Cross-Shattered Christ: Meditations on the Seven Last Words

by Stanley Hauerwas

In this small but powerful book, renowned theologian Stanley Hauerwas offers a moving reflection on Jesus's final words from the cross. 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 church year, this book offers a transformative reading of Jesus's words that goes directly to the heart of the gospel. Now in paperback.

Genres: Theology, Christianity, Religion, Christian, Spirituality, Devotional, Nonfiction

112 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2005

About the author

Stanley Hauerwas (PhD, Yale University) is the Gilbert T. Rowe Professor of Theological Ethics at Duke University in Durham, North Carolina. He is the author of numerous books, including Cross-Shattered Christ, A Cross-Shattered Church, War and the American Difference, and Matthew in the Brazos Theological Commentary on the Bible.

America's Best Theologian according to Time Magazine (2001), though he rejected the title saying, "Best is not a theological category."

Reviews

[Bev Walkling · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this book as part of a Lenten book study and found it quite difficult to read. Although each chapter is short and easy to read quickly, it wasn't easy to comprehend and was clearly written to an American market. It did challenge me to research what other writers had to say about the seven last words of Christ. I enjoyed the group study, but don't feel inspired to seek out this author again.

[Markus · Rating 5 out of 5]

Short but hard, heavy, haunting, and beautiful book...

[Glen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found this book inspiring in my devotional time due to its simplicity and spiritual fervor. Hauerwas openly states in the introduction that he is not writing as an academician but as one who believes in the redemptive work.

This does not mean that the book lacks for theological insight. Several times the writer adds meaningful nuances to the seven sayings of Jesus from the cross. For this reason, I was deeply stirred by the scope of what the Redeemer did on that fateful day.

Throughout his pondering, the author is insistent that we not interpret the sacrifice on the cross solely through the lens of human need. He reiterates several times that Jesus is God manifested to mankind through his atoning death. Therefore, the greatest insight of the seven sayings is not the personal benefit we derive from this act of love, rather, the greatest treasure is that it reveals the nature of the one true God. Hauerwas argues that theocentric thinking is commonly absent when the church reflects on Calvary and I concur wholeheartedly.

When I finished the book it gave me an even more profound gratitude for the God who refused to leave us estranged. The God who became our psalm of hope. The God who thirsted on our behalf so that He could give that never ending water. So while the cross does directly impact me, I thank the author for pulling my eyes aways from self and directing me back to the One who hung for the sake of the Father's love.

[Nathan Barton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Challenging and open ended meditations on the last seven words of Jesus on the cross. As he states from the start, Hauerwas doesn't intend to hand the reader answers but rather allow the reader to sit and contemplate the outrageous, scandalous, world ending and life giving love of God that the death of God on the cross reveals. In this task, Hauerwas superbly succeeds.

[Gavin Brand · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic reflection on the last 7 words of Jesus. The illustrations are worth the price of the book alone. Buy it, read it, go deeper into the lenten season and your relationship with the crucified Lord.

Just one quote:
Here the author is commenting on the 6th word "it is finished."
"It is an exhortation not to become nostalgic for a supposedly less compromised past or take refuge in some imagined purified future, but to dwell in the tension-filled time between times, to remain awake to our inability “to stay in the almost unbearable present moment where Jesus is.”

Hauerwas, Stanley. Cross-Shattered Christ . Baker Publishing Group. Kindle Edition.

[Stephen Hicks · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very short and quick moving book. I enjoyed reading everything that Hauerwas had to say, but I didn’t really feel like it fulfilled the subtitle very well. “Meditations on the Last Seven Words” felt more like “faithful musings”. I never felt like Hauerwas really penetrated into the meaning behind each Word. His chapters were more like ruminations that orbited the Word at hand. Again, the writing was pleasant and edifying. I think I was just looking for something a little more piercing and unsettling.

[Adam Metz · Rating 5 out of 5]

This small book provides a perfect devotional guide on the seven last words of Christ spoken at the cross. Although brief, each meditation provides thoughtful and deep reflections on the famous last words of Jesus and the deeper implication for his followers. Hauerwas keeps the message simple, but still roots his thoughts in the deep, theological thoughfulness he is known for. Even still, the message of the book remains thoroughly personal throughout and the end result is a wonderful devotional worthy of a Holy Week journey.

[Kyle VanEtten · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really appreciated the way these meditations did the work of contextualization and speaking into common interpretation of Jesus’ last words by a modern audience. In particular I was challenged and encouraged by the indictment of our natural tendency to make all of God’s activity about us. The focus of this book is on God, and not on a defense of God, but a call to faith in God who even in the act of dying makes himself known as the one who sustains life.

