In fact, this is why Jesus’ dying words have been so thoroughly scrutinized, debated and, even sometimes, misinterpreted, because in each of those weighted words, He leaves us an instruction, a request and a powerful testimony of what it means to imitate Him. Given this, there is an ancient tradition of meditating and reflecting on Jesus’ final words here on earth, what we call His Seven Last Words.
Yet, to truly understand the impact of His words, a little history and background is necessary, so bear with me, because this is one of my longest homilies.
Jesus’ sufferings begin pretty early, and they are much worse than we have seen. His suffering is both visible and invisible, and it begins right before His arrest. It begins in the Garden.
Here, something happens that, though rare, shows us the extreme physical, psychological and spiritual duress that He is under. He sweats blood.
We have heard this before, and doctors, psychologists, and scientists say that it has, indeed, happened, but something we may or may not realize is that when this happens, it tenderizes the skin, so even a feather touch is not just painful, it is excruciating. What that means then is that the scourging, the crowning of thorns, the dragging of the cross was not just grueling and torturous; it far exceeded any pain we could possibly imagine or fathom.
But it doesn’t end there, it is said, that while crucifixion came from the Persians, it was perfected by the Romans. The Romans learned how to systematically shut down one’s organs, so that the pain was intensified, and death prolonged.
Yet, when one was to be crucified, they first had to be scourged, now, the Jewish people had a rule, one could only be scourged 40 times, however, the Romans did not have this same rule, so many times they would scourge to the point of death, or close to death. And, the whip wasn’t a simple whip, it could have had iron balls, sheep bones, or even claws that were used to shear sheep attached to it. What’s more, is that one was scourged not just on their back, but also on their front, their chest, and contrary to movies, they were scourged completely naked, so there was physical pain as well as humiliation. Also, if they really didn’t like you, they might cut out your tongue or pluck out your eyes.
Given all of this, one loses a lot of fluids, so between the pain, sun, sweat, and blood many people would go into shock or die. Some would even argue that Jesus could have been going into kidney failure, as a result.
While this was normally enough for anyone else, for Jesus, they added an extra insult, a crown of thorns, and they placed it or rather embedded it into His skull, and then they wrapped Him with a purple cloak, mocking Him as a king.
You would think this would be enough, but, it wasn’t, they then give Him His cross of execution, which probably weighed between 75-100 lbs. It is said, that the weight on one’s back, could puncture your lungs, crack your ribs, or perforate your heart.
And, in carrying His cross, it wasn’t point A to point B, rather it was Point A to point B (point upwards), He was going up a hill, which is why He fell three times, and St. Simon needed to help him carry His cross to get to His place of execution.
One thing I forgot to mention is that Jesus had a soldier assigned to him, and this soldier’s job is to make sure He dies, so the longer Jesus lives, the longer the soldier has to do his job.
This is why, He was allowed to be beaten, pushed around and spit on, as He carried His cross. In fact, there were only two acts of charity on His way to the cross, and that was from St. Simon and St. Veronica.
When He gets to His place of execution, they strip Him, because, again, contrary to movies and statues, there is no loincloth, and they would have removed His purple garment. Now, if you have ever cut yourself and pulled your clothes away after the cut has started to heal, you know the sting that happens. For Jesus, then, His whole body was stinging.
Now, typically, the Romans would simply place ropes around the arms of those to be crucified, to support them to the cross, but with Jesus, they, instead nailed His hands and His feet, a punishment reserved for the worst criminals.
And, while there is debate as to how this was done, it was mostly likely in his wrist, because this hastens death, and it offers more support while hanging on the cross. They say that if they didn’t reach the nail holes, they would stretch the body, maxing out, as it were, the tendons, or breaking bones, which is why some of those taken down after their crucifixion were taller than when they were put on. What’s more, is that by bending His legs, that allows Him to breathe, barely.
So, when they laid Him upon the Cross, stretch out His arms, and one by one nailed His hands and His feet, His response could have been anything, He could have asked the Father to strike everyone dead, He could have asked the Father for the very world to end at that moment, but He didn’t, instead, He pleaded for mercy, but not mercy from His accusers or executioners, mercy from His Father for all of them: “Father,” He says, “forgive them, for they know what they do.”
Then mounted on a cross, next to two criminals, condemned of the same crimes, one asks for forgiveness, the other curses Him with the crowd. The man who asks for mercy, knows what he has done, knows that his punishment is just and he also knows that Jesus does not deserve His. Yet, this thief knows something that no one else knows, He knows who Jesus truly is, He knows the power that Jesus has, that is why he makes a simple request: “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” And, Jesus’ reply is just as simple: “Amen. I say to you, this day, you will be with me in paradise.”
As Jesus hangs upon the cross, He looks down and sees both His mother and His beloved disciple, St. John, two people whom He cared deeply about in this world, yet, what He says to both seems almost impersonal and even generic, calling His own mother, “woman,” and His beloved disciple, “son.”
Yet, these are important words otherwise He would never have spoken them, and, indeed, they are, because it is here, at the very foot of the Cross, where Mary becomes our mother, those generic words are not generic at all, but, rather, universal, so that “woman” reminds us of Eve, the mother of all living, who said “no,” whereas, Mary, the New Eve, becomes the new mother of all living, who said “yes.” This, too, is why St. John is referred to as “son,” because he represents all of us.
Therefore one of Jesus’ greatest gifts to us before He dies is, indeed, His greatest love, His mother: “Woman, behold, your son!” Then he said to the disciple, 'Behold, your mother!”
The anguish of the cross is starting to take its toll, physically Jesus is close to death, and spiritually He had to have felt the same. While what He cries points to the fulfillment of the prophecies, what He feels in the depths of His soul must have been even more painful than all of His physical suffering. For here is Jesus, in His humanity, with the weight of our sins, physically weighing Him down, while spiritually those sins are literally rending apart His very soul. This is why from the greatest depths of His humanity, from its very core, He could not help but cry out with the Psalmist: “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”
Jesus has been hanging on the cross for a while now, the sun beating down upon Him, His wounds still bleeding, if crucifixion did not kill you by asphyxiation, you would die by dehydration, so, indeed, He was thirsty. But, His thirst was not just physical, His thirst was for something much more, in fact, it was the reason He was on the cross in the first place, because His thirst was for our redemption, His thirst was for our conversion. “Aware that everything was now finished, St. John says, in order that the scripture might be fulfilled, Jesus said, “I thirst.”
Jesus’ death draws near, He knows it, He expects it, it is only a matter of time. With the little breath that He has left, He says three powerful words: Words of triumph over evil, words of completion, words that express that what He has come for and to do has finally been fulfilled that His hour has, at last, come: “It is finished.”
In this confidence, with His final breath, He shouts out 8 agonizing words, words of abandonment and words of resignation, so that bowing His head He could leave us our final lesson, a lesson in dying, dying to the world and dying to our selves: “Father, He says, into your hands I commend my spirit.”
Seven words that have transformed the entire world, seven words that have converted thousands, moved men and women to tears, the seven last and dying words of Jesus Christ. He who gave His life for our love, for our salvation and for our sins, so that His cross was not emptied of meaning, but, became a lasting instruction, a living testimony, not just a symbol of suffering, but, indeed, the very shape of our hearts.
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