INTRODUCTION

Seven pronouncements were made by Our Lord in His passion on the Cross. They were a lifeblood for us all. At very
few instances did He talk during His trial or while being tortured and reviled. He forfeited His own right, and
conceded His self-respect. "Love does not seek its own" (1 Cor. 13:5). But while on the Cross, He spoke out, when it
behooved Him to speak. He spoke out for our sake, our benefit and salvation. Each word had its own impact. We are
going to discuss these points in depth later on, but for now we have these comments to make regarding His
pronouncements in general:We recognise in Christ's words on the Cross the property of giving.. we are apt to Page |
wonder that while He was on the Cross, in a state of batteredness and submission, He was a giver..He gave
forgiveness to His persecutors, gave Paradise to the thief on His right side, gave His Blessed Mother a spiritual Son 1
and provided her with care and attention. He gave beloved John the blessedness of accommodating Mary in his house,
and gave the Father the price of the Divine Justice as ordained, He gave humanity atonement and redemption, and
gave us also security that the act of salvation has been accomplished. In short, He has given everybody his due while
no one gave Him anything. He offered all that to humanity though humanity offered Him nothing in return except gall
and vinegar...
The first and last of Christ's seven pronouncements were addressed to the Father: His First Statement was
addressed to the Father: "Father, forgive them"( Luke 23: 34).His Last Statement was addressed to the
Father: "Father, into Your hands I commit My spirit" (Luke. 23: 46).And between the First and the Last, two other
statements were also addressed to the Father: "My God, why have You forsaken Me?" (Matt. 27:46) The other: "It is
finished " (John 19:30) Though this Last ronouncement could be only a general statement, it is still a message to the
Father: "I have finished the work which You have given Me to do" (John 17:4) Thus the greater part or about half of
Christ's words were addressed to the Father. They were also words of assurance to humanity.
We, also, note that He addressed the Father in two ways:
"Father" and "My God ". By the word "Father" He contested those who challenged Him, saying: "If You are the Son
of God,come down from the Cross." (Matt. 27. 40) He offered evidence that He is the Son of God. However, He did
not descend from the Cross, but made the Cross ascend to Heaven!
By the word "Father" He established His divinity and by that of "God" He established His humanity. By both
words He declared His being the incarnated God, who "Was manifested in the flesh ". (1 Tim. 3:16). By the
word "Father" He refuted the heresy of Arius in the fourth century who denied Christ's divine nature and by the term
"My God", He refuted the heresy of Eutyches in the fifth century who denied Christ's human nature. By the first He
was speaking as the Son of God; by the second as the Son of Man, or the representative of humanity...
On the Cross He did not only address the Father but He also addressed humanity... the saints exemplified by the
holy Virgin and John the Apostle, and also the penitent sinners represented by the thief on His right side. His were
words of blessedness and grace. It was a moment of salvation, worthy of all bliss... Thus, He spoke the words of
forgiveness, redemption and everlasting life. He spoke the words of endowment and grace. On the Cross He did not
condemn anybody, He did not punish a single person, in spite of all His afflictions: He did not come to destroy but to
save the world. Christ's words on the Cross follow a certain order, the wisdom of which cannot be
mistaken... Others first ,Himself, second. His being is for the benefit of others. He started by asking forgiveness for
humanity, for His holy blood commenced to have its impact as an instrument of redemption while on the Cross, and
with the advent of redemption came the second word proclaiming the opening of Paradise. For as the price of
redemption has been paid off by blood, accessibility to Paradise must take effect..We also notice that the Lord Jesus
Christ mentioned His enemies before He mentioned His friends. His first words referred to His persecutors, the
malefactor, then to Virgin Mary and St. John...When He spoke with God the Father He first addressed Him as the
Father, then as God.. First, as "The only begotten Son,who is in the bosom of the Father" (John 1:18); Second, as the
Son of Man born since the fullness of time..His first Three Words pertained to the act of forgiveness and
providence, while His last four words came as a declaration that the act of redemption was fulfilled.
His words, "My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?" denote that the Father has forsaken Him in order for Him
to pay the price of redemption and also point to His emotional agony in sustaining God's wrath for the transgressions
of man. His words, "I thirst" (John 19:28) point to the physical torment that He sustained for humanity's sake. Both
pronouncements mean that He was paying the price. The words, "It is finished" is an implicit assurance to man that the
price has been paid off. The clause saying, "Into Your hands Icommend My spirit" signifies that death is the wages of
sin, and through death redemption was accomplished... Thus, the last four phrases were an assurance to humanity
concerning redemption...There is also a cry of joy and triumph in the last two phrases... As God has declared His
agony by which redemption was accomplished, He announced His joy for the accomplishment of redemption. The
phrase, "It is finished" (John 19:30) signifies that everything conductive to final redemption has been fulfilled. God
found joy in accomplishment of the act He planned, and did not allow anything to hinder it. This also applies to His
pronouncement, "Into Your hands I commend My spirit. "(Luke23:46) With these two last statements He declared the
defeat of the devil. The battle was over; by death, God put an end to the power of death... and there came the cry of
triumph and joy. The foregoing statements amply teach us that the Lord Jesus Christ, while on the Cross, was
working for us... Not only was He achieving our redemption, but He was continuing His role as a benefactor and
teacher. He kept on making important revelations concerning salvation... In His first words He demonstrated
practically how to tolerate, forgive and love our enemies... In His last words, "Into Your hands I commend My
spirit"(Luke 23:46) He revealed to us that the soul is immortal, that the righteous spirit ascends to God after death. In
His Third Statement, He taught us about true love and care, and He taught us how to execute truly and practically the
fifth commandment by honouring His mother... How many are the insights and observations that we can deduce
from these seven pronouncements. How significant is the number seven, too. Let us delve into each and every
one of them trying to grasp their meaning fully. Page |
The First Word
"Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do ". (Luke 23:34). 2
Our benevolent Lord Jesus Christ, in His deepest agony on the Cross, was not thinking about Himself, but was
preoccupied by the interests of others. He was not thinking about His sufferings, His pain, His exhaustion or His
wounds. He paid no heed to the painful gashes of the scourges on His
back; he paid no heed to nails piercing His hands and feet, nor to the crown of thorns that pierced His head, neither did
He care about His battered and exhausted body.. All that He ignored because His sole concern was His love for
mankind. The first thought to cross His mind was to save His adversaries and persecutors... Thus, His First Words on
the Cross were: "Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do" (Luke 23:34).
The Lord cared for His enemies first before He cared for His friends or Himself... He offered forgiveness to His
persecutors first, then forgave the malefactor who reviled Him at the beginning, but believed in Him later. Then, He
directed His attention to His mother. After all that, He began to speak about Himself: "Father, forgive them....",(Luke
23:34) words He pronounced while undergoing the utmost physical pain... Truly, He was at the peak of torment and
affliction at the hands of those for whom He was asking forgiveness! But His love for them was greater than their
hostility towards Him; their hostility that was indescribably atrocious and wicked...
In spite of all that, He did not only pray that they might be forgiven but He gave them an excuse! Those, who
would not have dared to even think about exonerating themselves; those who cried out loudly: "His blood be on us
and on our children " (Matt. 27: 25). The One who was scourged and crucified by them was the one to excuse them.
He said: "For they do not know what they do"(Luke 23:34). How wonderful is the Lord in His exhaustive love. He did
not hasten to condemn them; He did not seek revenge, or even take to resignation and negatives. His love for them
was positive; He sought forgiveness for them. He exonerated them; He defended their cause in the presence of the
heavenly Father, declaring that their sin was only one of ignorance... But, in our judgement as human beings, we
consider them perpetrators of a chain of atrocious criminal acts. Among the ranks of the religious authorities or
priesthood, there was covetousness, jealousy, enmity, slander and double-crossing. On the part of the ungrateful
public, there were accounts of reckless wrongful rejection. As for the military and the priests' servants, they committed
atrocities, calamities, cursing and assaults. Pontius Pilate showed cowardice, injustice and indifference. Above all, it
was a crime of homicide, torture and fabricating false evidence. But the condemned in His loving- kindness did only
consider it an offence committed in ignorance, "For they do not know what they do.. "!(Luke 23:34) How wonderful is
the loving-kindness of the crucified Lord .. the immenseness of His kindness is hard to grasp... The Lord Christ in
His forgiveness for His persecutors has put into practice, beyond doubt, one of His teachings. He has said
before: " Love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who
spitefully use you and persecute you, " (Matt. 5:44) In this case He was performing exactly that what He had
previously commanded humanity to do. The Lord did not give to others Commandments that He did not observe. He
put into practice His teaching: "Love your enemies' ;(Matt 5:44); and He accomplished that with such a wonderful
idealism and faithfulness. He forgave His persecutors and offenders... Blessed Brethren, what do you think of this
verse: "Father, forgive them "? If you recall these words on the Good Friday or at any time and say: "I will also do
as you did my Lord for all those who harassed and hated me, who persecuted and mistreated me. I ask You to forgive
them for they do not know what they do". In this way, you partake with Christ His work of benevolence and love.
What good is it for you if Christ has forgiven His enemies while you still hate your own or do not pardon
them? What benefit do you gain? In other words, you take no part with Christ in His benevolence; you do not partake
in His work and you do not follow His path... Know then that Christ forgave us, so that we may forgive others,
and enjoy the bliss of forgiveness.. as it is rendered unto us, and rendered by us. Whenever, we remember the
offences of others, we should also say truly and faithfully: "Forgive them, for they do not know what they do ".(Luke
23:34) However, when we say so, we are actually in a different position than that of the Lord Jesus Christ. What He
says is: "Father, forgive them, for I have paid off the wages of their sin, and they stand in no debt. I have satisfied
the divine justice; I repaid all their debts, now forgive them. Here I am dying on behalf of those who crucified Me and
on behalf of those who loved Me. When I say, "Forgive them ". I do not mean only those, but all those who seek
refuge in My blood: All penitent sinners from the day of Adam to eternity. Forgive them, as "For this purpose I came
to this hour" (John 12:27). One of those to whom this verse did apply, "For they do not know what they do"was St.
Longinus, the soldier who pierced Christ with a spear... Our Church commemorates him on two days: on the 23rd
of the Coptic month Abib and the 5th of the month Hatoor... He pierced Christ with a spear, not knowing what he was
doing. Thus, the Lord forgave him, and also, converted him. St. Longinus believed and preached in Cappadocia and
gained the crown of martyrdom at the hands of Caesar Tiberius. The Lord revealed his blessedness through many
miracles that took place following his death. The verse: "For they do not know what they do' ;(Luke 23:34) also
applies to another Saint. He was a wild beast who fought the Christians fiercely, tormented and killed
them... He was the right hand to Emperor Diocletian who helped him greatly in torturing the Christians. He was
incomparably fierce and awful... To him was dispatched any Christian whom the Roman magistrates would fail to
torture fully. There he would be subjected to new ingenious unmerciful torture techniques. This man was St. Arianus
the magistrate of the city of Ansena (Now called El Sheik Ubada, in the Province of Mallawi, E1 Menia, Egypt). He Page |
put to death many thousands of Christians, with the utmost atrocity and ferocity. Knowing not what he was doing, he
continued in his persecutions until he believed in Christ and died a martyr on the 8th of the Coptic month Baramhat at 3
the hands of the Roman Emperor Diocletian. His name was recorded in the Church's Chronicle (Sanexsarium), and the
Church came to commemorate him as one of its great saintly fathers... Saul of Tarsus was, also, one of those, "Who
knew not what they do"... He made havoc of the church, entering into every house and having men and women
committed to prison (Acts 8:3). He took part in the persecution of St. Stephen the archdeacon and the first Christian
martyr (Acts 7:58), he was a monstrous and dreadful person... However, he did not know what he was doing until the
Lord revealed Himself to him on the road to Damascus and found him a Chosen Vessel. So, Saul believed and was
baptised; he became Paul the Apostle who preached the name of Christ. He suffered more than any other Apostle, was
persecuted and tormented severely and died as a martyr at the hands of Emperor Nero. He became one of the great
pillars of Christianity and one of its illuminated high towers... What would have become of St. Paul, if the Lord Jesus
Christ had not kindly said: "Father, forgive them for they do not know what they do. " "Father, forgive them... " I do
not wish to take revenge; I do not want to return evil for evil. Some of them crucified me, yet,
"I go to prepare a place for you. I will come again and receive you to Myself: that where I am, there you may be also.
" (John 14:3). "Father, Forgive them ", when He said this, He did not mean to forgive all His persecutors without
exception. For nobody could be endowed with forgiveness unless he fulfils two essential conditions: Faith and
Penitence. Without Faith and Penitence nobody can attain salvation or forgiveness. Father, forgive those who do
believe and repent. The Scripture says: "For God so loved the world, that He gave His Only Begotten Son "... He
loved the whole world and gave His Son for the whole world.. but did the whole world attain salvation? .No, only
those who believe in him as the rest of the verse says, "That whosoever believes in Him should not perish, but have
everlasting life". (John 3:16). This concerns the requirement of faith; as for the requirement of penitence, the Lord
says: "I tell you, No; but, unless you repent you will a11 likewise perish ". (Luke 13:3).
Thus, this demand, "Forgive them", would not apply to the Jews at the present time, as they still believe in
Judaism and are persistent in their denial of the Lord Jesus Christ and the virginity of the Blessed Virgin. They still
maintain that Jesus Christ, who was born in Nazareth in 1979 was a deviant and made others go astray. So, their
forefathers deservedly condemned him to death. Thus their acquiescence to what their ancestors did make them
partakers in the same crime and they will have to stand trial. But, if they do repent and believe and become Christians,
the Lord will forgive them and they would not be called Jews any longer. The Lord Jesus Christ brought salvation to
the whole world, but none will enjoy this salvation except the penitent and the believers who follow His paths, led by
the Holy Spirit working in His sacraments. Father, forgive those penitent believers. To those who persistently and
blindly deny, The Lord Jesus Christ said "And where I am, you cannot come" (John 7:34). Again, He told
them: "And you will seek Me, and will die in your sins.. For if you do not believe that I am He, you will die in your
sins. " (John 8:2I, 24) Three times in the Eighth chapter of the gospel of St. John the Lord Jesus Christ tells
them, "For if you believe not that I am He, you shall die in your sins ". As for those in whom He has even the slightest
hope, and in as many times as they maltreat, persecute and spurn Him, He will still lovingly reiterate His kind
supplication to the Father: "Forgive them for they do not know what they do ". The Samaritans are among those
who refused to receive Him and denied Him admission to their country. His disciples James and John were
zealous and asked Him to command a fire to come down from Heaven, and consume them. But He rebuked His
disciples, saying: "You do not know what manner of spirit you are of. For the Son of Man did not come to destroy
men's lives, but to save them " (Luke 9: 52-56). This was what He told His disciples, but undoubtedly, to God He
said: "Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do. " Thus He treated them with patience and tolerance
until they came to know, love and believe in Him, "Now we
believe, not because of what you said: for we ourselves have heard Him, and know that this is indeed the Christ, the
Saviour of the World. " (John 4:42). "Father, forgive them. " These words embody the ultimate love and the
ultimate forgiveness. In order to grasp their full significance, apply them to your situation... You may forgive a
person who just gave you a difficult time. But imagine a person that would charge you falsely, convict you
unjustly, instigate both the people and the authorities against you, mock and insult you, then go about scourging you
and hanging you, forcing nails into your hands and feet... Regardless of all that and while at the peak of your agony
and torment, you would forgive him, pray for him and even champion his cause... That attitude requires some sort of
love, which is supernatural and totally unheard of... Many were those who had been converted to Christianity only
because of this verse: "Father, forgive them for this cause I came to this hour. " This is My sole consolation and only
joy. The reward of all My torment on the Cross, a compensation for all My abuse, insult, bitterness and deprivation...
In other words, these people are overpowered by their sins, overcome by their bondage to the Devil, the weakness of
their will and their ignorance; I feel compassion upon them forgetting what they do against me, for "Love does not
seek its own. " My only desire is to let You know that they need Your forgiveness. Forgive them for that will surely
gladden Me, and if that is granted, My mission is considered accomplished and My purpose realised... Indeed,
why was Christ incarnated? Was it not because He wanted the Lord to forgive these people? Why did He take "The
form of a servant, and coming in the likeness of man" (Phil 2: 7)? Was it not because He wanted them to be forgiven?
