Jesus and The Seven Words on the Cross.

Jesus and The Seven Words on the Cross

This is a spiritual article taking a closer look at the seven words on the cross said whilst Jesus was on the Cross. Good Friday marks the day when Jesus was crucified on the cross to save us from our sins because of his love for us. He was crucified at Calvary between two common criminals and suffered a miserable end which is recalled on the Holy Day called Good Friday. The most important day of the Year in the Christian Calendar, which gives rise to the Easter Weekend and the lead up to this time is called “The Holy Week”. The picture above is different from what you normally see about Jesus on the cross, this one is an arty charcoal like drawing, but the message is ultimately the same. No supporting video for this article. Doesn't really need one!

This article analyses the words said by Jesus during those final hours. Information is taken from various respectable sources from the net, but as with everything in the bible the interpretation is alwayso pen to debate and I do not claim to be an authority on such matters.

The Jesus Crucifixion Scene from the 1961 Film "Barabbas" actually filmed during an Eclipse" Video 

As miserable as his death was, going by the way of Crucifixion which was a death reserved for
the lowest of the low in Roman Times. This was the fulfilling of scripture and it was foretold by Jesus.
1. And it came to pass, when Jesus had finished all these sayings, he said unto his disciples,
2. Ye know that after two days is the feast of the passover, and the Son of man is betrayed to be crucified. Matthew 26:1-2

Jesus was that Son of Man!

His crucifixion was also foretold in the Old Testament in Psalms 22 and also throughout the Book of Isaiah mainly in the later chapters. Jesus and his whole life from beginning to end was foretold in many books in The Old Testament and fulfilled in various books in the New Testament. See foot of this article for further details.

The burning questions about Jesus's crucifixion are “What did Jesus say on the cross before he died?”, What was Jesus last words before he died?, When was Psalm 22 written?, What is the meaning of eli eli lama sabachthani? Jesus said 7 words (sentences) on the cross which are looked at in further detail below long with the very last words he said. Psalm 22 was written about 1000 years prior to Jesus and his death and crucifixion wasn't even a form of punishment at the time of writing! Eli Eli lama sabachthani is from Matthew "And about the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani? that is to say, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? Matthew" 27:46

Jesus said many words during his time in human form on this earth and all are words that are studied and known off by heart by Christians. The meanings run deep, carry many lessons and are often referred to as parables, riddles that contain profound meaning, some are easy to understand for most, some are harder to understand and only truly understood by the few.

The famous words (sentences) studied the most are those said whilst on the cross during the itme of his crucifixion. A harrowing time that would have been hard enough on it's own, but was multiplied many times by being taunted, mocked, ridiculed, persecuted and abused but through all this his love for mankind stood firm and prevailed and he was prepared to die for that love and for our sins. An example of the taunting he received is illustrated in this bible quote below:

He saved others; himself he cannot save. If he be the King of Israel, let him now come down from the cross, and we will believe him. Matthew 27:42

During his closing time on the cross notable events that took place included an eclipse and 3 hours of darkness and an earthquake as indicated in this Bible quote from Matthew

45. Now from the sixth hour there was darkness over all the land unto the ninth hour.
46. And about the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani? that is to say, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?
47. Some of them that stood there, when they heard that, said, This man calleth for Elias.
48. And straightway one of them ran, and took a spunge, and filled it with vinegar, and put it on a reed, and gave him to drink.
49. The rest said, Let be, let us see whether Elias will come to save him.
50. Jesus, when he had cried again with a loud voice, yielded up the ghost.
51. And, behold, the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom; and the earth did quake, and the rocks rent;
52. And the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints which slept arose,
53. And came out of the graves after his resurrection, and went into the holy city, and appeared unto many.
54. Now when the centurion, and they that were with him, watching Jesus, saw the earthquake, and those things that were done, they feared greatly, saying, Truly this was the Son of God. Matthew 45-54

Here are his  famous Seven Words including the one mentioned above which form the last seven expressions of Jesus Christ on the Cross recorded in Scripture with an interpretation of what those words could mean or actually meant.

