who have lost a child, for lovers who've lost a partner, for children who've lost parents... life goes on. It goes on in an emptier way, but it goes on. Jesus knew this, and he responded to his mother's need for care. The first of his last "words" were all other-directed, and that in itself, says a lot about the man. But then, Jesus' mind turned to his Father, and he cried out...

4)    Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani (My God, my God, why have you abandoned me)?
Jesus was in excruciating pain and the weight of our sins separated him from his Father.  So, he cried, "Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani," knowing that these words come from Psalm 22:1. As he was dying, Jesus identified with a Psalm that expresses both pain and hope. In this Psalm, the psalmist is insulted and his feet and hands are pierced. He is suffering greatly, but the psalm goes on to celebrate God's power and proclaim a day when people will praise God with the words, "He has done it!" Jesus expressed his pain to a God whom he trusted. These are not words of doubt!

5)    I thirst.
This is the most ordinary, most human, of his last words, lifting up the fullness of his humanity. His lips were parched, his throat had swollen...so much so that when he cried, "Eli, Eli" to his Father, many of those who stood beneath his cross thought that he had said "Elijah" because he could not be understood. Nothing is easy for a dying man. He needed a drink- so he said, "I thirst."

6)    Tetelestai (It is finished)
It is done. These were among his last words. At some level, of course, they could refer to his life on earth, which was surely over, but at a deeper and still obvious level, the word "tetelestai" spoke to his mission, which was to save the lost and open the gates of heaven to all who believe in him. As Paul noted, Jesus emptied himself of divinity and came to earth to save sinners. He exchanged glory for a cross, so that we would be saved in his name. We can quit trying to be "good enough" because on Good Friday, in a far away place, his work was completed... and the Nazarene uttered, "Tetelestai."

7)    Into Thy hands, O Lord, I commend my spirit.
If his first three sayings had others in mind, his last two were clearly focused on his work and his Father. He died with surrendered trust on his lips, which is fitting because it was surrendered trust that he taught as a way of life. Pray that, in the fulness of time, your faith will be great enough to die with surrendered trust on your lips as well.

They say that you can tell a lot about a man (or a woman)... by the way in which he (or she) dies, and according to Mark, at least one Roman soldier found this to be true... because when he saw how Jesus died, (Mk 15:39), he said, "Surely this man was the Son of God." In my view, everyone's Christian journey begins at the cross! We invite you to bring your sins to the cross at this time. Leave them there as you leave the church. Don't pick them back up and carry them around... because it is done. Tetelestai. Amen!