The Last Words of Jesus: Seven Sayings from the Cross (The Word of Reunion)

Before he died, Jesus made seven statements from the cross. During the weeks leading up to Easter, we’ll look at what Jesus said and how we might apply these words to our lives. Below is a list of the six topics based on seven passages from the Gospels of Mark, Luke and John.

• February 18 – The Word of Forgiveness (Luke 23:34)
• February 25 – The Word of Salvation (Luke 23:43)
• March 3 – The Word of Relationship (John 19:26-27)
• March 10 – The Words of Humanity (Mark 15:34 & John 19:28)
• March 17 – The Word of Triumph (John 19:30)
• March 24 – The Word of Reunion (Luke 23:46)

On Sunday, we considered the words of humanity offered by Jesus in Luke 23:46:

Jesus shouted, “Father, I put myself in your hands!” Then he died. [Luke 23:46, CEV]

A recording and the text of the sermon is below. You can stream the service by going to the Sligo Presbyterian Church YouTube Channel on Sundays at 10:00 a.m. (EST)

Have y’all noticed all the palm branches around here this morning? Now you know that can mean only one of two things. I mean, either the session voted on Wednesday evening to send all of us to Florida for a special congregational meeting, or today is Palm Sunday, that wonderful Sunday right before Easter when the deacons invite us to a breakfast/brunch immediately after the service and kids and teachers can look forward to a three day work week and of course, we remember Jesus’s triumphal entry into Jerusalem. I mean, just listen to how the Evangelist Luke described it:

Then [the disciples] led the donkey to Jesus. They put some of their clothes on its back and helped Jesus get on. And as he rode along, the people spread clothes on the road in front of him. When Jesus started down the Mount of Olives, his large crowd of disciples were happy and praised God because of all the miracles they had seen. They shouted,

“Blessed is the king who comes

    in the name of the Lord!

Peace in heaven

    and glory to God.” [Luke 19:35-38, CEV]

Now that’s what we’re celebrating today.

But of course that’s not all. I mean, since this is the last Sunday before Easter, we’re also finishing the series we started five weeks ago entitled The Last Words of Jesus: Seven Sayings from the Cross. And as y’all remember, during that time, we’ve heard words of forgiveness and words of salvation from Luke. And we’ve heard words of relationship and triumph from John. And we’ve heard words of humanity from Mark and Matthew as well as John. Now that’s what we’ve done over the last month or so. 

And this morning, we’re going to bring it home by looking at the very last words Jesus said according to Luke. This was what he wrote:

Jesus shouted, “Father, I put myself in your hands!” Then he died. [Luke 23:46, CEV]

Now that’s what it says in Luke, and I’ll tell you, I find it really interesting. You see, for the third evangelist, as he died, Jesus anticipated his coming reunion with this heavenly father. 

And I’ll tell you, that’s going to be our focus this morning. You see, we’re going to consider two lessons that I believe we can learn from these last words from Christ. And hopefully, by the time we settle into a plate of scrambled eggs, bacon and sausage, we’ll have a much better idea about why this return was important back in the day and how it might shape what we choose to do as Christians right now. And like I said, both these lessons are grounded in these seven  words Jesus spoke from the cross.

For example, I think these words show us, in no uncertain terms, that since he was returning to the father, Jesus knew his mission on earth was ending. Now for me, that’s the first lesson we can take from what he said. You see, according to Luke, right after Jesus told the faithful criminal  “I promise that today you will be with me in paradise” [Luke 23:43, CEV], this was what happened:

Around noon the sky turned dark and stayed that way until the middle of the afternoon. The sun stopped shining, and the curtain in the temple split down the middle. Jesus shouted, “Father, I put myself in your hands!” Then he died. [Luke 23:44-46, CEV]

Now that’s what Jesus said. And I think that’s important, and I’ll tell you why. By putting himself into his father’s hands, Jesus must have recognized that he was approaching the end of his mission here on earth; a mission that was really about two things.

