The Way of the Cross -
Introduction:
In this Study will we be looking at the last 7 prayers that Jesus prayed on the cross. "My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?" (Matt 27:46; Mark 15:34), "Father, forgive them; they don't know what they're doing." (Luke 23:34), "Then he said, "Jesus, remember me when you enter your kingdom." He said, "Don't worry, I will. Today you will join me in paradise." (Luke 23:42-43), "Father, I place my life into your hands." (Luke 23:46), He said to his mother, "Woman, here is our son." Then he said to the disciple, "He is your mother." (John 19:26-27), "I'm thirsty" (John 19:28), "It's done…complete." (John 19:30)
So why should we study these prayers? How are they going to help me grow closer to God? Eugene Peterson, in his book 'Tell it Slant', said, "We are not at the cross to remember or do homage. We are here to probe the meaning of our daily dying in the company of Jesus." (pg. 241) Paul said in 1 Corinthians 15:31, "I die daily". Jesus said, "Anyone who intends to come with me has to let me lead. You're not in the drivers seat; I am. Don't run from suffering; embrace it. Follow me and I'll show you how. Self-help is no help at all. Self-sacrifice is the way, my way, to finding you self, your true self." (Matt. 16:24-26) As Christians, every day we should be dying to self and giving Jesus more control. But do we? I hope that as you go through these 7 prayers with Jesus, that you will get to know Jesus in a deeper and more personal way in your daily dying.
Preparatory Prayer
Jesus, I would like to meet You. Guide me on my way. Teach me to hold onto your Word when I have to walk up the Calvary of my life. Help me so that I – like You – am ready to obey and say, "May Your will be done." Help me to do what You ask me to do. Father, here I am. I would like to embrace the secret of Your Son so that You may acknowledge me as Your child who is returning to You. Amen.
1. "My God, my God, why have you abandoned me? (Matt 27:46; Mark 15:34)
Death cuts us off from our moorings. It is the final dismissal. Eugene Peterson said, "I no longer belong. I no longer fit. And I am not given an explanation. These mini-deaths ( and some of them not so "mini") – dead ends, rejections, bewilderments, snubs, abandonments, unanswered questions, wrong turns – each "death" in it's turn is a shadow of death. We die ten-thousands times before we are buried." (pg. 243) When we follow Jesus in the way of the cross ( and this is our only way) we find ourselves dealing with things we don't want to deal with. Things about our past, people who we don't get along with. And then we start looking for shortcuts, or ways to avoid the issues – we want to find an alternate route to salvation, bypassing all interim death and dying. Following Jesus along his way is hard, there are no short cuts, detours, fast forwards.
"This first prayer from the cross reveals the very worst that comes to us in a life of belief in God: the experience of absolute abandonment by God. Death, not as completion, a satisfying arrival at heaven's gate, a "welcome home" greeting God. No: death as nothing, nada, night. Nobody is exempt. Even Jesus is not exempt. Especially Jesus." (EP, 244) But is Jesus truly alone? Are we truly alone, when we go through our mini-deaths, our times when we feel abandoned? Or all alone, like the walls of our world are all crashing and there is no one who can help? Joshua 1:1-9 talks about how God will always be with us, will never give up on us, and will never leave us. When we go through these times we need to remember that we are always in the company of Jesus, as dark and as lonely as that may seem Jesus, is there.
Jesus is praying a Psalm that he had learned as a child – Psalm 22. This is a Psalm that opens with, "God, God…my God! Why did you did dump me miles from nowhere?" Why have you abandoned me? Jesus is alone, in excruciating pain, his disciples have left him and Jesus is crying out from the pain, the isolation that he is now feeling. But as much as this Psalm opens with pain and agony, it does not end that way, and Jesus knows this as well. Verses 22-24 say this, "Here's the story I'll tell my friends when they come to worship, and punctuate it with Hallelujahs: Shout Hallelujah, you God worshipers; give glory to Jacob; adore him, you daughters of Israel. He has never let you down, never looked the other way when you were being kicked around. He has never wandered off to do his own thing; he has been right there listening." Jesus knew he was not alone, he knew that God was right there beside him as he was nailed to a cross.
As we pray this prayer, does it help to be reminded that we are never alone, that we are always in the company of Jesus? Let's ask Jesus, "Is there a mini-death that you are showing me?" Surrender. "Is there a void you want to fill in me?" Receive. "Do you have a promise for me Jesus?" Why this promise today?" "Do you love me Jesus?" And because we are His children we can always ask, "How much do you love me?"
2. "Father forgive them; they don't know what they're doing." (Luke 23:34)
Who are "them", and who are they that Jesus is praying for? Some of the names are Pontius Pilate, Caiaphas, the Roman guards who mocked him and spit on him. The 11 disciples who deserted him, Peter who denied him. Am I on this list? To this mocking, the false charges against him, the whipping, being nailed to a cross, his friends leaving him alone, Jesus prays, "Father forgive them, forgive give me, they don't know what they are doing."
