Good Friday: The Power of Words

 “The tongue has the power of life and death,

and those who love it will eat its fruit.”

Proverbs 18:21, NIV

Do we have lips? Not everyone has them. One of my cousins was born with a cleft palate and it was by the grace of God through a wonderful medical missionary to Haiti that he was able to receive lips to use. In some cases, leprosy has eaten away many lips. So, we who have them have cause to celebrate and express our gratitude to the Father because lips are His blessings to us—enabling us to respond to Him and serve His children. Therefore, the words we use matter. They either tear down or build up; they either produce death or engender life.

Five scriptural concepts come to mind when it comes to the use of our lips:

-                Use words sparingly. Psalm 46:10 says, “Be still and know that I am God.” Ecclesiastes 5:2 states, “God is in heaven and you are on earth, so let your words be few.” And, Proverbs 10:19 reminds us, “When words are plenty, sin is not absent.”

-                Unlock your lips for God. Psalm 51:15, “O Lord, open my lips, and my mouth will declare Your praise.”

-                Utter praise to God. Psalm 150:6, “Let everything that has breath praise the Lord.”

-                Unarm or starve deathly talk. Proverbs 10:18 asserts, “A slanderer is a fool.” Colossians 3:8-10, “But now you must also rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips.”

-                Unhood and unroll words of life and encouragement. 1 Timothy 4:12, “Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in life, in love, in faith, and in purity.”

On this day, Good Friday, the day that commemorates the crucifixion and death of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, I am awestruck by the choice Jesus made on the cross to remain obedient to the five scriptural concepts presented above. For us, not much in our lives is required to activate our loquaciousness in the presence of people, to lock our lips in God’s presence, to withhold praise from the Creator, to fertilize deathly and detrimental language, and to refrain from speaking words of life and encouragement in our spheres of influence. Yet, for the Son of Man, His excruciating circumstance was a gracious opportunity to speak seven defining and life-producing words or statements.

1.              The Word of Absolution. “Jesus said, ‘Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing” (Luke 23:34, NIV). Christ’s words are powerful because, instead of the self-centeredness our own lips are so prone to display, they contain grace and love.

2.              The Word of Assurance. “I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise” (Luke 23:43, NIV). Addressed to one of the criminals who hailed Christ as King and Savior, these words depict grace poured out through faith, providing confirmation of forgiveness and eternal salvation to the dying man.

3.              The Word of Attentiveness. “When Jesus saw His mother there, and the disciple whom He loved standing nearby, He said to His mother, ‘Dear woman, here is your son,’ and to the disciple, ‘Here is your mother’ ” (John 19:26-27, NIV). Even in His indefensible position on the cross, Jesus showed the responsible care of an eldest son who still had concerns for the essential needs of Mary after His death. Since His half-brothers were nowhere to be found, He lovingly entrusted this noble task to John, the apostle.

4.              The Word of Abandonment. “About three in the afternoon Jesus cried out in a loud voice, ‘Eli, Eli, lema sabachtani?’ (which means, ‘My God, my God, why have You forsaken me?’).” (Matthew 27:46, NIV). As agonizing as His physical pain was, nothing was more heartbreaking to Christ than the separation He experienced from His Father as He took upon Himself the full weight of sin. Still, instead of hurling out filthy language, He chose to quote the opening words of Psalm 22.

5.              The Word of Agony. “Later, knowing that everything had now been finished, and so that Scripture would be fulfilled, Jesus said, ‘I am thirsty.’ A jar of wine vinegar was there, so they soaked a sponge in it, put the sponge on a stalk of the hyssop plant, and lifted it to Jesus’ lips” (John 19:28-29, NIV). Again, Christ’s anguish was so intense that He could have chosen to express it differently; instead, He fulfilled the messianic prophecy recorded in Psalm 69:21, “They put gall in my food and gave me vinegar for my thirst.”

6.              The Word of Accomplishment. “When He had received the drink, Jesus said, ‘Tetelestai’ or ‘It is finished.’ ” (John 19:30). He was essentially saying to His Father that His work had been completed. The deed was done. The terrible pain He endured was worth it—the spiritual pain of being separated from His father, the emotional pain of being ridiculed and His nakedness exposed to the world, and the physical pain of torture. He has brought justice to the world. He has put the finishing touches to the vibrant masterpiece He has created. He has severed all ties between those who believe and the deeds of darkness. He has borne beauty, light, love, and goodness to the world.

7.              The Word of Ascent. “Jesus called out with a loud voice, ‘Father, into Your hands I commit my spirit.’ When He had said this, He breathed His last” (Luke 23:46, NIV). Here, His final words to the Father are extracted from Psalm 31:5. These words are filled with trust, rest, and confidence.

           

Might we remember the power of words as we approach God’s throne today? Might we enter each circumstance—the good and the bad—in a manner that offers up our lives as pleasing sacrifices to God, placing ourselves in His hands? Might we say, “Tetelestai!”?

I surrender to You, O Lord!

You are . . .

More than able

More than benevolent

More than compassionate

More than diligent

More than efficacious

More than faithful

More than gracious

More than holy

More than invincible

More than joy-producing

More than knowledgeable

More than loving

More than merciful

More than nurturing

More than overwhelming

More than powerful

More than quintessential 

More than riveting

More than sovereign

More than trustworthy

More than understanding

More than valiant

More than wonderful

More than X-radiant

More than yoke-bearing

More than zealous

. . . to accomplish all that concerns me today, to weave together the messy threads of my life, to bind the wounds of my heart, to wipe the tears from my eyes, to lift me up.

And I love You,

Yes, I love You,

And I love You,

My Father.