What would you say to someone you love if you knew this was the last time you’d see them? You don’t have time for wasted words but want to leave them with what matters most. Jesus’ 7 last words weren’t the random ramblings of an angry, pain-consumed victim. Instead, they were intentional declarations of the promised Messiah as he raced toward the victorious completion of his purpose and mission. Although he was in unimaginable pain, Jesus pointed the watching crowd (and us) to who he was and why he came.
The 7 Last Words of Jesus
1. Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing. (Luke 23:34 NIV)
Many who suffer injustice die with curses on their lips, but Jesus responded with mercy. Amid excruciating pain and despite the absence of repentance or apology, he extended forgiveness. His prayer fulfilled Isaiah’s prophecy of the Suffering Servant’s intercession for transgressors (Isaiah 53:12). Jesus shows us that forgiveness is a choice, not a feeling. One that frees us even if others remain unchanged.
Where do you need to experience God’s forgiveness and extend it to others today?
2. Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise. (Luke 23:43 NIV)
A dying criminal saw what the mocking crowd missed—the unjust crucifixion of an innocent king. Although the thief had no time to change or good works to offer, he admitted his guilt and pleaded for mercy. He knew he didn’t deserve salvation, but neither did those Jesus prayed for earlier. Perhaps Jesus’ first word ignited in the thief’s heart a flame of hope that he, too, could receive forgiveness. So he asked Jesus to remember him, to have mercy on him when he established his kingdom. Jesus assured the dying man of a place with him after death. In the same way, he offers us hope and presence not only for the future but also for today.
Who in your life needs to hear love and acceptance from you?
3. Woman, here is your son… Here is your mother. (John 19:26-27 NIV)
As Simeon predicted (Luke 2:35), watching her firstborn on the cross pierced Mary’s soul. When Jesus saw his mother standing with John, he commissioned his beloved disciple to care for her. Most scholars assume Joseph died many years before Jesus began his ministry. As the eldest son, Jesus felt responsible for his mother. With both her husband and firstborn son dead, Mary would be vulnerable with no man to support her. Even in his agony, Jesus noticed who needed him. He provided for his mother. Our misery is never an excuse to ignore the pain of others.
Which family relationship needs your attention today?
4. My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? (Matthew 27:46 NIV)
Rather than hide his suffering, Jesus gave it words. The darkness that descended on Calvary that afternoon reflected the intense agony in Jesus’ heart as he bore divine judgment for humanity’s sin. He took the full weight of our sin so that in him, we could be right with God. (2 Corinthians 5:21) His cry recalls King David’s lament in Psalm 22:1 when he, too, felt abandoned by God.
Where are you struggling to understand what’s happening in your life?
5. I am thirsty. (John 19:28 NIV)
Jesus’ thirst revealed his humanity and reminded those watching of Psalm 69:21. “They put poison in my food and gave me vinegar to drink.” (NCV) During the first century, vinegar was a common cleanser used for everything, including personal needs. Some believe the soldiers offered Jesus feces-laced vinegar to drink. Jesus understands our pain because he, too, experienced suffering.
Where are you running on empty today?
6. It is finished! (John 19:30 NIV)
Tetelestai! Not “I am finished” (he wasn’t), but “it is finished.” A declaration of victory because the work is complete. Jesus paid the full price. His triumphant cry echoed the last line of Psalm 22. “They will tell people yet to be born about his righteousness—that he has finished it.” (Psalm 22:31 GW) Death didn’t signal Jesus’ defeat but the achievement of his intended purpose, the reason he came.
Where are you wrestling with accepting Jesus’ death as full payment for your sin?
7. Father, into your hands I commit my spirit. (Luke 23:46 NIV)
Jesus ends where he began—with the Father. Words of trust from a prayer (Psalm 31:5) he might have learned at his mother’s knee. No matter where we are or what is happening in our lives, we can rest in the powerful hands of God.
What are you trying to control that you need to release?
7 Last Words—Not Idle Words but an Intentional Message
Jesus wanted those watching to realize he was the Anointed One, God’s promised Messiah. His last seven words were as deliberate as any he had spoken in his life. From forgiveness to trust, he modeled how to live when life is at its hardest.
Join the Conversation
Which of Jesus’ last words is most difficult for you? Please share your thoughts in the Comments box at the bottom of the page.
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Posted: March 25, 2024 by Harry Lucenay
How Do You Pray for Family Needs You Don’t Know?
