Final Words
READ
Golgotha - "the place of the skull" - was designed to be a place of shame and terror. Crucifixion wasn't just about execution; it was about humiliation, a public display of what happened to those who challenged Rome's authority. Yet even here, suspended between two criminals with crowds mocking below, Jesus's character shone through the darkness.
Let’s take a moment to read Luke 23:32-46
Two other men, both criminals, were also led out with him to be executed. When they came to the place called the Skull, they crucified him there, along with the criminals—one on his right, the other on his left. Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.” And they divided up his clothes by casting lots.
The people stood watching, and the rulers even sneered at him. They said, “He saved others; let him save himself if he is God’s Messiah, the Chosen One.”
The soldiers also came up and mocked him. They offered him wine vinegar and said, “If you are the king of the Jews, save yourself.”
There was a written notice above him, which read: this is the king of the jews.
One of the criminals who hung there hurled insults at him: “Aren’t you the Messiah? Save yourself and us!”
But the other criminal rebuked him. “Don’t you fear God,” he said, “since you are under the same sentence? We are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve. But this man has done nothing wrong.”
Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.”
Jesus answered him, “Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise.”
It was now about noon, and darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon, for the sun stopped shining. And the curtain of the templewas torn in two. Jesus called out with a loud voice,“Father, into your hands I commit my spirit.” When he had said this, he breathed his last.
REFLECT
"Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing." These weren't the words of a defeated victim but of someone choosing love in the face of ultimate hatred. The soldiers gambling for his clothes, the religious leaders sneering, the crowd shouting insults - Jesus looked at all of it and chose forgiveness. This is love beyond human comprehension, grace that defies all logic.
To the criminal dying beside him who recognized his innocence, Jesus promised, "Today you will be with me in paradise." Even in his own agony, Jesus was still thinking about bringing others home to the Father. A man who had lived a life of crime received the promise of eternity simply because he acknowledged Jesus in his final moments. No religious ritual, no years of good works - just honest recognition of who Jesus was.
The darkness that covered the land from noon to three wasn't just meteorological; it represented the spiritual weight of what was happening. Jesus was bearing not just physical pain but the full weight of humanity's separation from God. When he cried out, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" he was experiencing the complete alienation from the Father that our sin deserved.
Yet his final words weren't despair but surrender: "Father, into your hands I commit my spirit." Even in death, Jesus trusted the Father's plan. This wasn't a tragic end to a beautiful life - this was the climax of God's rescue mission for humanity. The cross that looked like defeat was actually the moment of ultimate victory over sin, death, and everything that separates us from love. The temple curtain tearing from top to bottom symbolized the end of separation between God and humanity. What the religious system couldn't accomplish through centuries of sacrifices, Jesus accomplished in one perfect offering. The way to the Father was now open to everyone - not through performance or religious credentials, but through faith in what Jesus had done.
The centurion who watched Jesus die declared, "Surely this was a righteous man." Even a Roman soldier recognized something extraordinary in how Jesus faced death. His character was consistent to the very end - loving, forgiving, trusting, and thinking of others even in his darkest hour.
RESPOND
Take a moment to process what God might be leading you to do in light of what you read.
How does the thief's last-minute acceptance give you hope about God's grace for yourself or others?
In what areas of your life do you need to trust the Father's plan, even when circumstances look hopeless?
REST
Take a moment to rest in God’s presence and consider one thing you can take away from your time reading, then close your devotional experience by praying:
Jesus, I'm overwhelmed by your love demonstrated on the cross. Thank you for choosing forgiveness when you could have chosen revenge, for thinking of others even in your own suffering. Help me trust your sacrifice was enough to bridge every gap between me and the Father. When I face my own dark moments, give me your grace to surrender to the Father's hands. Amen.