"We live in a world seething in sin and awash in violence. We daily read and see the news of it in the media. We also come against it, even though unreported in the police logs, many times a day in our homes and workplaces and neighbourhoods. What I am contending for as a consequence of praying Jesus' prayer from the cross is that forgiveness should become our first response to every person who demeans and hurts and takes our life. There certainly will be matters of justice for society to deal with along the way, and it may be important for us to participate in them. But who else is there to say "Father for give them" but Christians who know how to pray that prayer with Jesus? However important justice is – and it is important – forgiveness is more important. Assuming that the criminal crucified next to Jesus was receiving a just death sentence (he said as much himself), the sentence was not revoked by Jesus' prayer. The criminal died for his crime. But forgiveness trumped justice. It always does." (EP, 248)
This prayer will, hopefully, train our spirits to be compassionate, not revengeful. To be understanding and not irritated; to be accepting of a brother or a sister, not rejecting them. "Then the King will say, 'I'm telling the solemn truth: Whenever you did one of these things to someone overlooked or ignored, that was me – you did it to me.'" Matt. 25:40
Jesus is there someone that I have overlooked or rejected? Jesus how do you see them? Jesus, can you show me how to be more inclusive, and loving of those who are around me? Do you have a gift for me today? Why this gift? Jesus what can I do for you today?
3. Then he said, "Jesus, remember me when you enter your kingdom." Jesus said, don't worry, I will. Today you will join me in paradise." Luke 23:42-43
What happens when we die? Jesus keeps the answer real simple – "Today you will be with me in paradise." Jesus promises companionship, friendship, fellowship. How awesome is it to know that as we die these mini-deaths, Jesus is there waiting for us with open arms, to walk with us, fellowship with us, to help and guide us. Eugene Peterson said, "Eternity is not perpetual future but perpetual presence." (EP, 250)
James 4:8 says, "Draw near to God and he will draw near to you." As we walk the way of the cross, die these mini-deaths, remember to do these with Jesus, draw close, feel his heartbeat, his breath, his touch. As we draw close to Jesus, He will draw close to us. Matthew 16:24-26 says, "Then Jesus went to work on his disciples. “Anyone who intends to come with me has to let me lead. You’re not in the driver’s seat; I am. Don’t run from suffering; embrace it. Follow me and I’ll show you how. Self-help is no help at all. Self-sacrifice is the way, my way, to finding yourself, your true self. What kind of deal is it to get everything you want but lose yourself? What could you ever trade your soul for?" Some other verse to read, Romans 8:1 and Hebrews 4:15-16.
Jesus how do you see me today? Why did I need to know that? Jesus do you have a promise for me today? Jesus do you love me? How much?
4. "Father, I place my life into your hands!" Luke 23:46
"On that Golgotha intersection, signposted by the Roman cross, the hates and fears of all the years collided with flesh and blood, the spirit and soul, of Jesus. Random, free-floating, unattached fragments of evil – the hysterical mob shouts of "Crucify! Crucify!," the odious hypocrisy of Caiaphas, the smug cynicism of Pilate, the brutality of the mocking soldiers, the calculating treachery of Judas – were pulled into the vortex of the hill's cross shaped center, where Jesus, his body ravaged by nails and thorns and thirst, prayed. A prayer of childlike simplicity. It was a prayer of unquestioning trust: 'Father, I place my life into your hands'" (EP, 250-51)
This prayer is about uncalculated trust – ready to leave everything in the hands of the Father. The good, the bad and the in between; giving God complete control. This is a prayer we should be saying everyday. As we wake up in the morning, at our jobs, at school, at home, at church, as we drive, pay our bills, watching our kids move out on their own, all our everyday stuff. Romans 12:1-2 says, "So here’s what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life—your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life—and place it before God as an offering. Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for him. Don’t become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You’ll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what he wants from you, and quickly respond to it. Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity, God brings the best out of you, develops well-formed maturity in you." – "Father into your hands, I place my life."
Jesus, are there things in my life that I need to give to you? It could be money issues, kids, marriages, sickness, friends…Jesus help me to let go and to trust you. Jesus can you show me a picture, a word, a scripture verse that I can hang onto? Or a promise Jesus? Or show me You Jesus. Jesus do you love me? How much?
