Word 3: Woman, here is your son...Here is your mother

John 19:26-27 “Woman, here is your son…Here is your mother.”

Theme: Family Relationships

Would you agree or disagree with this statement: family is the most important thing in my life?  How about the statement that you would anything for your family?

It is a near universal fact that family is of the upmost importance to us.  Was Jesus a “family man?”

Let us look at what Jesus said about the family.  What he said might surprise us.

Matt 12:46-50

⁴⁶ While Jesus was still talking to the crowd, his mother and brothers stood outside, wanting to speak to him. ⁴⁷ Someone told him, “Your mother and brothers are standing outside, wanting to speak to you.”
⁴⁸ He replied to him, “Who is my mother, and who are my brothers?” ⁴⁹ Pointing to his disciples, he said, “Here are my mother and my brothers. ⁵⁰ For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother.”

Word 2: Today you will be with me in paradise.

Luke 23:43 “Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise.”

Theme: Life after death

The second word of Jesus from the cross is addressed to one of the two thieves who were executed with him.  This thief recognized who Jesus was and asked to be remembered when Jesus came into his kingdom.  Jesus responds with the promise that indeed he will be with Jesus in Paradise after his death.  Let us now turn to our discussion this week in which we reflect on “Paradise” and also our own resurrections, which we will see, together constitute life after death.

What do you think popular culture believes about life after death?

Answers will range from reincarnation; everyone goes to heaven; total annihilation or escape into nothingness,; the good people (which everyone seems to be when they pass away) go to heaven to be with God for all eternity, while those who are evil go to hell; some people become angels and watch over those they left behind; or maybe just an image of harps, clouds, and singing comes to mind.

Word 1: Father forgive them, for they know not what they do.

I’m sure many of you suspected I might be writing a post about Ash Wednesday.  Even though I am not writing weekly posts, I will be posting something each week for the season of Lent.  We are doing a Bible study at our house each week for the season of Lent looking at the seven last words of Christ from the cross.  I haven’t forgotten my project of doing some bigger theology topics, but with the study each week, it takes more of my time.
 

So, with that in mind, let me first mention the post I wrote last week concerning the season of Lent and especially Ash Wednesday found here: (http://alecellis.blogspot.com/2012/02/lent-and-ash-wednesday.html).  Check out last year’s post if you’re interested, but let’s move on to the topic at hand.

Jesus spoke seven sayings from the cross which must be of some importance since Jesus said them in his last moments and the Gospel writers deemed them important enough to include them in their accounts. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sayings_of_Jesus_on_the_cross) Each week, we will take a saying of Jesus from the cross and discuss it through the lens of another aspect of Jesus’ life in the Gospels.  The first saying comes from Luke 23:34.