Written by professors, graduates, and others in
the Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary community, these reflections, prayers, and spiritual practices will take you along the journey with Jesus through the cross toward resurrection.
Friday, April 18, 2014
• John 19:1–30
It is finished. His last words, as John tells it. They thought that this was exactly what they wanted … for him to stop talking, to stop preaching, to stop teaching. He says his last word and he will not speak to us anymore. What do you suppose he said that made so many want to put a stop to it?
He was always turning things upside down:
The Spirit of the Lord is upon me because he has anointed me
To preach good news to the poor,
Release to the captives,
Recovery of sight to the blind,
And liberty to those who are oppressed.
He was a teacher who could see life beyond our capacity to imagine. He spoke from a place so holy it was always hard to trust:
Go the second mile,
Turn the other cheek
Repay no one evil for evil.
Love your neighbor ... your enemy.
But now, it is finished. No one would have to listen to him anymore. That’s what crucifixion means: there will be no more words from Jesus.
He had come into the world accompanied by angel song. He had moved by the sea and in the synagogue and he taught of seeds and weeds and surprisingly good Samaritans. Through it all he painted pictures of life in the Kingdom of God. Maybe they needed to shut him up because God’s kingdom is just that—God’s kingdom and not ours.
Or maybe, it was the things he said to the broken ones. The lepers were pushed out of town; the lame and blind waited by the pools and in the gates; the widows and orphans were ignored and simply waited in silence. These were always beyond the reach of words; no one spoke to them. But Jesus spoke to them. He spoke words of welcome. More than welcome, he spoke words of transformation:
Go your way, your faith has made you whole
Rise, take up your pallet and walk
Come out of him unclean spirits.
When you speak words of transformation to the broken of any culture it’s not just the broken that are transformed; everyone is transformed.
Maybe that’s why they needed to stop his words. Or maybe it was his complete disregard for boundaries.
He prayed with sinners.
He welcomed the children.
He spoke to the women.
He loved his neighbor and his enemy.
But not anymore. This Friday his last word is, It is finished. Do you suppose in the silence they realized that he was not the only one who died that afternoon. For if there are no more words from Jesus, how can we live?
God of grace and patience, keep not your Spirit from us. And take not your word from us. For if there ever comes a time where there is a last word from Jesus, we are lost. Look on us in mercy, we pray. Amen.
– The Reverend Tom Are, Jr.
Pastor, Village Pres byterian Church (Prairie Village, Kansas ) and chair, Austin Seminary Board of Trustees
For the glory of God and to proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ, Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary is a seminary in the Presbyterian-Reformed tradition whose mission is to educate and equip individuals for the ordained Christian ministry and other forms of Christian service and leadership; to employ its resources in the service of the church; to promote and engage in critical theological thought and research; and to be a winsome and exemplary community of God's people.
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