Part 6: Luke 23:46

Jesus' life, death and resurrection remind us that surrendering everything to God is not an easy task.

"Living dangerously" for the Kingdom

Mel Gibson's movie, The Passion of the Christ, was the center of controversy and discussion a year ago. Controversies ranged from the film's portrayals of Jewish brutality in the killing of Jesus to the absence of Africans in the Biblical story. Some scholars noted that the film included scenes that are not included in the Biblical accounts of events leading up to the death of Jesus Christ. Some objected to the film's graphic violence.

The Passion of the Christ portrayed the hours of Jesus' death. However, after leaving the movie theater, I chose to focus my thoughts on the years of Jesus' life.

Luke's Gospel records the events surrounding the crucifixion. In Luke 23:46 we read one of what traditionally have been called Jesus' "seven last words": "Then Jesus, crying with a loud voice, said, 'Father, into your hands I commend my spirit.' Having said this, he breathed his last."

The last words of Jesus on the cross are reminiscent of his life. He freely submitted his spirit to the living God who had sustained him for 33 years. He proclaimed the same affirmation of God's love and care in death that he exemplified in life. God responded by offering him life beyond death.

Easter is a time when we recall the death of Jesus on Calvary's cross, which is overcome by the power of the resurrection. Jesus' death and resurrection are given credence because of the life that Jesus lived. His life made a statement about who he was with regards to Almighty God. Jesus was born in a cow stable. He walked among sinners, while offering words of redemption and hope. His hands became vessels of healing among those suffering from leprosy and other diseases. Unjustly labeled a criminal, he willingly suffered for the sake of God's mission in the world.

Jesus died because of the way he lived. His life became a vessel through which God established the rudiments of faith in action. Jesus sounded a liberating voice in the streets and the suites. Jesus lived a life proclaiming liberty to the captives while speaking truth to power.

Leaders without conviction
Too often today's Christian leaders want to avoid the tough issues that faith presents. I am convinced that the church has lost its will to address the pain, poverty and perversion that reside in our local communities and in the world. We politely apologize for leading with conviction, fearing any confusion that might diminish our popularity among comrades in faith. Simply put, many Christian leaders have taken the cross out of their theology.

Jesus' life, death and resurrection remind us that surrendering everything to God is not an easy task. The act of self-surrender grows out of our recognition that our lives do not belong to us. We are called to be bearers of light, love and spirit for a God who gives us life, health and strength.

Even on the cross Jesus declared that in life and in death he belonged to God. Jesus trusted God even in death, knowing his help would ultimately come from God. He did not fear death, because God still lived.

Focusing on God's power
Christian leadership demands a bold new look at our calling. We are called to be more than single-issue leaders or moral standard bearers. The power of the living God must be our focus as we encounter the decay of communal living, the decadence of economic stability, the deception of political leadership, despair among the oppressed, and the decline in church membership. God calls us to surrender our quest for adulation so that we might acknowledge the presence of the Divine in all we do.

Resurrection is our hope—the reward for a grace-filled life lived in the presence of the Divine.

I applaud Mel Gibson for great cinematography and conviction in telling the story of Jesus' death. But the movie about our Savior and Lord that will spark my interest has not been written yet. I am still waiting for a movie that convinces us to live our lives patterned after Jesus' life of "living dangerously" for the Kingdom of God. And I am waiting also for the day when I can hear every leader in Christ's church proclaim, "My God, into your hands I commend my spirit."