THE FIRST WORD

Then said Jesus, “Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do Luke 23:34

Even in His agony, Jesus’ concern was for the forgiveness of those who counted themselves among His enemies. He asked the Father to forgive the thieves on the cross who jeered and made fun of Him, . He asked the Father to forgive the Roman soldiers who had mocked Him, spit on Him, beat Him, whipped Him, put a crown of thorns on His head, and nailed Him cruelly to the cross. They didn’t know that they were killing the Son of God (1 Corinthians 2:8)

Jesus asked forgiveness for the angry mob that had mocked Him, jeered Him, and called for His crucifixion (Mark 15:29–30). Again, they didn’t really know who they were trying to destroy. The Pharisees had deceived them into believing that Jesus was a fake and a troublemaker (Acts 3:17). Jesus was forgiving the Pharisees who had demanded His death. They had rejected Him as their Messiah even though they knew just who and what He was. Jesus still loved them and would have forgiven them had they only humbled themselves and repented (Matthew 18:14; 2 Peter 3:9).

Most importantly, on the cross Jesus was providing forgiveness for all those who would ever believe in Him (Matthew 20:28). The cross didn’t kill Jesus. The Romans didn’t kill Jesus. The Pharisees didn’t kill Jesus. Jesus willingly gave up His earthly life for the sins of His own (Ephesians 2:8–9). He paid the penalty for the sins that we commit in our ignorance (and even the ones we’ve committed deliberately). In forgiving us, Jesus fulfilled yet another Old Testament prophecy (Isaiah 53:12f). He also made a reality of His own preaching. He had said, “Love your enemies” (Matthew 5:44); now He was proving it.

THE SECOND WORD

“ Verily I say unto thee, To day shalt thou be with me in paradise.” Luke 23:43

Jesus was not alone when he was crucified, he was one of 3, the other two being thieves. When he said those words it was said to one of the two thieves. Both couldn't be further apart in spiritual terms. The First Thief said “"Are you not the Christ? Save yourself and us!". This man had no sense of right or wrong, his only objective was to save his skin and get himself off the cross. It could be Jesus or anybody else who had that ability to achieve that aim. He couldn't care less who, he had no sense of guilt. The second thief however was completely different and was not taken in by the crowds jeering, the mocking Roman soldiers or the railings of the other thief. He admitted that he had done wrong: "And we indeed justly; for we receive the due reward of our deeds: but this man hath done nothing amiss." Luke 23:41. He was on the cross to be judged for what he had done, his guilt was laid bare and there was nowhere to hide, no desire to save face any more. He was here and laid open before the God he feared, there was no way to hide his guilt. This second thief is who Jesus second words was aimed at.

THE THIRD WORD

26. Jesus to his mother, “Woman, behold thy son”
27. Jesus to the disciple, “Behold thy mother”
John 19:26-27

Despite the dire situation that Jesus was in on the cross, the physical pain and mental torture he was going through, he still made it of the utmost importance to put the needs of his mother first at Calvary by saying these words introducing John to Mary saying “Woman Behold thy Son” and introducing John to Mary and saying “Behold thy Mother” making a family statement and to look after each other. If he could provide for his own in the moment of his weakness and humiliation, how much more can he meet all our needs today from the right hand of God, full of power and wealth and glory after his Resurrection which he knew was coming. It was written in the word.

When Jesus says to Mary: "Look on John as your son"; and to John: "Look on Mary as your mother"; he is showing us how our needs are to be met when we have left everything to follow him and become a family in Christ.

