Last Words6. When Jesus had received the wine, he said, “It is finished;” and he bowed his head and handed over his spirit.John 19:30These are amongst the most poignant words in Scripture. Jesus, who had been suffering on the cross for hours, parched and in pain, under a hot sun, says “It is finished” in his dying breath. One wonders how audible these three words would have been to a noisy crowd standing near the cross. May be they were not, even though John still managed to hear and record them, and perhaps that is the point. These are not words of triumphalism; they are not the words of some victorious leader vanquishing an opponent in battle. Neither are they the dialogue of defeat. Instead, they are the words of confidence, trust and love. They convey in a simple and humble way the completion of God’s work. The Almighty Father brought about our salvation, through the son, and that is expressed with “It is finished”. It is true that the glorification of Christ was yet to come, through the resurrection and ascension, but his death on the cross was necessary for the rest to happen. Some in the crowds may have expected the use of more dramatic language, perhaps, but they fit the life and ministry of Jesus. The ‘Beloved Son’ was born in a mean stable, allowed himself to be baptised by another, and washed the feet of the disciples. The simple words on the cross are befitting of Christ’s life and his trust in the Father.This theme of humility, and indeed simplicity, appears in the second part of the sentence. Here we read that Jesus bowed his head and handed over his spirit. There is no triumphalist note in these words either. Jesus did not magically jump off the cross and then everything was ok. No. What we read is far from it. The word spirit can be interpreted in different ways, but the Greek pneuma really refers to ‘life’: Jesus handed over his life on the cross. It reminds us that through his death he handed his life to God and to the whole of humanity. Again, this is low-key self-emptying for others; it is Christ’s selfless sacrifice for the world.These words, therefore, remind us to be humble in all things and that we should follow our lord through his example in life and also in death. We hear much about taking up your cross and so on, especially at a time like Holy Week, but there is something that we can gain from the moment of Christ’s death, too. His death led him to give up his life for others, and this in turn led the way for humanity to be reconciled with God and receive eternal life. However, we should also be self-sacrificing as well, by giving things up for the good of others. I think that we can all recognise that this message is particularly pertinent at this time in our history. People up and down our country have, often with no prompting at all, put things to one side to help others. The NHS service with its doctors, nurses, specialists, care workers, porters and many others, together with all involved in the care of all suffering with the virus, offer a true example of self-sacrifice. Let ‘self-sacrifice’ be our mantra this week and always. We can live this out in a quiet, unflashy and simple manner. Christ’s death has shown us a way to follow.Nick Baker
FIFTH WORD“I AM THIRSTY”John 19 v28In the Bible, thirst as a desire and as a need, is often mentioned. When I started to think about this reflection, I immediately thought of the hymn that has become popular over the last 30 years - “As the deer pants for the water, so my soul longs after you”, based on the first 2 verses of Psalm 42. It evokes a tremendous image of beauty and a desire to be closer to our Lord. Most people have a deep spiritual need to know God and using a desire for water, which is perhaps our greatest human need, creates a thought pattern which is hard to ignore.As Jesus was suffering on the cross it is hard for us to imagine the horror of his pain. Some years ago I read an article by a doctor describing the trauma of crucifixion. As a way of killing someone it was perhaps the cruellest execution possible and was devised as the ultimate deterrent. Jesus had already been tortured and beaten by soldiers, he had been mocked and humiliated, and then had nails hammered through his wrists and feet before hoisting him above the ground so that every attempt to breathe brought more pain and trauma. After committing his mother's care to the disciple he loved (thought to be John), Jesus calls out “I am thirsty”. It is most unlikely at this horrific time that Jesus was trying to think of words that would fulfil the scriptures, in John's Gospel perhaps we should see that the scriptures were fulfilled that first Good Friday. “I am thirsty” was a natural human cry of desperation for the mainstay of life – water. Whether the sour wine given on a sponge helped him before he gave up his spirit we do not know, but I am sure it was not true relief at a time near death.Water is the great necessity of life. All life depends on water for its existence. The human body can live for many weeks without food, but starved of water it will die in days. In hospitals one of the most important jobs for nurses and doctors is to make sure that patients are properly hydrated. Whatever else a patient is in hospital for, if they do not have fluid passing through them they will not thrive.When I was a child I would often exclaim that I was “dying of thirst”. This was usually to try to get permission for some squash or fizzy pop, but my mother would say, “You might be thirsty but you are not dying of thirst”, before pointing to the water tap. When I was a child in the 1950's I was often made aware of how fortunate I was when I saw pictures of droughts, famines and refugees, but it is so easy to push such thoughts aside as we pursue our selfish ways. Most of us in this country live relatively sheltered lives as far as water is concerned, and can get quite agitated if there is a hosepipe ban. Some facts that we should remember however are that 1 in 10 people still do not have clean water near their home, and 1 in 4 people do not have a decent toilet of their own. At the moment we are washing our hands as though our life depended on it (which it probably does), but think how difficult that must be in developing countries and refugee camps. Remember the words of Jesus when he preaches about judgement, “Truly I tell you, just as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me” Matthew Ch 25 v45. Although we are all feeling sorry for ourselves we must do our best to help others especially through agencies such as Christian Aid.Earlier in his Gospel St. John tells us the story of the Samaritan woman at the well and Jesus tells her that he is the living water. When Jesus says “I am thirsty” when he knows that his earthly life is drawing to a close he knew that the living water that he promised would flow for ever. Let that living water be your inspiration this Easter. Fr. Terry
