A person’s last words are important. We hang on to the dying words of those closest to us. We pass on the final words of great leaders for the next generation. It’s as if we are waiting for them to sum everything up in a few final statements.
Some are famous:
Nathan Hale (1755-1776) – "I only regret that I have but one life to lose for my country."
Romeo – “Here’s to my love! O true apothecary! Thy drugs are quick. Thus with a kiss I die.”
Richard III – "A horse! A horse! My kingdom for a horse."
Julius Caesar (100-44 B.C.) – "You too, Brutus?"
Some are obvious:
Leonhard Euler, Swiss mathematician (1707-1783) – "I die."
Luther Burbank (1849 – 1926) renowned botanist – "I don’t feel good."
Some are ironic:
Douglas Fairbanks, Sr. (1883-1939) actor – "Never felt better."
General John Sedgwick (1813-1864) – "They couldn’t hit an elephant at this dist--."
Some are quirky:
Marie Antoinette, Queen of France (1755-1793) – “Pardon me, sir." (on stepping on the foot her exectioner)
John “Doc” Holliday (1851-1887) – "This is funny."
P.T. Barnum – “How were the circus receipts in Madison Square Gardens?”
Pancho Villa (1878-1923) – "Don’t let it end like this. Tell them I said something."
Some are humorous:
Robert Erskine Childers (1870-1922) Irish nationalist – "Take a step forward, lads. It will be easier that way."
James Rogers – "Why yes, a bullet proof vest." (When asked, “Any last requests?”)
Conrad N. Hilton (1887-1979) – "Leave the shower curtain on the inside of the tub."
Saint Lawrence (?-258) – "Turn me. I am roasted on one side."
John Holmes (1812-1899) – "John Rogers did."
Holmes was a U.S. lawyer and brother of O.W. Holmes. Quiet and motionless on deathbed for a long period of time, those assembled in the room suspected that he had died. A nurse checked his pulse, found none, and announced that she would feel his feet to see if they were warm, "If they are, he’s alive. Nobody ever died with warm feet." "John Rogers did," Holmes replied. Rogers was a Prot. martyr who had been burned at the stake.
As he was dying on the cross, Jesus Christ made a few final statements – seven to be exact – that deserve our attention.
• Seven statements from a dying man to a dying world.
• Seven statements that provide insight to a generation searching for answers.
• Seven statements that reveal the heart of the Savior.
These seven statements take place in the context of the cross on which Jesus died.
>>> Background of trials and crucifixion
And as he hangs on the cross, Jesus makes seven final statements before his death.
The first three take place between the hours of 9:00 a.m. and noon:
1. “Father, forgive them.” (Luke 23:34)
2. “Today you will be with me in paradise.” (Luke 23:43)
3. “Dear woman, here is your son.” (John 19:26)
From noon to 3:00 p.m., there was darkness over the land. Then at about 3:00, Jesus uttered his final words:
4. “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” (Matthew 27:46)
5. “I am thirsty.” (John 19:28)
6. “It is finished.” (John 19:30)
7. “Into your hands I commit my spirit.” (Luke 23:46)
As we examine these seven statements, we must look at them in context of the story – the story of God’s love for us and our need for Him. In this story, the cross is the means for our reconciliation with God. The cross is about sin / payment / forgiveness. It’s about grace / mercy / love.
Today >> “Father, forgive them.”
Luke 23:32-34
32 Two other men, both criminals, were also led out with him to be executed. 33 When they came to the place called the Skull, there they crucified him, along with the criminals — one on his right, the other on his left. 34 Jesus said, "Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing." (NIV)
As sinners, we are God’s enemies (Rom. 5:10). Yet in this state, God provides a way. In this state, Christ made the payment for our sin. And in the state, we see Jesus do something amazing: he prays. In the depth of pain/anguish/misery – he prays.
He didn’t pray for relief / “get me outta here” / “smite my enemies” / “lead, guide, and direct”
In Christ’s example:
• He prays for his enemies
Scholars have debated whom Jesus was praying for: the Romans / the Jews / the world
But to enter the debate is to miss the point. The debate doesn’t matter – all were against him. And yet when he was hurting most – when those who abused him were standing before him mocking him – when those closest to him were nowhere to be found – he prayed.