THE FOURTH WORD

“My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?”
Matthew 27:46 and Mark 15:34

In this unique and strange miracle, Jesus was crying out in anguish because of the separation He now experienced from His heavenly Father for the first and only time in all of eternity. It is the only time of which we have record that Jesus did not address God as Father. Because the Son had taken sin upon Himself, he had become sin, the Father turned His back on him. God turned His back when Jesus was on the cross because He could not look upon sin, even-or perhaps especially-in His own Son. God the Father had indeed forsaken Him. Jesus died as a substitute sacrifice for the sins of the world, the righteous heavenly Father had to judge Him fully according to that sin.

"He himself bore our sins in his body upon the cross,
so that, free from sin, we might live for righteousness.
By his wounds you have been healed."
I Peter 2:24

THE FIFTH WORD

"I thirst." John 19:28

What was meant when Jesus said I Thirst? Was he actually physically thirsty or was he thirsting for something else.
Apparently Jesus asked for something to quench his thirst in order to fulfill the prophecy of Psalm 69:21. In this fifth saying, Jesus’ thirst could have been a mere expression of his physical thirst after enduring the scourging, stripping and crucifixion. Or was it in reference to the fact for a yearning for the Holy Spirit of God to indwell in him, so that we would never thirst again?

So these two words were said 1. To fulfill scripture and 2. Make a statement that he was spiritually thirsting and 3. the fact that he was given vinegar on a sponge highlighted the spiritual ignorance in the world at that time.

13 Jesus answered and said unto her, Whosoever drinketh of this water shall thirst again:
14 But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life. John 4:13-14

John tells us that this was said to fulfill the scripture. Psalm 22.14-15 reads:
I am poured out like water,
and all my bones are out of joint;
my heart is like wax;
it is melted within my breast;
my mouth is dried up
like a potsherd,
and my tongue sticks to my jaws;
you lay me in the dust of death.

Some responded to Jesus's thirst by holding a sponge of sour wine (vinegar) on a branch of hyssop, recalling Psalm 69.21
"This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.
Greater love has no man than this,
That he lay down his life for his friends."
John 15:12-13

THE SIXTH WORD

"It is finished;" John 19:29-30

Jesus' spiritual life was bathed in the language of the Psalms of David. He was a descendant of David and was hailed on Palm Sunday as the Son of David (Matt. 21:9). In his most trying moments, in his dying moment, Jesus reached into the depths of his experience for the words of his archetypal forebear David. He brought forth Psalm 31:5: "Into your hands I commit my spirit." His dying moment was a moment of trust.

One of the greatest things Jesus ever said was, “It is finished” (John 19:30). My obedience is finished and perfect, and you need it. My suffering is finished, and you need it to cover all your sins. I have finished removing the wrath of God from my people. I have finished striking Satan with a death blow. I have established the new covenant for my people. It was the end of his time in physical human form on this earth, a door closing and marked the opening of a new door. It is finished.

THE SEVENTH WORD

“Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit:” Matthew 23:46

This seventh word makes the statement that when you come to die, remember that God reigns. Even Jesus knew this when he was on the cross. "It was about the sixth hour and there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour, while the sun's light failed and the curtain of the Temple was torn in two by an earthquake who made the sun's light fail. Who caused the earthquake? Who ripped the temple's curtain from top to bottom? Who caused the suns light to fail? Surrounding the death of Jesus Christ the ruling hand of God is clearly evidenced and God reigns supreme.

Focusing on the word that Jesus said “My Spirit”, When we die, the spirit will live on. He said "Father, into thy hands I commit my spirit." Jesus knew and we should know that death for God's people is not the end nor even a sleep for our conscious personalities. God's arms are open and his hands extended to his dying children. "Father, into thy hands I commit my spirit." It didn't mean into the grave or into the dark unknown he knew it was into the hands of God, his Father. Finally the word “Father” seals the statement with an intimacy, a family.

A miserable end to the life in human form of Jesus but it was done for the reason below.

"For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, So that everyone who believes in him may not perish but have eternal life.  John3:16

A final word on the 44 Prophecies Jesus Christ Fulfilled during his life time.