&gt;&gt;&gt; WELCOME BACK.
AS THE SEASON OF LENT GETS UNDER
WAY FOR BILLIONS OF CHRISTIANS
AROUND THE WORLD, PULITZER PRIZE
WINNING JON MEACHAM IS TAKING A
NEW LOOK AT THE FINAL MOMENTS OF
JESUS ON THE CROSS.
JON, GOOD MORNING.
YOU'RE AN HISTORIAN.
NOT A THEOL OGIAN, PASTOR,
PREACHER.
&gt;&gt; NO.
I PRACTICE WITHOUT A LICENSE.
&gt;&gt; YOU'RE A MAN OF DEEP FAITH
YOURSELF.
WHY DID YOU WANT TO WRITE THIS?
&gt;&gt; I DID IT SORT OF AS A SERIES
OF SERMONS FOR OUR CHURCH IN NEW
YORK YEARS AGO.
IF YOU GO BACK TO THE SCRIPTURES
THEMSELVES, IF YOU TRY TO GO
BACK AS BEST YOU CAN TO WHAT
UNFOLDED IN REAL TIME AND THE
STORY THAT WAS SO IMPORTANT TO
THOSE FIRST GENERATIONS, IT
ACTUALLY DEEPENS MY FAITH AS
OPPOSED TO WEAKENS IT.
&gt;&gt; I WAS GOING TO SAY, BECAUSE
AS AN HISTORIAN, YOU CAN'T TURN
THAT OFF IN YOURSELF.
&gt;&gt; NO.
&gt;&gt; AND THE WAY YOU LOOK AT
THINGS.
&gt;&gt; BUT WE KNOW MORE ABOUT JESUS
THAN WE KNOW ABOUT A LOT OF
ANCIENT FIGURES.
THE GOSPELS ARE NOT BIOGRAPHIES
IN A CLASSIC SENSE.
THEY WERE WRITTEN TO CONVINCE.
THEY WERE WRITTEN TO CONVERT.
BUT YOU LOOK AT IT AND IT'S
REALLY THE LAST SERMON, AS IT
HAS BEEN CALLED, FATHER FORGIVE
THEM, FOR THEY KNOW NOT WHAT
THEY DO.
AASSUREDLY YOU WILL BE WITH ME
IN PARADISE.
IT'S THIS MESSAGE, PARTICULARLY
IN OUR TIME, OF MERCY AND LOVE
AND DUTY.
&gt;&gt; THEY ARE BUT THEY'RE NOT
EASY.
&gt;&gt; NO.
&gt;&gt; THIS IS NOT AN EASY READ.
I WAS LOOKING AT SOME OF THEM.
SOME OF THEM WE REMEMBER WHEN
CHRIST, WHEN JESUS FORGIVES ON
THE CROSS.
BUT THEN THERE ARE THINGS WHERE
HE SAYS I THIRST.
MY GOD, WHY HAVE YOU FORESAKEN
ME?
&gt;&gt; FORSAKEN ME.
&gt;&gt; THERE'S DOUBT, ALONENESS,
THERE'S HEAVY.
&gt;&gt; THAT'S WHY THE HISTORICAL
NATURE OF THIS MEANS SO MUCH TO
ME.
THIS IS NOT A FAIRY STORY.
THIS IS WE KNOW THAT -- AS WELL
AS WE KNOW ANYTHING THAT
HAPPENED IN THE ANCIENT WORLD --
THAT ABOUT THE YEAR 33, JESUS OF
NAZARETH IS CONVICTED BY PONTIUS
PILATE, WENT TO THE CROSS,
SUFFERED AND DIED AND IS RISEN
FROM THE DEAD.
THAT'S HOW WE TELL TIME.
THE ARCHITECTURE AROUND US, THE
INFRASTRUCTURE OF MUCH OF
WESTERN LIFE.
IT'S THE SINGLE MOST IMPORTANT
EVENT ARGUABLY IN HUMAN HISTORY.
SO UNDERSTANDING WHAT THE
EVANGELISTS MEANT, WHAT DID
THOSE WORDS MEAN AT THE TIME?
WHY WERE THEY INCLUDED IN THE
GOSPELS, WHAT'S THE MESSAGE?
IT'S AS IMPORTANT A STORY AS
ANYTHING THAT WE TALK ABOUT.
&gt;&gt; THERE ARE THESE SEVEN
DIFFERENT STATEMENTS.
YOUR BOOK IS LIKE A DEVOTIONAL,
AS YOU REFLECT ON EACH OF THESE
STATEMENTS AND WHAT THEY MEAN.
IS THERE A THROUGH LINE?
BECAUSE ON THE SURFACE, THEY'RE
VERY DIFFERENT KINDS OF
STATEMENTS.
&gt;&gt; THEY ARE.
THEY ARE DIFFERENT, AND THAT'S
FASCINATING.
THESE SEVEN REMARKS, IT'S AN
ANCIENT DISCIPLINE TO PREACH ON
THESE ON GOOD FRIDAY.
THE THROUGH LINE IS THIS IS A
HUMAN BEING, WHO IS ALSO DIVINE,
BUT YOU CAN'T MOVE THE HUMAN
PART AWAY.
HE SUFFERS.
HE BLEEDS.
HE DIES.
WE CAN THEN ARGUE ALL WE WANT
ABOUT WHAT THAT MEANT, BUT THERE
IS THE INESCAPABLE, I BELIEVE
HIS
HISTORICAL, REALITY, THAT THIS
REMARKABLE FIGURE, WHOM PEOPLE
LIKE ME BELIEVE IS THE SECOND
PERSON IN THE TRINITY, WAS A
REAL PERSON WHO BREATHED, HE
GAVE US A MESSAGE AND POSSIBLY A
PORTAL TO SALVATION.
&gt;&gt; YOU SAY YOU'RE NOT A
PROPHETIZER, YOU'RE NOT AN
EVANGELIST, BUT THERE'S
SOMETHING TO LEARN FROM THESE
ANCIENT TIMES FOR ANYBODY WHO
WANTS TO LOOK AND REFLECT ON
THESE WORDS.
&gt;&gt; YOU KNOW, RELIGION IS VERY
DIVISIVE, LIKE EVERYTHING ELSE
IN OUR LIFE NOW, BUT IT DOESN'T
NEED TO BE.
LOOK AT THE CIVIL RIGHTS
MOVEMENT.
MARTIN LUTHER KING, ROSA PARKS,
JOHN LEWIS WERE DOING WHAT THEY
DID, NOT BECAUSE OF AN ABSTRACT
IDEA BUT BECAUSE OF THE SERMON
ON THE MOUNT.
THE CORE CHRISTIAN MESSAGE IS TO
LOVE YOUR ENEMIES AND TURN THE
OTHER CHEEK.
LORD KNOWS I FAIL IN IT SIX
TIMES BEFORE BREAKFAST, BUT
WE'RE CALLED BACK TO THAT CROSS
AGAIN AND AGAIN.
&gt;&gt; IT'S ALWAYS GOOD WHEN YOU
DON'T THINK OF THE EARTHLY
THINGS BUT YOU THINK OF THE
THINGS ABOVE.
AND THIS BOOK HELPS YOU DO THAT
IF YOU'RE FEELING THAT WAY.
JON
