“God, into your hands I commend my spirit.” (Luke 23:46)
The crucifixion – this part of Jesus’ story – is horrible, like any murder is horrible.
And it is unjust, like any execution is unjust. And it is heart-breaking, like every loss is heart-breaking. And this horror, this injustice, this heartbreak – it is part of this old story, and it is still very much a part of our stories today.
The one we mourn on Good Friday said to the one who was with him always: “Into your hands, I commend my spirit.” The words are offering and reunion. They are remembrance – these are the words his people have spoken for generations. And they are reverence – these are the words with which he acknowledges that he is not his own. And they are resistance – these are the last words from the cross, and with them, Jesus says, “This is not the last word.”
Listen to this week’s reflection on Jesus’ final word on the cross – commend – when one of our fellow members shares how the word has personally, spiritually and emotionally impacted his life.
The Seventh Word of Jesus: Commend from First Lutheran Church on Vimeo.