Last Words4. “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”Matthew 27:46 and Mark 15:34Many years ago, I went to the cinema on Good Friday, which is something I had never done before. One must point out, before you start writing to the bishop about my suitability for ordained ministry, that I went out after my divine obligations that day. The reason? Mel Gibson’s Passion of the Christ had just been released, along with all the reviews and comments about its bias and inaccuracy, and what better day to see it than on that Friday. Films often have the power to move you emotionally, spiritually even, and that was one motion picture which hit every button. The pain and anguish of Christ is made very clear in that film, through the magnificent acting and the extreme make-up. Sometimes I feel that our Western world hides us from the unpalatable truth behind the crucifixion, through its portrayal in art and Biblical commentaries, but we need to emerge from our comfortable environment and meditate on what the crucifixion involved in a physical way.After having seen the suffering leading up to, and on the cross, you do get a sense of Christ’s grim situation. There is Christ, two arms nailed to a horizontal beam, surrounded by a hostile gathering, full of Roman soldiers and those connected with the Temple authorities. There are of course his devoted followers, including Mary his mother, at the foot of the cross. You get a very real sense of apparent abandonment, especially from God. Where is his Father in the midst of anguish? This thought may have passed through the minds of his followers. What is the point?Such questions are characteristically human. I am sure that we are having thoughts like this during the period of ‘lockdown’ because of this virus. To feel abandoned in a time of need is a very dark place to find yourself. And yet, there is a light shining here if we only take the time to seek it out. By saying these words, Jesus makes clear to everyone his human nature. “He came down to earth from heaven” is the line from a well-known Christmas carol, which expresses Jesus as both fully human and fully divine. Jesus is showing us in this moment, on the cross, the ‘fullness’ of his humanity, if I can use that description. Jesus, just like you and me, knows what it is like to feel abandoned, to feel pain, to feel the bleakness that we can all experience from time to time. Isn’t that in itself a comforting thought?In his humanity and with a sense of abandonment, Jesus cries out with “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me”. He uses a line from Holy Scripture, Psalm 22, a piece of writing that speaks of anguish, yes, but also stresses the hope of resurrection and salvation. Christ drew on these words as a form of lament, but may also have drawn comfort from the rest of the text, which speaks of God’s help for all those in need. This moment in the gospel, though painful and moving, offers us a beacon. We may feel God is absent from time to time, and it is absolutely fine to cry out in pain, and to express our anxiety and even anger. However, God does walk with us in the bad and good times, even if we are not aware of it. And in our dark moments, we can turn to Scripture for comfort and to remind ourselves of the goodness of God. A final thought …. do remember that a narrative is more than a single word, or sentence, and that you must carry on reading to find out what happens next. If you continue with the gospel, we learn that Christ’s death was not in vain and that he was resurrected from the dead. Keep that knowledge in your heart.Nick Baker
The Third WordJesus said to his Mother, “Woman this is your Son.” Then he said to the disciple: “This is your mother.”John 19:26-27Rev. A. D. Hall April 2020This is the first time that Jesus speaks from the Cross in Johns’ gospel account, and it isn’t what you would expect, for we have just been told about the abuse and the mocking of Jesus by the soldiers. There is a life choice in this one point alone.You can see that Jesus’ mind is on other things; the scene is a juxtapose between Soldiers of the empire and the woman and the devoted keeping vigil at the cross. So my first question is; Where are you in this picture today?The group keeping vigil includes the two other Marys and Jesus mother (still unnamed) and “the disciple whom he loved.” Jesus concern for his mother is very evident within this narrative, his concern for her vulnerability is real. Women left alone in this patriarchal society didn’t fair well at all. The words he then utters are ‘family forming’ and reflect his deep concern for his mother to be placed within a family. These words should console us too, as they show Jesus’ heart for all those who are vulnerable and alone - for them to be placed within the context of God’s family. In our world today in the midst of the Coronavirus outbreak, we are more than ever called to care for those who are in need, to help them get through this period. Acts of loving kindness towards our neighbours and those in distress can bring people back from the brink of despair and isolation and literally home and into the family fold of humanity. these acts are very powerful.Thus my my second question; Can you help someone today? With these words Jesus provides a son for his mother, something that was hugely important in his patriarchal world. A son could help to provide, both home and food for his family in those days. Just recently, Sylvia Whitworth posted a picture of the Burbage workhouse on the facebook page, which has haunted me. These places were in every town and village right up until the recent past, they were the places that people had to go when they had no-one to provide for them. These places still hold many painful memories for people in our wider families, memories that many choose to forget.Friends we are entering into a new world, another epoch, all the preconceptions that we held are changing and reforming. From a world that valued money, prestige, the banker, the hedge fund manager, the sports star, we suddenly value the nurse, the van driver, the post man, the teacher, the refuse collector, the cleaner and our neighbour. Kingdoms come and go; Could it be in these last words of Jesus we see glimpse into our future?A future where we are to value family, where we are to ‘form family,’ where we can change the world for good by loving your neighbour as yourself?Now then this is a good point to leave this reflection and I do so by asking my final question/task. Loving your neighbour as yourself is found eight times in the bible, not once, not twice, eight times; answers on a postcard to Fr Andrew at the Rectory please!Fr Andrew
