Seven Words between Two Criminals

Words of Life from the Cross

Jerusalem was crowded with pilgrims celebrating Passover. The Roman governor, Pilate, was trying to maintain order and continue with business as usual. So, Jesus was not the only one who was sentenced to die by crucifixion on this particular day. There were at least two others. One was on Jesus’ left and the other on His right. After six grueling hours, Jesus died first which means that while soldiers and casual observers likely came by throughout the day, these two criminals heard every word Jesus had to say. Let’s listen in:

A Word of Forgiveness
 
Father, forgive them, because they do not know what they are doing. Luke 23:34
 
The soldiers who took Jesus’ life were just doing their job. They had no theological or religious agenda. So Jesus’ first words as the nails pierced His flesh was a prayer that could only be answered if the nails pierced His flesh. The wounds the soldiers made were the very wounds that could heal them. As the blood began to flow, forgiveness was Jesus’ first word because forgiveness is our greatest need.
 
A Word of Grace
 
Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise. Luke 23:43
 
One of criminals the mocked Jesus, but the other humbly asked in the last moments of his life for Jesus to remember him. Unlike Jesus, he was guilty as charged and knew it. But as he asked Jesus to remember him, Jesus assured him of eternal life. Just minutes earlier anyone would have assumed that criminal was light years away from God, and perhaps he was. But grace moves at light speed. This man's worst moment turned into his best when he discovered that salvation is by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone.

A Word of Compassion
 
Woman, here is your son. John 19:26
 
Mary, the mother of Jesus, had not forgotten Simeon’s words, “a sword will pierce your very soul” (Luke 2:35). Now, looking to John from a bloody cross, Jesus said to His mother, “Here is your son.” Mary understood what was happening, but her insight did not stop her from feeling the pain of watching her son suffer and die. And in his great work of redeeming the world, Jesus did not forget his brokenhearted mother. The cross, in a way nothing else can, proves God’s love for us and provides for us at our most personal point of need.
 

A Word of Rejection
 
My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?  Mark 15:34
 
Some Bible teachers have wrongly assumed that Jesus ceased being God here. It is true that none of us can grasp the mystery or anguish of Jesus’ separation from the Father, but what we know is that only in Jesus’ divine nature is the Father’s abandonment of Him significant.  Paul clarified, “He made the one who did not know sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God” (2 Corinthians 5:21). Jesus does not remove our sin as a fellow sinner helping another sinner out of a difficult situation. Instead, Jesus endured the rejection of the Father by taking on our sin so that He could then cover us in His righteousness to present us to the Father. Jesus accepted what God hates in order to accept people whom God loves.  
 
A Word of Satisfaction
 
I’m thirsty. John 19:28
 
Crucifixion was an agonizing death. With every breath, air swept across Jesus’ throat drying it out. He spoke no complaints or cries of injustice. The only thing He said about His physical condition was His thirst. He was given a sip of sour wine from a jar nearby. This was different from an earlier attempt to give Him wine mixed with myrrh, which was used as an anesthetic. Jesus refused that. He did not avoid pain. John, inspired by the Holy Spirit, wanted us to know that his friend, his Lord died thirsty, but that He died well. When Jesus died for us, He died fully alive. He was awake, He was aware, and it was well with His soul.

A Word of Completion
 
It is finished. John 19:30
 
His ministry began three years earlier as John the Baptist announced, “Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world” (John 1:29). Step by step, Jesus made His way to the cross. His purpose was not religious reformation, political power, financial prosperity or military dominance. If any of that were His purpose, the cross would have been His defeat. The word “It is finished” is “tetelestai.” It’s from the root word “teleo,” which means to bring near, to fulfill, or to complete. Like a telescope brings what is far away near, Jesus brought God’s eternal purpose of redemption near. He fulfilled everything necessary to purchase our redemption. He finished to give us a future.

A Word of Confidence
 
Father, into your hands I entrust my spirit. Luke 23:46
 
This was not a squinty-eyed, tight-fisted, wing-and-a-prayer leap of unfounded faith. This was total confidence that the Father who abandoned Him would not fail Him. Jesus was sure that “weeping may spend the night, but there is joy in the morning” (Psalm 30:5). Jesus quoted Psalm 31 here, declaring His certainty of God’s unfailing love (Psalm 31:21). The cross was not the end. Instead, it guaranteed that hope in Christ has no end.
 
Some people call these seven words, “Jesus’ Last Words,” but we know that is not true. These words were not His last ones at all. There were more words and greater works still to come.

LATEST UPDATES

• I had the privilege to baptize our youngest daughter, Hannah a few weeks ago. She’s been following Jesus for a while now, and it’s a delight of our lives to see her growing in grace, chasing after Jesus, and serving others.

• We’re having a granddaughter! Rebekah and Houston are expecting Olivia Jennings Wood to arrive around July 5. We’re overwhelmed.

• Our St. Patrick’s Gala on March 16, 2023 was amazing! We had a room full of friends, partners, and neighbors coming together to celebrate God’s good work and to join Him as we pursue the wholeness of our community.

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