Why did He bear our sins? Why was He condemned to death on the Cross? That was all for one purpose; to give us Page |
forgiveness... This phrase "Forgive them" was all for announcing the era of forgiveness and that is not a
promised forgiveness, but a paid for forgiveness. It is a declaration that the Divine Justice was satisfied that the 4
penalty has been paid in full. It is a deed - a document entitling the purchaser to the merchandise he paid for.
He purchased us with His own blood, and the only thing left for Him to do is to take us, to carry us with Him to
Paradise that we may enjoy eternal life with Him, and where He is we also will be... It seems as
though He was telling the Lord, "What are You asking these people for?" What sort of claim do You have
against them? Isn't it that You want to inflict death upon them as a penalty for their sins? Here I am dying in
their place. I am paying You off what they owe You. Relieve them of this verdict! You are being paid in full -
shortly after, I will announce to You that "It is finished "... With the words "Forgive them" the Lord Jesus
Christ declares His triumph over the Devil. All the Devil had strived for was to alienate people from God: to
preclude their redemption, to block their path to salvation. But our Lord who was wounded for our transgressions, did
open that path, sanctifying the tent with His gushing blood. His love overcame man's hatred; His meekness triumphed
over Satan's vanity... The people were telling Him: "If You are the Son of God, come down from the cross", and He by
saying "Father" declared that He was the Son. But in spite of being the Son, He would remain on the cross so that He
might be able to offer forgiveness to them. If He had come down from the Cross, He would not have been able to say:
"Forgive them ". Only then, the sacrificial love was able to work for giving forgiveness. "Forgive them" is the
supplication that all who had died in hope wished to hear since the beginning of all creation. If the Lord Jesus Christ
cherished so much love and forgiveness for His persecutors and antagonists, how much more would be the love and
forgiveness He afford His friends and followers!, how thorough would be His forgiveness and how great the reward
He would give to them! The soldiers guarding the Cross were struck by such a pronouncement. The thief on His right
was also astounded by these words. To this thief the Lord made the Second Pronouncement: "Today you will be with
Me in Paradise. "
The Second Word
"Assuredly I say to you, today you wilt be with Me in Paradise" (Luke 23:43).
The first person to whom the Lord spoke on the cross, was that thief... He did not start his life in fear of God, and
his sins led him to the cross. Whilst on the cross, he joined the other thief in reproving the Lord (Matt. 27:43). But
suddenly he was transformed and began to have faith. He turned from a reviler to a defender and from a mocker into a
man of faith and prayers.
How did he attain that faith and achieve that revival? In what way came he to believe in the Lord, not in His glory
but in His torment; while He was being mocked by the people and not while being sought by the multitudes asking to
be healed or blessed? Probably the Lord's forgiveness to His persecutors influenced much that hard-hearted thief, thus
God's loving kindness overpowered that man's ferocity. Perhaps Christ's very features, His countenance, His kindly
look or His deep warm voice did influence that man! Perhaps the Lord looked at him and his heart fell due to this
look! ... We have no way of knowing. Or could it be that the thief had an inherent disposition to penitence, was a rich
soil, which had waited for someone to cultivate it, to pluck its thorns and sow it with suitable seeds; so it might give a
good harvest... This malefactor was able to reach the Lord Jesus Christ with the group of the Eleventh Hour or the
Twelfth Hour. He prayed and was responded to as swiftly as could ever come a response... Many were those who
prayed for long, begged and supplicated with sweat and tears... But that criminal was able to achieve all he wanted by
one single concise and pointed sentence. That prayer of his was a source of meditations for many and the whole
Church joins this wonderful thief in reciting this prayer, learning it from him. That thief was the only person who
had a quick response from the Lord Jesus Christ, while many were those whom the Lord declined to answer
even by a single word... May I remind you that the Lord Jesus Christ declined to answer many people throughout the
period of His trial, torture and crucifixion. "He was oppressed, and He was afflicted, yet He opened not His mouth; He
was led as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before its shearers is silent, so He opened not His mouth" (Is 53:
7). He had only answered Caiphas the high priest when the latter adjured Him by the Living God (Matt. 26:63-64).
Pilate, the Roman governor was greatly astonished at His silence (Matt. 27:14). Many were those who derided Him,
but He did not respond, insulted Him without avail, challenged Him saying: "If You are the Son of God, come down
from the cross. " (Matt. 27.:40), but He never answered them. The malefactor on His left derided and challenged Him
saying: "If you are the Christ, save yourself and us" (Luke 23:39), but He did not reply. However, no sooner had the
malefactor on the right side said: "Remember me when You come to Your Kingdom ", than He responded to him
saying: "Assuredly, I say to you, today you will be with Me in Paradise (Luke 23: 42-43). How wonderful was the
Lord's companionship to that malefactor! He was His companion on the cross and a good one! Their
companionship extended because the Lord was not only satisfied with his company on the Cross but He decided that
this company would continue also in Paradise! He could have promised him only this much: "Today you will be in
paradise", but He actually said to him: "You will be with Me", meaning that he will be one of His retinue, and where
the Lord was to be he would be there also. How lucky was this thief! Our Lord was far from being disgusted with that
malefactor, He discovered in him on the contrary - a virtuous soul; conversed with him on the Cross, and was
delighted to please that malefactor with a promise and an assurance as to his future before facing death... You will be
with Me in Paradise, because your heart has been with Me on earth. For you commended your soul to Me on the Page |
Cross, you had your future entrusted to Me and in as much as you suffered with Me, you will be glorified with Me
also... You have been crucified and tormented together with Me, and you will also live with Me. What a wonderful 5
encounter on the Cross that was! Many were those who encountered God in churches and temples, others
encountered Him in their closed bedrooms at times of prayer, but the wonderful thing was to encounter God on the
Cross! Did it ever occur to this thief that if he was to repent one day and encounter God that their meeting would be in
that place! Truly, "The Kingdom of God does not come with observation " (Luke 17:20). We have no way to know
when and how the Divine Grace acts within a person. Truly, "The wind blows where it wishes" (John 3:8) This
malefactor led a life of wrongfulness and sin, and being as sinful as ever while on the Cross, joined his companion in
deriding the Lord... Was he denied then the Divine Grace, or was he forgotten by the Lord forever? .. On the contrary
the Lord's grace was awaiting the right time to act on him. Then came the time of redemption and salvation while he
was only a few paces from death... We have no way of knowing who will be chosen. Who thought that this
malefactor would be chosen! Who thought that within only one hour this person would achieve what took others tens
of years of arduous striving to accomplish? We only go by appearances; We disdain some and pity others, whilst any
of those may be far better than ourselves. However, we admit truly that this malefactor entered Paradise deservedly.
He was wonderful, amazingly wonderful in all that he did... He acknowledged Jesus Christ as the Lord when he
said: "Lord, remember me. " He acknowledged Him as king by saying: "When You come to Your Kingdom... " He
acknowledged Him as Saviour capable of conveying him to Paradise. While on the cross, this malefactor confessed his
personal sins and admitted that he deserved death. He rebuked the other malefactor saying: "And we indeed justly: for
we receive the due reward of our deeds. " He reproached his companion for his abuse of the Lord Jesus Christ,
saying: "Do you not even fear God, seeing you are under the same condemnation... but this man has done nothing
wrong. " (Luke 23:40-41). Thus, he admitted that Christ was righteous and free from sin. Consequently, His
crucifixion was not due to a sin of His own, which means that He was crucified for sins perpetrated by others.
It is really amazing that among all these multitudes, the only person who defended the Lord Jesus Christ was
that malefactor! None among the twelve disciples did defend Him, none among the seventy apostles, none among
those who were healed by Him, or those whose demons He exorcised... Nobody at all did defend Him... He had to
stand trial alone. Now the only person who defended His cause and would not allow one word of abuse to be directed
to Him was the malefactor on His right side! Could any of the disciples or the believers have imagined that the only
person to champion the Lord's cause would be a thief! Truly the Lord Said: "Take heed that you do not despise one of
these little ones" (Matt. 18:10). Brother, do not ever think vainly of your worthiness or that you are better than
such persons. Never think that you are equal to any of the apostles or the close followers of the Lord. All of those
stood aloof and came not to the defence of Christ. The only defender was the thief: a person least expected to that, and
totally unknown... A really wonderful thing about this malefactor is that besides his defence of Christ, he was all
preoccupied with his eternal life. He was all anxious to prepare himself for the Hereafter. He was, like Christ, not very
much concerned about his physical pain, but really worried about his eternal life. Thus, in all penitence and
supplication, he said: "Lord, remember me", Remember me with Your grace and not for my sins. Or as David
said: "Remember, O LORD, Your tender mercies and Your loving kindness, For they are from of old. 7 Do not
remember the sins of my youth, nor my transgressions; According to Your mercy remember me, For Your goodness'
sake, O LORD. " (Ps. 25: 6 & 7). "Remember me", and remember not to count me among those of whom you said: "I
do not know".. Remember this companionship, the few hours I spent next to You on the Cross are the most
valuable in my life... They are the happiest of all. I enjoyed the partnership of Your passions and can proudly say: "I
am crucified with Christ" (Gal 2:20). For the sake of this companionship; remember me! My crucifixion with You,
side by side was certainly shameful for you, but it is a source of eternal pride for me. Satisfied will I be with these few
hours at Your side, but I wish I could make it only the point of departure for a long lasting friendship. The
words "Remember me" points to the existence of a prior relationship. It means that I have been already known to You
that I am marked down in Your records: inscribed on Your palm. Lord, You were "Numbered with the
transgressor" (Is 53:12); crucified with the sinful, but while that is considered a disgrace to You, it is a source of
grace and bliss for me... How delightful it is to be near You, that alleviates all my pain. .. on the contrary, I feel no
pain but Your spirit infiltrating all my body, purifying and sanctifying me, and
turning me into a new person. You are like the rays of the sun that never get polluted by filthy bodies, but rather purify
them... I am really covetous of Your friendship, I wish I had known you before. So, remember me! I wish that
everyone among us would join this thief in saying: "Remember me ". Remember that You have a son in a faraway
land, a prodigal servant excluded from Your house. Remember me in my weakness, in my humiliation, in my bondage
and in my downfall so You might raise me and redeem my spirit. Remember me because I have nobody to remember
me. "I have no man when the water is stirred up, to put me into the pool" (John 5:7).. The story of this thief points to
the fact that people's actions differ at the hour of death. One would say that the thief just remembered the Lord and
was penitent as he was bound to do so shortly before his death. On the contrary, the other malefactor was also facing
death but, as the Bible says, he was deriding Christ, never feared God or was a bit concerned about his eternal life; all
he cared for was to get rid of the cross (Luke 23:39) to resume his, wasteful life... At that point he was rebuked by his
companion. At the moment of death he was not at all repentant but went on committing other transgressions Page |
and with the same callousness!.. The thief on the left side of Christ was also close to Christ as far as physical
distance is concerned, but his mind was so far away from Him; even at the time of death! The moment of death would 6
not remind him of penitence, or urge him to take stock, not by any means... He was not a bit moved by Christ's
forgiveness to His persecutors; he was not even jealous of the promise attained by his companion to enter Paradise. He
never had faith even after the earth had shaken, the rocks cracked and darkness reigned over the area... He was very
much heedless of his eternity, even at the moment of death. He was still in love with the world and the recapture of the
earthly life... He wanted nothing of Christ or His companionship except to make Him facilitate his coming down from
the cross... This story carries a very severe lesson to those who postpone their act of penitence, thinking that
they can do this at the closing days of their earthly life though nobody knows when! Many will be those who will
act like the thief of the left side; cursing, rebelling and wanting to continue with their life! He who has been pinned to
a habit will find it hard to renounce his habit even if spikes were driven into his flesh and he was about to give up the
ghost! If man is not responding to God's grace, yielding to God's providence he could sin even at the moment of his
death. Many are those who break into tears at the approaching moment of death, not because they want
penitence, but because death will deprive them from their worldly passions! They cry because death will sever
them from their beloved and their desires. The world is still delightful to them even at the moment of death. Do not
assume that death necessarily brings man to submission! That might apply to some but not to all. The thief on the right
did take advantage of the moment of death while the other did not. When the thief of the left was still deriding and
rebuking the Lord, his companion went on supplicating in these words: "Remember me when You come to Your
Kingdom ". The Lord did not disregard the penitent thief. He did not even hesitate in responding to his
prayer. The answer came faster than the thief could have ever imagined. He did not, at the imminent moment of
death, despair of the Lord's forgiveness. The Lord in turn assured him firmly by saying: "Assuredly, I say to you,
today you shall be with Me in Paradise". You are with Me now and shortly after, you will also be with Me, but much
difference is there between both situations; As you were with Me in torment, you will be with Me in Paradise. Here
you find torment; there you will find consolation... When the Lord said: "In Paradise' ; He was correcting an
error of the malefactor, and He did that with His overcame calmness and kindness... The malefactor said:
Remember me when You come to Your Kingdom, " Rightly he believed that Christ has a spiritual kingdom in
heaven, and that His kingdom is not of this world as some people claim. Yet people will not enter the Kingdom of
Heaven till after the Day of Judgment. Following death, people go to a waiting place. And this is Paradise for the
faithful. Thus, the Lord Jesus Christ did not answer the malefactor, saying that, "Today you will be in My Kingdom of
Heaven". He said, instead: "In Paradise". In that, He continued His mission as a kindly teacher, even while on the
Cross, and with His ever humble attitude. He was ateacher who points out the error to the erring person without
rebuke or reproach. "You will be with Me in Paradise" is a pledge.. and you will come also with Me in My second
advent on the clouds. You will stand at My right on the Day of Judgment, as you are now on My right on the Cross.
You will represent the righteous, you will reign with Me in My kingdom and will be with Me throughout Eternity...
Here I am with you every day and forever after... Perhaps this pledge encouraged the thief to accept death with joy;
with the great expectation to be with Christ... Thus, we can say with the thief how delightful is death! "Oh, death,
where is your sting?" Death terrifies the sinful but is a source of joy for those who die in hope, those who have been
assured of their eternal life and their crowns, those who have listened to Christ saying: "Today you will be with Me in
Paradise". When the Lord said, "You will be with Me in Paradise' ; He did not only declare to the thief that he
had already been forgiven but that Paradise was also now open once again since Adam. Paradise was closed all
this time; inaccessible to any human spirit because of the original sin. Actually we recite words whenever we bid
farewell to a departing soul, we say at the funeral service: "Lord, open for this soul the gates of Paradise as You did
for that thief." The forgiveness endowed the thief was an act of God and the opening of the gates of Paradise was
also a Divine Act. Two actions taken by the Lord on the Cross demonstrate His divinity: He did not merely
request forgiveness for the thief and that he may be in Paradise, but Christ's words
were almost imperative: "Today you will be with Me' ; as if He had assumed His position as a Righteous Judge
designing the eternal life of a human being. Being now in that position, He decided that the thief should enter Paradise
the same day. Can any human do that? His is a Divine authority not to be practiced by any man. As for the opening of
Paradise; was that within the power even of a high priest or prophet? Absolutely not! All of them waited for the
Saviour to open it. It is a divine action. It is also a declaration of the adequacy of the bloodshed for us to open the
gates of Paradise. Truly He has the power and the authority. "He that opens, and no man shuts: And shuts, and no
man opens" (Rev 3: 7 - Is 22:22). "And have the keys of hell and of death" (Rev 12:18). Furthermore, He has the keys
of Heaven and earth, and has the power to give them to His disciples and followers on earth. He was the one who
opened the gate to the wise virgins. To Him the foolish prayed, saying: "Lord, Lord, open to us" (Matt.
