Seven Words which Jesus DID NOT Say

 The idea of this homily is to meditate on the words of Jesus on the cross by reflecting upon the words which Jesus did not say. Sometimes, we understand better something by contrast with the opposite thing. Today, let us try to better understand the words of Jesus on the cross by contrast with something we ourselves may be tempted to say, when we face our own crosses.

1.  “Father, forgive them, because they do not know what they are doing” (Luke 23:34).

Jesus did not say, “Lord, make them feel what I feel now, punish them justly for the injustice they have done to me today.” Instead of justice for Himself, Jesus wanted justice for the others: He wanted sinners to be one day just. And the only way to obtain that was to forgive them now. “If I want these people to be just one day, I have to let this one go. I love them more than Myself. Father, forgive them!”

Jesus did not say, “This is too much, this is enough and more than enough, Lord! Now it is the time for justice!” Oh, it certainly was too much, enough and more than enough. But He preferred to wait, to be patient for a few more hours. He knew that when you don’t hit back, you create space, a silence... A space for the other person to see what they did and reflect, a silence for the other person to listen inside of themselves, a space for the other person to come back.

Jesus did not say, “They know very well what they are doing! Have they not seen the miracles I did? What excuse can they possibly invent?” Jesus knew everything. He knew what His enemies knew and He also knew what they did not know. Because Jesus knew, He forgave. We do not know everything.

2.  “Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in Paradise” (Luke 23:43).

Jesus did not say, “You know what? You have been a thief for so many years... You have made poor people suffer, leaving them without the fruit of their work. You have crushed people’s dreams, you have taken advantage of their sacrifice to live yourself an easy life. Don’t you think it’s a little late to say sorry? Do you think that for one hour of faith, for this public confession of your sins and for this good will you show now to me, do you think for these things I will forgive you?” How many times we put off confession because we think Jesus is like that! Jesus knows that you have sinned on purpose and knows better than anyone how serious your sins have been. But He has a power greater than your sins. If you have faith in Him, if you confess your sins and promise Jesus you will try to do better, you also may steal Heaven together with the best of thieves, and hear from Jesus: “Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in Paradise.”

3.  “Woman, behold, your son!... Behold, your mother!” (John 19:26-27).

Jesus did not say, “Mother, now that I am taken away from you, I don’t want you to have more trouble with my disciples. You have done enough, you have suffered enough, I cannot thank you enough. So now go and take your rest. Who could replace me? How could I ask you to do and suffer more?” How many times we mistakenly think that we can take away all suffering from the ones we love! We do not make people grow by making their lives too easy. We do not let people be what they are meant to be if we do not ask from them to sacrifice themselves in love. Mary was meant to be not simply the mother of a man but the Mother of God and of His Church.

Jesus did not say to John, “John, how could I entrust my Mother to you, after you ran away and abandoned me in Getsemani, like all the rest? You could not watch one hour with me, how could I ask you to watch and protect my Mother?” Jesus said, “John, behold your mother!” I know you have made mistakes but I also know how much you love me and that your love is sincere. Not only I forgive you, I ask you to take care of my best treasure. Not only I do not punish you, I treat you again as my brother, as someone trustworthy.

4.  “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” (Matthew 27:46).

Jesus did not explain why. Jesus did not say either, “If there is a God, why does this happen to me? Why did He abandon me, if He is good?” Jesus was talking to God, and He knew God was listening. Jesus’ body had been forsaken into the hands of His enemies, Jesus’ soul had been forsaken into the deepest anguish, but His spirit, His freedom was still with God: “My God.” There must be a reason why we suffer, because God is good. But knowing it does not take suffering away, nor does it shake the feeling of being rejected by the one who should love us and actually loves us... When we approach people who suffer we should keep that in mind.

5.  “I thirst” (John 19:28).

Jesus did not say, “I am a man, I do not tell others that I suffer.” “I am the incarnate Son of God. I do not need anything, I do not need help.” Jesus felt the desertic dryness of agony and acknowledged it before everyone, and even before His very enemies. How many times we feel good about ourselves because we do things for people and we do not need anything from them. We hide our sufferings, sacrifice ourselves for others to the extreme, but we do not give them our sufferings. We show ourselves strong, content, stable, and thus give them the impression that they have nothing to give us... The greatest gift we can give to others is to make the feel that we need them, that we thirst for their love, that our life would not be the same without them. Only when we acknowledge our own need for love we become able to establish true relationships. When we allow people to do good to us, we dignify them.

6.  “It is finished” (John 19:30).

Jesus did not stay half way. Jesus did not say, “This is too much for me, who can bear this suffering to the end? God did not give me the strength.” Jesus did not say, “Well, at least I tried” nor did he say, “Hey, I did something at least, it’s better than nothing!” He received a mission and did not stop until the mission was perfectly and completely done. Nothing is impossible with God. It’s not a matter of success or mundane accomplishment: we must always try to do the best, and our mission will be accomplished if we die trying to do no less than our best.

7.  “Father, into your hands I commend my spirit” (Luke 23:46).

Jesus did not say, “Oh, who knows what happens after death! I am so afraid of dying!” Nor did he say, “Oh Lord, let me live a little longer, there are so many things I could enjoy on earth! Thy Kingdom come, but not so quick!” When His time had arrived, Jesus faced death as one willingly surrendering to His Father’s care. He knew Who was at the end of the way and knew that His hands were the safe harbor of all human desires. May we live as those who are going back home after many years travelling or in another country: may we walk in God’s ways with joy and great expectation.

Jesus died on a cross for our sins. We must die with Him to our old ways. We must die to false ideas about life, to mistaken ways of dealing with people, to false ideas of God’s plan for us, to false ideas of God’s mercy, we must die to weakness and embrace our mission as Jesus embraced His cross. May His example inspire us to walk courageously and even run towards the crown of our salvation.