5. "Woman, here is your son." Then to the disciple, "Here is your mother." John 19:26-27
"Four soldiers are gambling at the foot of Jesus' cross. They have just finished doing their assigned work of crucifixion. Now they are throwing dice to see who gets Jesus' clothes. Jesus looks past them and sees four sorrowing women – his mother, his aunt, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene – while John, "the disciple Jesus loved," stands nearby. The four soldiers are preoccupied with getting something for nothing, oblivious to the eternal life hanging above them. The women present out of sheer love, quietly reverent, giving dignity to this desolating death. But now we hear a very different word from the cross, a word that puts our feet back on the firm familiar ground of the ordinary: Here is your son…here is your mother." (EP, 254-55)
With these words, "Here is your son, here is your mother", Jesus is inviting us to become co-sufferers with him but also with those who are around us. Jesus is saying, "Don't do suffering alone, take a look at who is around you, get to know them, share your burdens, your daily struggles with them. Get to know them as I know them, as a mother knows her son, as a son knows his mother. Suffer together, rejoice together, for however you love, speak or act, you are doing it for me."
Jesus are there people that I am pushing to the side? Who Jesus? Jesus can you show me how to include them in my life? Receive. Jesus do you love me? How much?
6. "I'm thirsty" John 19:28
"This one-word prayer (in Greek, dipso) is unique in the mosaic of prayer fragments from the cross. It is the only prayer in which Jesus expresses physical agony. Think of it: seven prayers prayed across those three hours on the cross and only one of them out of physical pain. There is more to death than what happens to the body. There is a sense of abandonment, there is forgiveness, there is the hope of heaven, there is responsibility for people who are left behind, there is a sense of summing up (the final prayer fragment). And there is pain: the body shutting down, lungs failing, heart failing, kidneys failing. In Jesus' death this leave-taking of his body was experienced as excruciating thirst: I thirst." (EP, 256)
Sharing our physical pain, our spiritual pain, our sorrows, our suffering with others (and with God) is part of our journey with Jesus. Jesus was human, he felt the physical pain of the whips hitting his back, the crown of thrones on his head, the nails as they were hammering him to the cross. Jesus felt the hurt of the mocking soldiers and of his friends leaving him all alone. And Jesus cried out of his pain, "I'm thirsty." This prayer will help us to remember in our journey of "daily dying" nothing should be left out. Our physical pain is just as important to Jesus as our spiritual pain. Romans 12:1 says, "So here's what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life – your sleeping, eating, going to work, and walking around life – and place it before God as an offering. Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for him. Don’t become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You’ll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what he wants from you, and quickly respond to it. Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity, God brings the best out of you, develops well-formed maturity in you."
Jesus how can I give you more of my life? Is there a part of my body that I am clinging to that I need to give to you? Do you have a gift or a promise in return for me? Why this gift/promise today? Jesus do you love me? How much?
7. "It's done…complete" John 19:30
The Greek word – tetelestia – conveys a sense of completion, an accomplished wholeness. It does not mean this is the end or that is all there is, like when we are done reading a book or watching a movie. Jesus used this same verb when he prayed to the Father in John 17:4, "I glorified you on earth by completing down to the last detail what you assigned me to do." Eugene Peterson said, "It does not mean that Jesus' life has simply come to an end but that everything Jesus came to do is now complete, no loose ends, nothing left hanging." (EP, 258-59)
And how fitting that this is the last prayer that Jesus prays on the cross, "It's done…complete."We don't have to add anything and we shouldn't add anything. Can we, as Christians, improve on anything that Jesus did on the cross? Do we make ourselves 'better' Christians by making a don't do this list or making up religious add-ons to make ourselves look better of feel better? But we still do. The question is why? Why do we try to improve what Jesus already made perfect on the cross? Peterson made this comment, "We 'get religion.' Soon we become impatiently self-important and decide to improve matters with our two cents worth. We add on; we supplement; we embellish. But instead of improving on the purity and simplicity of Jesus, we dilute the purity and clutter the simplicity. We become fussily religious, or anxiously religious. We get in the way." (EP,259)
So what does this mean? Jesus says, "I am the way, the truth, and the life" (John 14:6) Is following Jesus going to be easy, nope. Jesus also said, "Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who enter through it. For the gate is small and the way is narrow that leads to life, and there are few who find it." (Matt. 7:13-14). Short cuts and religious 'add-ons' seldom work unless Aragorn (Strider) is your leader. Are we going to make mistakes? Yes we are! But Jesus will be there to help us, to guide us, to challenge us, to perfect us and to even cheer us on! As apprentices of Jesus we have the perfect example to follow, to model our life after and we can't improve on this model. Jesus perfected it by dying on the cross and completing all that God asked him to do. "Then he sat down right beside God and waited for his enemies to cave in. It was the perfect sacrifice by a perfect person to perfect some very imperfect people. By that single offering, he did everything that needed to be done for everyone who takes part in the purifying process." (Hebrews 10:12-13) When Jesus said, "It's done…complete" He meant it. We can't add anything to make it better, all we need to do is listen to Jesus, trust Jesus, follow Jesus wherever he leads us and obey.
Jesus how do you see me today? Why did I need to know that? Jesus do you have a promise for me today? Why this promise? Jesus do you love me? How much?