There on an instrument of torture and death, Jesus drew his final breath and died. While I cannot predict the where and how of it, I am certain beyond a shadow of a doubt that every one of us here this afternoon will die. We may try to postpone our death. We may do our best to ignore the reality that death will be as persistent in coming to us as it has been in ending the lives of all who have come before us in the history of the world. Some of us delude ourselves into thinking we can run away from death.
Death is a part of life.
Just as the last words of Jesus were remembered and recorded from the accounts of eye witnesses, it used to be the custom for relatives and friends who were present at the time of death to record the last words of loved ones. Having been present at many deathbeds over the years I can testify that for some people death comes as a welcome friend and for others death is a painful adversary who is resisted to the final moment. The difference has to do with age, the circumstances that have brought the person to the brink of death, the spiritual and emotional health of the individual prior this final crisis in the journey through this world. The gospel writers make it clear that Jesus' death took place in agonizingly brutal circumstances. Jesus' death was not eased by the comfort of loved ones at his side, nor did he have the advantage of pain numbing modern drugs.