The Seven Last Words from the Cross
William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company
Grand Rapids, Michigan / Cambridge, U.K.
© 2005 Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co.
All rights reserved
Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co.
255 Jefferson Ave. S.E., Grand Rapids, Michigan 49503 / P.O. Box 163, Cambridge CB3 9PU U.K.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Rutledge, Fleming.
The seven last words from the cross / Fleming Rutledge.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references.
ISBN 0-8028-2786-1 (pbk.: alk. paper)
1. Jesus Christ—Seven last words. I. Title.
BT457.R88 2005
232.96′35—dc22
2004056312
to my beloved sister Betsy McColl,
who loves the Three Hours,
and who understands the reasons
this little book
is also dedicated
to the memory of
Theodore Parker Ferris
“Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do”
“Verily I say unto thee, today thou shalt be with me in Paradise”
“Woman, behold thy son!… Behold thy mother!”
“My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?”
“I thirst”
“It is finished”
“Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit”
These meditations on the Seven Last Words of Christ from the Cross are revised and expanded versions of seven meditations delivered for the Good Friday Three Hours in two Episcopal churches: Trinity in Columbus, Georgia, 2002; and Trinity, Copley Square, Boston, 2003. Such opportunities on Good Friday are the high points of a lifetime spent in the pulpit. I am deeply grateful to both these congregations for the incomparable privilege of preaching at these services.
The prayerful singing of hymns, with special attention to the words, is a chief feature of such services. I have attempted to give the reader a sense of this experience by reproducing selected stanzas of certain hymns as devotional reflections on the seven meditations.
The Seven Words, or sayings, from the Cross are given in the traditional King James Version in the chapter headings. In the body of the text the KJV is less frequently used; I have chosen the Revised Standard Version for most quotations.
F.R.
New York, Lent 2004
“Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do”
Two others also, who were criminals, were led away to be put to death with him. And when they came to the place which is called The Skull, there they crucified him, and the criminals, one on the right and one on the left. And Jesus said, “Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do.”
For Christians, Good Friday is the crucial day, not only of the year but of world history. The source of the word crucial is significant. It comes from the Latin crux, meaning “cross.” Here is Webster’s definition of crucial: “Having the nature of a final choice or supreme trial; supremely critical; decisive.” That conveys something of the unique character ...
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About The Seven Last Words from the CrossFor at least a century, at special three-hour services on Good Friday, it has been the custom in many churches to reflect on the Seven Last Words of Jesus from the Cross. In this tradition, Fleming Rutledge here presents seven eloquent meditations on these final sayings of Jesus. Rutledge links the sayings from the cross with contemporary events and concerns, but also incorporates recent biblical scholarship and modern questions about the death of Christ, particularly in light of Mel Gibson’s film The Passion of the Christ. Rutledge shows how each word or saying from the Cross affords an opportunity for readers to gain a deeper understanding of the horrific death suffered by Jesus. Intending for this book to lead readers into a genuine devotional experience, Rutledge has made every effort to evoke and preserve the contemplative atmosphere of the three-hour Good Friday memorial. The book includes frequent references to hymns associated with this special day, and each meditation ends with an appropriate hymn text for personal prayer and reflection. |
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