The Seven Sayings From the Cross
By Heather VandenEinde
In my job as a high school English instructor, I try to focus on teaching an “author’s purpose” when leading a study of a particular novel or poem. It is important for my students to understand that the authors we study repeatedly drafted and edited what we now see as the published product. After all, writing is a labor-intensive process; every word, sentence and idea is carefully thought out before the final draft is submitted for publication. Therefore, when I lead a study of any literary work, I push my students to consider what the author wanted the reader to glean from the words he/she put to paper.
However, when examining “author’s purpose” as we read the four gospels, we do not have to wonder what the writers of these ancient words wanted us to learn and understand. Timothy tells us in 2 Timothy 3:16, “All scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness.” Any study of God’s word should lead to teaching, training, and correction as necessary during our endeavor to walk in the paths of righteousness.
In studying the four gospels in the New Testament, we see the same story of Christ’s love and sacrifice but through the eyes of four very different men writing to different audiences. While there are certainly variations in the writing styles and information included in each of the four gospels, all four writers were inspired to record the account of the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. The purpose of this inclusion in all four books should be obvious; Jesus’ death and resurrection is the foundation of our salvation from our sins. In 1 Corinthians 15:17, Paul writes, “if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins.” Clearly, Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John were all directed by the Holy Spirit to include this most important account of Jesus’ time here on earth. And true to what we would expect from a narration shared by four different people, some details are the same. At the same time, each writer also shared certain details that were not necessarily recorded in the other three gospels.
Between the four gospel writers, they recorded seven statements or phrases spoken by the Lord as He died that agonizing death on the cross. They are as follows:
• Matthew 27:46; Mark 15:34: “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani? (My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”
• Luke 23:34: “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.”
• Luke 23:43: “Truly, I say to you, today you will be with Me in paradise.”
• Luke 23:46: “Father, into your hands I commit My spirit!”
• John 19:26-27: “Woman, behold your son” and “Behold, your mother!”
• John 19:28: “I thirst.”
• John 19:30: “It is finished.”
While each of Christ’s statements as He died on the cross is significant and worthy of study, the first two listed above really point to just what kind of a High Priest we have in Jesus. In Hebrews 4:15-16, the author writes, “For we do not have a High Priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.” We need look no further than Jesus’ words as He was dying to understand both His love and His ability to truly understand our weaknesses.
Luke’s record of Jesus’ utterance, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do” indicates that He said this in the earliest part of His death on the cross. I have often tried, on Sunday mornings especially, to comprehend how my Lord and Savior could speak these words shortly after the nails were driven into His hands. As He looked around at the hateful crowd of Jews and Romans, His thoughts were of mercy and forgiveness, not vengeance and retribution. Jesus showed this grace, this mercy, in the middle of such a brutal and cruel physical death so that He could save me from eternal death and separation from God. My finite mind can hardly bear the thought.
Like so many, I struggle to forgive even the simplest and most inconsequential wrongdoings at the hands of others. When those in my life who I dearly love sin against me, especially when the transgressions are of a very hurtful and serious nature, it is easy for me to fall into Satan’s trap of bitterness and resentment. Yet Paul tells us in Ephesians 4:31, “Let all bitterness and wrath and anger…be put away from you…” and adds in verse 32, “be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another as God in Christ forgave you.” If I am to be an imitator of Christ, I must have an attitude of mercy and forgiveness. God, in His divine wisdom, ensured that the gospel writers recorded these words of Jesus on the cross for our instruction and correction. How can I possibly justify my unforgiving mindset when Christ, as He was dying, was willing to forgive those literally putting him to death? When I feel hurt and angry, Jesus understands this and Jesus sympathizes, but the evil done to Him far outweighs anything I may suffer during my time here on earth. He was without sin, unjustly and unfairly put to death and yet my Lord responded with forgiveness. I pray that as I strive to be like Christ, I remember Jesus’ words and attitude toward those who hurt Him the most.
Both Matthew and Mark record Jesus’ heartbreaking words near the end of His suffering on the cross, translated “My God, my God, why have You forsaken Me?” If taken at face value, these words are devastating to try and comprehend, but it is important to understand why Jesus said them and what He called to remembrance with these words. This phrase is a direct quote from words written by David hundreds of years prior to the crucifixion of Christ. Psalm 22 foretells the suffering and agony that Jesus would experience on the cross. It contains numerous images of both the physical and emotional misery that Christ would suffer, and remarkably, He calls these very images to mind as they are being fulfilled on the cross!
When I meditate on these words spoken by Jesus, I am immediately reminded of times in my life when I felt “forsaken” by God. I mentioned earlier how Satan’s trap of bitterness and resentment can often cause me to be less forgiving than I ought to be. Satan also craftily uses the trap of my own sin to make me feel much farther from God than I actually am. While sin certainly causes a separation of us from God, I fear at times it is easier to fall into a pit of despair and feeling like God is far away than to change my behavior, repent, and ask for God’s forgiveness. Again, I need look no further than the cross and Jesus’ words on the cross to direct me to the ancient words David penned, forever preserved in the book of Psalms. Even though Psalm 22 contains a grim picture of a man facing the most horrific trial imaginable, hope continues to shine throughout his groaning and especially at the end of the psalm. David begs for deliverance from his enemies, and in Psalm 22:24 he writes, “For he has not despised or abhorred the affliction of the afflicted, and He has not hidden His face from him, but has heard, when he cried to Him.”
On the surface, we can read Jesus’ words on the cross, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me” and walk away from this account thinking that even Christ was forsaken at His lowest moment. While that may bring us comfort in knowing He knows and understands exactly how we feel even at our lowest moments, the significance of these words actually lies in the ultimate message of hope and love that David first wrote about years prior to the crucifixion. In Psalm 22:28, David writes “For kingship belongs to the Lord, and He rules over the nations.” There is no more comforting thought for me personally than to know that God is on His throne no matter what happens here on earth, and what a Savior we have that directed us to that thought even as He was taking His last breaths on the cross!
The four gospel accounts of Christ’s crucifixion give varying details that compose a complete picture of everything the Lord suffered during His betrayal, death, and resurrection. Luke alone tells of Jesus’ forgiveness to those who put Him to death in what is the ultimate example of mercy and grace shown to those least deserving. Additionally, Matthew and Mark share the agonizing words Christ spoke when bringing to remembrance David’s words in Psalm 28. While these words indeed reflect the anguish Jesus endured, they more importantly point to the hope we have with our heavenly Father who will never hide His face when we cry out for help. I pray that we meditate on these carefully preserved words and use them as we should, for teaching, reproof, correction, and instruction as we strive to be “complete” and “equipped for every good work” (2 Tim. 3: 17).