25:11). Nevertheless, He would not open His Paradise except for those who confide in Him, the way the thief of the
right did and so deserved to hear the words "Today you will be with Me in Paradise". The word "Today"
undoubtedly proves that there is no purgatory as some Christians believe. The malefactor entered Paradise the
same day he died, without staying in the so-called purgatory, even for one hour! The word Today also defeats the
assumption that the spirit of the deceased keeps haunting their place of residence on earth until the third day, and a Page |
Mass has to be performed to drive away these spirits! Did the spirit of the thief linger to the third day? Or, did it enter
Paradise the same day?. With the word "Paradise", the Lord indicated the place where men go after death; it also 7
explains that Paradise is the waiting place for the faithful and that they will be there enjoying the
company of Christ until the Day of Judgment... Let us contemplate the verse, "Today you will be with Me". How
delightful it is to be in the company of the Lord! To be with the Lord is more pleasant than to be in Paradise, or
rather it is the best that we can have in Paradise. That is exactly what the Lord promised us. "I will come again, and
receive you to Myself,: that where I am, there you may be also. " (John 14:3). How wonderful is that promise! It is our
hope and our goal that we passionately strive for... Our spiritual life is all in all a togetherness with the Lord... With
these words, the Lord made the thief happy and in spite of the physical pain of crucifixion the Lord endeavoured to
assure the thief, to converse with him and please him. The Lord Jesus Christ became oblivious of all His excruciating
pain of thorns, cuts, and scourging. He devotedly listened to that malefactor, conversed and assured him... Truly,
"Love does not seek its own" (1 Cor 13:5). " Let no man seek his own, but each one the other's well-being. " (1 Cor.
10:24) In many instances we are approached by others, while being busy and we feel so disgusted and annoyed. We
tell them that we have no time for them, and tell them to come back later. Consider the Lord, He would not say any of
that even while being on the Cross. Regardless of His torment, He lent an ear to the malefactor, offered him the
attention he needed; responded to his supplication; brought delight to his heart; and demonstrated to all of us that it is
possible to attend to others' needs even while on the Cross... The Lord also demonstrated to us by the attention He
offered the malefactor that the attention given to a single individual is as important as attention provided to a
group. In addition to His sacrificial act offered to all the world and for every believer, and in addition to His
forgiveness to His persecutors, He attended to the needs of an individual: the thief. For to the Lord Christ an
individual has all the right to be attended to, as well as all the group. An individual still holds the same importance and
significance as the multitude... Thus, we see that the Lord Jesus Christ, while preaching the gospel was working
individually and collectively. He attended to the multitudes in His Sermon on the Mount and among the five
thousand whom He fed with five loaves and two fishes. Likewise He worked with individuals as He did with the
Twelve Disciples or three of them: Peter, James and John; or with Nicodemus, with Mary and Martha at their home or
with the Samaritan woman at the well... God does not forget the ndividual among the group. The lost sheep would not
be lost and forgotten overridden by the remaining ninety-nine... The malefactor's soul would not be lost only because
the whole world's salvation is at stake!
The Third Word
"Woman, behold your son... Behold your mother" (John 19:26 & 27).
The Lord was preoccupied by the others while on the Cross. He was concerned about His persecutors,
saying: "Father, forgive them ". He cared for the thief on His right, promising him Paradise, saying: "Today you will
be with Me in Paradise";
He also directed His attention to His mother, entrusting His beloved disciple, John with the task of taking care of her.
He entrusted His virgin disciple with His Virgin Mother. He entrusted His mother, who nursed and cherished
Him dearly, to His beloved disciple who in many an instance lent back on his breast. He entrusted His mother
who stood beside His cross, to the only disciple who followed Him to the Cross. He entrusted His mother who
carried in her womb the smouldering ember of His divinity to His disciple who wrote the gospel to establish this
Divinity. He said to her: "Behold your son... " and said to him: "Behold your mother "And from that hour that disciple
took her to his own home" (John 19:27). Thus the Lord gave us an example of giving care to our kin, and our mothers
in particular. He was concerned about that receptacle which held Him for nine months; the mother who cared for Him
in His childhood and to whom He was obedient. (Luke 2:51). Normally, a person in pain receives the attention of
others, but the Lord Christ in His pain was the one caring for others... How much more can His care be for us
now in His repose... His first concern was to forgive the sins, then He turned to social care and the first one to receive
His care was His mother. There are some people who came to believe that the Lord, in His emphasis on the spiritual
ties, has annulled family ties, as a misinterpretation of His pronouncement: "Who is My mother and who are My
brethren?.. For whoever does the will of My Father in heaven is My brother and sister and mother " (Matt. 12:48-
50).The Lord on the Cross refuted this false belief. Dedication and devotion to God, and to the Universal Church does
not necessarily mean that a person should neglect his kin, especially his household. "But if anyone does not provide
for his own, and especially for those of His household, He has denied the faith, and is worse than an unbeliever. "
(1Tim. 5:8) Such devotion does not give a person excuse for the neglect of his parents and his mother in particular. It
seems that the Lord Christ and His holy mother Virgin Mary were destined to meet in this manner. Her holy
face was the first face He saw on His advent to the world in human form, and was also the last face He saw before
commending His spirit into the hands of the Father. She was a loving mother who followed her Son wherever He went
and clung to Him in His torment in the deepest love and compassion, lulling Him with these impressive words: "The
world rejoices at the acceptance of salvation, but my heart burns fiercely at the sight of Your crucifixion which You
bear patiently for the sake of all, Oh, my Son and my God". Here we see also a loving Son who cares for His mother
even at the moment of His deepest pain. Thus, the Lord Jesus Christ saw that he must take care of His mother at the
time of her distress, to console her through her grief. "A sword shall pierce. Through your own soul, also " Page |
(Luke 2:35)... He thought it proper, being a Son, to comfort His mother in her distress. He comforted her by talking
to her, caring for her, managing her affairs, and offering her a spiritual son to keep her company... Christ's 8
dialogue with His mother while on the cross was different from that between Him and the thief on the right side. The
thief started the dialogue, and the Lord responded to him. With the blessed-mother, the Lord was the one
who addressed her first - He did not wait for her to talk first. He did not wait until she expressed her grief. Truly, she
would not have said a word of complaint... She had been used to keeping her peace. Even at the side of the Cross she
did not cry. On the contrary she was calm and composed, mourning in silence. The Lord knew what she was silent
about, was conscious to her inner thoughts and feelings, so, He addressed her without her asking to be talked to and
the blessed mother obeyed her Son and went to live with the beloved disciple... The Virgin was a real blessing to St.
John and his household, a blessing that Christ gave him in return for his love. St. John accepted her as a precious
and a valuable gift and she remained in his home cared and attended to until her death. It is said that St. John did not
leave Jerusalem till the holy Virgin departed... St. John so loved the Lord Christ that he followed Him to the Cross,
remained at His side throughout His passions. He certainly deserved a reward, on earth as well as in Heaven. As for
his reward on earth, he was blessed with sheltering the holy Virgin in his home. In fact all those who follow the Lord
Christ will surely be rewarded and will have His bliss and grace. The blessed Mother in turn accepted St. John as a
son to her. The Lord offered her the most faithful, sympathetic and loving one among His disciples. St. John was
the most ardent exponent of love. It was he who said, "God is love" (1 John 4:16), and was also the disciple who "Was
Leaning on Jesus' bosom " ". . . whom Jesus loved. " He was the only one how offered the Virgin mother the image
of her Son.. Christ on the Cross seemed not to possess anything; even His garment was taken away and torn, But He
had, then, John, His disciple, and that He gave to His mother. John gave his heart to Christ. And Christ took that
heart and gave it to His mother. Thus, the Lord brought together those who loved Him... He took care of His mother
emotionally and at the same time He provided for her living... I keep wondering: who was caring for the other: St.
John or the holy Virgin! Virgin Mary was there at John's home not to depend on him for her living, but to nourish him
with her bliss and grace; and also, to acquaint him deeply and thoroughly with the Lord Christ...
The fact that the Lord Christ entrusted St. John with His mother refutes undoubtedly the allegations made by
the Protestants that Virgin Mary had other children besides Jesus Christ. If that was true any one of her sons
would have been better qualified to take care of her. They would have had more of a right to that than any person
outside their family circle. Virgin Mary was without kin at that time; she had no children and Joseph passed away a
long time ago. For that reason Christ entrusted His disciple with His Mother. "Behold your son "... These words give
us an idea about the spiritual relation of a son and his mother and demonstrate the honour given the Virgin even with
respect to the father apostles.
The Fourth Word
"My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?" (Matt.27:46).
This statement does not mean a separation of the divine nature of Jesus Christ from His human nature, nor
does it mean that the Father has forsaken the Son. It means rather that the Father has allowed Him to be
tormented.
His divine nature and His human nature were never separated for a single moment or a wink of the eye. That is what
we firmly believe in and what we recite in the Holy Mass... If ever His divine nature deserted Him, His redemption
could never have been considered as infinite, rendering infinite salvation, capable of atoning for the sins of all
humanity throughout the ages. Thus, there was no rupture between His divine and human nature. As for His
relationship with the Father, the Father did not forsake Him. Let us only consider this verse: "Believe Me that I am in
the Father, and the Father in Me" (John 14:1l). What is the meaning then of, "Why have you forsaken Me?"
It does not mean a separation; it indicates only that the Father did allow that He should suffer; that He should bear the
blame and suffer God's wrath over sin. That goes for the emotional torment He underwent. As for the physical pain;
God allowed that He should suffer physically though God, in His omnipotence, could have made Him insensible to
pain. But, if that had happened, the Crucifixion would have been null and void - for pain would never have been
experienced and consequently, no penalty has been inflicted, no acquittal effected and no redemption accomplished...
Thus, the Father allowed that the Son should suffer, and the Son accepted that ordinance and was also afflicted
by it. In fact Christ came to the world for that particular reason.. It was a rupture that both parties
preconceived and agreed to... for the sake of humanity, and the Divine Justice... God allowed that Jesus should
suffer, sacrifice Himself and be tortured but did not break away from Him... It was not a separation but rather a
dispensation. God suffered that His Son should suffer but still loved him fully, "Yet it pleased the Lord to bruise Him"
(Is. 53:10). An example that may make the meaning easy to grasp: Suppose a parent accompanied his child to the
hospital for an operation, let us say for the removal of an abscess; that the parent was holding the child's hand while
the surgeon went on with his incision. The child would then start to cry and plead
with his father not to let that happen to him saying to him, "Why did you forsake me? " In fact, the father did not
desert his child, he only allowed him to suffer since the operation was for his own good and he had only total care and
love for his child. This incident, I would say, demonstrates how that could be considered abandonment without actual
severance of ties. The word "Forsaken " means that the torment of Crucifixion was actual and that God's Page |
wrath was excruciating... The act of abandonment was the climax of all torment on the Cross; all torment of
redemption... Here Christ resembles a burnt sacrifice. An offering to God for the atonement of sin - to be consumed by 9
the divine fire until it turns to ashes and satisfies fully the Divine Justice.. A great number of theologians do believe
that the Lord when saying, "My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me" was reminding the Jews of the
Twenty-second Psalm which starts with the same verse. They were referred to as those who, Do not knowing the
Scriptures (Matt. 22:29) while those Scriptures testified of Him (John 5:39). So the Lord Christ chose to remind
them of this particular Psalm. Actually the system of numbering the Psalms was not known to the Jews. They
used to identify each Psalm by its opening verse, as it is the custom among the Egyptian monks nowadays...
What does this Psalm tell us about Jesus Christ? "They have pierced My hands and My feet, I can count all My
bones; they look and stare at Me; they divide My garments among them, And for My clothing they cast lots. " (Ps
22:16-18). It is all evident that David the Prophet, who composed this Psalm, had nobody pierce his hands or feet.
Nobody parted his garments or cast lots upon his vesture. This verse was actually an inspired prophecy about Jesus
Christ - as if Christ on the Cross was telling the Jews: "Go ahead and read the Psalm, starting with: "My God, My God,
why have You forsaken Me?" and see what has been told about Me. You will see also that the following has been said
about Me: "A reproach of men, and despised of the people. All they, that see Me, laugh Me to scorn: they shoot out the
lip, they shake the head, saying: He trusted in the Lord that He would deliver Him, let Him deliver Him, seeing He
delighted in Him " (Ps 22: 6 8). To analyze this entire Psalm would require more space than we have... It illustrates
Christ's sufferings on the Cross. "Then He opened their understanding, that they might understand the Scriptures."
(Luke 24:45). All that the Psalm described began to be realised. Thus, He was able to say shortly after: "It is
finished. " But why did they not say, "It is finished" right after His pronouncement: "My God, My God, why have You
forsaken Me?" The reason is that there is another verse in this Psalm that was not yet realised which is: "My strength
is dried up like a potsherd: and My tongue clings to My jaws. " (Ps. 22:15) this part will be realised later when He
says: "I thirst ". That is why He said, "It is finished" right after. Then why did the Lord Christ say: "My God, My
God?" He said that in His capacity as a representative of humanity. He said that because He took the shape of a
servant, and became similar to man. "But made Himself of no reputation. taking the form of a bondservant, and
coming in the likeness of men " (Phil. 2: 7 and 8). He said these words because "He humbled Himself", "and became
obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross" (Phil. 2:9) He spoke as the Son of man, who has taken over
a human nature and taken man's position, and agreed to represent humanity before God, assumed all human sins and is
paying off all their debts. Here we see that all humanity is talking through Him... As He assumed all human sins,
and a sin is a separation from God and a cause of God's wrath, all humanity is crying through Christ, saying: "My God,
My God, why have You forsaken Me?"... Christ represented humanity in so many things if not in all things! !
Christ did fast on our behalf: Adam and Eve were not able to abstain from the forbidden fruit and they plucked it
and ate. As for Christ, He began His life by abstaining even from all edibles. He was in no need to fast, but He fasted
forty days and forty nights as mentioned in the church hymns. He represented us in observing God's law: "The Lord
looked down from heaven upon the children of men, to see if there were any who understand, and seek God. They have
all gone aside, they have all together become corrupt; " (Ps. 14:2,3). When Christ came, He represented humanity in
being obedient to God. He observed the Law, "To fulfil all righteousness" (Matt. 3:15) as He mentioned at the time of
baptism. Thus, He acted the part of humanity in offering God a chaste and a gracious acceptable life... He
represented us in death, torment and the atonement of sin: "For He has made Him to be sin for us who knew no
sin" (2 Cor 5:21). He suffered all God's wrath for the sinful with all the bitterness therein. And as a representative of
humanity said: "My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?" And He who helped everybody and has never
forsaken any person, was forsaken by all, even by the ather. In that way He paid off our debt and suffered God's
wrath and emerged triumphant, having been tried emotionally and physically... He also gave us that a poignant lesson
so that we may be more cautious. If sin would have as a consequence all such abandonment and pain, we
should: "See then that we walk circumspectly" (Eph. 5:15). We should be wary about abandoning God so that God
would not abandon us in turn. The Son Himself has been forsaken. The torment of being abandoned is unbearable.
We should thank our Lord Jesus Christ for all that love and for all His abnegation.. The words: "why have You
forsaken Me?" should be a source of consolation for us when we encounter any difficulty. Knowing that if the Lord
has not "Spared His Own Son" (Rom. 8:32), why should we grumble about whatever suffering God allows? God was
pleased to put His own beloved Son to Grief. And in spite of His saying "This is My Beloved, Son, in whom I am well
pleased" (Matt. 3:17), why do we grumble at the moments of trial though we could never suffer as much as Christ
suffered and though we deserve to be punished. The Son drank willingly the cup that the Father offered Him. He only
said, "Your will be done" and was obedient until death on the Cross. His pronouncement: "why have You forsaken
Me?" was not a complaint or protest, as we have said before but it was only an expression of the reality of His
suffering and a declaration that the act of redemption is being ealised...
The Fifth Word
"I thirst " (John 19:28).
