Preface to the 7 Last Words of Christ
by Dr. Ralph F. Wilson
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James J. Tissot, "The Earthquake" (1886-1894), opaque watercolor, Brooklyn
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By all accounts Jesus didn't do a lot of talking on the
cross. He was silent during the hours he hung there, except for a very few
words. But these Seven Last Words provide a window into Jesus' soul, a way to
understand what is ultimately important to this One who is dying on the cross.
As I have studied and meditated on each Word, trying to
plumb the meaning of each saying, I have been touched by the awe of the scene
on Golgotha that dark, foreboding Friday afternoon as Jesus hung on the cross. I've
learned, I think, to understand him better -- his incredible love, his
determination, his humanness as well as his divinity, his intimate relationship
with his Father, and finally his trust.
It isn't often that we can see with such clarity into a
human being, especially Jesus the Son of God himself. But the looking inspires
in us awe and changes us forever.
I encourage you to study these Seven Last Words one each day
in a single week. The best might be during Holy Week, beginning on the Saturday
before Palm Sunday and finishing on Good Friday itself. Some of you will use
these meditations as the basis for a Good Friday service.
However you use them, don't rush through them. Let each of
them simmer on the stove of your heart for a while so all the flavors begin to
meld together into a unique and satisfying aroma.
Some are longer than others. I resisted the temptation to
make them all the same length as if they were all equally significant. So savor
all of these Seven Last Words from the cross, both the long and the short, that
you may encounter Christ in them.
Spend some time thinking about the question for personal
meditation that concludes each of the Words. In framing an answer, you'll find
yourself stretched and sharpened as you begin to put into your own words
thoughts that have remained only fuzzy in your mind until now.
I have illustrated each of these lessons with remarkable watercolors
by James Jacques Tissot (1836-1902), a French painter who spent the last two
decades of his life visiting the Holy Land twice and producing some 700
illustrations of the Old Testament and the Gospels. I hope you enjoy his work
as much as I do.
My prayer is that these Seven Last Words of Christ from the
Cross will bless you and draw you closer to the One who died for you and to the
Father who sent his Son on this costly journey to redeem us.
Dr. Ralph F. Wilson
March 23, 2009
“Wildwood,” Loomis, California
The Seven 7 Last Words of Christ from the Cross
Copyright © 1985-2012, Ralph F. Wilson. <pastor
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