When a loved one is lost, those grieving often cling to some of the last words spoken by the person who died. Last words can feel like they carry particular significance and give us insight into what was of upmost importance to the person we cared for or esteemed. Similarly, the Church has historically looked to the Last Seven Words of Christ on the cross for guidance and comfort. Now, we know Christ’s death on the cross was not a final ending but rather a new beginning, a defeat of death and a call to life! And yet, our Lord who is always intentional in His actions and words, spoke specific messages for us in the midst of His suffering. This week as we prepare our hearts for the celebration of Christ’s resurrection, let’s take time as one body to meditate on the last words of our Savior. We’ve prepared a daily devotion for you walking through one of Christ’s final words each day beginning on Palm Sunday.
Our prayer is that this week we’ll draw closer to the heart of Christ and hear His call for us to come alive!
day 1 FORGIVENESS FATHER, FORGIVE THEM, FOR THEY DO NOT KNOW WHAT THEY DO.
Reading: Luke 23 : 32-38
reflection As we chronologically examine the last sayings of Jesus, how fitting it is, that we begin with Jesus crying out for the Father to forgive the very people who were causing His suffering. In sharp contrast to the hate and rejection surrounding the crucifixion, we see a powerful picture of Christ’s grace and mercy. Jesus, having nothing to repent of, instead pleads with the Father to have mercy on the people who were nailing Him to the cross. With love, He asks for them to be covered with forgiveness as He hangs LOREM IPSUM DOLOR SIT AMET, CONSECTETUER naked and exposed.
reflection
ADIPISCING ELIT, SED DIAM NONUMMY NIBH
EUISMOD UT LAOREET MAGNA This statement ofTINCIDUNT Christ compels us to DOLORE reflect on a number ALIQUAM ERAT VOLUTPAT. of things. First, Christ was not only pleading the forgiveness of those physically present, but for the forgiveness of all generations who mock Him in ignorance... including us. Second, in the midst of His suffering,LOREM His focus on HisSITlove forCONSECTETUER the Father and for IPSUMisDOLOR AMET, ADIPISCING ELIT,ourselves SED DIAM NONUMMY NIBH people. When we find in seasons of suffering EUISMOD TINCIDUNT UT LAOREET DOLORE MAGNA and hardship where is our focus? Are we focused on the VOLUTPAT. needs of ALIQUAM others, orERAT are we all consumed with what is going on in our lives? Do we pray for those who have wronged us in the past, let alone those who are actively causing us strife?
response
Thank you Jesus for showing us how to focus on you and others instead of always on ourselves.
response The response for today’s reflection is simple but challenging. Who do you need to forgive either from your past or present? Who do you need to ask for forgiveness from? In response to what we have reflected on today, take a step toward forgiveness.
day 2 SALVATION TRULY, I SAY TO YOU, TODAY YOU WILL BE WITH ME IN PARADISE.
Reading: Luke 23: 39-43
reflection
As Jesus suffered on the cross, two men who had been convicted of crimes were being crucified next to him. The first criminal joined with the crowds, harassing and mocking Jesus. However, the second criminal sees what so many around him are missing – the divinity of Christ. After warning his companion that he is heaping both the judgment of men and the judgment of God upon himself, he turns his focus to Jesus. Perhaps moved by Christ’s prayer of forgiveness for those who were persecuting Him, LOREM IPSUM DOLOR SIT AMET, CONSECTETUER this dying man asks another dying man for life. This ADIPISCING ELIT, SED DIAM NONUMMY NIBH criminal stripped of all earthly possessions asks another EUISMOD TINCIDUNT UT LAOREET DOLORE MAGNA man stripped of possessions for Paradise. ALIQUAM ERAT VOLUTPAT.
reflection
Isn’t it interesting how the religious leaders had heard the testimonies of Jesus raising the dead and remained hardened while a criminal observes Jesus dying and softens his heart toDOLOR truth? witnesses life and LOREM IPSUM SIT One AMET, CONSECTETUER disbelieves, while the other deathNIBH and asks for ADIPISCING ELIT, SEDwitnesses DIAM NONUMMY salvation. EUISMOD TINCIDUNT UT LAOREET DOLORE MAGNA
response
ALIQUAM ERAT VOLUTPAT.
It wasn’t the criminal’s position in religious circles or his piety that saved him but rather, the grace of God. He had nothing to offer to Jesus except a repentant heart. He humbly asked that Jesus see him - remember him. And Jesus, always tender and close to the broken, despite His own suffering, takes some of his last breaths to promise His newest disciple salvation. Today they would be together in Paradise.
response Today, take time to listen to Last Words by Andrew Peterson (on YouTube or Spotify). As you listen to the the last words of Christ take some time to consider the position of your heart. Are you turned towards Jesus?
day 3 RELATIONSHIP WOMAN, BEHOLD YOUR SON. SON BEHOLD YOUR MOTHER.