Because of my sins and yours, brethren, the Lord Jesus Christ said: "and My tongue clings to My jaws... My strength is
dried up like a potsherd" (Ps. 22:15). All His body liquids had been drained foe so many reasons: For all the sweat Page |
that His body bled while struggling for our salvation in the Garden in Gethsemane: "His sweat became like great
drops of blood falling down to the ground!" (Luke 22:44). For all His sweating as He carried the cross along 10
the way, under the scorching sun at noon. For all His exhaustion and fatigue resulting from extended court sessions
and also the scourging. Add to that the extensive bleeding from the scourging, thorns on His head and nails piercing
His flesh. For all that His tongue clung to His jaws, and His bodily resistance had gone and He said: "I thirst". By this
declaration, He indicated that the hot iron began to be struck or that the fire had begun to consume the
sacrifice.. Divine Justice was being done, and His divinity refrained from alleviating the physical pain that His human
body was suffering. His was pain in its absolute sense, pain that pleased the Father and made Him smell a soothing
aroma, The Son expressed this by declaring: "I thirst"? By this declaration, the heretics are put to shame. Those who
tried to under-rate the human nature of the Lord on the cross. If he had not been fully human, He would not have
said: "I thirst."... However, one is apt to wonder how Jesus became thirsty, though He is the well and the source
of the living water: "If anyone thirst, let him come to Me, and drink" (John 7:37). He said to the Samaritan
woman: "But whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst. But the water that I shall give him will
become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life." (John 4:14). What did He really mean by the
words, "I thirst": Certainly, He was thirsty in the physical sense. Also, that spiritually He was thirsty for the
forthcoming salvation that He was offering to the world. He experienced an eager desire to the concluding
statement: "It is finished". There is an analogy between what He said now and what He said to the Samaritan: "Give
Me a drink. " He was not then referring to water in the common sense, knowing that "Whoever drinks of this water
shall thirst again," (John 4: 7,13). He was thirsty for her and for all the Samaritans; for her salvation and for theirs.
He did not say, "I thirst" to get water from the people around Him. He knew that they would offer Him vinegar
(Matt. 27:44, 48). He knew that through His divine power that enables Him to predict what is going to happen, He
knew that because of the prophecy: " And for my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink. " (Ps. 69:21).
He did not say: "I thirst' ; asking them to bring Him water, because He could not ask a human being for help and also
because He intended to drink the cup of pains to its end. That is why He shunned the cup of vinegar mixed with gall
that was offered Him to kill His pain, "They gave Him vinegar to drink mingled with gall. And when He had tasted
thereof, He would not drink" (Matt. 27. 34). The Lord wished that all the prophecies would be realised, and
declared that the redemption had been accomplished and that humanity could rest assured... However, the
sinful human beings mocked Him at the time He struggled for their salvation, and offered Him vinegar instead of
water, to double His pain. I wonder, Brethren, that perhaps we are still doing the same. The Lord thirst for our
alvation and for drinking of the product of the vine which sap flows within us, but we offer Him instead
the vinegar of our trespasses, inadvertence and neglect. Would you please, Brethren, withdraw that spear that you
are pointing at Christ's mouth and spare His lips from that sponge of vinegar? Would you regret hurting the
feelings of the one who loved you dearly, and do what you should do in penitence? And if you heard the Lord
saying: "I thirst" you may tell Him: I am the one who made your tongue cleave to your jaws due to my sins and
trespasses. I wish I could quench your thirst by my tears. I wish you could strike my adamant soul and drink from its
gushing waters...
The Sixth Word
"It is finished " (John 19:30).
Our Lord Jesus Christ the righteous and perfect in everything; the holy and the one - and only one - who committed
no sin; the one who lived on earth a whole life to the full satisfaction and pleasure of God the Father, was also perfect
in His preaching and ministry. He was able to accomplish what the Father wanted Him to accomplish and then cry
triumphantly: "I have finished the work which You have given Me to do" (John 17. 4). He was able to accomplish
every righteousness, that which the Law required. He was able deservedly to declare: "Which of you convicts Me of sin
" (John 8: 46). He realised all prophecies regarding His advent and the great act of redemption... all within the span of
three years and a few months. He achieved things that nobody was able to achieve before. He was able to spread the
Gospel and say to the Lord: "I have glorified You on the earth... I have manifested Your name to the men whom You
have given Me out of the world... For I have given to them the words which You have given Me... those whom You
gave Me I have kept, and none of them is lost... And I have declared to them Your name and will declare it" (John
17:4-6). Thus, He realised the prophecies, accomplished obedience and every righteousness, performed His ministry
and gave His love in full to His own whom He loved to the end (John13:1). Then He ascended the cross to accomplish
His sacrificial act, to bring about redemption, forgiveness and salvation to finish the act of reconcilement between
Heaven and earth; between the spiritual and the carnal. On that altar He carried on Himself the iniquities of us all ... all
the sins of all people throughout the ages from Adam to eternity - outrageous sins as they are: profanity, perfidy,
failing, adultery, dissipation, theft, murder, envy and arrogance. Then He was able to declare: "It is finished "... We, in
turn, touch this pure offering, and confess our sins everyday and add them to His pains that He might forgive us, and
that His blood may atone for our new trespasses... As sins were accumulated to the ultimate upon His
person, shame and disgrace were fully personified in Him as it is said: " I gave My back to those who struck Me,
And My cheeks to those who plucked out the beard; I did not hide My face from shame and spitting." (Is. 50:6), He
said also: "All those that see Me, laugh Me to scorn... A reproach of men, and despised of the people ". (Ps. 22: 6, 7). Page |
In all that, He was subjected to scourging, humiliation and derision: "Then they spit in His face and beat Him; and
others struck Him with the palms of their hands, saying, "Prophesy to us, Christ! Who is the one who struck You?" 11
(Matt. 26: 67, 68). They dressed Him in the purple garment, crowned Him with thorns and crucified Him between two
malefactors so that the prophecy may come true "Cursed is everyone that hangs on a tree" (Gal. 3:13, Deut 21:23).
Even on the cross He was still a target of humiliation and derision so that He might realise all His disgrace and cry: "It
is finished. " And as His disgrace was complete, His physical pain and God's wrath were perfected. The Lord has
paid it all -- offered Himself as a sacrifice, and the fire went on, consuming His offering until it turned into ashes (Lev
6:10). When Our Lord realised that He had completed the act of redemption and atonement, and that He had satisfied
the divine justice fully and nothing else could be done, He cried triumphantly: "It is finished." The act of salvation
for all has been accomplished, redemption has been fulfilled; the Son of Man was able to crush the serpent's
head. God, by reigning over the cross (Ps. 96:10), was able to demolish the kingdom of the devil. The atonement now
became all encompassing and adequate to liberate everybody. Now the veil of the temple could be rent in twain, and
the way to the sanctuary could be opened; reconciliation is now accomplished and the hope of the deceased saints
have been fulfilled. Nothing is left for You, God, but to, "gird Your sword upon Your thigh, O Mighty, with Your glory
and Your Majesty" (Ps. 45:3); the Lord cried in joy; "It is finished. ''
The words, "It is finished" is the cry of joy and triumph. He had fought and won. He was able to pay for us and
establish His heavenly spiritual kingdom - to shutter the kingdom of the devil that was formerly called "The prince of
the world. " (John24:30). Could you, Brethren, win what the Lord has won? Could you ascend the cross and crush the
head of the serpent? Could you look at the work God assigned to you and say: "It is finished"? I wish you would
always consider this maximum: "I have finished the work which You, God, have given Me
to do. " .. Put before you always the picture of the Lord perfecting His mission.
The Seventh Word
"Father, into Your hands I commit My spirit" (Luke 23:46).
The Lord accomplished His work of the Cross in the same manner He accomplished His work before the Crucifixion.
There remained one more job for Him to do after His death on the Cross. There remains for Him to: "Lead
captivity captive and gave gifts to men" (Eph 4:8). There remains for Him to descend to Hades and carry the good
news to the faithful among the deceased, to transfer those deceased saints from Hades to Paradise, thus opening
Paradise for the first time since the original sin.. Since the Act of Redemption had been accomplished, there was
no reason for further delay. He bad to depart from this body to accomplish the act of salvation for the deceased
also. He had to entrust the Father with His soul in order to do what was designated to be done after death. Thus,
He cried with a loud voice: "Father, into Your hands I commend My spirit"... Into Your hands I commend My
spirit and in no other hands..."For the ruler of this world is coming, and he has nothing in Me." (John 14:30). "I
came forth from the Father and have come into the world. Again, I leave the world and go to the Father." (John
16:28). How desirous was the prince of this world to acquire this spirit; to arrest this spirit in the same manner as he
arrested all other spirits that were imprisoned. But in no way could he do that with this particular spirit of the Lord
Jesus Christ, which was received by the Father Himself. This is My spirit, "No man takes it from Me I have the power
to lay it down, and I have the power to take it again". When Poor Lazarus died, his spirit was carried away by the
angels (Luke 16:22). The spirit of the Virgin Mother Mary was carried by Christ but the spirit of Christ was
carried by the Father. St. Matthew the Apostle says that Jesus "Had cried with a loud voice" (Matt. 27:50), then
yielded up the ghost, what can we know from this phrase? Undoubtedly Christ was greatly exhausted due to all the
exertion of carrying the cross to the extent of falling underneath it, and also, after being scourged, bruised and pierced
with nails and having bled and perspired so much that He had His mouth all dry when He said: "I thirst". How then is
it to be expected that He could cry with a loud voice? Crying with a loud voice at the hour of His death means
that He had another power that surpassed His human power. In other words it demonstrates His divinity. His
crying aloud indicates His triumph for with death He defeated death. This loud cry shook the Devil and
overthrew his kingdom. Truly, Christ's death was a triumph by which He saved the whole world and crushed the
serpent... The words, "Into Your hands I commend My spirit" affords us a great assurance of the immortality of the
spirit. The spirit does not end with death... death for the spirit is only a change from one type of existence to another.
The question is where would the spirit land after death. If man is assured about the answer, man will accept death with
joy, saying with St. Paul: "I have a desire to depart. " . Brother, are you sure about the destination of your
spirit? Is it that when you give up your spirit after a lengthy life, you will commend it into the hands of Christ or that
the angels would carry your spirit as it did to that of Lazarus? Or is it that the devil will claim it saying, "It is
mine, it was one of my soldiers under my command.. so I will take it to be with me. "? How awful would that be! !
Would you, brother, make sure then about the destination of your spirit! Be sure, my beloved, to remember always this
beautiful chant: "Let me die the death of the righteous, and let my end be like his " (Num 23:10). Commend your
spirit from now on into His hands by shunning all evil and by living in unison with God. Be like the angels of the
Seven Churches whom God was carrying in His right hand. Commend yourself also into the hands of the Lord Jesus
Christ. Be sure that you will hear His beautiful voice chanting: "And I give them eternal life; and they shall never
perish, neither shall anyone snatch them out of My Father's hand." (John 10:28, 29). Whenever you feel tempted Page |
by a sin or lust, ask yourself this question: Is my spirit now in the hands of the Lord?...
The Effectiveness Of These Words In Our Lives 12
These valuable words said by the Lord Jesus Christ on the cross are worthy of being cherished by all of us. Let them
have their effect on our lives... Let us weight in our minds every word and react to it... Here are two examples as to
how we can react to two pronouncements:
Father, forgive them:
The Lord had taught us to say in the Lord's prayer, "Forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors." Thus, the words
"Father, forgive them" have become a prerequisite to forgiveness for yourself. Let nobody imagine that he is
offering forgiveness to the others when he says: "Father, forgive them. " He is actually acquiring forgiveness for
himself. For, it is the prerequisite of getting forgiveness for yourself, to forgive the others.
"Forgive, and you will be forgiven " (Luke 6:37).
The Lord Jesus Christ did not comment on any verse except this one when He taught us the Lord's Prayer. He
said: "For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you" (Matt. 6:14,1:5).
Consequently, if you do not forgive others, you preclude forgiveness for yourself and not for others.
If you say: "Father, forgive them", He will, answer you saying: `I will forgive you, too.' Thus, your forgiveness to
others is something you are bound to do , if you wish to be forgiven yourself... You are better off then, if your
forgiveness - as it is the case with Christ - is based on love, not being an obligation for obtaining forgiveness for
yourself... Probably this forgiveness to others would annoy you inwardly and would not be acceptable to your reason
and judgment. How can I forgive that person who so much annoyed, aggravated and humiliated me? I should tell you:
Just endure and be patient. Actually when you offer forgiveness to this person, you are offering it to yourself. Then
forgive, that God might forgive you. And I repeat; let your forgiveness be for love and not as a necessity.
When the Lord Christ came to the Cross asking the Father forgiveness for all the sins of people, He began by
forgiving His persecutors first. It was as if Christ was saying to the Father: `I forgive them for all they did, so that
you may forgive Me' - not because He wanted the Father to forgive His sins - for Christ was without sin, "Which of
you convicts Me of sin?" (John 8:46) but to forgive the sins He carried for others, for He is "The Lamb of
God, that takes away the sin of the world" (John 1:29), "And the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all" (Is. 53:6).
You may say, `How can I forgive them for all they did to me? Is it not enough that I am keeping my peace and
not returning evil for evil?... No, my dear, this peace is not enough, you have to overcome your inner feelings and
forgive willingly.. When you have won the battle within yourself, and forgiven for love, you will have ascended
the Cross. When you ascend the Cross you will be able to say: "That I may know Him, and the power of His
resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings" (Phil. 3:10). You have partaken the Lord in His suffering, ascended
with Him the Cross and forgiven the offenders for they know not what they are doing.
"Today you will be with Me in Paradise"
Say to yourself, `if I wish to have that promise from the Lord Christ, I should say as the malefactor has
said: "For we receive the due reward of our deeds "... The malefactor on the right side of the Lord did not rebel
against the torment he was subjected to. On the contrary, all he wanted was to be forgiven in eternity. This is an
example to follow and not that of the other convict who asked that Christ would come down from the Cross and let
him come down also, or as he said, Save Yourself and us. What a wretched fellow he was. For Christ to come down
from the Cross would have brought the damnation of the whole world. If that thief was seeking salvation of his spirit,
he would have said `Would you please, Lord, stay a little on the Cross, for my sake, so that I may not
perish. Please, Lord, bear up your pain for my sake, endure until death, so that you may pay the price of all my sins.' ...
Be spiritual, brother, as the thief on the right side who was anxious for his eternal life and not be as carnal as
the thief on the left who cared for nothing but to save his body.
Also, do not shun or rebel against any crisis in your life, but you should say as the penitent thief has said: "For we
receive the due reward of our deeds." If you ask the Lord to remember you in His kingdom, by the same token
you should remember Him on earth and cling to Him with love and adoration... Do not ask the Lord to remember
you only on earth but also in His kingdom. No matter what the earth has in store for your -- nails, crosses or suffering
-- the only thing that counts is your future life in the heavenly kingdom. It does not matter if we spend our life on
earth nailed to a cross.. the only thing that matters is to be with the Lord in His Paradise... Do not seek to come
down from your cross, but persevere and endure. The Lord has said to the thief: "Today You will be with Me in
Paradise. ' ; because He accepted His faith, confession and penitence. As for you, Brother, did you offer God faith,
confession and penitence in order to be worthy of His company in Paradise? If you have not done that already,
start now!??? Take part in His suffering so that you may be glorified with Him also. Remember that the
words: "Today you will be with Me in Paradise" are very reassuring and apt to fill you with joy and hope.
And if the thief has gotten a promise to be in Paradise, you should be in no way discouraged whatever your sins may
be. If the thief's penitence was accepted in the last moments of his life, you should not give up even if all your past life
has been a waste. The Lord's pledge to the thief illustrates fully how fast God's response to our prayers could be.
As soon as the thief said: "Remember me, Lord' ; he received an answer: ; "Today you will be with Me in
Paradise". Thus, persevere in your prayers and supplications, and keep reciting: "Lord, remember me" ... say this over Page |
and over, from the bottom of your heart and with faith, and be sure that God will respond to you. Do not succumb to
the Devil and let shame or pride preclude you from asking. The tax-collector in his deep shame said: "Lord, 13
have mercy on me." the thief in his acknowledgment of his sins, said, however: "Lord, remember me. " In the
same manner, in spite of all the shame we experience because of our sins, and in spite of the fact that we have no
means of defence or excuse, we would still recite the words: "Lord, remember me" because we have much more faith
in His love and forgiveness until we get a pledge to be with Him in Paradise. The Lord did not promise the thief to
be in Paradise only, but He pledged further that the thief will be in His company. Actually the best thing in
paradise is to be with the Lord... Truly, Paradise without the Lord is nothing, and no source of joy because the real
bliss is to be with the Lord... When the Lord is among His people they enjoy His love, company, parenthood and
kindness... For that reason do not ask for Paradise but ask for the Lord Himself... Wish to be with Him; to enjoy
looking at His joyful face. Truly, David said: "Your face, Lord, will I seek; hide not Your face far from me. "...
