Many of history's most famous figures are remembered by their final words.
In the face of death, one's parting utterances take special, dramatic significance.
For millennia, Christians have reflected, particularly on Good Friday, on the final words of Christ as he suffered on the cross. The Gospels in fact, give us not one final saying, but seven. Through them we see Jesus' enduring sacrificial spirit, his compassion for his enemies, and his relationship with his Father.
1. 'Father, forgive'
'Then Jesus said, "Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do"' (Luke 23:34).
As Jesus, God's own son, is mocked by his captors and taken to the cross, he gives this word of grace. The man who has committed no crime does not turn on the Romans with fury or resentment, but instead offers mercy. Jesus told his disciples to 'pray for those who persecute you' – now he does the same.
2. 'Today you will be with me in paradise'
'And he said to him, "Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in paradise"' (Luke 23:43).
Jesus promises salvation to a thief being crucified beside him. This thief is no pious believer, but he understands who Jesus is. He knows that he deserves punishment, but that Jesus is innocent. He asks Jesus to 'remember me when you come into your kingdom', but Jesus promises him far more.
3. 'Behold your mother'
'Jesus saw his own mother, and the disciple standing near whom he loved, he said to his mother, "Woman, behold your son". Then he said to the disciple, "Behold your mother". And from that hour, he took his mother into his family' (John 19:26-27).
This moment is known sometimes as the 'word of relationship' and gives us a glimpse of Jesus relationship with his mother Mary. As he faces death, he looks beyond himself and entrusts the care of his mother to 'the beloved disciple' John. Mary has cared for and guided Jesus into the man he is now, ever since her encounter with an angel bearing 'good news'. That story draws to a climax as Jesus faces his darkest hour, and his destiny. In the midst of that suffering, he doesn't forget his mother.
4. 'Why have you forsaken me?'
'And at the ninth hour, Jesus shouted in a loud voice, "Eloi Eloi lama sabachthani?" which is translated, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?"' (Mark 13:34, Matthew 27:46).
The question of what these words mean has puzzled theologians for centuries. Did God leave Jesus in his hour of greatest need? Did the Father turn his back on the Son? Whatever is taking place, there is clearly some kind of trauma at the heart of the Trinity. Jesus is channelling the words of the writer of Psalm 22, who also cried 'My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?'
In using those words perhaps Jesus illustrates his own experience of human existential crisis, that struggle to see or hear God when evil pervades and darkness persists. The psalm ends with a note of hope and a promise of redemption for the whole earth. Perhaps this too Jesus channelled. In his deepest agony; he gave a cry expressing his own pain, but pointing too to the promise of life to come.
5. 'I thirst'
'He said, "I thirst"' (John 19.28).
Why did Jesus say he was thirsty? In this 'word of distress' we again glimpse Jesus' humanity. The 'thirst' can be interpreted in different ways. When Jesus is granted sour wine on a stick, it fulfils the scripture of Psalm 69:21. Perhaps Jesus' 'thirst' also ties in with his prayer in Gethsemane, that 'this cup be taken from me'. Here Jesus is resigned to his fate, and is drinking the cup of suffering, spiritually and physically. Lastly, it parallels with a discussion about 'thirst' in John 4, when the Samaritan woman at the well told Jesus she was thirsty, and he promised he water that would never run out. Now, Jesus is need of a drink. His thirst in this moment is what enables a wellspring of water for the world.
6. 'It is finished'
'Jesus said, "It is finished"' (John 19:30).
With these simple words, Jesus declares something to be complete: 'finished'. Again, debate persists about the technicalities of Jesus words, but many see this as a proclamation of triumph – albeit won through intense agony. As Jesus prepares to breathe his last, de declares his work, commissioned by the Father, to be complete. Love came, and love died. Jesus suffered so we wouldn't have to. He went low, so we could be brought high. He challenged evil and darkness with love and self-sacrifice, and love wins. There is still resurrection and ascension to come – in some ways much is still unfinished – but here we see the climax of Jesus' crisis.
7. 'Into your hands I commit my spirit'
'And speaking in a loud voice, Jesus said, "Father, into your hands I commit my spirit"' (Luke 23:46).
In what some call the 'word of reunion' Jesus speaks to the Father not as one cast off, but one intimate to God, whose work is now complete. Jesus channels the words of Psalm 31:5: 'Into your hands I commit my spirit, deliver me, Lord, my faithful God.' Jesus, in his last moment, embodies what his entire life has been: one of bold, committed self-giving love, lived for others.