Reading: John 19: 25 – 27
reflection One can almost feel the emotion of the moment as they picture Jesus suffering on the cross and His mother in the crowd below. Christ’s humanity is highlighted as we are swept into the narrative, imagining what it must have felt like for a man to have His mother watch Him suffer and for a mother to watch her child die. With tenderness and compassion, Jesus ensures that His mother will be cared for and comforted. Christ’s language has an almost legal tone to it, similar to an adoption, as He unites His mother and His disciple. Perhaps this is because Jesus is not simply speaking kind sentiments but also fulfilling the Jewish law which taught that the eldest son was responsible for the well-being of his widowed mother. As the eldest son, Jesus honored His relationship with Mary by making provision for her in His absence. With this action, Christ not only perfectly keeps to the Biblical law but also models how His disciples would care for one another as family - not united through biological connections, but rather through their love for Him.
response Today we have seen that Jesus was perfect in His relationships, specifically displayed through his tenderness towards His mother. Take a few minutes and evaluate the relationships in your life. Is there anyone that you know who could use some extra kindness or care? How might you honor those you are in a relationship with? Perhaps you could write a card of thanksgiving to those you are thankful for expressing your gratitude for them. Maybe this season is the right time to reach out to the person you are estranged from and seek reconciliation. How can you glorify God in your relationships?
day 4 ABANDONMENT MY GOD, MY GOD, HAVE YOU FORSAKEN ME?
Reading: Mark 15:33-39
reflection
In the midst of the Easter pageantry, we can be tempted to skip over the suffering and get straight to the celebration, but it’s so important for us to pause here. In this moment we see a God who is not unfamiliar with suffering but well acquainted with grief - a God who identifies with our deepest hurts. Jesus, abandoned by the people He loved, took the weight of the sin of the world upon Himself and bore the wrath of His Father. We realize that Jesus not only loves us, but He also understands us. He knows the very worst of the human experience. He has also felt the deep pain of abandonment, the hurt sin causes us, and the sense that the Father is distant. And yet, Jesus is always intentional with His words. Christ is not only expressing His spiritual pain but also referring to Psalm 22 as He cries out, “My God, My God, why have you forsaken me?” In this psalm David recorded his own sense of abandonment and inspired by God, prophetically describes the death of the Messiah. Here David, a Jew unfamiliar with the Roman crucifixion, details hands and feet being pierced and enemies casting lots for clothes. The psalm, full of lament and suffering takes a victorious turn as it ends with David proclaiming hope in God’s salvation. He rejoices that “They shall come and proclaim His [God’s] righteousness to a people yet unborn, that He has done it” (vs.31). The gospel message of Jesus’s death and resurrection would go forth not only throughout the world, but also throughout the generations. And Christ, referencing back to this Psalm is proclaiming that the promised salvation is being performed. He is doing what has been promised!
response Read Psalm 22 & take notes of all the prophetic references to Jesus’s death. Spend some time in prayer, thanking God that He understands the human experience and is close to you in suffering. And finally, praise Him that His promised death was not a failure but a fulfillment of the promises we see all over the Old Testament.
day 5 THIRST I THIRST.
Reading: John 19:28
reflection The simple phrase, “I thirst,” is actually pregnant with several possible layers of meaning. These are the only words that Jesus uses to describe the physical suffering that He was experiencing on the cross. His body was breaking down from dehydration, blood loss, pain, and the constant struggle to breathe. On the edge of death, Jesus asks for a drink, and in doing so, perfectly fulfilled the OT prophecies regarding the Messiah (Psalm 69, Psalm 22). But was that all that Jesus meant to communicate with these words? Since the scriptures are filled with images of thirsting, the purposeful words of Jesus take on even more depth. Thirst is often connected to an inner, deep longing for God, a spiritual thirst (Psalm 42:1-2, John 4:13-14, Is 44:3). Nearing the end of his life, Jesus experienced very human, vulnerable feelings of emptiness and need, in body and in spirit. Though we don’t know for sure, it is very possible that He was thirsting for his Father in those last moments. “As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, my God” (Psalm 42:1). What if Jesus was expressing something even more stunning and profound? What if His thirst was for souls? Jesus thirsts for any that are far from Him. He thirsts for each person to know Him in deep relationship. He is thirsting for you…to have your thirst quenched by His love. ‘I thirst’ is something much deeper than Jesus just saying ‘I love you.’ Until you know deep inside that Jesus thirsts for you—you can’t begin to know who He wants to be for you. Or who He wants you to be for Him.” - Mother Teresa
response Rev 22:17: “The Spirit and the Bride say, ‘Come.’ And let the one who hears say, ‘Come.’ And let the one who is thirsty come; let the one who desires take the water of life without price.” Ask God to stir in your heart a thirst for His love in a new way. Ask Him what it would be like to experience Him in such a way that your thirst is forever quenched and yet you thirst for more. Write down what He says.
day 6 TRIUMPH IT IS FINISHED.
