Seven Last Words of Christ

Seven Last Words of Christ

1. Seven Last Words of Christ By: Group 2

2. First Word Luke 23:33-3 4 And when they came to the place which is called The Skull , there they crucified him, and the criminals , one on the right and one on the left. And Jesus said , "Father , forgive them , for they know not what they do ." Yes , we must forgive; but to do so requires that we also work for justice. After all, what is forgiveness for if not the restoration of right relationships?

3. Second Word Luke 23:39-43 One of the criminals who were hanged there kept deriding him and saying, “ Are you not the Messiah? Save yourself and us!” But the other rebuked him, saying, “ Do you not fear God, since you are under the same sentence of condemnation? And we in de ed have been condemned justly, for we are getting what we deserve for our deeds, but this man has done nothing wrong.” Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” He replied, “ Truly I tell you, today you will be in Paradise with me.” Paradise is possible – even when evil surrounds us, even when we are humbled, together with the criminal hung beside Jesus, by our own culpability and the simple truth that we don’t deserve to be a part of God’s promise.

4. Third Word John 19:25-27 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." 27 and to the disciple, "Here is your mother ." From that time on, this disciple took her into his home . Purposefully and intentionally expanding our own particular family circles is God’s work; it’s the Church’s work; expanding our own family is the beating heart of Peacemaking; it’s your work and mine. For we are all relatives.

5. Fourth Word Matthew 27:46 About the ninth hour Jesus cried out in a loud voice, "Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani ?"--which means, "My God , my God, why have you forsaken me?" We long to escape, to pass through the horror of crucifixion to the joy of resurrection. But before we can identify with the One who was crucified, we must identify with those who crucified him. We must remember that it was at our hand that he suffered.

6. Fifth Word John 19:28 Later , knowing that all was now completed , and so that the Scripture would be fulfilled , Jesus said, "I am thirsty." Whenever we give a cup of water to those who are thirsty, we are responding to Jesus’ plea. Whenever we work to end personal executions and the mass execution of war, we are giving a drink to Jesus.

7. Sixth Word Luke 23:46 Jesus called out with a loud voice , "Father, into your hands I commit my spirit." When he had said this, he breathed his last. Never mind that Jesus was on the receiving end of it. Never mind that he still is, because what we do to the least of persons we do to him. Don’t think too consistently about that. He’s finished.

8. Last Word Luke 23:46 As Jesus as dying “Father, into your hands I commend my spirit”. It is time to reflect on our individual responsibility to this radical action of God in Jesus. This final act of dying. God died! So that we could live. What does the Lord require of you? To do justice...to love mercy...and to walk humbly with your Lord!