[Sam · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is my second reading. The first was probable 7 or 8 years ago. I read this to stimulate thoughts and meditation building up to Easter. This is definitely not a book of theology but interesting meandering musings.

[Rob Eastwood Dewing · Rating 4 out of 5]

A short but profound reflection. Main take away- that the cross tells us about God not about us. Criticism - I wonder if Hauerwas might sometimes make things more complex than they are.

[Dawn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really enjoyed this little volume of meditations.

[Becca Ashton Helge · Rating 3 out of 5]

Přečetla jsem si tu knihu v češtině, ale nemají českou verzi na good reads

[Christy MacCallum · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5

Thought-provoking, short reflections on each of the 7 sayings that encourage you to look deeper into who Jesus is and what was accomplished on the cross.

[Karen · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great read for Holy Week.

[Kristian Kilgore · Rating 4 out of 5]

Stanley Hauerwas is a theologian and professor at Duke Divinity. He is also a brilliant voice in the dense theological waters of our day. What strikes me most about Hauerwas, in the things I've read by him (which, truthfully is limited) and in the lectures and talks I've been able to find online, is his dedication to speaking about the Bible and Christianity with a remarkable level of confidence (without being arrogant) in what he believes to be true. He is a needed contributor to the Christian conversation in our times. His perspective on his own role is perfectly stated in the Introduction of this particular book as he says,

Theology is a servant discipline in the church...[and] is the delicate art necessary for the Christian community to keep its story straight."

This book, "Cross-Shattered Christ", offers a straight, thought unique, story of who Jesus was/is, why He did what He did, and what that means for the rest of us. It accomplishes these ends through briefly addressing the seven statements that Jesus made from the Cross.

This is by no means a lengthy work, not is the language or logic very dense. But, while I could have easily read it all in a day, I found myself wanting to stop after each chapter and meditate on what he said. Like an enjoyable meal, I had no desire to woof down everything on the plate as fast as possible, but I lingered and tasted and savored.

Hauerwas makes the case that Jesus' death on the Cross must first be seen as more important than what it wrought for people. It must be looked at for what it is: God dying. He draws the significance of this out throughout the book. Though he does draw application for our lives from the work of Christ, the focus remains on Jesus, not on us. It was this that I appreciated most as I read this book. There certainly is a place for writings about how we are benefited and affected by the Cross, but there is a need for us to simply gaze upon the wonder and horrific majesty of that event and see it for what it is. It, among other things, stirred me to worship.

Hauerwas says,

"Our salvation is not more or no less than being made part of God's body, God's enfleshed memory, so that the world may know that we are redeemed from our fevered and desperate desire to insure we will not be forgotten."

This is just a sample of the point. We must see what Jesus did on the Cross for what it is, because we enter into His life when we are saved. If we don't ponder Him uniquely then we can easily slip into seeing Christianity as a movement about who we are, when it is actually built around who Christ is and how we become a part of Him.

I highly recommend this book. It is accessible, very readable, and illuminates a perspective that, for me at least, is often unique.

[Christopher Kanas · Rating 3 out of 5]

This little book packs a punch in it's powerful expose of a detailed analysis of the crucifixion. Be aware however, that this is not an intro book to Christ and the crucifixion. This is a book more designed for Christians who are familiar with the story as many of the elements in the book presume the reader's knowledge in the events surrounding the crucifixion and does not seek to expand on many area's that are basic in structure to the story.

I like Hauerwas's opening observation that Christianity has in ways done a disservice to the crucifixion by making it only a story that focuses the forgiveness of sins; making it a story that is only about us. While that is indeed part of the story, if that is the only emphasis, it puts the emphasis on man and not God. Hauerwas spends the rest of the book in detail over the final seven words that Christ said on the cross and it's relation to God's character and purpose; that sacrifice is pointing out the way to live in the Kingdom of God. The book emphasizes both the will, service, and selflessness that Christ exhibits during the crucifixion. Hauerwas also gets into the difficult area of non-dualism of which God is present in absence, most revealed when hidden.

It is not the easiest of reads but Hauerwas does dive deep into areas that are vital in importance if one is to understand the crucifixion in the depth that is required to gather a more full spectrum of Christianity.

[Tim · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent mediations for Good Friday on the seven last words of Christ. Hauerwas is sharp as always.

"Mystery" does not name a puzzle that cannot be solved. Rather, "mystery" names that which we know, but the more we know, the more we are forced to rethink everything we think we know.

