Holy Week

'I recently discovered something astonishing about the last seven statements Jesus made before he died, which gives me a new perspective on this coming Good Friday. They are intrinsically linked to one another because all of them relate to the practice of hospitality. For someone facing immanent death it might seem like a strange choice of theme, but it is exactly what makes this particular death so significant.

Although Jesus was on the receiving end of the greatest hostility that humanity could muster, Jesus turned the Cross into the place of greatest hospitality. The Cross offers faith for the doubter, hope for the despondent, belonging for the lonely, and salvation for the lost. The Cross is not just a place of death, but a doorway to eternal life, a welcome into a relationship with God and an invitation to be part of this life of radical hospitality.'

The following provides a brief glimpse into this article by Dr Krish Kandiah.

For the full text of Dr Kandiah's article 'Christ's Passion opens up a life of radical hospitality' click HERE

"Father forgive them."  

In Jesus' first statement from the Cross, he uses some of his last breaths to plead for God's grace to be shown to all who have conspired to kill him...

"Today you will be with me in paradise."

Jesus second phrase is addressed to a criminal dying on a cross next to him...

"Woman receive your son."

Jesus comforts his mother with his third phrase. As if dying for the sins of the world were not a big enough task, even as he dies, Jesus secures temporal hospitality for those closest to him...

"My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?"

The fourth statement from Jesus is a cry of desolation. Somehow, mysteriously, Jesus was forsaken by his Father so that we could be forgiven...

"I thirst."

Jesus' fifth phrase from the Cross is an ironic request from a man who once described himself as the water of life...

"It is finished."

In this sixth statement, Jesus' own suffering is finished. He has fully identified with the pain of humanity...

"Into your hands I commit my Spirit."

The seventh and final phrase is spoken as darkness falls. These words demonstrate Jesus' unwavering trust in his Father. The words on Jesus' lips are borrowed from Psalm 31, in which declares 'In you, Lord, I have taken refuge.'..