“Are you praying for things in your adult children’s lives you know nothing about?” The question caught me off-guard. As a grandparent, I pray for the family needs of my adult children, their spouses, and my grandchildren by name every day. They live in three different states. These days mark the challenges of the stages of their life cycles. Our relationships are good. We keep up with one another. And when we are together, we enjoy one another. But we do not know about the ebb and flow of emotions, secret disappointments, much less every day’s unspoken needs. We know the joys and anxieties they choose to share.
How to Pray for Family Needs
When my children were approaching their teens, an associate remarked, “You have good kids.” I thanked him. “And yours are grown. We still must maneuver the knowns and unknowns between today and adulthood.” That conversation continues to remind me of the tests families face. If my grandkids inherited half the foolishness their grandfather has, they need my prayers. The other side of foolishness, the lure of evil awaits them. When I consider their genes, I need to put thirty-six hours of prayer into each of the twenty-four hours I have. I want God to guide them in their choices.
To awaken our understanding, let’s think about our lives when we were their age or when our children were the age of their children. We were busy, sometimes overextended financially, and often trying to meet the needs of three children of different ages. Sorting out accusations from reality, attempting to act rather than react, and focusing on the positive instead of the negative. Through it all, we worked hard to encourage. Get the idea? To pray for family needs, we want to remember the many issues we juggled during their season in life.
Avoid Playing God
Our adult children do not need us to “play God” in their lives. Anything we hear or see is only part of the picture. Listening when they want to talk informs our prayers. Jumping to conclusions gives birth to erroneous assumptions. Responding when they request our insights needs to be bathed in prayer and biblical wisdom. Butting in when their decisions are none of our business destroys our relationships.
My dad often told me, “Think, Harry. Think.” How do we pray for family needs we know nothing about? Let’s take off our shoes, put our feet in their shoes, open our hearts, and ask God to show us what we need to put before him.
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Posted: March 18, 2024 by Harry Lucenay
Responding to Your Kids’ Destructive Crisis
Two little boys found an old tape recorder in their parents’ bedroom. After fruitless attempts of punching buttons with nothing happening, the six-year-old decided to stomp around, showing off his cowboy boots. He told his four-year-old brother he was the toughest guy in the house. He kicked the end of the bed, a chair, and the dresser. Then, he strutted over and kicked the window. It shattered, and the crisis unfolded.
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Posted: March 28, 2026 by Nancy Lucenay
The 7 Last Words of Jesus and How to Apply Them
What would you say to someone you love if you knew this was the last time you’d see them? You don’t have time for wasted words but want to leave them with what matters most. Jesus’ 7 last words weren’t the random ramblings of an angry, pain-consumed victim. Instead, they were intentional declarations of the promised Messiah as he raced toward the victorious completion of his purpose and mission. Although he was in unimaginable pain, Jesus pointed the watching crowd (and us) to who he was and why he came.
The 7 Last Words of Jesus
1. Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing. (Luke 23:34 NIV)
Many who suffer injustice die with curses on their lips, but Jesus responded with mercy. Amid excruciating pain and despite the absence of repentance or apology, he extended forgiveness. His prayer fulfilled Isaiah’s prophecy of the Suffering Servant’s intercession for transgressors (Isaiah 53:12). Jesus shows us that forgiveness is a choice, not a feeling. One that frees us even if others remain unchanged.
Where do you need to experience God’s forgiveness and extend it to others today?
2. Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise. (Luke 23:43 NIV)
A dying criminal saw what the mocking crowd missed—the unjust crucifixion of an innocent king. Although the thief had no time to change or good works to offer, he admitted his guilt and pleaded for mercy. He knew he didn’t deserve salvation, but neither did those Jesus prayed for earlier. Perhaps Jesus’ first word ignited in the thief’s heart a flame of hope that he, too, could receive forgiveness. So he asked Jesus to remember him, to have mercy on him when he established his kingdom. Jesus assured the dying man of a place with him after death. In the same way, he offers us hope and presence not only for the future but also for today.
Who in your life needs to hear love and acceptance from you?
3. Woman, here is your son… Here is your mother. (John 19:26-27 NIV)
As Simeon predicted (Luke 2:35), watching her firstborn on the cross pierced Mary’s soul. When Jesus saw his mother standing with John, he commissioned his beloved disciple to care for her. Most scholars assume Joseph died many years before Jesus began his ministry. As the eldest son, Jesus felt responsible for his mother. With both her husband and firstborn son dead, Mary would be vulnerable with no man to support her. Even in his agony, Jesus noticed who needed him. He provided for his mother. Our misery is never an excuse to ignore the pain of others.