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THE SEVEN WORDS OF JESUS ON THE CROSS
Christ Jesus died on the Cross to redeem mankind, to save us from our sins because of his love for us. As recorded in
the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John in the Holy Bible, Jesus Christ was mocked, scorned, and tortured in
the praetorium. He carried his cross up the Via Dolorosa in Jerusalem to Calvary, was nailed to the Cross and hung
between two common criminals, and suffered an indescribable end, recalled by the Church on Good Friday of Holy
Week. One may meditate on the Passion of Christ by reflecting on his Seven Words on the Cross or by a devotion
known as the Way of the Cross.
When religious pilgrimages to the Holy Land ended with military occupation of Jerusalem in the Middle Ages, a
popular devotion known as the Way of the Cross arose during Lent retracing the Passion, Crucifixion, and Death of
Jesus. The fourteen Stations of the Cross are (1) Pilate condemns Jesus to death; (2) Jesus takes up his Cross; (3) He
falls the first time; (4) Jesus meets his sorrowful mother Mary; (5) Simon helps carry the cross; (6) Veronica cleans
his face; (7) He falls the second time; (8) Jesus consoles the women of Jerusalem; (9) He falls the third time; (10)
Jesus is stripped of his garments; (11) Jesus is nailed to the cross; (12) Jesus Christ dies on the cross; (13) He is
taken down from the cross; (14) Christ is laid in the tomb.
Here are his Seven Words, the last seven expressions of Jesus Christ on the Cross recorded in Scripture.
THE FIRST WORD
"Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do."
Gospel of Luke 23:34
Jesus is looking down from the cross just after he was crucified between two criminals. He sees the soldiers who have
mocked him, scourged him and tortured him, and who have just nailed him to the cross. He probably remembers those
who have sentenced him - Caiaphas and the high priests of the Sanhedrin. Pilate realized it was out of envy that they
handed him over (Matthew 27:18, Mark 15:10). But is Jesus not also thinking of his Apostles and companions who
have deserted him, to Peter who has denied him three times, to the fickle crowd, who only days before praised him on
his entrance to Jerusalem, and then days later chose him over Barabbas to be crucified? Is he also thinking of us, who
daily forget him in our lives? Does he react angrily? No! At the height of his physical suffering, his love prevails and
He asks His Father to forgive! Could there ever be greater irony? Jesus asks his Father to forgive, but it is by His very
Sacrifice on the Cross that mankind is able to be forgiven! Right up to his final hours on earth, Jesus preaches
forgiveness. He teaches forgiveness in the Lord's prayer: "Forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass
against us" (Matthew 6:12). When asked by Peter, how many times should we forgive someone, Jesus answers
seventy times seven (Matthew 18:21-22). At the Last Supper, Jesus explains his crucifixion to his Apostles when he
tells them to drink of the cup: "Drink of it, all of you; for this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for
many for the forgiveness of sins" (Matthew 26:27-28). He forgives the paralytic at Capernaum (Mark 2:5), and the
adulteress caught in the act and about to be stoned (John 8:1-11). And even following his Resurrection, his first act is
to commission his disciples to forgive: "Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven; if
you retain the sins of any, they are retained" (John 20:22-23).

THE SECOND WORD

"Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise."
Gospel of Luke 23:43
Now it is not just the religious leaders or the soldiers that mock Jesus, but even one of the criminals, a downward
progression of mockery. But the criminal on the right speaks up for Jesus, explaining the two criminals are receiving
their just due, whereas "this man has done nothing wrong." Then, turning to Jesus, he asks, "Jesus, remember me
when you come in your kingdom" (Luke 23:42). What wonderful faith this repentant sinner has in Jesus - far more
than the doubting Thomas, one of his own Apostles. Ignoring his own suffering, Jesus responds with love and mercy
in His second word. The second word again is about forgiveness, this time directed to a sinner. Just as the first word,
this Biblical expression is found only in the Gospel of Luke. Jesus shows his Divinity by opening heaven for a Page |
repentant sinner - such generosity to a man that only asked to be remembered! This expression offers us hope for
salvation, for if we turn our hearts and prayers to Him, we will also be with Jesus Christ at the end of our lives. 14

THE THIRD WORD

"Jesus said to his mother: "Woman, this is your son." Then he said to the disciple: "This is your mother."
Gospel of John 19:26-27
Jesus and Mary are together again, at the beginning of his ministry in Cana and now at the end of his public ministry
at the foot of the Cross. The Lord refers to his mother as woman at the Wedding Feast of Cana (John 2:1-11) and in
this passage, recalling the woman in Genesis 3:15, the first Messianic prophecy of the Redeemer, and anticipating
the woman clothed with the sun in Revelation 12. What sorrow must fill Mary's heart, to see her Son mocked, tortured,
and crucified. Once again, a sword pierces Mary's soul: we are reminded of the prediction of Simeon at the Temple
(Luke 2:35) . There are four at the foot of the cross, Mary his Mother, John, the disciple whom he loved, Mary of
Cleopas, his mother's sister, and Mary Magdalene. He addresses his third word to Mary and John, the only eye-witness
of the Gospel writers. But again Jesus rises above the occasion, and his concerns are for the ones that love him. The
good son that He is, Jesus is concerned about taking care of his mother. In fact, this passage offers proof that Jesus
was the only child of Mary, because if he did have brothers or sisters, they would have provided for her. But Jesus
looks to John to care for her. St. Joseph is noticeably absent. The historic paintings, such as Tondodoni by
Michelangelo and The Holy Family by Raphael, suggest Joseph was a considerably older man. St. Joseph had
probably died by the time of the crucifixion, or else he would have been the one to take care of Mary. Early Christian
traditions and the second-century apocryphal Protoevangelium of James held that Joseph was a widower, and his
children by his former wife were the "brothers and sisters of Jesus." Another striking phrase indicating Jesus was an
only child is Mark 6:3, referring to Jesus: "Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary, and the brother of James and
Joses and Judas and Simon, and are not his sisters here with us?" Now if James, Joses and Judas and Simon were also
natural sons of Mary, Jesus would not have been called the "son of Mary," but rather "one of the sons of Mary."

THE FOURTH WORD

"My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?"
Matthew 27:46 and Mark 15:34
This was the only expression of Jesus in the Gospels of Matthew and Mark. Both Gospels related that it was in the
ninth hour, after 3 hours of darkness, that Jesus cried out this fourth word. The ninth hour was three o'clock in Judea.
After the fourth Word, Mark related with a horrible sense of finality, "And Jesus uttered a loud cry, and breathed his
last" (Mark 15:37). One is struck by the anguished tone of this expression in contrast to the first three words of Jesus.
This cry is from the painful heart of the human Jesus who must feel deserted by His Father and the Holy Spirit, not to
mention his earthly companions the Apostles. As if to emphasize his loneliness, Mark even has his loved ones
"looking from afar," not close to him as in the Gospel of John. Jesus feels separated from his Father. He is now all
alone, and he must face death by himself. But is not this exactly what happens to all of us when we die? We too are all
alone at the time of death! Jesus completely lives the human experience as we do, and by doing so, frees us from the
clutches of sin. His fourth Word is the opening line of Psalm 22, and thus his cry from the Cross recalls the cry of
Israel, and of all innocent persons who suffer. Psalm 22 of David makes a striking prophecy of the crucifixion of the
Messiah at a time when crucifixion was not known to exist: "They have pierced my hands and my feet, they have
numbered all my bones" (22:16-17). The Psalm continues: "They divide my garments among them, and for my vesture
they cast lots" (22:18). There can not be a more dreadful moment in the history of man as this moment. Jesus who
came to save us is crucified, and He realizes the horror of what is happening and what He now is enduring. He is about
to be engulfed in the raging sea of sin. Evil triumphs, as Jesus admits: "But this is your hour" (Luke 22:53). But it is
only for a moment. The burden of all the sins of humanity for a moment overwhelm the humanity of our Savior.
But does this not have to happen? Does this not have to occur if Jesus is to save us? It is in defeat of his humanity that
the Divine plan of His Father will be completed. It is by His death that we are redeemed. "For there is one God. There
is also one mediator between God and the human race, Christ Jesus, himself human, who gave himself as ransom for
all" (I Timothy 2:5-6).
THE FIFTH WORD
"I thirst."
Gospel of John 19:28
The fifth word of Jesus is His only human expression of His physical suffering. Jesus is now in shock. The wounds
inflicted upon him in the scourging, the crowning with thorns, and the nailing upon the cross are now taking their toll,
especially after losing blood on the three-hour walk through the city of Jerusalem to Golgotha on the Way of the
Cross. Systematic studies of the Shroud of Turin, as reported by Gerald O'Collins in Interpreting Jesus, indicate the Page |
passion of Jesus was far worse than one can imagine. The Shroud has been exhaustively studied by every possible
scientific maneuver, and the scientific burden of proof is now on those who do not accept the Shroud as the burial 15
cloth of Jesus.
"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 SIXTH WORD

They put a sponge soaked in wine on a sprig of hyssop and put it up to his mouth. When Jesus had received the
wine, he said, "It is finished;" and he bowed his head and handed over the spirit.
Gospel of John 19:29-30
John recalls the sacrifice of the Passover Lamb in Exodus 12 in this passage. Hyssop is a small plant that was used to
sprinkle the blood of the Passover Lamb on the doorposts of the Hebrews (Exodus 12:22). John's Gospel related that it
was the Day of Preparation, the daybefore the actual Passover (Pesach in Hebrew, Pascha in Greek and Latin), that
Jesus was sentenced to death (19:14) and sacrificed on the Cross (19:31). John continues in 19:33-34: "But when they
came to Jesus and saw he was already dead, they did not break his legs,"recalling the instruction in Exodus 12:46
concerning the Passover Lamb. He died at the ninth hour (three o'clock in the afternoon), about the same time as the
Passover lambs were slaughtered in the Temple. Christ became the Paschal or Passover Lamb, as noted by St.
Paul:"For Christ our Passover lamb has been sacrificed" (I Corinthians 5:7). The innocent Lamb was slain for our
sins, so that we might be forgiven. It is now a fait accomplit. The sixth word is Jesus' recognition that his suffering is
over and his task is completed. Jesus is obedient to the Father and gives his love for mankind by redeeming us with
His death on the Cross. The above painting is meant to capture the moment. What is the darkest day of mankind
becomes the brightest day for mankind.And the Gospels as a group captured this paradox. The Synoptic Gospels
narrated the horror of the event - the agony in the garden, the abandonment by his Apostles, the trail before the
Sanhedrin, the intense mockery and torture heaped upon Jesus, his suffering all alone, the darkness over the land, and
his death, starkly portrayed by both Matthew (27:47-51) and Mark (15:33-38). In contrast, the passion of Jesus in the
Gospel of John expresses his Kingship and proves to be His triumphant road to glory. John presents Jesus as directing
the action the entire way. The phrase “It is finished― carries a sense of accomplishment. In John, there is no trial
before the Sanhedrin, and gone are the repeated mockeries and scourging. But rather, Jesus is introduced at the Roman
trial as “Behold your King!”• (John 19:14). Jesus is not stumbling or falling as in the Synoptic Gospels, but the way
of the Cross is presented with majesty and dignity, for “Jesus went out bearing his own Cross• (John 19:17). And
in John, the inscription at the head of the cross is pointedly written Jesus of Nazareth, The King of the Jews― (John
19:19). The inscription INRI at the top of the cross is the Latin Iesus Nazarenus, Rex Iudaeorum. The loved ones of
Jesus are with Him, and He decisively gives his Mother Mary to the disciple who loved him.
When Jesus died, He "handed over" the Spirit. Jesus remained in control to the end, and it is He who handed over his
Spirit. One should not miss the double entendre here, for this may also be interpreted as His death brought forth the
Holy Spirit. The Gospel of John gradually reveals the Holy Spirit. Jesus mentions living water in John 4:10-11 when
he meets the Samaritan woman at the well, and during the Feast of Tabernacles refers to living water as the Holy
Spirit in 7:37-39. At the Last Supper, Christ announces he would ask the Father to send "another Advocate to be with
you always, the Spirit of truth" (14:16-17). The word Advocate is also translated as Comforter, Helper, Paraclete, or
Counselor. "But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you everything, and
remind you of all that I have said to you" (14:26). The symbolism of water for the Holy Spirit becomes more evident
in John 19:34: "But one of the soldiers pierced his side with a spear, and immediately there came out blood and
water." The piercing of his side fulfills the prophecy in Zechariah 12:10: "They will look on me whom they have
pierced." The piercing of Jesus' side prefigures the Sacraments of Eucharist (blood) and Baptism (water), as well as
the beginning of the Church.

THE SEVENTH WORD

Jesus cried out in a loud voice, "Father, into your hands I commend my spirit."
Gospel of Luke 23:46
The seventh word of Jesus is from the Gospel of Luke, and is directed to the Father in heaven, just before He dies.
Jesus recalls Psalm31:5 - "Into thy hands I commend my spirit; thou hast redeemed me, O Lord, faithful God." Luke
repeatedly pleads Jesus' innocence: with Pilate (Luke 23:4, 14-15, 22), through Dismas (by legend), the criminal
(Luke 23:41), and immediately after His death with the centurion" "Now when the centurion saw what had taken
place, he praised God and said, "Certainly this man was innocent" (Luke 23:47). Jesus was obedient to His Father to Page |
the end, and his final word before his death on the Cross was a prayer to His Father. Jesus fulfilled His mission: "They 16
are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as an
expiation by his blood, to be received by faith" (Romans 3:24-25). The relationship of Jesus to the Father is revealed
in the Gospel of John, for He remarked, "The Father and I are one" (10:30), and again, at the Last Supper: "Do you not
believe I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words that I speak to you I do not speak on my own. The
Father who dwells in me is doing his works" (14:10). And He can return: "I came from the Father and have come into
the world; again, I am leaving the world and going to the Father" (16:28). Jesus practiced what He preached: "Greater
love has no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends" (John 15:13).
***********************************************************************************************
The First Word:
“Father, forgive them, for they don’t know what they’re doing.”
(Luke 23:34)
Reflection
It makes sense that the first word of Jesus from the cross is a word of forgiveness. That’s the point of the cross, after
all. Jesus is dying so that we might be forgiven for our sins, so that we might be reconciled to God for eternity.
But the forgiveness of God through Christ doesn’t come only to those who don’t know what they are doing when they
sin. In the mercy of God, we receive his forgiveness even when we do what we know to be wrong. God chooses to
wipe away our sins, not because we have some convenient excuse, and not because we have tried hard to make up for
them, but because he is a God of amazing grace, with mercies that are new every morning.
As we read the words, “Father, forgive them,” may we understand that we too are forgiven through Christ. As John
writes in his first letter, “But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse
us from all wickedness” (1 John 1:9). Because Christ died on the cross for us, we are cleansed from all wickedness,
from every last sin. We are united with God the Father as his beloved children. We are free to approach his throne of
grace with our needs and concerns. God “has removed our sins as far from us as the east is from the west” (Ps 103:13).
What great news!
Questions for Reflection
Do you really believe God has forgiven your sins? Do you take time on a regular basis to confess your sins so that you
might enjoy the freedom of forgiveness? Do you need to experience God’s forgiveness in a fresh way today?
Prayer
Gracious Lord Jesus, it’s easy for me to speak of your forgiveness, even to ask for it and to thank you for it. But do I
really believe I’m forgiven? Do I experience the freedom that comes from the assurance that you have cleansed me
from my sins? Or do I live as if I’m “semi-forgiven”? Even though I’ve put my faith in you and confessed my sins, do
I live as sin still has power over me? Do I try to prove myself to you, as if I might be able to earn more forgiveness?
