THE 7 SAYINGS FROM THE CROSS Tim Bench

THE 7 SAYINGS FROM THE CROSS Tim Bench Janaury 11, 2015

The timeless and eternal relevance of these words "Last words are always impressive, especially when they come from the lips of one dearly loved. It is significant that He spoke seven times from the cross — a complete interpretation of the stupendous event that was being enacted. Each of these sayings is an ocean of truth compressed into a drop of speech" From “The Incomparable Christ” by J. Oswald Sanders, page 155.

Crucifixion, seen from the Cross by James Tissot, c. 1890

Sayings from the cross Many lessons that can be taught about the cross, but for our brief lesson here we are going to examining the 7 things that Jesus said from the cross. Jesus’ death, burial and resurrection is what makes New Testament Christianity possible. It was through Jesus’ death and the shedding of His blood that it is made possible for us to have the forgiveness of our sins.

Hebrews 9: 15 “And for this reason He is the Mediator of the new covenant, by means of death, for the redemption of the transgressions under the first covenant, that those who are called may receive the promise of the eternal inheritance. 16 For where there is a testament, there must also of necessity be the death of the testator. 17 For a testament is in force after men are dead, since it has no power at all while the testator lives. ”

The death and resurrection of Jesus…hope for us all Paul in I Corinthians 15: 12 “Now if Christ is preached that He has been raised from the dead, how do some among you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? 13 But if there is no resurrection of the dead, then Christ is not risen. 14 And if Christ is not risen, then our preaching is empty and your faith is also empty. 15 Yes, and we are found false witnesses of God, because we have testified of God that He raised up Christ, whom He did not raise up -- if in fact the dead do not rise. 16 For if the dead do not rise, then Christ is not risen. 17 And if Christ is not risen, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins! 18 Then also those who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. 19 If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men the most pitiable. ”

The first saying Luke 23: 33. “And when they had come to the place called Calvary, there they crucified Him, and the criminals, one on the right hand the other on the left. 34 Then Jesus said, "Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do. " And they divided His garments and cast lots. ”

From “Coffman's Commentaries on the Bible” at www. studylight. org. “This was the first of the seven utterances of Jesus from the cross; and it has the utility of indicating two centers of forgiveness, one on the earth, the other in heaven. It may not be supposed that Jesus' prayer for the forgiveness of the soldiers who crucified him implied their immediate forgiveness in heaven. Jesus, AS A MAN, forgave them; but the matter of their eternal forgiveness was still contingent upon their faith and acceptance of the terms of the Christian gospel. ”

The first saying Imagine…. Jesus has been arrested and falsely accused at an unlawful trial by the Jews at night. He was drug to Pilate, then sent to Herod and then back to Pilate was unable to find anything Jesus had done worthy of death. Regardless, Jesus was scourged, beaten, and mocked by soldiers and had a thorny crown shoved down on His head. On the way to and at the cross, He is mocked, scorned, and taunted, suffering agonizing physical pain, and yet the reaction of Jesus is to plead for the forgiveness of his tormenters. See also Matthew 5: 43 -48 and Isaiah 53: 7, 12 and 1 Peter 2: 21 -24. Compare with Stephen’s words in Acts 7: 60 regarding forgiveness for those present. What an amazing example we see here of forgiveness of those who may sin against us.

The second saying Luke 23: 39 -42 Then one of the criminals who were hanged blasphemed Him, saying, "If You are the Christ, save Yourself and us. " 40 But the other, answering, rebuked him, saying, "Do you not even fear God, seeing you are under the same condemnation? 41 "And we indeed justly, for we receive the due reward of our deeds; but this Man has done nothing wrong. " 42 Then he said to Jesus, "Lord, remember me when You come into Your kingdom. " 43 And Jesus said to him, "Assuredly, I say to you, today you will be with Me in Paradise. "

The second saying At first both thieves were mocking Jesus, but one thief had a change of heart and He defended Jesus assured Him that he would be in paradise with Him that day. This scripture reaffirms to us some 2000 years later that when we die that we do not cease to exist… our life here on earth may be over, but we will begin a new and glorious life if we die as Christians.

“A Commentary on the Gospel by Luke” by Leo Boles, page 453. “This penitent malefactor had confessed his sins, reproved his companion, defended Jesus, and now asked Jesus to remember him…Jesus had observed the most profound silence amidst the jeers of the rulers and multitude, but now he is ready to make reply to this penitent, dying man. ”

The penitent thief’s salvation Many have argued over the centuries that this verse proves baptism is NOT a necessity for salvation. This argument makes the assumption that the thief was NOT previously baptized…. we know almost nothing about this thief, not even his name, so this argument is invalid. Others suggest that baptism was not a necessity until AFTER the death of Jesus…. . thus, the penitent thief was still living under OT law.

