First saying on the cross
The first of Jesus’ sayings on the cross was ‘Father, forgive them for
they know not what they do.’ The people he was praying for were the five soldiers
who had executed him, probably in an indifferent manner (four soldiers and the
centurion in charge). They would have been involved previously in the
crucifixions of numerous individuals. But on this occasion, they heard a very
different response from previous occasions. Provided that they understood the
language that Jesus spoke, they would have overhead the Saviour pray for them.
But the effectiveness of his prayer was not dependent on them understanding his
language.
Why did Jesus pray for them? One answer is that he loved his neighbour. What else would we have expected him to do in that situation? He had told his disciples to pray for those who maltreated them, and we would expect him to be the best example of his own teaching.
A second answer is that he knew their deep needs as unforgiven sinners. They may have had the power of the Roman empire behind them, but that empire had no ability as far as the forgiveness of sins is concerned. To pardon a sinner of all his sins is not the remit of an earthly monarch. Only God can respond in this way, so he should be entreated for it.
Was his prayer answered? Later that day, the centurion and his four men confessed that Jesus was the Son of God. They had gambled for his clothes after they stripped him. But only one of them could take his tunic. The five of them received another garment from Jesus, that of his righteousness, which would clothe them for ever, and give them a perfect standing in God’s presence.
Second saying on the cross
The second saying by Jesus on the cross was ‘Truly I say to you, Today
you shall be with me in Paradise.’ It was said to the penitent criminal who had
asked Jesus to remember him when he came to his kingdom. We have no idea how
that man came to understand who Jesus was. Previously he had ridiculed Jesus,
but he had changed his mind.
The man did not ask for this benefit because he was at the end of his life. He knew that was where he was when he was ridiculing Jesus. So why did he ask to be remembered? He did so because he had realised that he was a sinner in the sight of God and not just a criminal in the eyes of the state.
In a way in which we are not told anything about, the Holy Spirit illuminated that man as to his own identity and to the Saviour’s identity. He realised that he was a sinner and Jesus was the Saviour. He was convinced that Jesus was going from the cross to a crown, and that Jesus had the authority to let him in to the heavenly kingdom.
His expression of faith was simple, straightforward and scriptural. He asked to be given a place and he was assured that he would have it, even later that day. His faith was rewarded by the generosity of grace. Paradise would be the home of his soul until the resurrection, and that is where he is today.
Third saying on the cross
The third saying of Jesus was addressed to his mother Mary and his disciple John. To his mother, he said, ‘Woman, behold your son,’ and to John he said, ‘Behold your mother.’ Here we see Jesus observing the fifth commandment to honour his parent. It is likely that Joseph had died by this time and Mary was a widow.
Jesus was indicating to Mary that the earthly relationship with him was coming to an end. While she will always have the special privilege of being his mother, that privilege did not save her soul. She needed a Saviour who would die on the cross to pay the penalty for her sins. He would take care of that requirement and he also took care of her other needs as well.
John was the disciple that was closest to Jesus, and he was marked by a strong sense of love. Mary had created a loving home in Nazareth, and now Jesus ensures that she will be in a loving home for the rest of her days. Church tradition tells us that John looked after Mary for many years, even taking her to Ephesus when he moved there.
It is important to observe that Jesus kept the law until he died. He had to provide a life of obedience. His provision for his mother was how he kept the fifth commandment, but it is good for us to consider how he kept the other commandments as well.
The fourth saying on the cross
Jesus spoke the fourth saying to his Father: ‘My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?’ His cry was not an indication of ignorance. It was a request for information, an indication that his human mind was alert as the awful experience of the Father’s wrath was endured by him. It was not a cry of rebellion, as if he resented the actions of the Father. Rather it was an affirmation of his relationship with his God.
Of course, there are mysteries in this cry. We do not know what was taking place within the Godhead as Jesus suffered, and it is not for us to venture into what we have not been told. We know that the Holy Spirit strengthened him throughout the ordeal. We know that he paid the penalty demanded of him, and we know that the Father was pleased with him on the cross. Our response is to admire him as we think of his sufferings.