Dear Lord, though I believe at one level that you have forgiven me, this amazing truth needs to penetrate my heart in
new ways. Help me to know with fresh conviction that I am fully and finally forgiven, not because of anything I have
done, but because of what you have done for me.
May I live today as a forgiven person, opening my heart to you, choosing not to sin because the power of sin has been
broken by your salvation.
All praise be to you, Lord Jesus, for your matchless forgiveness! Amen.
The Second Word:
“I assure you, today you will be with me in paradise.”
(Luke 23:43)
Reflection
As Jesus hung on the cross, he was mocked by the leaders and the soldiers. One of the criminals being crucified with
him added his own measure of scorn. But the other crucified criminal sensed that Jesus was being treated unjustly.
After speaking up for Jesus, he cried out, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom” (v. 42).
Jesus responded to this criminal, “I assure you, today you will be with me in paradise” (v. 43). The word paradise,
from the Greek word paradeisos, which meant “garden,” was used in the Greek Old Testament as a word for the
Garden of Eden. In Judaism of the time of Jesus it was associated with heaven, and also with the future when God Page |
would restore all things to the perfection of the Garden. Paradise was sometimes thought to be the place where 17
righteous people went after death. This seems to be the way Jesus uses paradise in this passage.
Thus we have encountered one of the most astounding and encouraging verses in all of Scripture. Jesus promised that
the criminal would be with him in paradise. Yet the text of Luke gives us no reason to believe this man had been a
follower of Jesus, or even a believer in him in any well-developed sense. He might have felt sorry for his sins, but he
did not obviously repent. Rather, the criminal’s cry to be remembered seems more like a desperate, last-gasp effort.
Though we should make every effort to have right theology, and though we should live our lives each day as disciples
of Jesus, in the end, our relationship with him comes down to simple trust. “Jesus, remember me,” we cry. And Jesus,
embodying the mercy of God, says to us, “You will be with me in paradise.” We are welcome there not because we
have right theology, and not because we are living rightly, but because God is merciful and we have put our trust in
Jesus.
Questions for Reflection
Have you staked your life on Jesus? Have you put your ultimate trust in him? Do you know that, when your time
comes, you will be with him in paradise?
Prayer
Dear Lord Jesus, how I wonder at your grace and mercy! When we cry out to you, you hear us. When we ask you to
remember us when you come into your kingdom, you offer the promise of paradise. Your mercy, dear Lord, exceeds
anything we might imagine. It embraces us, encourages us, heals us.
O Lord, though my situation is so different from the criminal who cried out to you, I am nevertheless quite like him.
Today I live, trusting you and you alone. My life, but now and in the world to come, is in your hands. And so I pray:
Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom! Jesus, remember me today as I seek to live within your
kingdom! Amen.
The Third Word:
“Dear woman, here is your son.”
(John 19:26)
Reflection
As Jesus was dying, his mother was among those who had remained with him. Most of the male disciples had fled,
with the exception of one whom the Fourth Gospel calls “the disciple he loved.” We can’t be exactly sure of the
identity of this beloved disciple, though many interpreters believe he is John, who is also the one behind the writing of
this Gospel.
No matter who the beloved disciple was, it’s clear that Jesus was forging a relationship between this disciple and his
mother, one in which the disciple would take care of Mary financially and in other ways. Jesus wanted to make sure
she would be in good hands after his death.
The presence of Mary at the cross adds both humanity and horror to the scene. We are reminded that Jesus was a real
human being, a man who had once been a boy who had once been carried in the womb of his mother. Even as he was
dying on the cross as the Savior of the world, Jesus was also a son, a role he didn’t neglect in his last moments.
When we think, of the crucifixion of Jesus, from the perspective of his mother, our horror increases dramatically. The
death of a child is one of the most painful of all parental experiences. To watch one’s beloved child experience the
extreme torture of crucifixion must have been unimaginably terrible. We’re reminded of the prophecy of Simeon
shortly after Jesus’ birth, when he said to Mary: “And a sword will pierce your very soul” (Luke 2:35).
This scene helps us not to glorify or spiritualize the crucifixion of Jesus. He was a real man, true flesh and blood, a son
of a mother, dying with unbearable agony. His suffering was altogether real, and he took it on for you and for me.
Questions for Reflection
What does Mary’s presence at the cross evoke in you? Why do you think was it necessary for Jesus to suffer physical
pain as he died?
Prayer
Lord Jesus, the presence of your mother at the cross engages my heart. You are no longer only the Savior dying for the
sins of the world. You are also a fully human man, a son with a mother.
O Lord, how can I begin to thank you for what you suffered? My words fall short. My thoughts seem superficial and Page |
vague. Nevertheless, I offer my sincere gratitude for your suffering. Thank you for bearing my sin on the cross. I give 18
you my praise, my love, my heart . . . all that I am, because you have given me all that you are.
All praise be to you, Lord Jesus, fully God and fully human, Savior of the world . . . my Savior! Amen.
The Fourth Word:
“My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?”
(Mark 15:34)
Reflection
As Jesus was dying on the cross, he echoed the beginning of Psalm 22, which reads:
My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?
Why are you so far away when I groan for help?
Every day I call to you, my God, but you do not answer.
Every night you hear my voice, but I find no relief. (vv. 1-2)
In the words of the psalmist Jesus found a way to express the cry of his heart: Why had God abandoned him? Why did
his Father turn his back on Jesus in his moment of greatest agony?
This side of heaven, we will never fully know what Jesus was experiencing in this moment. Was he asking this
question because, in the mystery of his incarnational suffering, he didn’t know why God had abandoned him? Or was
his cry not so much a question as an expression of profound agony? Or was it both?
What we do know is that Jesus entered into the Hell of separation from God. The Father abandoned him because Jesus
took upon himself the penalty for our sins. In that excruciating moment, he experienced something far more horrible
than physical pain. The beloved Son of God knew what it was like to be rejected by the Father. As we read in 2
Corinthians 5:21, “God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness
of God” (NIV).
I can write these words. I can say, truly, that the Father abandoned the Son for our sake, for the salvation of the world.
But can I really grasp the mystery and the majesty of this truth? Hardly. As Martin Luther once said, “God forsaking
God. Who can understand it?” Yet even my miniscule grasp of this reality calls me to confession, to humility, to
worship, to adoration.
Questions for Reflection
Have you taken time to consider that Jesus was abandoned by the Father so that you might not be? What does this
“word” from the cross mean to you?
Prayer
O Lord Jesus, though I will never fully grasp the wonder and horror of your abandonment by the Father, every time I
read this “word,” I am overwhelmed with gratitude. How can I ever thank you for what you suffered for me? What can
I do but to offer myself to you in gratitude and praise? Thank you, dear Lord, for what you suffered. Thank you for
taking my place. Thank you for being forsaken by the Father so that I might never be.
When I survey the wondrous cross, On which the Prince of glory died, My richest gain I count but loss, And pour
contempt on all my pride. Forbid it, Lord, that I should boast, Save in the death of Christ my God; All the vain things
that charm me most, I sacrifice them to his blood. See, from his head, his hands, his feet, Sorrow and love flow
mingled down; Did e’er such love and sorrow meet, Or thorns compose so rich a crown. Were the whole realm of
nature mine, That were a present far too small; Love so amazing, so divine, Demands my soul, my life, my all.
“When I Survey the Wondrous Cross” by Isaac Watts (1707)
The Fifth Word:
“I am thirsty.”
(John 19:28)
Reflection
No doubt Jesus experienced extreme thirst while being crucified. He would have lost a substantial quantity of bodily
fluid, both blood and sweat, through what he had endured even prior to crucifixion. Thus his statement, “I am thirsty”
was, on the most obvious level, a request for something to drink. In response the soldiers gave Jesus “sour wine” (v.
29), a cheap beverage common among lower class people in the time of Jesus.
John notes that Jesus said “I am thirsty,” not only as a statement of physical reality, but also in order to fulfill the
Scripture. Though there is no specific reference in the text of the Gospel, it’s likely that John was thinking of Psalm Page |
69, which includes this passage: 19
Their insults have broken my heart, and I am in despair. If only one person would show some pity; if only one would
turn and comfort me. But instead, they give me poison for food; they offer me sour wine for my thirst. (vv. 20-21)
As he suffered, Jesus embodied the pain of the people of Israel, that which had been captured in the Psalms. Jesus was
suffering for the sin of Israel, even as he was taking upon himself the sin of the world. As I reflect on Jesus’ statement,
“I am thirsty,” I keep thinking of my own thirst. It’s nothing like that of Jesus. Rather, I am thirsty for him. My soul
yearns for the living water that Jesus supplies (John 4:10; 7:38-39). I rejoice in the fact that he suffered physical thirst
on the cross – and so much more – so that my thirst for the water of life might be quenched.
Questions for Reflection
How do you respond to Jesus’ statement “I am thirsty”? What does this statement suggest to you about Jesus? About
yourself?
Prayer
O Lord, once again I thank you for what you suffered on the cross. Besides extraordinary pain, you also experienced
extreme thirst. All of this was part and parcel of your taking on our humanity so that you might take away our sin.
Dear Lord, in your words “I am thirsty” I hear the cry of my own heart. I too am thirsty, Lord, not for physical drink. I
don’t need sour wine. Rather, I need the new wine of your kingdom to flood my soul. I need to be refreshed by your
living water. I yearn for your Spirit to fill me once again.
I am thirsty, Lord, for you. Amen.
The Sixth Word:
“It is finished!”
(John 19:30)
Reflection
I never saw a more difficult film to watch than Mel Gibson’s The Passion of the Christ. For most of that movie I
wanted to avert my eyes. It was horrible to watch even a cinematic version of a crucifixion. And it was beyond
comprehension to think that this actually happened to somebody, and not just anybody, but my Lord and Savior. I had
studied the crucifixion before, and knew in my head what Jesus experienced. But seeing a visual presentation of his
suffering was almost more than I could bear. When The Passion of the Christ was over, I felt palpable relief. Thank
goodness it was finished. When Jesus said “It is finished,” surely he was expressing relief that his suffering was over.
“It is finished” meant, in part, “This is finally done!” But the Greek verb translated as “It is finished” (tetelestai)
means more than just this. Eugene Peterson captures the full sense of the verb in The Message: “It’s done . . .
complete.” Jesus had accomplished his mission. He had announced and inaugurated the kingdom of God. He had
revealed the love and grace of God. And he had embodied that love and grace by dying for the sin of the world, thus
opening up the way for all to live under the reign of God. Because Jesus finished his work of salvation, you and I
don’t need to add to it. In fact, we can’t. He accomplished what we never could, taking our sin upon himself and
giving us his life in return. Jesus finished that for which he had been sent, and we are the beneficiaries of his unique
effort. Because of what he finished, you and I are never “finished.” We have hope for this life and for the next. We
know that nothing can separate us from God’s love. One day what God has begun in us will also be finished, by his
grace. Until that day, we live in the confidence of Jesus’ cry of victory: “It is finished!”
Questions for Reflection
Do you live as if Jesus finished the work of salvation? To you have confidence that God will finish that which he has
begun in you?
Prayer
How can I ever find words to express my gratitude to you, dear Lord Jesus? You did it. You finished that for which
you had been sent, faithful in life, faithful in death. You accomplished that which no other person could do, taking the
sin of the world upon your sinless shoulders . . . taking my sin so that I might receive your forgiveness and new life.
All praise be to you, gracious Lord, for finishing the work of salvation. All praise be to you, dear Jesus, for saving me!
Alleluia! Amen.
The Seventh Word: Page |
“Father, I entrust my spirit into your hands!” 20
(Luke 23:46)
Reflection
Two of the last seven “words” of Jesus were quotations from the Psalms. Earlier Jesus had Psalm 22, “My God, my
God, why have you abandoned me?” to express his anguish. Later he borrowed from Psalm 31, which comes to us
from Luke as “Father, I entrust my spirit into your hands.” On an obvious level, Jesus was putting his post mortem
future in the hands of his Heavenly Father. It was as if he was saying, “Whatever happens to me after I die is your
responsibility, Father.” But when we look carefully at the Psalm Jesus quoted, we see more than what at first meets
our eyes. Psalm 31 begins with a cry for divine help:
O LORD, I have come to you for protection; don’t let me be disgraced. Save me, for you do what is right. (v. 1)
But then it mixes asking for God’s deliverance with a confession of God’s strength and faithfulness:
I entrust my spirit into your hand. Rescue me, LORD, for you are a faithful God. (v. 5)
By the end, Psalm 31 offers praise of God’s salvation:
Praise the LORD, for he has shown me the wonders of his unfailing love. He kept me safe when my city was under
attack. (v. 21) By quoting a portion of Psalm 31, therefore, Jesus not only entrusted his future to his Father, but also
implied that he would be delivered and exonerated. No, God would not deliver him from death by crucifixion. But
beyond this horrific death lay something marvellous. “I entrust my spirit into your hands” points back to the familiar
suffering of David in Psalm 31, and forward to the resurrection.
Questions for Reflection
Have you put your life and, indeed, your life beyond this life, in God’s hands? How do you experience God’s
salvation through Christ in your life today?
Prayer
Gracious Lord, even as you once entrusted your spirit into the hands of the Father, so I give my life to you. I trust you,
and you alone to be my Savior. I submit to your sovereignty over my life, and seek to live for your glory alone. Here I
am, Lord, available to you, both now and in the future.
How good it is to know, dear Lord, that the cross was not the end for you. As you entrusted your spirit into the
Father’s hands, you did so in anticipation of what was to come. So we reflect upon your death, not in despair, but in
hope. With Good Friday behind us, Easter Sunday is on the horizon. Amen.
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The 7 Words of Jesus on the Cross
When you examine the words or thoughts of a person under great stress, scrutiny or suffering, you learn the substance
of the person; their composition, their faith and their hope.
When we examine what our Savior exclaimed on the cross, we can learn about His true character and His integrity
before the Father. We can see the love that pours out from His wounds, directed at us! Neither the heat, nor the sweat
mixed with the blood, nor the agony and emotional distress distracted Him from having you and me on His mind that
day. From these Seven Words of Jesus we can draw strength and courage for our own walk on this earth as we follow
His call to be His disciples. He suffered the extreme penalty of death that we may live!
Are you living, or you a dead man walking?
Between the beatings, flogging and the pain from the crown of thorns on His head, Jesus, sees His mother and the
disciple He loved the most:
1- John 19:26 When Jesus saw his mother there, and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby, he said to his
mother, “Dear woman, here is your son,” (27) and to the disciple, “Here is your mother.” From that time on, this
disciple took her into his home.
Jesus thinks of His family first. His dearly loved mother and what would become of her was Jesus first concern. He
wanted her to be taken care of emotionally and physically, not to mention spiritually. Under great stress do you:
1- Think of yourself first?
2- Distance yourself from those you love?
3- Seek to blame those you love for not helping you?
Remember that stressful times show how close of a relationship you have developed with the Father in Heaven.
Those who refresh others, under stressful moments, will themselves be refreshed (Prov 25:13; 2 Tim 1:16)
His face is wincing with the pain from the nails in His wrists and feet, His back is shredded and torn from the
flogging, an almost unbearable pain. On top of this, people are wagging their heads at Him, cursing Him and hurling
insults:
2- Luke 23:34 Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.” And they divided up Page |
his clothes by casting lots.
Forgiveness is the center of the Gospel: forgiveness of our sins, the opportunity to be redeemed and restored to a 21
relationship with God! Where there is no forgiveness there is bitterness and regret. Instead of allowing bitterness or
antagonism to set in, Jesus thinks of them instead of Himself: He thinks about their ignorance and therefore lost state.
Jesus’ view is set on eternity, not on what happens in the present moment: “For the joy set before Him He endured the
cross, scorning its shame!” (Heb 12:2) Besides, he knows He is there for them; they have done nothing to Him, and
He has willingly given Himself to them, even though they scorn Him.
