“…and just as my Father has granted me a kingdom, I grant you…”
On this final Wednesday before Easter, we stop and reflect
on the words our Lord has spoken from the cross. The first word of forgiveness,
the second of salvation, the third of marriage, the 4th of redemption,
the 5th of humanity, the sixth of completion, and the 7th
of commendation.
These have all worked for our good, painting a picture of
how the Christ suffered and yet will rise again three days later. Yet, just as
our bodies of dust and ash do not end in dust and ash, neither do our Lord’s
words end at “I commend my Spirit”. Just as our Lord does not rest forever on
the Sabbath day of Creation, neither does He leave us dead on the cross.
This evening I offer to you an Eighth Word of Christ from
the cross: life. Yes, we go back to Zoe, if you remember our discussion on how
Zoe is Eve’s Greek name, and contemplate how life can be on the cross of Jesus’
capitol punishment.
Yet this eighth word is not the noun, but the verb. So we
should hear it in the way Jesus uses it when He says, “…Because I live, you also will live.” (Jn. 14:19), and when He
says, “Thus it is written, “The first man
Adam became a living being”; the last Adam became a life-giving spirit.” (1
Cor. 15:45)
Because of Jesus dying on the cross, He becomes a
life-producer or a life-giver. In the beginning, all creatures were living
beings, even Adam, as in they were not created to die. The breath, or Spirit of
God, was given to create life in a person, not to take it. And it is in this
breath of God that we find what makes this Eighth word so special.
Heretofore, we have been listening to Jesus and Him
preaching life to us from the cross. But that doesn’t help us out today. No, we
need something special, something extra to get Jesus’ words from His mouth to
our ears. That something special is proclaimed to us by the angel of Easter
when he says, “He is not here, for he has
risen, as he said.” (Matthew 28:6)
Angel means messenger. For this eighth word to take affect,
not only must all seven words of Christ on the cross be completed, but also
there must be someone to preach them, “as He said”. Many witnesses and events
substantiate the message of the angel to the women after the fact. It happened,
“as He said.” These three words are significant. Christ fulfilled the
Scriptures and took up His life again (John 10:18) and you need to hear them in
order to believe.
It is God’s faithfulness that sustains the Christian through
this life. Every promise of God is “yes and amen” in Christ. And every time a
baptized believer hears the words and promises of God, he receives exactly what
they say they give. In this case, where Jesus receives death, the son of God
receives life, in preaching.
Thus, this word of life was not just preached after the
crucifixion, but since the beginning of time and up to this time today. It has
been the subject of God’s preaching ever since He opened His mouth to say “Let
there be…” It was therefore also on the lips of the Patriarchs, the Prophets,
the Kings, and the Priests.
It also makes sense that this be the subject heading of all
seven words of Jesus spoken from the cross, for by them we receive life. As He
gives forgiveness, we find life. As He brings into paradise, we find life. As
He weds His Church, we find life. As He is forsaken, we find life. As He
thirsts, as He consummates, and as He commends, we find life in the Word of God
preached.
So it makes sense that after the resurrection this Word was
given by a messenger. It makes sense that there is still a messenger and will
always be a messenger until the Lord returns to proclaim this same message: “He is not here, for he has risen, as he
said.”
And, “Because I live,
you shall live also”.
The one is true - “He
is risen” - therefore the other is also true - “You shall live also!” “As He
said!”
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