Words From The Cross

You find out what kind a person someone is during their last moments of life. Their last words speak volumes about who they really are.

We've come now to the last moments of Jesus' life, before He died hanging from a Roman cross. As we read the Gospel accounts, we see seven distinct statements from our Lord that clearly reveal to us Who He is, and why He was hanging on that cross.

Forgive them...

We read these words from Luke 23:32-35. According to this passage, this was the first thing Jesus said on the cross...spoken just after they raised Him up on it. 

This was spoken after the mob slandered and disowned Him.

This was spoken after the brutal Roman scourging and mockery of His claim to be the Messiah.

This was spoken immediately after they hammered nails through His hands and feet.

Actually, when Jesus spoke these words, everyone around Him was mocking and ridiculing Him while He hung there...paying for their sins! Still, Jesus loved them. 

In spite of their relentless tormenting, Jesus asked His father to forgive them of it all - to wipe it all away from their account. This was the love of the Father on full display...the very reason Jesus was hanging there!

Behold your mother....

While Jesus hung on the cross, He watched as the Roman soldiers divided His clothes between them. These garments were the last earthly possession He had left - and now even they were torn away from His possession.

Then Jesus noticed Mary, His mother, standing at the foot of His cross. Beside her stood John, the only disciple that had the courage to come to the crucifixion site. Seeing them together, Jesus spoke these words to them in John 19:25-27: "Woman, behold your son! [John], behold your mother!" (Those exclamation points weren't added by me...Jesus was emphatic about this.)

At the time, Mary didn't have anyone to help her. Joseph, her husband, had died prior to this and left her as a widow. Jesus was her oldest son, and had the responsibility of taking care of her. Now that someone else was going to have to take that responsibility, and Jesus designated John.

From that point on, John took Mary into his family as his own mother. 

This day you will be with Me...

In the accounts of Matthew and Mark, we read that both of the criminals that were executed with Jesus made fun of Him at first. But according to Luke 23:39-43, one of them had a change of heart.

If I had to guess, when the thief saw Jesus forgiving the crowds, he realized that something was different about Him. Faced with the love of God on display, this man turned to the only one Who could save him...ironically, it was the Man that was dying alongside him.

One of the criminals just kept blaspheming Jesus and making fun of Him. He said, "If you really are the Messiah, why are You nailed to a cross? Save Yourself! While You're at it, save us too!"

But the other thief confronted him and said, "Don't you fear God? We're dying here because we deserve this, but this Man hasn't done anything wrong!" Then he turned to Jesus and said, "Lord, when You take Your place in Your kingdom, remember me." This man put his trust in a dying Jesus, because he saw the mercy of God shining through Him. He didn't deserve to be saved from the pit...but he threw himself onto the love of God.

In response, Jesus looked at him and said, "Rest assured of this, you and I will be together in Paradise today!"

Can you imagine the flood of relief that swept over this dying convict? What would you feel if you were in his place - if you were dying for your crimes, and Jesus promised you forgiveness?

Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani?

Shortly after Jesus was lifted up on the cross, a supernatural phenomenon occurred that must've grabbed the attention of everyone who was watching. At noon, the sky went completely dark...as if it were the middle of the night. This was no mere solar eclipse though...the longest of which was only six minutes. No, this darkness covered the area for three hours, from noon till three pm!

We don't know much about what happened during this time. But I firmly believe that this was when 2 Corinthians 5:21 occurred: "For [God] made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us..." 

Isaiah 53:6 tells us the same thing: "...the LORD laid on Him the iniquity of us all."

According to scriptures, there was a point where Jesus took upon Himself every sin that the world has ever seen. I believe that was during this three hours of darkness. Jesus, the light of the world, was clothed in the darkness of our sin...pressed by the weight of everything you and I have ever done wrong.

We see this sin's effect on Jesus from His next words: "Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani!" These were the words of the Son crying out to His Father..."My God, My God, why did You leave Me?"

At this point, it critical to understand the distinction (don't read that as "separation") of the Father and the Son. Jesus never stopped being God! But as a Man, he suffered the crushing pressure of our sin. As He hung there on the cross, He was there as if He was a sinner. As long as He was covered in our sins, the Father did not rescue Him from the death that was coming.

(Remember, a righteous man has the right to be delivered from disaster.)

I thirst!

After Jesus cried out in despair, He declared, "I'm thirsty!"

John 19:28-29 tells us that He did this knowingly...aware of one more prophecy that hadn't been fulfilled yet. Psalm 69:21 says, "They also gave me gall for my food, and for my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink."

Out of all the prophecies in the Old testament that spoke of His death, this one alone remained. So, to fulfill it, He asked for a drink.

Roman soldiers often had a custom to sometimes mix a poison known as "wormwood" or "gall" with sour wine and offer it to their victims of crucifixion. This was normally done if the soldiers were convinced the victim had suffered enough, in order to give them a merciful end. One of the soldiers soaked a sponge or a cloth in this mixture, stuck it on a spear, and offered it up to Jesus.

But notice Jesus' response in Matthew 27:34, "But when He had tasted it, He would not drink." Jesus knew what this drink was intended to do, and He refused to take the easy way out. 

Accomplished!

Once He refused the wine and gall, every Word spoken about His death had been fulfilled. Jesus now knew that it was over...His mission on earth was finished. When He knew that everything was done as it needed to be, He let out a powerful cry.

Matthew 27:50 tells us that "He cried out again with a loud voice..."

Mark 15:37 says, "And Jesus cried out with a loud voice..."

Luke 23:46 puts it this way, "And when Jesus had cried out with a loud voice..."

Clearly, this wasn't a whimper of a dying man. This may very well have been the most powerful thing Jesus ever said. What did He say? John 19:30 tells us His words: "It is finished!"

This is the Greek word "tetelestai" (tet-tell-es-tie), it carries the meaning of completion or accomplishment. This word was often used by soldiers at the end of a victorious battle...signifying that their mission was accomplished.

As Jesus cried out, He settled the issue once and for all. It is done. The work was finished on the cross - and the work will remain finished forever. There is no other payment necessary for our salvation...and there never will be. His cross will eternally be enough!

Into Your hands...

Now we come to Jesus' last seconds on the cross. The time had come for Him to die.  Amazingly, we still see that death was not strong enough to take Jesus' life. Not at all! Instead, we see Jesus willingly lay down His life after everything had been completed.

After His declaration of "It is finished!", Jesus bowed His head on the cross and spoke to His Father once again. "Father, into Your hands, I commit My spirit."

And with that last statement (a direct quote from Psalm 31:5), Jesus yielded to death.


This was the cost of our freedom. This was the love of God on full display for the world to see. With the death of God the Son, sin's power has forever been broken off our lives. Sin itself was taken to the grave with Jesus, and now we're free!