When others insult you or curse you, or show you their distaste or lack of approval, how do you respond?
1- Do you allow them to offend you? If you do, then you are only thinking of yourself.
2- Are you able to see past their disapproval of you and into their ignorant state of mind?
3- Are you able to willingly suffer scorn for their sake, shaming their actions and words?
4- Have you forgotten about your forgiveness of sins?
If you forgot about your cleansing of your past sin, you are not able to surrender yourself perhaps you are still
holding on to some vestige (trace) of your old self. Get rid of it! Therein lies the root of all bitterness! Where
there is no forgiveness, there is restlessness and no peace!
Suffering from exposure, difficulty in breathing, dizziness, and nausea, Jesus promises paradise:
3- Luke 23:43 Jesus answered him, “I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise.”
Up until the last moment, Jesus wants people to be with Him forever. That is His focus and the reason He came into
the world! Not even the worst moments on earth He could experience would distract Him from loving you to the
fullest extent. (Heb 5:7-9) Do you ultimately want the best for those around you, especially those who may have, at
one time, scorned you or shamed you? When you are stressed:
1- Are you words full of hope and encouragement, or is your selfishness evident by the piercing words you utter
because you don’t have time for others?
2- Is your speech full of boasting of what you do and have, or is your speech full of grace and mercy?
Do you ultimately want to be alone, or do you want to have those you love around you? Bitterness and regret
are reflections of a poor self-image. What you see in others is a reflection of what is in you. If you are full of the
spirit and love, your being will radiate this love. If you are empty (full of bitterness and regret) then you will be
a black hole of joy and peace.
Under the greatest distress yet, feeling abandoned and lonely, desperate even, Jesus cries out to His Father:
4- Matt 27:46 About the ninth hour Jesus cried out in a loud voice, ”Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?”-- which means,
“My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”
At this point, when Jesus is bearing the sin of the world, His cry of frustration is directed at the Father, who alone is
able to bear all our burdens!
When you can’t take it anymore, do you:
1- React or act upon (keep your cool)?
2- Take it out on those around you or seek the face of the Father?
3- Try to blow off some steam or get on your knees and pray?
At the moment of your greatest pain and agony, you can choose to be a vehicle of blessing.
After enduring the reality of His separation from the Father, and being at the lowest point in His earthly life, we can
testify to the humble humanity of Jesus:
5- John19:28 Later, knowing that all was now completed, and so that the Scripture would be fulfilled, Jesus said, “I
am thirsty.”
He was still human… Tempted with all our temptations and vulnerable to all that affects us; yet submitting to the
Father to be perfected… even Jesus! (Heb 5:8-9) God choose us weak vessels to show His strength! When we are
weak, and delight in our weakness, we can then let God be glorified through them! Don’t pretend that you are strong!
God will humble you!
When you are at your lowest:
1- Are you ashamed of you weakness? Do you try to appear strong and independent?
2- Do you resist help or scorn advice because you “feel” patronized?
With a simple declaration: “I am thirsty”, Jesus unashamedly shows us His human side on that cross, and God
gets the glory!
As Jesus’ life wanes before Him, He looks towards the Father and commits Himself unto death, knowing what awaits
Him:
6- Luke 23:46 Jesus called out with a loud voice, “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit.” When he had said
this, he breathed his last.
Jesus commits his eternal souls to the Father, which meant submitting and humbling Himself unto death, even death
on a cross. Jesus saw His physical life on earth as a clear mission directed from Heaven. He used His life on earth and
did not allow Himself to be used or manipulated by anything, including the fleshly temptations He faced. This is why Page |
in His death He entrusted Himself to the Father.
In whose hands have you committed yourself? 22
1- Your own? Someone else’s? Jesus is the Way, the Truth and the Life (John 14:6)
2- Whose destiny have you chosen? Are you your own man, or are you going to join those whose destiny is
eternity through Jesus Christ? Is your life being built on perishable things or on eternal things?
3- Which path are you walking on? Narrow or wide? Every effort needs to be made to enter the narrow path
(Luke 13:24)
1 John 3:2 Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But
we know that when he appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is.
Jesus knows He has accomplished the work the Father sent Him to do, and voluntarily gives Himself up:
7- John 19:30 When he had received the drink, Jesus said, “It is finished.” With that, he bowed his head and gave up
his spirit. Jesus knew the exact moment of His death, and willingly volunteered Himself as the propitiation for our
sins. God’s work of salvation is done and it is available for everyone who wishes to join Him at the great feast in
the Kingdom of God. Are you living your life, or have you lived your life in such a way that at this very moment, if
Jesus were to present Himself here, you would be able to say: “It is finished! I’m going home!” Or are there some
“loose ends” in your life you have yet to take care of? When all is said and done, all that matters is where will you be
in 200 years? Are you living your life in view of where you will be in 200 years? Or do you:
1- Live for the moment without regard of any promise for you?
2- Only care to satisfy your cravings of the present without regard for your reputation?
A good parent lives in such a way as to prepare their children for the future as they live fully each day. They instill
vision in their children. In the same way, we want to live in such a way as to leave a legacy of holiness for those
whom we leave behind on the earth, that our work for Jesus may continue on earth as we are in Paradise. We cannot
only live for the moment, but in view of the promise of eternity.
When Jesus says “It is finished”, He reveals that all along He was living and accomplishing what His Father
willed, a careful plan to bring you into Heaven, because of the joy that lays ahead for every individual that
allows himself to be washed in His blood.
The following verses are provided for your meditation, following each of the seven instances Jesus spoke from the
cross:
How can Jesus words from the cross transform me?
1- Philip 2:3-5 Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better
than yourselves. {4} Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.
{5} Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus…
2- Col 1:13-14 For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the
Son he loves, {14} in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. And Heb 12:15 See to it that no one
misses the grace of God and that no bitter root grows up to cause trouble and defile many.
3- John 12:27 “Now my heart is troubled, and what shall I say? 'Father, save me from this hour'? No, it was for
this very reason I came to this hour.” And Heb 5:7-9 During the days of Jesus' life on earth, he offered up
prayers and petitions with loud cries and tears to the one who could save him from death, and he was heard
because of his reverent submission. {8} Although he was a son, he learned obedience from what he suffered
{9} and, once made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him…
4- Luke 22:42 "Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done."
5- 1 Co 1:27 But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of
the world to shame the strong. And 2 Co 12:10 That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in
insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.
6- Lu 13:24 "Make every effort to enter through the narrow door, because many, I tell you, will try to enter and
will not be able to.
7- Heb 4:11 Let us, therefore, make every effort to enter that rest, so that no one will fall by following their
example of disobedience.
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 The Cross of our Lord Jesus Christ is the corner stone of our faith. It is the chosen symbol of the Christian
faith. Thank God, we see it now as an empty cross because the seeming tragedy for good and apparent victory for evil
was overturned by the power and purposes of God into the triumph of the resurrection of Jesus. But what does it mean
to us? Is the Cross in our experience more meaningful than a nicely sculpted piece of wood or an elegantly-shaped
piece of gold hung around the neck? The Cross of Christ is God’s final word as to the character and consequence of
human sin, and of the wonder and sacrifice of divine love.
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Jesus went to the Cross so that we, through his death and resurrection might have a personal relationship with God and
that we might know its power in every area of our lives. When we speak of "the Cross", we’re not thinking of it in the 23
purely physical sense of two rough pieces of wood, bolted together and suspended by its vertical section before being
dropped into a hole in the ground. To the Christian, it is much more than that - "the Cross" is a "shorthand" expression
meaning the death of Jesus. It’s Jesus stretched out between heaven and earth, suffering more than anyone has ever
suffered, for you and me. The Cross is Jesus as our Saviour. There is no holier place that we can ever hope to come to
- the Cross is the place "to where heaven’s love and heaven’s justice meet".
The Gospels contain a most wonderful commentary on the Cross in the words of Jesus himself, spoken from the Cross
itself. Seven sayings are recorded: if there were more we don’t know but surely it’s significant that seven is God’s
perfect number. It represents completeness and wholeness. As Jesus hung upon that Cross almost two thousand years
ago, he made seven great statements, treasured by believers as the Seven Words from the Cross. They cover the basic
needs of mankind. Let’s meditate on them together as our Lord’s testament to a world wrecked by sin, bowed down by
needs of healing in body, mind and spirit. The Words from the Cross reveal God’s answer to our basic needs.
THE FIRST WORD
"Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing" (Luke 23:34).
"Forgive them" said Jesus. Who, I wonder, was Jesus referring to? There were many groups of people around the
Cross. Closest to him would have been the execution party, soldiers of the Roman garrison, coarsened by discipline
and cruelty. They had the unspeakable task of nailing a human being to a cross, but perhaps they were the least guilty
of all parties who were responsible for putting to death an innocent man - after all, they were under the strict
instructions of the Roman Governor, and to fail to co-operate in the execution would have meant instant death for
themselves. Yet they were involved - they crucified the Lord of glory.
As Jesus prayed his utterly unselfish prayer "Father, forgive them" his eyes would have taken in other groups: they
were the teachers who hated him, the priests who bought him with silver, the traitor who sold him to them, the crowd
who had cried "crucify him" at the farce of his trial, and in the distance was Pilate in his palace trying to salve his
conscience by blaming somebody else for what was happening. But I like to think that Jesus was encompassing a
wider body of people than those I have mentioned: there
was the band of disciples who had been his constant companions for nearly three years. Had they lifted a finger to
prevent this act of barbarism? They were there, at a discreet distance, perhaps standing next to the secret disciples of
Jesus, those kindly men Nicodemus and Joseph who were to minister to the dead body of Jesus. But as Jesus endured
the torture of crucifixion, they failed to make even a token protest against the terrible atrocity being committed.
What does this tell us? All these groups either actively or passively helped to crucify Jesus - they were all guilty, but
in a very real sense they are only representatives of a wider number of those responsible for crucifying Jesus, because
the message of the Bible is that it was the sin of the world which crucified Jesus. The gospel writers simply wrote
"They crucified Jesus". Who crucified him? I’ll tell you who crucified him. I did - and you did, and they did, those
groups around the cross. The old Negro spiritual asked the question, "Were you there when they crucified my Lord?"
“They” crucified the Lord? It would be truer to say "We crucified the Lord". Every one of us is equally guilty, "They
do not know what they do" said Jesus. What a perceptive word this is. Mankind had become so blinded by evil, so
corrupted by sin that it reacted violently to the purity and holiness of God as shown in the Lord Jesus Christ. These
poor representatives of mankind were swept along by the power of Satan in seeking to destroy the Lord of glory -
"they do not know what they do" - but they did it all the same.
The wonder of this Word from the Cross is that there is forgiveness. Forgiveness for the disciples who forsook Jesus
and fled in the night. Forgiveness for the evil ones who drove Him to the Cross. Forgiveness for the soldiers who
nailed him to the tree. Forgiveness for the bitter hearts of his religious enemies, the priests and teachers. Forgiveness
for every person who has ever sinned or made a mistake. Forgiveness for you and for me. Thank God, there is
forgiveness but it is a forgiveness that requires to be taken individually, to be drawn upon in the way that God has
planned. Years later, one of the disciples, John, restated this truth when he wrote, "If we confess our sins, he is faithful
and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness" (I John 1:9).
Forgiveness has always been the hallmark of Christianity, following the great example of its founder. The first
Christian martyr, Stephen, showed this spirit when he was being stoned to death, "Lord," he prayed, "do not hold this
sin against them." Non-Christians may have in their hearts the unforgiving spirit, but Christians know better; we are
Christ’s men and women, and we must forgive as He forgave.
One of the great preachers of the early part of this century, Dr. F B Meyer, says that "in uttering this first cry from the
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Cross, our Lord entered that work of intercession which he ever lives to continue on our behalf. He thinks, not of
himself, but of others; he is occupied, not with his own pain, but with their sins. He makes no threat but instead offers 24
a tender prayer of pleading intercession." When was that prayer answered? Seven weeks after this, on the day of
Pentecost, three thousand of these people, whom Peter described as the murderers of Christ repented and believed;
and, in the days that followed, thousands more, including a great number of the priests. That was the answer to this
intercession, and it has continued down the centuries for we too, are the fruits of his prayer, "Father, forgive them."
THE SECOND WORD
"Today you will be with me in paradise" (Luke 23:43).
If the First Word embraced all mankind within the scope of the dreadful act of crucifying Jesus and the potential of
forgiveness through his prayer, then the Second Word narrows its focus to one single needy sinner. God not only sees
the whole world but he sees it made up of individuals. On that fateful day in the history of the world, it happened that
there were two thieves who were crucified alongside Jesus. This fact isn’t just recorded to give a bit of colour to the
dark scene. It’s not just to round up the story, but as a piece of evidence that what was happening was part of God’s
plan of salvation. It was conceived before the world existed and revealed through God’s messengers, centuries before.
The particular prophecy that was being fulfilled is recorded in Isaiah 53 where, among many other predictions, the
prophet declared that the coming Suffering Servant of the Lord was he who "was numbered with the transgressors"
(53:12).
This ancient prophecy was fulfilled quite literally when Jesus was crucified in the company of two thieves, obviously
known to each other. Something of the way that Jesus conducted himself must have convicted one thief of his own
vileness when contrasted with the righteousness of Jesus, visible to all who had eyes to see it. It soon dawned on his
understanding that he was witnessing something not of this earth. Instead of curses from the lips of Jesus as the
soldiers hammered in the nails, it was a prayer of forgiveness for his torturers. It seems likely that he had known of the
life of Jesus for when the other thief was casting abuse at Jesus, this fellow tried to restrain him and told him that,
although they were receiving the just reward of their misdeeds Jesus had done nothing amiss. Evil man though he was,
he feared God and that was the beginning of his repentance.
No man is beyond hope of redemption in whose soul still lingers some fear of God. And as he spoke, faith rose in his
soul and he blurted out his appeal, "Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom." It was a plea that did not
fall on deaf ears. The response was immediate, "Truly, I tell you, today you will be with me in Paradise." The word
"Paradise" is a Persian word meaning "a walled garden". When a Persian king wished to do one of his subjects a very
special honour he made him a “companion of the garden” and he was chosen to walk in the royal garden with the king.
It was more than immortality that Jesus promised the penitent thief. He promised the honoured place of a companion
of the garden in the courts of heaven. "You will be with me" said Jesus.
This word from the cross teaches some wonderful truths. It illustrates that the way of salvation is wondrously simple.
The devil has blinded the eyes of men and women to thinking that it is hard to be saved, difficult to come to Christ and
to become a Christian. But this clearly isn’t true. The man was saved simply by asking the Lord to save him. In the
words of his request, there’s the implication that he felt and confessed his need of salvation; he believed the Lord
could and would save him and he committed himself to the Lord and trusted him to save him (Romans 10:13).
This Word from the Cross reminds us that the worst sinner may be saved. There can be no doubt that the man was a
criminal. He had broken the laws of the land and he was crucified for that reason, but the measure of his sin didn’t
alter his chance of being saved one little bit. Let no one despair in thinking they are too bad to be saved, as the hymn
writer put it, "the vilest offender who truly believes, that moment from Jesus a pardon receives."
Another important lesson to learn from the personal encounter of the dying thief with Jesus is that salvation doesn’t
depend on religious ceremonies, good deeds or any contribution from man. There was no time for any of these things
to take place. I once read that "salvation is free yet costly; the entrance fee into the kingdom of heaven is nothing at
all, but once you are in, the annual subscription is all you have got."
There is one further point to mention before we leave this Word. It’s a solemn one. You see, there were two thieves
crucified with Jesus - one repented but the other didn’t. The time of decision came for both. When it came to the
choice of rebellion or repentance for the dying thieves it was irrevocable. It was now or never. There is a dual tug - the
eternal pull of evil, and the eternal pull of God’s Spirit. As James Russell Lowell put it: "Once to every man and
nation comes the moment to decide, In the strife of Truth and Falsehood, for the good or evil side; Some great cause,
God’s new Messiah, offering each the bloom or blight, Parts the goats upon the left hand, and the sheep upon the
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right, And the choice goes by forever ’twixt that darkness and that light."
