Jesus’ Seven Last Words,
sayings offered from the cross, may serve as guidance for the spiritual life. You
have been invited to contemplate each saying during the seven Wednesdays of
Lent and Holy Week. This is the final installment of the series.
As
I read again the words surrounding this final exclamation from Jesus in the
Gospel of Luke, I am struck with awe. “The sun’s light failed…darkness came
over the whole land from noon to three…Jesus crying with a loud voice…he
breathed his last… ‘surely this man was righteous’ praised the Roman
centurion…the crowds returned home beating their breasts…the women remained
watching from a distance.”
Executions
are horrible scenes. And witnessing a person we dearly love pass the edge of
life can feel like falling off a cliff ourselves.
The
traditional final words of Jesus were the words that inspired his whole life.
That seventh saying of Jesus on the cross, with its seven words, another quotation
from the liturgy, the psalms, expresses trust—“into your hands,” purpose—“I
commit,” and offering—“my spirit.” This is the beginning and conclusion of
every prayer, every just act, every compassionate act, whether we say it or
not:
“Into
your hands I commit my spirit.”
It’s
a recognition of something greater than us, greater than our needs for
survival, reputation, and power—the very temptations Jesus faced in his forty
day fast after his baptism, the period Lent commemorates.
It’s
an affirmation that we live for meaning, communion, and compassion. A
spirituality that doesn’t provide these three elements leaves us wandering in
the wilderness.
A
God who offers these values is worthy of our trust, our life’s purpose, and
daily offering of our spirits. In other words, our faith, hope, and love.
“Into
your hands I commit my spirit” is not just a transitional affirmation, it is a
transformational affirmation.
This
is not a once-in-a-lifetime conversion but a daily lifting of the cross of
those who suffer personally, politically, economically, environmentally, and
spiritually.
The
Greek word pneuma is used for both
spirit and breath. Only recently has it
been pointed out to me that in Matthew’s version of Jesus “breathing his last,”
the word is not possessive, as in “gives up his spirit.” Rather, Jesus
“releases the Spirit,” indicating an immediate Pentecost, manifested in Matthew
by the tearing of the curtain veiling the temple’s holy of holies, earthquakes,
the opening of tombs, and the resurrection of some saints.
The
Greek word translated “release” can also mean “forgive,” as in being released from
debt. Jesus’ first words from the cross, “Forgive them,” is now incarnated in his
final action.
As
in many a horrific event, there is more meaning in the crucifixion than meets
the eye for those with faith, hope, and love.
For those who would like daily readings for the remaining
days of Holy Week, click here and scroll down to the end of “Jesus Preaches in the Temple.”
Enter “Easter” in the
search box on the blog’s upper left corner for additional readings for Easter. Here are three of them:
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Copyright © 2015 by Chris R. Glaser.
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