I mean, on one hand, his mission was about power, wasn’t it; and I’m talking about something really special he’d received from God, in fact, a source of inspiration that he carried with him throughout his ministry. Jesus had power. And I’ll tell you, according to Luke, he received this power before he’d really done much of anything. Just listen to what the Evangelist wrote in the third chapter of his gospel:

While everyone else was being baptized, Jesus himself was baptized. Then as he prayed, the sky opened up, and the Holy Spirit came down upon him in the form of a dove. A voice from heaven said, “You are my own dear Son, and I am pleased with you.” [Luke 3:21-22, CEV]

You see, before he’d told a single parable or healed a single leper or performed a single miracle, the Holy Spirit came and rested on Jesus. And I’ll tell you, that Spirit was really important in shaping and empowering what Jesus did. I mean, it was with him as the devil tested him three times in the wilderness. And it was with him as he offered thanks to his father for revealing his truth to ordinary folks like you and me. And it was with him when he was in Gethsemane and he prayed, “Father, if you will, please don't make me suffer by drinking from this cup. But do what you want, and not what I want.” [Luke 22:42, CEV] Now this was the power that drove his mission, a mission Jesus knew was ending as he faced death on the cross.

But that’s not all we know about his mission, because, on the other hand, it was also about a message. And you know, it was a message that Jesus shared throughout his time on earth to everybody who would listen. And I’ll tell you, if we want to know what that message was, man, it’s not hard to find, because it was the same good news that he shared the very first time he spoke to a group of people, at least, according to Luke. I mean, after he’d been baptized and endured the devil’s temptations, 

Jesus went back to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, and as usual he went to the synagogue on the Sabbath. When he stood up to read from the Scriptures, he was given the book of Isaiah the prophet. He opened it and read,

“The Lord's Spirit

    has come to me,

because he has chosen me

to tell the good news

    to the poor.

The Lord has sent me

to announce freedom

    for prisoners,

to give sight to the blind,

to free everyone

    who suffers,

and to say, 

‘This is the year

    the Lord has chosen.’ ”

Jesus closed the book, then handed it back to the man in charge and sat down. Everyone in the synagogue looked straight at Jesus.

Then Jesus said to them, “What you have just heard me read has come true today.” [Luke 4:16-21, CEV]

Now that was the message he came to share. And I’ll tell you something, this really was the focus of his ministry. I mean, whether through the lessons he taught or the miracles he performed, Jesus was all about bringing the good news to those who needed to hear it the most. Announcing freedom and hope and peace, this was his mission. And I’ll tell you, this mission was not only empowered by the Spirit, it was also centered on a message that was clear and simple; something else that Jesus knew would soon be coming to a conclusion when he died. 

You see, when Jesus said, “Father, I put myself in your hands!” [Luke 23:46b, CEV], I think he realized that, since he was returning to the father, his mission on earth was ending. And for me, that’s the first lesson we can draw from his words. 

But I don’t think that’s not the only thing we can take from what he said as he died on that cross. You see, second, based on these same words, I also think we can learn that since his mission had ended, our mission to the world was beginning. And I’ll tell you, that just makes sense. I mean, since he was no longer going to be around to do it himself, we, his disciples, those who heard and responded, we were now going to be ones to continue his work. And you know, I think we can see what I’m talking about in another story that came after the crucifixion and the resurrection but before Jesus was reunited with his father. I mean, listen to what Luke wrote, this time in Acts:

Jesus said to them, “You don't need to know the time of those events that only the Father controls. But the Holy Spirit will come upon you and give you power. Then you will tell everyone about me in Jerusalem, in all Judea, in Samaria, and everywhere in the world.” After Jesus had said this and while they were watching, he was taken up into a cloud. They could not see him, but as he went up, they kept looking up into the sky. 

Suddenly two men dressed in white clothes were standing there beside them. They said, “Why are you men from Galilee standing here and looking up into the sky? Jesus has been taken to heaven. But he will come back in the same way you have seen him go.” [Acts 1:7-11, CEV]

Now that’s what Luke wrote, and just think about what it might mean. You see, once Jesus had returned to the father, now it was time for his followers to pick up his mantle and to start doing his work. In other words, since he was no longer physically around, it was up to them to become his people. And it was up to them to be his voice. And it was up to them to continue his mission. And what was true for them then is true for us now. 