He prayed for his enemies / abusers. . . and that’s the point. And in doing so, he models his own teaching in the SOTM:
Matt 5:43-45 – 43 "You have heard that it was said, ’Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ 44 But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, 45 that you may be sons of your Father in heaven. (NIV)
• He asks that they be forgiven
Forgive – Grk > release / let go
“Father, release them . . .” “Don’t hold this against them.”
We see a similar prayer in the book of Acts:
Acts 7:59-60 – As they stoned him, Stephen prayed, "Lord Jesus, receive my spirit." He fell to his knees, shouting, "Lord, don’t charge them with this sin!" And with that, he died. (NLT)
How could Jesus pray that in the heat of the battle?
• He recognized their ignorance
“They don’t know what they’re doing.”
oidasin > to see, comprehend, understand, get it
“They don’t get it. They don’t understand the big picture.”
This isn’t, “They don’t understand that I’m God in the flesh. If they did they wouldn’t do this.”
Jesus had to die – atonement had to be made. It’s not ignorance of who he is, but of what he’s doing.
“They don’t comprehend why I’m going thru this. They still don’t see their need for a spiritual deliverer. They think they are killing me, but I am laying my life down.”
No one can take my life from me. I sacrifice it voluntarily. John 10:18(NLT)
Father, forgive their cluelessness.
I often find it difficult to pray for someone when they’ve wronged me until I cool off. I want to hang on to it for a while. It takes a big man to pray for someone in the heat of the battle.
Do you ever find yourself hanging on to a wrong? Have you ever said, “I can’t forgive them because …”
Maybe you’ve never said it, but you’ve lived it. Instead of forgiving you find ways to gig them. You look for ways to make sure they’re unhappy / miserable / a little less than you. That’s holding unforgiveness.
I believe we can learn from Jesus’ example on how to model forgiveness:
• I need to pray for my enemies
Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. Rom 12:14 (NIV)
Don’t repay evil for evil. Don’t retaliate with insults when people insult you. Instead, pay them back with a blessing. That is what God has called you to do, and he will bless you for it. 1 Peter 3:9 (NLT)
Can you pray a blessing for those who rub you the wrong way / get on your nerves / mess you over / cheat you / rob you / harm you / try to ruin your life?
• I need to forgive my enemies
Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, "Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother when he sins against me? Up to seven times?" Jesus answered, "I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times. Matt 18:21-22 (NIV)
Make allowance for each other’s faults, and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others. Col 3:13 (NLT)
Prov. 27 tells us that resentment is heavier than stone and sand.
When you are angry / resentful, you don’t hurt them. When you worry, fret, stew, it’s not bothering them. Somebody may have hurt you years ago and you’re still holding on to it. It’s still making you miserable; they’ve forgotten it. Resentment cannot change the past, but it can mess up the present and the future. It cannot correct the problem, but it can make the problem worse. It doesn’t change the person, it doesn’t even hurt that person, it only hurts you.
Dr. S.I. McMillan (None of These Diseases) - the two greatest causes of the physical problems = guilt and resentment. “It’s not so much what you eat, it’s what eats you that matters.”
Resentment makes you unhealthy. Physical / emotional consequences. Leads to depression / stress / fatigue.
• I need to recognize that they may be clueless
Even though I was once a blasphemer and a persecutor and a violent man, I was shown mercy because I acted in ignorance and unbelief. 1 Tim 1:13 (NIV)
Not everything that happens to you is because everyone is out to get you. Learn to let it go. Sometimes they just don’t get it and we need to learn to show mercy.
Where would we be without mercy.
Jesus’ final words were not recorded just for posterity, but for a purpose. So that we could hear from his heart at the moment it was being poured out for us.
What is the dying man telling a dying world? I forgive you
What is the insight to a generation looking for answers? You’ll do better praying for your enemies, than holding a grudge.
What is the heart of the Savior? Release
Col 2:13-14
You were dead because of your sins and because your sinful nature was not yet cut away. Then God made you alive with Christ, for he forgave all our sins. He canceled the record of the charges against us and took it away by nailing it to the cross. (NLT)
Let Christ show you forgiveness and release your charges today.
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* The Famous Last Words quotes were found on various sites. Most were from http://www.geocities.com/athens/acropolis/6537/.