Yet there is also a sense in which we can answer the question. Why was he forsaken? Each of his people can say, ‘Because of my sins.’ We can divide it further and say that he was forsake because of our original sin and our actual sins. Nor should we try and separate our sins from our persons. ‘He died for me,’ we should say. ‘Who am I?’ we can ask. We all reply, ‘I am a sinner. I am not someone who occasionally does wrong. I sin in everything. It has permeated my reasoning, my affections and my choices.’
The fact is, we caused the absence of whatever Jesus was longing for when he asked that incredible question. He longed for the sense of the comfort and consolation of his Father’s presence, but the absence was part of the price that he was willing to pay.
The fifth saying on the cross
The fifth saying by Jesus on the cross was the cry, ‘I thirst.’ This cry was an indication of the reality of the physical effects of crucifixion on his body. Of course, it was more than that. In addition, there was the effects of enduring the wrath of God. None of us can tell the pressure that Jesus experienced when he suffered on the cross.
One deduction that we can make is that Jesus did not hide his weakness. He knew that in a few minutes his spirit would be in Paradise. But he did not die as a Stoic gritting his teeth against the unavoidable circumstances and refusing aid from anyone. What was Jesus feeling shortly before entering into glory? He was thirsty. Sometimes, God’s people have unpleasant experiences on their deathbeds. Such have a High Priest who remembers that he was thirsty just before he died.
Jesus did not get to glory by bypassing weakness. Rather he got there by embracing it. Who could imagine that he was on a journey to the throne? But he was. He humbled himself to the point of death, and his thirst was felt while close to that point. His bodily strength was low, and he told that to those around him.
Perhaps he needed refreshment because of the loud cry that he was about to make. It is hard to cry from a parched throat. Someone gave him sour wine to drink, and with that he uttered his sixth saying, a wonderful statement that we will think about tomorrow.
The sixth saying on the cross
The sixth saying by Jesus on the cross was one word, although it is translated with three words: ‘It is finished.’ It was a very practical word, one used by tradesmen when they completed a task. It would only be used when the work was completed to the superior’s satisfaction. Jesus knew that he could say it because he knew that the Father had accepted the payment that had been made for sin.
What did Jesus have in mind when he said it? No doubt, he was referring to the experience of divine justice that he had undergone as the payer of our debts. In his case, the long sentence was intensified into a few hours, but the shortened time did not reduce the weightiness of what he underwent. He made full payment, so that not even a second of time remains in which his people need to bear any of it.
Tourists visit made sites where impressive works can be seen. Whatever the works, no one who sees them today sees the perfection they once had. The passing of time makes them imperfect, and indeed some of them need restoration by another hand than the artist or sculptor or architect. That cannot be said of the perfect work that was finished at the cross. It is as perfect today as it was on Good Friday, and it always will be.
This saying by Jesus was a loud cry.
Obviously, he wanted people around the cross to hear it. The best place to hear
the loud voice of Jesus regarding the completeness of his work is at the cross.
He himself draws our attention to it. Let us go to hear him.
The seventh saying on the cross
The seventh saying by Jesus on the cross was similar to his first in that both were addressed to the Father. In the first, he had prayed for others; in the seventh, he spoke about himself when he said, ‘Father, into your hands, I commend my spirit.’ His words are taken from a psalm, perhaps an indication that the Holy Spirit brought it to his mind. He would have learned it when he was young. We are being informed here of the importance of memorising the Bible in case we need one of its verses when we reach our last moment.
There is something startling about the sovereignty of Jesus expressed in this statement. On a previous occasion, he had said that no one could take his life from him. He had also said that he had received authority from his Father to lay down his life, and here he is, exercising that authority. The hands of the Father were the safest place for him to place his spirit.
Isaiah 42 is a chapter in which the heavenly Father speaks to the Messiah. In verse 6, he says to Jesus: ‘I am the Lord; I have called you in righteousness; I will take you by the hand and keep you.’ That had been the story of his life – the helping hand of the Father. Now that he had reached the end of the journey, what safer place was there but the same hands that had taken him through life!
As Luke tells us, the manner of the Saviour’s dying led the centurion to praise God. It should lead us to do the same.
