Faith

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Last words—perhaps the weightiest that will ever leave your lips or enter your ear.

Tears flow, throats constrict, “The last thing I said to him was, ‘I hate you!’”

A mother clutches the flag to her chest, moaning softly, “His last words were, ‘I love you, Mom.’”

Says the old man, grizzled from days and nights on end by his wife’s bedside, “Her last words: ‘I’ll see you at Home.’”

Have you heard last words? Spoken last words? Would you do anything to take them back, or do you cling to them like life-breath, a sustenance of greater truth than anything you’ve said before or since?

There are first words, too, and they are precious, “Ma-ma,” “Da-da”. Or the less-endearing, “More!” and, “No!”

Nonetheless, these words and phrases mark us. They linger. They bear more weight on our souls than myriad casual conversations. Careless words flung far and wide, like seed, land and scatter, some on intended, rich soil; others wasted, unremarkable.

In Matthew 4:4, Jesus silenced Satan with a sentence. “Man does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.” The beauty of that statement is impressed upon us in John’s gospel.

There, in John 1:14, we realize that Jesus was the Word of God embodied. If all we need for life is the Word of God, how blessed we are that God is not silent. He sent His Word, clothed in flesh. And then, that Word spent His life preaching, teaching, sharing, espousing, bleeding everything God wanted man to know, so that all might come to repentance. (2 Peter 3:9)

Wouldn’t you think then, that it’s of utmost importance to consider the first and last verbalized words of the God who saves? And if you had one moment to ask the Word one thing, what would it be? What would He say?

There’s a small story in the Gospel of Luke, where a young man asked Jesus what I think would be the burning question on each of our tongues. If you knew that Life stood before you, wouldn’t you want to know, “What must I do to inherit eternal life?”

In Luke 18, a wealthy, young man leveled that question at Jesus. It elicited no long explanation, nor a list of 10 things to do. The consummate Word did not take the opportunity to pontificate for hours.

The summary of that brief conversation gives Jesus the last words, “One thing you still lack. Sell all that you have and give it to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.”

You might think that Jesus mentioned two things, but I’ll beg to differ. Jesus gave the young man one instruction and pointed out one thing that would hinder him from obeying. Look again: “Follow me,” is Christ’s command. “Sell what you have,” is requisite for obedience.

We know from Scripture, that Jesus was transient. He had nowhere to lay his head. Each of the disciples had walked away from their homes and treasures to follow Jesus. The young man simply could not follow Jesus and cling to all his wealth. The Word was in essence saying, “Your wealth is your biggest obstacle to following me. As long as it remains, as long as you are attached to wealth and money, you will not follow me.”

Just how important is Christ’s command, “Follow me?” Would I go too far to single that phrase out of all that Jesus preached as the epitome of all his words? Maybe not. Remember the significance of first and last words? Take a look at Jesus’ first and last words to one of his closest friends:

At the very beginning of His public ministry, Jesus walked slowly along the seashore. Fishermen, brawny and brown, paid Him no heed as they cast, drew and mended their nets. Suddenly, catching the eye of one sturdy character, He called out, “Come, follow me.”

Fast forward several years. Christ has risen and is about to ascend to the Father. He is commissioning His disciples, preparing them, infusing them with endurance and hope. Again, along the seashore, this time He walks side by side with Peter. Twice in the course of a short, private conversation, Jesus insists, “Follow me.” (John 21:19, 22)

It wasn’t a suggestion to Peter, and it’s not a suggestion to you and me. By the time Jesus and Peter parted that day, Peter knew he would die in the act and for the cause of following Jesus.

“Follow me.” The first and last words of the Living Word to His faithful disciple. “Follow me.” The singular command to a young man who wanted to know how to obtain eternal life.

Do you want eternal life? Do you want the courage Peter had to face certain death with determination and hope. There is only one answer, “Follow Jesus.”

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