Which family relationship needs your attention today?
4. My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? (Matthew 27:46 NIV)
Rather than hide his suffering, Jesus gave it words. The darkness that descended on Calvary that afternoon reflected the intense agony in Jesus’ heart as he bore divine judgment for humanity’s sin. He took the full weight of our sin so that in him, we could be right with God. (2 Corinthians 5:21) His cry recalls King David’s lament in Psalm 22:1 when he, too, felt abandoned by God.
Where are you struggling to understand what’s happening in your life?
5. I am thirsty. (John 19:28 NIV)
Jesus’ thirst revealed his humanity and reminded those watching of Psalm 69:21. “They put poison in my food and gave me vinegar to drink.” (NCV) During the first century, vinegar was a common cleanser used for everything, including personal needs. Some believe the soldiers offered Jesus feces-laced vinegar to drink. Jesus understands our pain because he, too, experienced suffering.
Where are you running on empty today?
6. It is finished! (John 19:30 NIV)
Tetelestai! Not “I am finished” (he wasn’t), but “it is finished.” A declaration of victory because the work is complete. Jesus paid the full price. His triumphant cry echoed the last line of Psalm 22. “They will tell people yet to be born about his righteousness—that he has finished it.” (Psalm 22:31 GW) Death didn’t signal Jesus’ defeat but the achievement of his intended purpose, the reason he came.
Where are you wrestling with accepting Jesus’ death as full payment for your sin?
7. Father, into your hands I commit my spirit. (Luke 23:46 NIV)
Jesus ends where he began—with the Father. Words of trust from a prayer (Psalm 31:5) he might have learned at his mother’s knee. No matter where we are or what is happening in our lives, we can rest in the powerful hands of God.
What are you trying to control that you need to release?
7 Last Words—Not Idle Words but an Intentional Message
Jesus wanted those watching to realize he was the Anointed One, God’s promised Messiah. His last seven words were as deliberate as any he had spoken in his life. From forgiveness to trust, he modeled how to live when life is at its hardest.
Join the Conversation
Which of Jesus’ last words is most difficult for you? Please share your thoughts in the Comments box at the bottom of the page.
1 Comment
Posted: December 19, 2023 by Harry Lucenay
Are You Listening?
The sound of music surrounds this season. Six words of winter’s announcement caught my attention. “Sleigh bells ring. Are you listening?” Autumn’s leaves still carpet the ground around me. The only sleigh bells ringing here are in children’s Christmas programs. However, the question, “Are you listening?” pinches my ribs.
Dr. Seuss reminds us, “Sometimes you never know the value of a moment until it becomes a memory.” Reflections of family gatherings through the years reveal the spirit of sharing that still speaks to my heart. I have warm memories of how people made me feel. How did they make those memories? When they took time to share my joy, they looked up from what they were doing to see what I wanted to show them. They helped me understand how to put something together or showed me how to use something they had given me. What I received consumed me, but the adults knew the real world was far more than stuff. They had talked about that when the Christmas story was read, but the kids seemed to lose the meaning of Jesus’ birth in the wrapping under the Christmas tree.
Little did I realize they would share the most valuable gifts when all the commotion died down. When the excitement settled, the gift of listening, and trying to understand a life beyond anything I knew introduced wonder to my imagination. All these years later, I’d like to listen to those tales again so I could better grasp the point of view of the speaker, sense the feelings, and share the joy of the retelling.
Opportunities for Listening
Maybe this is the year for a phone timeout. Encourage everyone to put their phone in a basket for Christmas Eve or Christmas Day gatherings. Then, put the basket in a closet. Refuse to talk politics. Speak well to and of one another and bite your tongue when you are tempted to correct the tales you hear.
Every family has its customs, and as time passes, the customs change. Let me challenge you to find time to look into the eyes of those around you and listen to them. You may just make a beautiful memory with your eyes and your ears.
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Posted: December 13, 2022 by Harry Lucenay
How to Rediscover Wonder This Season
I stood face to face with a man in the red dirt of a village in Malawi. Was he listening as I tried to introduce him to Jesus? I saw no sense of wonder in his countenance. So, something inside me questioned his interest even as he prayed to ask Jesus to be his Savior. Soon, he headed over the hill, and I turned to another villager.