And although on the surface that may seem like an  impossible job (I mean, how can we possibly do the work of Jesus Christ?), I’ll tell you something, to accomplish it, God’s given us the same thing that Jesus had.

For example, just like Jesus’s mission was all about power, we have power too. In other words, we’ve also received something really special from God. And we carry an incredible source of inspiration today and tomorrow and right to our end. Man, we have power. And guess what, it comes from the exact same reality that descended and rested on Jesus at his baptism. Just listen to how Luke described it in Acts:

On the day of Pentecost all the Lord's followers were together in one place. Suddenly there was a noise from heaven like the sound of a mighty wind! It filled the house where they were meeting. Then they saw what looked like fiery tongues moving in all directions, and a tongue came and settled on each person there. The Holy Spirit took control of everyone, and they began speaking whatever languages the Spirit let them speak. [Acts 2:1-4, CEV]

You see, the same Spirit that rested on Christ throughout his life also rests on us. And that Spirit can move us forward in spite of difficulties. It can move us forward in spite of opposition. And it can move us forward in spite of our own personal fears and doubts. But even more than that, this Spirit can open our eyes and our minds and our hearts and our hands so that we can see and understand and feel and serve. I’m telling you right here and right now, the Holy Spirit rests on us. And even though Jesus is no longer physically here any more, our mission is also about power.

But that’s not the only thing we’ve got, because just like Jesus’s mission was all about a message, ours must be too. And I’ll tell you, the message is exactly the same. It’s just like what Peter said right after receiving the Holy Spirit:

Now, listen to what I have to say about Jesus from Nazareth. God proved he sent Jesus to you by having him work miracles, wonders, and signs. All of you know this. God had already planned and decided that Jesus would be handed over to you. So you took him and had evil men put him to death on a cross. But God set him free from death and raised him to life. Death could not hold him in its power. [Acts 2:22-24, CEV]

Now this is the message. And you know, it doesn’t matter whether we share it through the words we use or the love and kindness we show, we’re doing the same thing Jesus Christ himself did. Paraphrasing what Mary said before Jesus was even born, we’re announcing the one who came to scatter those who are proud, the one who drags strong rulers from their thrones and puts humble people in places of power, the one who gives the hungry good things to eat and sends the rich away with nothing. And using the words of Peter, we’re inviting those around us to “turn to God and be baptized...in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of [their] sins, and [assuring them that they] will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. This promise is for [them and [their] children. [In fact,] it is for everyone our Lord God will choose, no matter where they live.” [Acts 2:38b-39, CEV] That’s what we can offer to our world. You see, as it was for him, our mission is also about a message. 

You see, when Jesus said, “Father, I put myself in your hands!” [Luke 23:46b, CEV], I think he realized that since his mission had ended, our mission to the world was beginning. And because of that, now it’s up to us as his people to continue his work. And for me, that’s the second lesson we can learn from these words.

But, of course, these are words from the cross. Today is still Palm Sunday, a day we celebrate Jesus’s entry into Jerusalem and not his departure from the earth. I mean, although they’re both important, certainly in terms of mood and energy, they really don’t seem to have a whole lot in common. But I’ll tell you, I do believe there’s a link, especially when we hear the whole Palm Sunday story. You see, after Jesus entered the city with people shouting

“Blessed is the king who comes

    in the name of the Lord!

Peace in heaven

    and glory to God.” [Luke 19:38b, CEV]

this is how it ended:

Some Pharisees in the crowd said to Jesus, “Teacher, make your disciples stop shouting!”

But Jesus answered, “If they keep quiet, these stones will start shouting.” [Luke 19:39-40, CEV]

You see, when Luke wrote, “Jesus shouted, ‘Father, I put myself in your hands!’ Then he died.” [Luke 23:44-46, CEV], I believe he was offering us two lessons that we can learn and apply: first, that since Jesus was returning to the father, his mission on earth was ending; and second, that since his mission had ended, our mission to the world was beginning. In other words, and here’s the link I was talking about, since Jesus is now silent because he’s returned to God and since we now have the same mission with the same power and the same message, maybe it’s our time to become like those stones in Jerusalem and to start shouting ourselves. You see, maybe this is the challenge in these last words of Jesus from the cross, the word of reunion.