We may think that time is on our side before we commit ourselves, but beware, the next moment is promised to no- 25
one. We never know amid the flow of life’s choices, which will be final and irreversible. Someone once said that the
story of the dying thieves was recorded so that no one need despair, and also as a dire warning to presume on God’s
mercy by delaying trusting in Christ.
Thank God for conscience - that voice within that tells us that we have done wrong, that nags us to a point of hurting
for the mistakes that we’ve made; when we’ve missed the mark and fallen short of God’s best for our lives. It’s then
we too can look up to God and say, "Lord, remember me". There’s salvation in the Cross.
THE THIRD WORD
"Jesus said to his mother, ’Dear woman, here is your son,’ and to the disciple ’Here is your mother’" (John 19:26,27).
The Second Word from the Cross ministered salvation to the penitent sinner, but the Third Word introduces us to the
wider implications of this great salvation. It illuminates relationships as seen through the cross of Jesus, especially that
of love. A psychologist once said, "there are two things that men want: power and love." At the very heart of all our
wanting is the love that Jesus gave us on the cross. The disciple that Jesus refers to in his word is John, and his gospel
contains several of the most important statements that Jesus made on love. "Greater love has no one than this that one
lays down his life for his friends" (15:13). "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only son, that
whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life" (3:16).
The gospels provide only the briefest glimpses of the relationship between Jesus and Mary. I wonder what tortured
thoughts were passing through Mary’s mind as she saw her son in such extremity. Very likely she would recall the
words uttered in a prophecy when the infant Jesus was presented in the Temple,
"This child is destined to cause the falling and rising of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be spoken against so
that the thoughts of many hearts will be revealed. And a sword will pierce your own soul too." This was that moment -
the sword was being cruelly thrust into her. It was suffering for Jesus to see his mother among those who stood near
the Cross. He suffered because of her suffering. He always entered into the needs of his people. He wept over the
rebellious people of Jerusalem.
Here he is touched with his mother’s suffering, but he doesn’t refer to her as "Mother" rather as "Woman". Have you
ever wondered why? On the face of it, it would have seemed to be more tender and loving to have done so, and Jesus
lacked nothing in consideration and compassion. The reason is that Mary must no longer think of him as being her
son. The more she thinks of him as her son, the more she will suffer when he suffers. Mary must begin to look upon
Jesus as her "Lord". Even then she will suffer, but this suffering will be of a different nature. She will then know that
however terrible his agony is, it is glorious because of its purpose. She will then begin to concentrate on its redemptive
meaning. Mary’s merely emotional suffering must be replaced by something higher, that is, by adoration. This was the
way that Jesus ministered love unto the broken hearted. It shows that in the Cross all barriers have been broken. Mary
represents the women of the world, all too often treated as inferior. She represents those getting on in years. But at the
Cross there’s no age barrier, no sex barrier, for all who come to Jesus are part of his household.
This Third Word from the Cross also reveals the relationship of Jesus with his disciple John, the one who had been
closest to him. It didn’t require a long explanation for John to know what was meant. We read that from that hour John
took Mary into his own home. The question might be raised, "But why was not Mary committed into the care of one
of her other children?" The answer is probably because they as yet hadn’t received him by a living faith. John was
ready and acted without hesitation. It has been said that this Word from the Cross is the least theological, but practical
application of the gospel must never be separated from its message. It is only as theory is translated into practice that
relationship with Christ becomes a living reality. This Word tells us that there’s love for you in the cross, and it’s a
love which having been received, is to be shared with others.
THE FOURTH WORD
"My God, my God, why have you forsaken me" (Matt. 27:46).
There is a depth of feeling in this cry from the heart, made with an intensity matched only by the darkness which had
draped itself over the terrible spectacle. It’s surely symbolic that the sun couldn’t shine upon such a scene as the
crucifixion of its Creator. The darkness lasted three hours and was an outward sign of the darkness that now wrapped
itself around the soul of Jesus. Wave after wave of evil swept over his consciousness. All the sin of the world, the
awful legacy of the fall of mankind was laid upon Jesus. "He who knew no sin was made to be sin for us that we might
be made the righteousness of God in Him" (2 Cor 5:21).
Only the night before, Jesus had told his disciples that in his hour of trial they would all desert him but he said, "Yet I
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am not alone, for my Father is with me" (John 16:33). But now at the climax of his passion, at the moment of making
atonement for our sin it was necessary that even his Father should stand aside. Just as a scapegoat of the Old 26
Testament had to be banished into the wilderness, so Jesus had to bear the sin of the world alone - literally. God
forsaken. He who was made sin for us was feeling the punishment of the sinner, being separated from God. His
humiliation was complete. It has been said that "Christ’s self-emptying was not a single act or bereavement, but a
growing poorer and poorer, until at last nothing was left to Him but a piece of ground where He could weep and a
Cross where He could die." (Abraham Kuyper)
How Jesus felt as his loud cry broke the dreadful silence of that moment of destiny we cannot know. Never before had
he stood alone, forsaken by God his Father. Yet, although he was forsaken he never ceased to be his Father’s well-
beloved Son, for he was carrying out his Father’s will and purpose in becoming our atonement for sin. This Word
from the Cross points us to the cost of the atonement made. Thank God, there’s atonement for sin at the Cross by the
Lord Jesus. It’s something we must never lose sight of.
THE FIFTH WORD
"I thirst" (John 19:28).
The hours of torture on the Cross took a tremendous toll on the body of Jesus. Execution by crucifixion was not a
sudden death like being shot by a firing squad. It was a long drawn out, lingering death carried out under the Eastern
sun. His wounded hands and feet would be quickly inflamed, resulting in a fever of thirst and His body would soon be
dehydrated. The prophetic 22nd Psalm which anticipated our Lord’s passion speaks graphically of his condition, "I am
poured out like water, and all my bones are out of joint. My heart has turned like a potsherd, and my tongue sticks to
the roof of my mouth" (14,15). Yes, our Saviour’s sufferings were real. Although Jesus was divine he was also
uniquely man and felt all the emotions and pain as we feel them.
Jesus had earlier refused to drink a drugged wine designed to alleviate to some extent the intensity of the coming
suffering, but now his mission almost complete his cry of thirst could be met from a sponge dipped in wine vinegar. In
fact it was necessary that his lips should be moistened because he had yet two momentous Words to utter which the
world must hear clearly. The second reason was that there was a Scripture still to be fulfilled. Psalm 69:21 had
predicted that the Suffering Servant of Israel would say "They ... gave me vinegar for my thirst." Jesus knew that for
him to do his Father’s will required him to fulfil all that had been prophesied of the Messiah down the ages. This Fifth
Word from the Cross serves to tell us that there is suffering in the Cross.
THE SIXTH WORD
"It is finished" (John 19:30).
This Sixth Word from the Cross consists of one single word in the Greek - "Finished, accomplished." It was a loud cry
that rang out over the ghastly scene. What did Jesus mean? What was finished? Was he referring to his sufferings or
his life’s work? Certainly it was those things, but even more. It was the end of an era. The Old Testament contains a
long list of prophetic utterances, beginning with the first family of mankind, when God told the serpent in the Garden
of Eden that he would "put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush
your head and you will strike his heel" (Gen 3:15). It was this great conquest that was being enacted. Jesus’ cry was
proclaiming his victory over the evil one. In the gigantic struggle between good and evil the Son of Man had suffered
grievously but he had finished the work of redemption that his Father had committed to him. He didn’t say "I am
finished" but rather "It is finished." It was a shout of victory over sin, death and hell.
The word from the Cross said "finished" to the rituals of the Jewish religion. There was nothing wrong with them
because they had been given by God, but now they had served their purpose as a holding operation until the appointed
time of the coming of the Messiah. The sacrifices and ceremonies of the Old Testament order were but types pointing
to the Christ, but now he had come, shadow had given way to substance; that which had been promised centuries
before had at last been realised. The work of man’s redemption was finished, accomplished. Jesus had offered himself
without spot or blemish to God, and by that one sacrifice for sin, once and for all he had done all that was required to
reconcile the world unto God.
"It is finished." The Word tells us there is nothing left for man to do but to enter into the results of Christ’s finished
work. The Greek word for “finished” was used in business life of the time to indicate that a debt had been paid. It’s
like the message of a rubber stamp bearing the words ’Payment received’ when stamped across a bill. That’s what
Jesus was proclaiming from the Cross - "it is paid, man’s account with God has been settled, the debt is wiped out."
That is the very essence of the Gospel. The Redeemer has paid the price for our redemption. Salvation has been
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obtained for all who accept and rely upon the finished work of Calvary. "A full, perfect and sufficient sacrifice,
oblation and satisfaction for the sins of the whole world." Yes, there is victory over sin in the Cross. 27
THE SEVENTH WORD
"Father, into your hands I commit my spirit" (Luke 23:46).
The First Word from the Cross begins with Jesus addressing His Father - "Father forgive" and now it begins the last.
God, the Father, had accepted the sin offering made by Jesus, as would soon be demonstrated by his resurrection from
the dead. Jesus had come from his Father and to his Father he would return, but first he had to die physically. These
words tell us that his life didn’t just ebb away - in fact Jesus had previously said that no one could take his life "but I
lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down and authority to take it up again. This command I
received from my Father" (John 10:18). And so it was that Jesus consciously gave his life. He laid it upon the altar,
just as the burnt offering of the Old Testament which had spoken of the greater sacrifice to come.
This last Word from the Cross is in fact a quotation from Psalm 31 (v.5). It was composed by David when, in some
great trouble, he put his trust in his God. Jesus could identify himself with David’s affliction and anguish of soul,
having been treated with utter contempt by his enemies and deserted by his friends. Like David he could still say "but
I trust in you, 0 Lord, I say ’You are my God’, my times are in your hands" (14, 15).
"Father, into your hands I commend my spirit." This speaks of his confidence in God, his Father. He found security in
his Father’s hands and in so doing pointed the way to all who die believing. The first Christian martyr, Stephen, left
this life with the same security. "Lord Jesus" he said, "receive my spirit." They have been used by countless believers
in Christ ever since. This is the security that comes from knowing "him whom we have believed and are persuaded
that he is able to keep that which we have committed unto Him." Yes, there is eternal security in the Cross.
The Cross of the Lord Jesus Christ is the foundation of our faith. The prophet Zechariah looked forward to the coming
of Jesus when he said, "on that day a fountain will be opened to the House of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem,
to cleanse them from sin and impurity" (13:1). Have you been to the Cross? The Cross meant death for Jesus but,
praise God, it is the place where life is ministered to us through His death.
Allow these wonderful Words of Jesus from the Cross to speak to you - feed on them in your hearts by faith:
"Father, forgive them" - there’s forgiveness for you at the Cross.
"Today, you will be with me" - there’s salvation for you at the Cross.
"Woman, here is your son" - there’s love for you at the Cross.
"My God, my God, why have you forsaken me" - there’s atonement for you at the Cross.
"I thirst" - Jesus suffered for you at the Cross.
"It is finished" - Jesus was the victor over sin for you at the Cross.
"Father, into your hands I commit my spirit" - there’s eternal security for you at the Cross.
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The seven last words of Jesus Christ on the cross are a collection of seven short phrases Jesus uttered at his
crucifixion immediately before he died, gathered from the four Gospels. The sayings were short and there is a reason
behind that. Crucifixion causes asphyxia. This makes inhaling air to speak difficult and painful, especially as death
approaches.
Seven Last Words of Jesus Christ
1. “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.”
Almighty God, to whom your crucified Son prayed for the forgiveness of those who did not know what they were
doing, grant that we, too, may be included in that prayer. Whether we sin out of ignorance or intention, be merciful to
us and grant us your acceptance and peace: in the name of Jesus Christ, our suffering Savior. Amen.
2. “Truly I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise.”
O Lord Jesus Christ, who promised to the repentant the joy of paradise, enable us by the Holy Spirit to repent and to
receive your grace in this world and in the world to come. Amen.
3. “Woman, behold your son . . . Behold your mother.”
O Blessed Savior, who in your hour of greatest suffering expressed compassion for your mother and made
arrangements for her care, grant that we who seek to follow your example may show our concern for the needs of
others, reaching out to provide for those who suffer in our human family. Hear this our prayer for your mercy’s sake.
Amen.
4. Eli Eli lama sabachthani? (“My God, My God, why have you forsaken me?”)
O Lord, I call for help by day, and in the night I still must cry. Regard me, listen to my prayer.My soul is troubled, I
am weak, cut off as one whom you forsake, forgotten near the pit of death.Your wrath weighs heavy on me here. Your
angry waves upon me break. Friends watch in horror from afar.I am shut in without escape. My eyes are dim because I
weep. My hands are lifted up to you. Page |
Do you work wonders for the dead? Can graves tell out your mighty deeds? There, who can know that you can
save?Lord, do not hide your face from me. You have afflicted me from youth. Your anger is destroying me.Your flood 28
of anger closes in. The darkness is my closest friend—shunned and forsaken, all alone. (PsH 88:1-7)
5. “I thirst”
O blessed Savior, whose lips were dry and whose throat was parched, grant us the water of life that we who thirst after
righteousness may find it quenched by your love and mercy, leading us to bring this same relief to others. Amen.
6. “It is finished”
O Lord Jesus Christ, who finished the work that you were sent to do, enable us by your Holy Spirit to be faithful to
our call. Grant us strength to bear our crosses and endure our sufferings, even unto death. Enable us to live and love so
faithfully that we also become good news to the world, joining your witness, O Christ, in whose name we pray. Amen.
7. “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit.”
Father, into whose hands your Son Jesus Christ commended his spirit, grant that we, too, following his example, may
in all of life and at the moment of our death entrust our lives into your faithful hands of love. In the name of Jesus who
gave his life for us all. Amen.
These precious last seven words of Christ on the Cross must remain in our minds even after Good Friday. Amen.
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I Thirst: The Most Human Words
Today we come to the fifth message in our series of messages on "The Passion of the Christ." I will remind you that
the word passion means suffering, the sufferings of the Christ. No place in scripture do we find the sufferings of the
Christ more pronounced than in the seven last words of Jesus on the cross. We are going to look at John 19-28-29 and
if you will notice the word that Jesus speaks, the fifth word from the cross. We come again today to the place called
Calvary. The place where we come with our sins and we see the Savior's righteousness; we come with our bitterness
and we see a Savior's sweetness; we come with our despair and we see a Savior's assurance; we come with our doubts
and we see a Savior's life; we come to Calvary with our lack of hope and we receive a Savior's life everlasting, the
place called Calvary. And in the fifth saying of Jesus we see the human nature of Jesus expressed in these words.
John 19:28-29 "after this, Jesus, knowing that all things were now accomplished, that the scripture might be fulfilled,
said, 'I thirst.' Now there was set a vessel full of vinegar: and they filled the sponge with vinegar, and put it upon
hyssop, and put it to his mouth.”
After this, Jesus, knowing that all things were now accomplished that the scriptures might be fulfilled saith, I thirst.
What is there for us in this word of Jesus as He said from the cross, I thirst? Well certainly these words of Jesus
pronounced to us the very human nature of Jesus. That Jesus was not only divine, but Jesus was human. The words, "I
thirst" speak to us of a human need. It is human to thirst. Isn't it ironic that on the cross was the Son of God who made
the fountains of water and yet who made the rivers of water said, I thirst. On the cross was the Son of God who made
the oceans and who made all the water in the oceans and who made all the water in all the wells and in all the
reservoirs of the earth and yet He who made all the water said, I thirst? On the cross is the Son of God who makes the
rain to fall from the sky to quench the parched earth and to quench the drought that the earth experiences from time to
time and yet He who makes the rain to fall said, I thirst. On the cross is the One who said I am the water of life and yet
He who was the water of life spoke from the cross and said I thirst. On the cross is the One who said, he that thirsteth
let him come unto me and drink and out of His innermost being shall flow a river of life. And he who cometh to me
and drinketh shall never thirst again, and yet He who said he who cometh to me and drinketh shall never thirst again
said, I thirst. Why did Jesus cry from the cross the words "I thirst"? No word of Jesus especially the last words of
Jesus are given by accident or by incident.
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