THE 7 SAYINGS

FROM THE CROSS

Tim Bench

Janaury 11, 2015

The timeless and eternal relevance
of these words
 "Last words are always impressive,
especially when they come from the lips of
one dearly loved. It is significant that He
spoke seven times from the cross — a
complete interpretation of the stupendous
event that was being enacted. Each of
these sayings is an ocean of truth
compressed into a drop of speech"
 From “The Incomparable Christ” by J. Oswald Sanders, page
155.
 Crucifixion, seen from the Cross by James Tissot, c. 1890
 Sayings from the cross
 Many lessons that can be taught about the
cross, but for our brief lesson here we are going
to examining the 7 things that Jesus said from
the cross.
 Jesus’ death, burial and resurrection is what
makes New Testament Christianity possible. It
was through Jesus’ death and the shedding of
His blood that it is made possible for us to have
the forgiveness of our sins.
 Hebrews 9:15
 “And for this reason He is the Mediator of
the new covenant, by means of death, for
the redemption of the transgressions
under the first covenant, that those who
are called may receive the promise of the
eternal inheritance. 16 For where there is
a testament, there must also of necessity
be the death of the testator. 17 For a
testament is in force after men are dead,
since it has no power at all while the
testator lives.”
 The death and resurrection of
Jesus…hope for us all
 Paul in I Corinthians 15:12
 “Now if Christ is preached that He has been raised
from the dead, how do some among you say that
there is no resurrection of the dead? 13 But if
there is no resurrection of the dead, then Christ is
not risen. 14 And if Christ is not risen, then our
preaching is empty and your faith is also empty.
15 Yes, and we are found false witnesses of God,
because we have testified of God that He raised
up Christ, whom He did not raise up -- if in fact
the dead do not rise. 16 For if the dead do not
rise, then Christ is not risen. 17 And if Christ is
not risen, your faith is futile; you are still in your
sins! 18 Then also those who have fallen asleep
in Christ have perished. 19 If in this life only we
have hope in Christ, we are of all men the most
pitiable.”
 The first saying
 Luke 23:33.
 “And when they had come to the
place called Calvary, there they
crucified Him, and the criminals, one
on the right hand and the other on
the left. 34 Then Jesus said, "Father,
forgive them, for they do not know
what they do." And they divided His
garments and cast lots.”
 From “Coffman's Commentaries on the
Bible” at www.studylight.org.
 “This was the first of the seven utterances of
Jesus from the cross; and it has the utility of
indicating two centers of forgiveness, one on the
earth, the other in heaven. It may not be
supposed that Jesus' prayer for the forgiveness
of the soldiers who crucified him implied their
immediate forgiveness in heaven. Jesus, AS A
MAN, forgave them; but the matter of their
eternal forgiveness was still contingent upon
their faith and acceptance of the terms of the
Christian gospel.”
 The first saying
 Imagine….Jesus has been arrested and falsely accused
at an unlawful trial by the Jews at night. He was drug to
Pilate, then sent to Herod and then back to Pilate. Pilate
was unable to find anything Jesus had done worthy of
death. Regardless, Jesus was scourged, beaten, and
mocked by soldiers and had a thorny crown shoved
down on His head.
 On the way to and at the cross, He is mocked, scorned,
and taunted, suffering agonizing physical pain, and yet
the reaction of Jesus is to plead for the forgiveness of
his tormenters.
 See also Matthew 5:43-48 and Isaiah 53:7,12 and 1 Peter 2:21-24.
 Compare with Stephen’s words in Acts 7:60 regarding forgiveness for
those present.
 What an amazing example we see here of forgiveness of
those who may sin against us.
 The second saying

