"Father, forgive them, for they know not
what they do." (Luke 23:34)
Soldiers have just driven nails through his hands and feet and hoisted him
up by those nails. He does not fear those who kill his body; he pities them
and prays for them. If they knew how much this hurts, they could not do
it to anyone. They are unwitting instruments of the higher purpose that
brings him here.
"My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?"
(Matthew 27:46)
But physical torment takes its toll. He suddenly discovers that he cannot
hear the still, small voice; he has lost his two-way communication with
God. His lifeline is not working, so he must face the narrow gate of
death alone.
He said to his mother, "Woman, behold your
son!" Then he said to the disciple, "Behold your mother!"
(John 19:26-27)
Not quite alone. He looks down. Which hurts worse: the pain of being crucified,
or the pain of a mother watching her son be crucified, or the pain of a
boy whose beloved teacher hangs bleeding before his eyes? He understands
their pain in the midst of his own, and tells them to care for each other.
"I thirst!" (John 19:28)
Time passes slowly. His spring of living water runs dry. He reaches the
end of his strength. This is the moment the Tempter has been waiting for:
through the voices of cynical men, Satan tries again, as he did in the wilderness:
"If you are the Christ, prove it! Save yourself and impress the people."
"Truly, I say to you, today you will be with
me in Paradise." (Luke 23:43)
But a dying thief says, "Jesus, remember me when you come into your
kingdom." What the cynical voices suggest is not the way to prove he
is the Christ. His kingdom is not of this world. He ignores them and reassures
the thief.
"It is finished!" (John 19:30)
He has defeated the Tempter again. Despite the agony, he has rejected temptation
and cared for those around him. His temporary duty on earth is complete.
He has shown the way God wants us to live. He has demonstrated the fact
that faith and hope and love cannot be destroyed by anything men can say
or do.
"Father, into thy hands I commit my spirit."
(Luke 23:46)
Like a trusting child, he turns to the Father and takes the next step. He
has bound himself by love, to both God and the human race. Soon he will
begin his long-term ministry by demonstrating the fact that human beings
survive physical death. Then he will continue to draw to himself, and thus
to heaven, everyone he can ... for as long as it takes ... until whosoever
will has come.