Last Words: Hearing the Words of Christ

Another meditation from Glory in Disguise: Seeing God in our Every Day.

Father, forgive them,
for they do not know what they are doing.
Luke 23:34 NASB

The last words of a dying person are significant. They are so final and so revealing of what is uppermost in a person's mind as he is leaving this earth to face his Maker.

I have been with several dying persons just shortly before their deaths.

My grandmother died an untimely death. She had been hospitalized after a heart attack, but wasn’t expected to die. But she did die, just before being released. I had visited her from out of town just days before.

My beautiful “babci” — polish for grandma

I remember her looking at a picture of Christ hanging on the wall of her room and saying, "O how much he suffered for us." To me, these were her last words, reflecting a lifetime of devotion to her Lord.

Another person I visited shortly before his death was the father of a young friend. As I took his hand to pray for him that night in hospice, this dad struggled to say something. Finally, his words came: “I'm concerned about Mary's [not her real name] relationship with Jesus." I told Mary the next day about her dad's concern. That day she had time alone with him and said, "Daddy, I love Jesus." And right then her daddy went home to his Lord.

So last words can have an incredible impact on one’s life. This is especially true of the last statements of our Savior from the cross. When we realize the agonizing physical death caused by crucifixion, it's incredible to think that our Lord would say what he said, hanging on a cruel cross. Angry, blaspheming words like those spoken by the criminals crucified with him would more readily come to mind for most people.

Christ spoke these statements* as He was hanging on the cross, dying for you and for me:

A word of forgiveness: “Father, forgive them for they do not know what they are doing.” Luke 23:34 NIV

A word of salvation: “I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise.”
Luke 23:43 NCV

A word of family affection: “Dear woman, here is your son . . . Here is your mother.”
John 19:26–27 NCV

A word of abandonment: “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”
Matthew 27:46 NIV

A word of personal need: “I am thirsty.” John 19:28 NIV

A word of completion: “It is finished.” John 19:30 NIV

A word of reunion: “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit.” Luke 23:46 NIV

Each of our Savior’s words spoke love, hope, and truth to the people surrounding Him. He speaks those same words of love, hope, and truth to us today. Since our Savior lives His life through us, we can speak those life-giving words to others in our life.

Recent late winter snow — the view out my kitchen window

Last Words
What will be the thoughts I’ll think Just before I die?
What will be the words I’ll speak To those who are nearby?

Will I be forgiving
Of those who’ve caused me pain? Will I be concerned about
My loved ones who’ll remain?

Will I anxiously be waiting
For You to come for me?
Or will this world have ties on me And prevent my being free?

Lord, let me be ready
Before that day arrives
To make my peace with everyone Who’s come into my life.

Show me how to shed regret
For the things I shouldn’t have done. Instead, may I be thankful
For the things I’ve overcome.

Then, when it’s time to go with You
My heart will be at peace.
And I can bless my loved ones
And into Your arms joyfully be released.
Penny Mandeville

Prayer
Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, I bow in awe of You and Your selfless love for me. I am filled with gratitude for the new life that is mine because of Your forgiving sacrifice on the cross. Thank You for those precious words that captivate my mind and heart and life.
May I speak Your words of life and grace to those around me. In Your Loving Name. Amen.

Reflections
1. Visualize yourself right there beneath his cross:
Take in the sights, sounds, emotions, but above all, the words. Receive them as your own.

2. Meditate on Jesus’ sayings from the Cross, one by one.
Which one grabs hold of you most? Why? Journal your thoughts and meditations.

3. As Bible teacher Michael McKay says,
“When we think about our own mortality, we often like to push that off as much as possible...I think it’s healthy for us to think about it before it happens, because it causes us to ask the big questions in life.” 61

Prayerfully consider what you would like your last words to be. Talk to the Lord about it.
Jot down your thoughts and feelings in your journal.

*We will look at each of these sayings in the weeks ahead.*