The WORD On The Cross

Words have power.

Words shape worlds.

In the beginning, Jesus, the Word of God, spoke creation into existence. He spoke and a universe of beauty and order emerged out of chaos and darkness.

In the Incarnation, Jesus again spoke light into the world. He spoke grace and truth, explaining and fully revealing who God is and what He is like.

On this Good Friday, we listen to Jesus, the living Word, as He is on the cross. He only speaks a few words but in each statement He continues to reveal what God is like.

"He said to his mother, “Woman, behold, your son!” Then he said to the disciple, “Behold, your mother!” And from that hour the disciple took her to his own home."

Jesus is the God-Man. He receives His human nature from His mother. Through her, He is forever embedded in the human family. She has been a faithful presence throughout His life, believing in His message and mission. Now at the moment of His agonizing death, He embeds her into a new family, a new humanity, made up of all those united with Him by faith.

“I thirst.”

These words reflect David's lament in Psalm 69 and again affirm Jesus’ humanity. He is flesh and blood like us. He thirsts like us. He suffers like us. Jesus is the genuine human, the second Adam, whose human nature gives Him the capacity to be our representative. In His life, He is our exemplar. In His death, our atoning sacrifice.

“It is finished.”

The Lamb of God has been sacrificed and the cosmos He created reels from the magnitude of what has happened. The Greek word is tetelestai - to bring to an end, finish, or complete. This phrase might seem like acquiescence or defeat but this is not that kind of word. Tetelestai is a word of triumph.

Though it seemed all was lost, Jesus declared in victory that His work is finished, His mission is completed. The One who has all the power and authority laid His life down of His own will. He declares the word of triumph because He knows that His death on the cross is the end of sin’s reign, but not the end of the story.

Reflection Question

Consider the triumphant declaration "It is finished" (tetelestai). How does understanding this as a victory cry create a new world for you and change your perspective on:

Your current struggles?

God's work in seemingly hopeless situations?

The relationship between sacrifice and triumph in your own life?