 Luke 23:39-42
 Then one of the criminals who were hanged
blasphemed Him, saying, "If You are the Christ,
save Yourself and us." 40 But the other,
answering, rebuked him, saying, "Do you not
even fear God, seeing you are under the same
condemnation? 41 "And we indeed justly, for we
receive the due reward of our deeds; but this Man
has done nothing wrong." 42 Then he said to
Jesus, "Lord, remember me when You come into
Your kingdom." 43 And Jesus said to him,
"Assuredly, I say to you, today you will be with
Me in Paradise."
 The second saying
 At first both thieves were mocking Jesus, but
one thief had a change of heart and He
defended Jesus. Jesus assured Him that he
would be in paradise with Him that day.
 This scripture reaffirms to us some 2000 years
later that when we die that we do not cease to
exist… our life here on earth may be over, but
we will begin a new and glorious life if we die as
Christians.
“A Commentary on the Gospel by
Luke” by Leo Boles, page 453.
 “This penitent malefactor had confessed
his sins, reproved his companion,
defended Jesus, and now asked Jesus to
remember him…Jesus had observed the
most profound silence amidst the jeers of
the rulers and multitude, but now he is
ready to make reply to this penitent, dying
man.”
 The penitent thief’s salvation
 Many have argued over the centuries that this
verse proves baptism is NOT a necessity for
salvation.
 This argument makes the assumption that the
thief was NOT previously baptized….we know
almost nothing about this thief, not even his
name, so this argument is invalid.
 Others suggest that baptism was not a necessity
until AFTER the death of Jesus…..thus, the
penitent thief was still living under OT law.
(Demonstration of Devotion 3) by
Max Lucado
 “How disturbing to theologians to ascend the
mountain of doctrine only to be greeted by an
uneducated thief who cast his lot with Christ.
Here is a man who never went to church, never
gave an offering, never was baptized and said
only one prayer, but that prayer was enough…”
 There is no proof that this thief had not submitted to the
baptism of John… “John did baptize in the wilderness, and
preach the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins.
And there went out unto him all the land of Judaea, and
they of Jerusalem, and were all baptized of him in the river
of Jordan, confessing their sins” (Mark 1:4-5).
 Also, who is to say that the thief on the cross had not been
baptized by one of Jesus’ disciples? “When therefore the
Lord knew how the Pharisees had heard that Jesus made
and baptized more disciples than John, (Though Jesus
himself baptized not, but his disciples,) He left Judaea, and
departed again into Galilee” (John 4:1-3).
 The third saying
 John 19:26-27.
 When Jesus therefore saw His
mother, and the disciple whom He
loved standing by, He said to His
mother, "Woman, behold your son!"
27 Then He said to the disciple,
"Behold your mother!" And from that
hour that disciple took her to his own
home.
 From “A Commentary on The Gospel
According to John” by Guy Woods,
page 407.
 “The brothers of Jesus, sons of Mary and
Joseph, four in number, were unbelievers
(John 7:5); hence, Jesus preferred that his
mother be with the beloved disciple rather
than with them…His earthly possessions,
even the clothes that he wore, had been
taken from him; this, his most precious
possession his enemies could not take and
for her provision he arranged.”
 The third saying
 Surely, Mary must have been experiencing
agony, watching her son be tormented
and dying such a gruesome death.
 Even though Jesus was suffering
incomprehensible agonies, He wanted to
make sure that His mother was taken care
of after he died….by a dedicated believer.
Again this shows how Jesus is always
putting others before Himself.
 The fourth saying
 Matthew 27:45-46
 Now from the sixth hour until the
ninth hour there was darkness over
all the land. 46 And about the ninth
hour Jesus cried out with a loud
voice, saying, "Eli, Eli, lama
sabachthani?" that is, "My God, My
God, why have You forsaken Me?“
 See also Psalm 22:1.
 The fourth saying
 Jesushad endured hours of
physical and emotional
torment….and yet separation
from God seems to be his
greatest pain, a pain endured
because of the sins of every
person here today and the sins of
every person who has ever lived.
 The fourth saying
 “We can imagine what it would mean to a
righteous man to feel that he was forsaken of
God…the more we feel and enjoy the love of
another, the greater our sense of loss at being
deprived of it.
 Considering, therefore, the near and dear
relationship between the Son and father, it is
evident that we can never know or fathom the
depths of anguish which this cry expressed.
Suffice it to say, that this was without doubt the
most excruciating of all Christ’s sufferings, and
it, too, was a suffering in our stead.”
 “The Fourfold Gospel” by JW McGarvey, page 730.
 The fifth saying
 John 19:28-29.
 After this, Jesus, knowing that all
things were now accomplished, that
the Scripture might be fulfilled, said,
"I thirst!" 29 Now a vessel full of
sour wine was sitting there; and they
filled a sponge with sour wine, put it
on hyssop, and put it to His mouth.
 See Psalm 69:21.
 The fifth saying
 Jesus, the savior of all mankind, had faced and
overcome every spiritual temptation and pitfall
known to man.
 He also experienced the very same physical needs
that mankind would ever face (in this case,
thirst).
 “He now realizes his intense physical suffering ,
which had been forgotten in the more awful
mental anguish of abandonment by his father as
he bore the burden of the world’s sins.”
 “A Commentary on the Gospel of John” by David Lipscomb, page
301.
 The sixth saying
 John 19:30.
 So when Jesus had received the sour wine,
He said, "It is finished!" And bowing His
head, He gave up His spirit.
 His life’s work had been completed…the
prophecies had been fulfilled, and the
price of redemption had been paid in full.
All of humanity who would receive and
believe on Him would be for eternity the
heirs and beneficiaries.
The mission of Jesus completed
 “This is a cry of triumph. He had won the victory and
had reached the end of his cruel pathway. It betokens a
deep sensation of relief, relief from a crushing burden,
rest after agonizing toil. The work of redemption was
wrought. He had said, "I have a baptism to be baptized
with, and how am I straitened till it be accomplished!"
His baptism of suffering was now over.
 It is interesting to study all the words uttered by Jesus
on the cross. By a comparison of all the Evangelists this
will be found to be his sixth utterance. The three
Evangelists all dwell upon the loudness of the cry, as if it
had been the triumphant note of a conqueror.”
 B. W. Johnson, The New Testament Commentary: Vol. III--John
(1886), www.ccel.org.
 The seventh saying
 Luke 23:46.
 And when Jesus had cried out
with a loud voice, He said,
"Father, 'into Your hands I
commend My spirit.' " Having
said this, He breathed His
last.
 The immediate results of the seventh
and final saying from the cross
 Matthew 27:51-54.
 Then, behold, the veil of the temple was torn in
two from top to bottom; and the earth quaked,
and the rocks were split, 52 and the graves were
opened; and many bodies of the saints who had
fallen asleep were raised; 53 and coming out of
the graves after His resurrection, they went into
the holy city and appeared to many. 54 So when
the centurion and those with him, who were
guarding Jesus, saw the earthquake and the
things that had happened, they feared greatly,
saying, "Truly this was the Son of God!"