Reading: John 19:30
reflection The phrase “It is finished” is not unfamiliar to anyone who knows the story of Good Friday and Easter. It rings in our minds as if we are watching a passion play and they bring with them the emotion of the moment Jesus gave up his life. But what is it that was finished? It wasn’t just the completion of His suffering but rather the fulfillment of God’s will for Him. He suffered and died to make a way for mankind to be in right relationship with the Father once again. The many Old Testament prophecies about the Messiah were fulfilled, the final sacrifice was offered, the veil separating God and man was torn in two, victory over Satan was achieved! Through His death on the cross and His resurrection a few days later, evil was defeated. “It is finished” is a victory cry - His words an exclamation of triumph! Nothing more would be needed for salvation of humanity. Because it is finished, you can have victory in your life today. You can be in right relationship with the Father. You can, through the power of the Holy Spirit, have victory over the sin that has controlled your life for so long. If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you too can triumph (Romans 10:9).
response Our response today is two-fold. If you are reading this and you haven’t yet placed your trust in Christ for salvation, would you do that today? Would you cry out to Him for forgiveness and trust His finished work on the cross? And if you have placed your trust in Christ, now is the time to worship. Maybe that’s through music, singing, or reflecting. Perhaps your worship is to write a letter expressing your love for Christ. However you choose to worship, worship your Savior King who has lavished His love upon you by taking the penalty for your sin on the cross.
day 7 SURRENDER FATHER, INTO YOUR HANDS I COMMIT MY SPIRIT.
Reading: Luke 23:44-47
reflection Here are the final words that Jesus spoke before His physical death. Despite everything He was experiencing-- the pain, the mocking, the loneliness-- Jesus made a dedication to the Father. Before He experiences the triumph of resurrection, Jesus trusts His spirit to the Father in faith. Jesus was not helplessly watching His life slip away, but instead consciously placing it in the care of His Father. When Jesus spoke these words, His fellow Jews would have recognized that He was quoting from Psalm 31, a Psalm of deliverance. As a devout Jew, Jesus had prayed these words as part of an evening prayer all His life. Now at the end, He prays them one more time. Jesus lets go of human life in order to embrace life in the Father’s presence. Many of us dedicate ourselves to God in times of victory or when our struggles don’t threaten to break us. Can we still be committed when we are suffering devastating pain? So often in times of difficulty, we allow our pain to push us away from God instead of drawing near. Not Jesus though! In His worst moment, Jesus throws Himself into the arms of the Father and lets go. What a comforting image. The Father -- hands open, ready to receive. The Father -- reaching for the beloved child, ready to clasp that child close to His heart and say, Welcome home. How beautiful that Jesus suffered abuse at the hands of so many but knew that He was safe and secure in the Father’s hands.
response Take a moment to consider any tendencies you might have to hold on tight, to grasp for control, instead of releasing into the hand of God. Visualize that thing, person, habit, or dream that you grasp so tightly that not even God can pry it out of your hands. Sit with it… ask the Father to help you to trust Him. Now visualize yourself with Abba Father… and place it gently in His hands, saying, “Father into your hands I commit _____.” Ask Him to show you how to live in the freedom of that surrender.
day 8 RISEN HE IS NOT HERE; HE HAS RISEN!
Reading: Luke 24:1-9
reflection Christ is Risen – He is Risen indeed! Our lives as believers are centered in the extraordinary good news of Easter. The resurrection changes everything! But, if we take seriously the full implications of the resurrection, then we can and should affirm something beyond "Christ is risen." Ephesians 2:1-7 reveals that we were once "dead in [our] transgressions and sins" (2:1). But God, because of His great love, mercy, and grace, "made us alive with Christ" (2:5). Moreover, God also "raised us up with Christ and seated us with Him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus" (2:6). Did you catch that? God raised you up with Christ. Our resurrection today is part of the "already and not yet" experience of God's future kingdom that is coming and yet is also here with us now. Though we have not been fully and finally raised from the dead, through Christ and in His Spirit, we begin to experience the reality of the resurrection now! It’s not some past moment—it is a present reality. Kingdom living happens now… as we see the very power that raised Christ from the dead operating in our lives. As we are full of hope, even in the midst of struggles and sufferings. As our hearts, minds, and dreams become aligned with Jesus. Yes, Easter is a day of triumph when we celebrate the freedom that Jesus won for us. But if we don’t live in the fullness of that gift TODAY, we will never experience all that He has for us in this life and how He will use us to draw others to Him. So let’s wake up and come alive to our own “resurrection” today! And may He be glorified in every way!
response Easter gives us a beautiful opportunity to evaluate if we have experienced this resurrection reality of being “made alive in Christ” and being “seated in heavenly places.” What might it look like to experience life as if you have been raised from the dead? Write or draw what this looks like in your life.