Description
Caught in the confusion of how Scripture can express truth, yet be a literary work, are two audiences: those who read the Bible literally, and those unsure of its metaphorical language. The Last Words of Christ: A Call to Understanding is written to complement the current movement to read the Bible as literature as a response to this confusion. Asking the question, “What is the theological meaning of Christ's final thoughts?” The Last Words of Christ focuses on the descriptions of light and darkness in Mark's crucifixion narrative as an interpretive key. This interpretive key not only unlocks the theological interpretation of the last words of the crucified messiah, but also reveals the literary construction of the whole Bible. The Last Words of Christ is composed of seven sections divided into two major parts. This structural model for the book serves to reflect the literary contour of the cross where his seven words are spoken in two time periods: the daylight, and the darkness. By locating Jesus' final thoughts in biblical history—not just isolating them upon the cross—they are heard as fulfillment of Old Testament portraits. Further, the wisdom of reading the Bible as inspired literature is illuminated. In traversing this biblical history-to-crucifixion interplay, the epic story of Scripture emerges, revealing the wonder and grandeur of the cross.