NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • Pulitzer Prize–winning author Jon Meacham explores the seven last sayings of Jesus as recorded in the Gospels, combining rich historical and theological insights to reflect on the true heart of the Christian story. For Jon Meacham, as for believers worldwide, the events of Good Friday and Easter reveal essential truths about Christianity. A former vestryman of Trinity Church Wall Street and St. Thomas Church Fifth Avenue, Meacham delves into that intersection of faith and history in this meditation on the seven phrases Jesus spoke from the cross. Beginning with “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do” and ending with “Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit,” Meacham captures for the reader how these words epitomize Jesus’s message of love, not hate; grace, not rage; and, rather than vengeance, extraordinary mercy. For each saying, Meacham composes an essay on the origins of Christianity and how Jesus’s final words created a foundation for oral and written traditions that upended the very order of the world. Writing in a tone more intimate than any of his previous works, Jon Meacham returns us to the moment that transformed Jesus from a historical figure into the proclaimed Son of God, worshiped by billions.

Walk in the victory that defined the lives of the apostles and the early churchits still possible today! Spiritually, the single most powerful moment in history is the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Often, that which is the cornerstone and centerpiece of the Christian faith has been reduced to something many believers assume they grasp, understand, or have figured out. Its as if we think the cross is elementary in our understanding of Christianity. Yet, its applying TheGlory of the Cross that grants us access into the very depths of intimately knowing and experiencing God Almighty. The cross makes it possible for you to apply the victory of Jesus over every area of life that His death and resurrection impacted. Mahesh and Bonnie Chavda, pastors of All Nations Church and leaders of Chavda Ministries, provide dynamic teaching coupled with miraculous stories of how applying the glory of the cross grants you access to supernatural miracles, divine healing, encounters with the Holy Spirit, reconciliation to God, understanding of your spiritual identity, applying the power of Jesus blood, six keys to victory in spiritual warfare, and so much more. When Jesus died on the cross a supernatural explosion of glory was released, sending shock waves throughout the entire human experience. Jesus death and resurrection were cataclysmic events that impact more than your eternal destiny they can change every moment of your life today!

James Philip, Scottish pastor-theologian, takes us through a series of meditations on the last hours of Jesus' life, from the Last Supper to Calvary. All the while, he brings unusually perceptive insight into Christ's 'fierce, costly love.' Philip's blend of intelligent doctrinal instruction and poetic pastoral application, his depth of feeling and his clarity of expression, are all emphasized in a beautifully written Foreword by Sinclair Ferguson. A study guide in the back makes this book useful for Bible studies, Sunday schools, and church small group settings.

In Cross-Shattered Christ, theologian Stanley Hauerwas offers a moving reflection on Jesus's final words from the cross. This small and powerful volume is theologically poignant and steeped in humility. Hauerwas's pithy discussion opens our ears to the language of Scripture while opening our hearts to a truer vision of God. Touching in original and surprising ways on subjects such as praying the Psalms and our need to be remembered by Jesus, Hauerwas emphasizes Christ's humanity as well as the sheer "differentness" of God. Ideal for personal devotion during Lent and throughout the year, Cross-Shattered Christ offers a transformative reading of Jesus's words that goes directly to the heart of the gospel.

For at least a century, at special three-hour services on Good Friday, it has been the custom in many churches to reflect on the Seven Last Words of Jesus from the Cross. In this tradition, Fleming Rutledge here presents seven eloquent meditations on these final sayings of Jesus. Rutledge links the sayings from the cross with contemporary events and concerns, but also incorporates recent biblical scholarship and modern questions about the death of Christ, particularly in light of Mel Gibson's film The Passion of the Christ. Rutledge shows how each word or saying from the Cross affords an opportunity for readers to gain a deeper understanding of the horrific death suffered by Jesus. Intending for this book to lead readers into a genuine devotional experience, Rutledge has made every effort to evoke and preserve the contemplative atmosphere of the three-hour Good Friday memorial. The book includes frequent references to hymns associated with this special day, and each meditation ends with an appropriate hymn text for personal prayer and reflection.

Meditations on each of Jesus's seven last words, accompanied by hymns and poetry.

Who of us can possibly imagine the excruciating pain of being crucified? But further, who would imagine that in the midst of this ghastly punishment that brings on unrelenting headaches and mental disorientation, a crucified man would actually give thought to the needs of others? This book explores in detail the nature of crucifixion and then invites the reader to listen in stunned silence to the amazing seven sayings of Jesus of Nazareth while hanging on the cross, as he focuses his attention on others in the first three sayings, and only then on his own distressing situation. His last four sayings give expression to his utter spiritual and physical anguish and conclude with a cry of victory and then a cry in which he commits himself to God.