“For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.” – 1 Corinthians 1:18
I can only imagine what the disciples were asking themselves after the crucifixion, “Why?” “What is Jesus thinking letting Himself get arrested and crucified?” “How is this part of the plan?” “This does not make sense!” “What was He thinking?”
And then, John and a few of the ladies that were there spoke up, “He did speak from the cross. Just a few words…but He did speak.” The room goes silent and the disciples lean forward “Tell us! What did He say?”
Last words have always been important to us as a people. We will end long debates with a final summary. A trial will end with closing arguments. Even an execution will be preceded by the question, “Any last words?” It calls us to think about how we want to be remembered before things end. If you had one opportunity to address your family or anyone before leaving this life…what would you say?
As Jesus hung on the cross, He knew that He was only hours away from death. A crucifixion was a cruel form of execution developed by the Romans as a deterrent to any kind of resistance to the Empire. It was a public humiliation that was done along the side of the road and was also a physical nightmare of pain and suffering. The person being crucified was slowly bleeding to death and also struggling to breathe. In fact, many would die of suffocation after hours of struggling.
This makes it even more amazing that Jesus would use what little opportunity He had to catch His breath and speak out loud. Why? Why would He take the energy to do this? He had spent three years teaching and preaching…what is left to say?
It seems to me that this must have been extremely important to Jesus. The amount of strength required to speak and be heard was a feat seldom seen or heard from a Roman cross. What was it that was so pressing on the heart of Jesus that He felt we needed to hear?
Most of the trial Jesus speaks very little. He offers no resistance or defense to His accusers. Scripture tells us that this is a fulfillment of Isaiah’s prophesy,
“He was oppressed, and He was afflicted, yet He opened not His mouth; like a lamb that is led to the slaughter, and like a sheep before its shearers is silent…” – Isaiah 53:7
So, when He does speak, it is something worth listening to and especially the few words from the cross as He gives His life for us. What seemed like foolishness to the world and maybe to the disciples at the time was the power of God at work for our salvation! These words reveal to us a little bit of what Jesus was thinking when He was fulfilling the greatest act of love ever witnessed.
“But God shows His love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” – Romans 5:8
Today, imagine yourself at the foot of the cross as Jesus dies in your place. What is He thinking? What are you thinking? Wait…listen…I think He’s trying to say something…