o what did Jesus say to
His disciples in those
final, intimate moments
with them?
Think about what you
would talk about if you knew
you were looking into the
eyes of your family members
and friends for the last time.
I seriously doubt you'd joke
or make a lot of small talk.
Such moments are hal-
lowed and sacred. It would
be a time for you to carefully
weigh your words and to
speak what you believe is
most important for your
listeners to remember after
you are gone.
If you had the opportunity to
speak your last words to those
you love, wouldn't you carefully
choose the words you spoke in
that final moment?
Wouldn't it be a time to
say the things that w e re
most important and dear
to your heart— words that
communicated the deepest
feelings of your soul to your
loved ones?
I f y o u a r e l i k e t h e
majorit y of other human
beings, it would be your
greatest desire in that final
moment to make your last
words the most thoughtful,
advantageous, and heartfelt
words you could leave with
the people who mean the
most to you.
In every person's life, there
are key moments when he or
she is faced with the need to
speak concluding words.
Before a person slips into
eternity, he often prays for
an opportunity to speak final
words of farewell to his loved
ones.
A person may need to speak
final words at his workplace
because of a job change that
requires him to relocate and
thereby leave behind associates
and friends with whom he has
worked for a long time.
Parents come to that moment
when they must carefully speak
their last words to their son
or daughter right before their
child stands before a minister
and commits his or her life to
someone else in marriage.
There are many different
reasons you might need to
speak last words at various
times in your life. Can you
think of a time in particular
when you had to choose final
words to speak to people
whom you deeply loved?
I r e m e m b e r s u c h a
Jesus' Final Words
S
On the night when
Jesus was betrayed,
He got on His knees
and washed His
disciples' feet. Then
He served the
disciples their first
Communion as
He confirmed His
covenant with them.
Afterward, Jesus
began to speak the last
words He would ever
speak to them in His
human form, before
He received a glorified
body. As Jesus looked
into the eyes of His
disciples, He knew this
was the last time He'd
speak to them in this
capacity. He also knew
that these last words
would be among the
most important words
He had ever spoken
to them.
Jesus
wanted
the
disciples
to
know
that
the
Holy
Spirit
was
just
like
Him.
b y R i c k R e n n e r
2 4 : B V O V : A P R I L ' 1 4
