The authors of the four gospels each have different accounts of the last words spoken by Jesus before His death on the Cross.
"E'lo.i, E'lo.i, le.ma' sa.bach'tha.ni?" that is, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" Mark 15:34
"E'li, E'li, le.ma' sa.bach'tha.ni?" that is, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" Matthew 27:46
"Father, into your hands I commend my spirit." Luke 46:46
"It is finished." John 19:30
To fully comprehend that moment, we must prayerfully contemplate all four accounts. We must also consider what happened prior to that moment.
According to Luke: One of the criminals who was hanged there kept deriding Him and saying, "Are you not the Messiah? Save yourself and us!"
But the other rebuked him, saying, "Do you not fear God, since you are under the same sentence of condemnation? And we indeed have been condemned justly, for we are getting what we deserve for our deeds, but this man has done nothing wrong."
Then he said, "Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom." He replied, "Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in Paradise." Luke 23:39-43
After listening to these words for many, many years, I realized that Jesus did not respond to the blasphemous thief. To me, this is very powerful! It says that we too, could follow Jesus' example and refuse to respond when others taunt us with their words or actions. It is imperative that we understand that refusing to respond to aggressive behavior is not weakness!
In Peter's first letter, he said of Christ's suffering, "When He was abused, He did not return abuse; when He suffered, He did not threaten; but He entrusted Himself to the One who judges justly." 1 Peter 2:23
In the letter to the Romans, Paul said, "Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them. Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave room for the wrath of God; for it is written, Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord." Romans 12:14,17,19
This tells us that it is OK to leave things in God's hands! It is OK to choose not to respond for these are the marks of a true Christian! It is also very important that we do not mistake people's honesty and integrity for cowardice.
The second revelation during that faithful Easter Season came from the "good" thief. In spite of his current situation, he was able to win the Heart of Jesus.
How? By acknowledging his wrongdoing and taking a stand! He chose to do something about the unjust remarks that the other thief was making. Then, he expressed his faith with these immortal words, "Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom."
In return, the forgiving Jesus offered him the gift of all gifts when He said, "Today you will be with me in Paradise." Are we standing up for those who are being persecuted by others? Are we using our words to create peace and win the Heart of Jesus when we speak with others?
"E'lo.i, E'lo.i, le.ma' sa.bach'tha.ni?" that is, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" Mark 15:34
"E'li, E'li, le.ma' sa.bach'tha.ni?" that is, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" Matthew 27:46
"Father, into your hands I commend my spirit." Luke 46:46
"It is finished." John 19:30
To fully comprehend that moment, we must prayerfully contemplate all four accounts. We must also consider what happened prior to that moment.
According to Luke: One of the criminals who was hanged there kept deriding Him and saying, "Are you not the Messiah? Save yourself and us!"
But the other rebuked him, saying, "Do you not fear God, since you are under the same sentence of condemnation? And we indeed have been condemned justly, for we are getting what we deserve for our deeds, but this man has done nothing wrong."
Then he said, "Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom." He replied, "Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in Paradise." Luke 23:39-43
After listening to these words for many, many years, I realized that Jesus did not respond to the blasphemous thief. To me, this is very powerful! It says that we too, could follow Jesus' example and refuse to respond when others taunt us with their words or actions. It is imperative that we understand that refusing to respond to aggressive behavior is not weakness!
In Peter's first letter, he said of Christ's suffering, "When He was abused, He did not return abuse; when He suffered, He did not threaten; but He entrusted Himself to the One who judges justly." 1 Peter 2:23
In the letter to the Romans, Paul said, "Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them. Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave room for the wrath of God; for it is written, Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord." Romans 12:14,17,19
This tells us that it is OK to leave things in God's hands! It is OK to choose not to respond for these are the marks of a true Christian! It is also very important that we do not mistake people's honesty and integrity for cowardice.
The second revelation during that faithful Easter Season came from the "good" thief. In spite of his current situation, he was able to win the Heart of Jesus.
How? By acknowledging his wrongdoing and taking a stand! He chose to do something about the unjust remarks that the other thief was making. Then, he expressed his faith with these immortal words, "Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom."
In return, the forgiving Jesus offered him the gift of all gifts when He said, "Today you will be with me in Paradise." Are we standing up for those who are being persecuted by others? Are we using our words to create peace and win the Heart of Jesus when we speak with others?
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