(Demonstration of Devotion 3) by Max Lucado “How disturbing to theologians to ascend the There is no proof that this thief had not submitted to the baptism of John… “John did baptize in the wilderness, and mountain of doctrine only to be greeted by an uneducated thief who cast his lot with Christ. Here is a man who never went to church, never gave an offering, never was baptized and said only one prayer, but that prayer was enough…” preach the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins. And there went out unto him all the land of Judaea, and they of Jerusalem, and were all baptized of him in the river of Jordan, confessing their sins” (Mark 1: 4 -5). Also, who is to say that the thief on the cross had not been baptized by one of Jesus’ disciples? “When therefore the Lord knew how the Pharisees had heard that Jesus made and baptized more disciples than John, (Though Jesus himself baptized not, but his disciples, ) He left Judaea, and departed again into Galilee” (John 4: 1 -3).

The third saying John 19: 26 -27. When Jesus therefore saw His mother, and the disciple whom He loved standing by, He said to His mother, "Woman, behold your son!" 27 Then He said to the disciple, "Behold your mother!" And from that hour that disciple took her to his own home.

From “A Commentary on The Gospel According to John” by Guy Woods, page 407. “The brothers of Jesus, sons of Mary and Joseph, four in number, were unbelievers (John 7: 5); hence, Jesus preferred that his mother be with the beloved disciple rather than with them…His earthly possessions, even the clothes that he wore, had been taken from him; this, his most precious possession his enemies could not take and for her provision he arranged. ”

The third saying Surely, Mary must have been experiencing agony, watching her son be tormented and dying such a gruesome death. Even though Jesus was suffering incomprehensible agonies, He wanted to make sure that His mother was taken care of after he died…. by a dedicated believer. Again this shows how Jesus is always putting others before Himself.

The fourth saying Matthew 27: 45 -46 Now from the sixth hour until the ninth hour there was darkness over all the land. 46 And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, "Eli, lama sabachthani? " that is, "My God, why have You forsaken Me? “ See also Psalm 22: 1.

The fourth saying Jesus had endured hours of physical and emotional torment…. and yet separation from God seems to be his greatest pain, a pain endured because of the sins of every person here today and the sins of every person who has ever lived.

The fourth saying “We can imagine what it would mean to a righteous man to feel that he was forsaken of God…the more we feel and enjoy the love of another, the greater our sense of loss at being deprived of it. Considering, therefore, the near and dear relationship between the Son and father, it is evident that we can never know or fathom the depths of anguish which this cry expressed. Suffice it to say, that this was without doubt the most excruciating of all Christ’s sufferings, and it, too, was a suffering in our stead. ” “The Fourfold Gospel” by JW Mc. Garvey, page 730.

The fifth saying John 19: 28 -29. After this, Jesus, knowing that all things were now accomplished, that the Scripture might be fulfilled, said, "I thirst!" 29 Now a vessel full of sour wine was sitting there; and they filled a sponge with sour wine, put it on hyssop, and put it to His mouth. See Psalm 69: 21.

The fifth saying Jesus, the savior of all mankind, had faced and overcome every spiritual temptation and pitfall known to man. He also experienced the very same physical needs that mankind would ever face (in this case, thirst). “He now realizes his intense physical suffering , which had been forgotten in the more awful mental anguish of abandonment by his father as he bore the burden of the world’s sins. ” “A Commentary on the Gospel of John” by David Lipscomb, page 301.

The sixth saying John 19: 30. So when Jesus had received the sour wine, He said, "It is finished!" And bowing His head, He gave up His spirit. His life’s work had been completed…the prophecies had been fulfilled, and the price of redemption had been paid in full. All of humanity who would receive and believe on Him would be for eternity the heirs and beneficiaries.

The mission of Jesus completed “This is a cry of triumph. He had won the victory and had reached the end of his cruel pathway. It betokens a deep sensation of relief, relief from a crushing burden, rest after agonizing toil. The work of redemption was wrought. He had said, "I have a baptism to be baptized with, and how am I straitened till it be accomplished!" His baptism of suffering was now over. It is interesting to study all the words uttered by Jesus on the cross. By a comparison of all the Evangelists this will be found to be his sixth utterance. The three Evangelists all dwell upon the loudness of the cry, as if it had been the triumphant note of a conqueror. ” B. W. Johnson, The New Testament Commentary: Vol. III--John (1886), www. ccel. org.

The seventh saying Luke And 23: 46. when Jesus had cried out with a loud voice, He said, "Father, 'into Your hands I commend My spirit. ' " Having said this, He breathed His last.

The immediate results of the seventh and final saying from the cross Matthew 27: 51 -54. Then, behold, the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom; and the earth quaked, and the rocks were split, 52 and the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised; 53 and coming out of the graves after His resurrection, they went into the holy city and appeared to many. 54 So when the centurion and those with him, who were guarding Jesus, saw the earthquake and the things that had happened, they feared greatly, saying, "Truly this was the Son of God!"