I think nothing is more destructive for our ability to confess that the crucified Jesus is Lord than the sentimentality that grips so much that passes for Christianity in our day.

Sentimentality is the attempt to make the gospel conform to our needs, to make Jesus Christ our "personal" savior, to make the suffering of Christ on the cross but an instant of general unavoidable suffering. I should like to think the relentless theological character of these meditations helps us avoid our sinful temptation to make Jesus's words from the cross to be all about us.

[Brandon · Rating 2 out of 5]

I feel icky giving a Hauerwas book 2 stars, but Cross-Shattered Christ was incredibly obscure. Even just connecting sentences together into thought units was very difficult. In almost every chapter, save the first, I struggled to even understand what the thesis or main thought was.

Hauerwas does come from a different theological tradition than I do, and thus I do have different opinions from him on several issues. Nevertheless, I do typically find it enjoyable and stimulating to read his work. Unfortunately, this was not one of those times.

[Joel Wentz · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a beautifully-written, haunting little book. The chapters truly are "meditation" - not quite as light as "devotionals," but not quite as heavy as theological readings - rather, they are short and poetic reflections on Christ's words. Reading this book (especially in one sitting, which I recommend) will draw you deeply into Christ, particularly his humanity, at the peak of his suffering. Hauerwas brings a deep humility and honesty to his examination of Christ's final words. It's both heartbreaking and lovely, kind of like the cross.

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very insightful, with a meditative quality and tone appropriate to the subject of the book and to Lent. I highly recommend it, especially as a Lent/Holy Week devotional. Hauerwas approaches Christ with a reverence, fondness, and sense of otherness that illuminates the seven last words. Most provocatively, he gives a drastically different interpretation of some of the words than that which would seem most natural to us 20 centuries, half a world, and two languages removed.

[Steffi Greeff · Rating 1 out of 5]

I did not enjoy this book. I felt that Hauerwas gave a very clinical, apathetic perspective on the sufferings of Christ. The flow of the book was disturbing; he jumped from one idea to another without linking the ideas. To me it thus seemed as though the book consisted only of unholistic ideas without any systematic thought processes involved in writing them down (something he also did in The Peaceable Kingdom of God).

[Andrew · Rating 4 out of 5]

Holy Week Reading

Hauerwas offers some compelling thoughts on the 7 last words of Jesus. Short, deeply theological meditations that have me considering the 7 words in new ways. Some thoughts on Mary ("woman, behold your son") were new to me, and his reflections on Eli Eli lama sabachthani we're integral for me a few years ago when I read a similar reflection in his Brazos commentary on Matthew.

[John Ham · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hauerwas always challenges the reader

The second reading was as good as the first. Even if some of his meditations go far afield, Hauerwas forces readers to re-examine perceptions to allow the all-too-familiar words regain their power. For example, he reminds us Jesus experienced the cross as a man and as a member of the Trinity, so thirst was both physical and spiritual, abandonment was complete and, without the benefit of hindsight, final. I'll revisit this book again.

[Andy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This has become an essential read for my yearly Lenten devotions. You must be willing to wrestle with the text, however. The seven last words of Christ on the cross are some of the most challenging words ever spoken, and they strike at the root of our shared humanity, unearthing our failings and illuminating Christ's own example and his singular work.

[Brett · Rating 3 out of 5]

Focused on His seven final statements from the cross, Cross-Shattered Christ emphasized Jesus’ divinity on the cross. The mystery and power of grace are in perfect view upon the cross. Hauerwas’ devotional work is stirring, but sometimes difficult to follow. B+

[Mac · Rating 3 out of 5]

This isn't a 3-star book. It's a 5-star book interrupted occasionally by 2-star book. When he's on in these sermons, Stanley is on. But sometimes, he's not. Still worth reading as a spiritual exercise.

[Perrin · Rating 2 out of 5]

I found it unnecessarily obscure and difficult at points. There are parts of this book that are brilliant, but many times I found myself wondering just what he meant by a particular phrase. It is a book that calls for meditation on his meditations and I didn't find it worth the effort.

[Kristin Jona · Rating 4 out of 5]

The text and the images together make this a lovely book for meditation and prayer, especially around Easter.

[Mike McNichols · Rating 5 out of 5]

Christian ethicist and theologian Stanley Hauerwas offers poignant insights into the classic last words of Christ.

[Steph Kate Judd · Rating 3 out of 5]

Stimulating. Short chapters, sometimes inaccessible trains of thought (felt a bit condensed sometimes).