Christ’s Words From The Cross

April 2023 — Grace & Truth Magazine


Christ’s Words From The Cross

The Testament Of Our Lord
As far as we can find in the Gospels, Christ spoke seven times while hanging on the cross. Three statements were spoken before the hours of darkness, and three came after.

In the middle, almost at the end of the three hours of darkness, we hear only the bitter cry recorded in Psalm 22: “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?” (v.1; Mt. 27:46; Mk. 15:34 NKJV). In quoting these words of the psalmist, the Lord expressed the unfathomable suffering of God’s abandonment, which afflicted Him because of our sins.

In a sense, these seven statements constitute the last will, the spiritual testament, of the dying Savior. The first three in particular are a special testimony to the value and power of Christ’s work. We hear in them what the consequences of the passion would be, of which the New Testament letters testify. Seen are the spiritual riches He has granted to us by virtue of His finished work.

There are three special blessings bestowed upon us by virtue of His death:

1. The forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the Lord’s prayer to the Father in Luke 23:34.
2. A place in the heavenly paradise, as per the promise of Luke 23:43.
3. A place of caring love in the midst of God’s household here on earth, shown in the instructions of John 19:26-27.

The last will of the Savior speaks about the spiritual goods received by His own on the basis of His sufferings and atoning death. He is the Testator, being the One who provides for the past, present and future of all those who belong to Him. Thus we see in a slightly different order:

1. Regarding the past, we have been washed from our sins by His precious blood. We have the forgiveness of sins.
2. Concerning the present, He grants us a place of security in the midst of the family of God’s children.
3. Looking into the future, the paradise of God in heaven is open to us.

What more could we desire?

“Father, Forgive Them”
It is touching that the first statement Christ uttered on the cross (Lk. 23:34) was a prayer for His enemies. The prayer was not for vengeance on the sinners who had nailed Him to the accursed tree, but it was one asking for forgiveness for them. Even in this terrible situation, the Savior’s heart was full of love and mercy for the lost sinners He wanted to seek and save. He prayed to the Father about forgiveness for the evil done to Him, the beloved Son of the Father.

Had He not done so, no doubt a devastating judgment would have followed. However, it was not yet the day of vengeance. Here the wrath of heaven did not strike a guilty world. Instead, it struck the One who was willing to become the Sin-bearer and go into death for hostile sinners. It is precisely through the fruit of Christ’s work of atonement that this divine forgiveness is now offered to us. After all, He had come so His blood – the blood of the new covenant – would be “shed for many for the remission of sins” (Mt. 26:28).

There was no retribution or revenge, but forgiveness because Christ took our place under divine judgment and was willing to die for our sins. We can see the preaching of the apostle Peter on the day of Pentecost as the fulfillment of this prayer. Christ prayed for forgiveness for His enemies, and in response Peter was able to offer them that forgiveness. He did so as an envoy and witness on behalf of God. There was one condition: People at that time had to “repent, and … be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins” (Acts 2:38). In Acts 3:17 the apostle adds that they had killed the Lord in ignorance, corresponding precisely with Christ’s words, “They do not know what they do” (Lk. 23:34).

This good news of the forgiveness of sins is an essential part of the gospel message. We find it in the great commission of Matthew 28 and when He appeared to His own in Luke 24. It is spoken of in the preaching of the apostle Peter and in that of the apostle Paul. As soon as Paul began his missionary work, the forgiveness of sins was presented (Acts 13:38-39). Also, in the letters to the Ephesians and to the Colossians he specifically mentioned the forgiveness of sins and counted it among the highest blessings of the Christian (Eph. 1:7, 4:32; Col. 1:14). Yet, we must not forget that this blessing is the result of the unfathomable sufferings the Lord endured on the cross of Calvary.

“Today You Will Be With Me In Paradise”
This second statement heard from Him who was on the cross included the promise of a place in the heavenly glory: “Assuredly, I say to you, today you will be with Me in Paradise” (Lk. 23:43). The Lord spoke with divine authority. The word “assuredly,” or “verily” as is found in some translations, means “amen,” indicating that there is no doubt regarding the fulfillment of this promise. Although Christ was crucified in weakness, He now lives by God’s power. What He promises, He also fulfills.

A number of conclusions can be drawn from this important verse:

• No interval of purification and cleansing is needed before a departed believer reaches the happiness of heaven. After all, the Lord said to the evildoer that he would be with Him in paradise that very day. Incidentally, the sleep of death concerns only the body, which rests in the grave until the resurrection day. This also refutes the doctrine of the so-called “sleep of the soul,” which claims that the saints who have died are in a kind of sleeping state until the resurrection.
• Those who have fallen asleep in Christ are already in His immediate presence, and they are aware of it. “Today you will be with Me in Paradise” was the Lord’s promise to the evildoer who believed on Him. This man was expecting the coming messianic kingdom. He believed that the Lord was the King of the Jews and that in God’s time He would receive His kingdom, in which the risen saints would also have their place. Then he hoped to count on the King’s favor. But already now he received something better: a place in the paradise of God, where he could already recline in the presence of the Lord.
• In Luke 16 this place was still referred to as “Abraham’s bosom,” but then the Lord had not yet finished His work on the cross. Since He rose and has been glorified at God’s right hand, Abraham, the father of all believers, is no longer the center of attraction. To be with Christ is now the best part (Phil. 1:23). This is not only true in the intermediate state, the situation between death and the resurrection. At the resurrection of the departed saints and the change of the believers still living here on earth at the rapture, the same promise applies: “We shall always be with the Lord” (1 Th. 4:17).
• This place is henceforth called “paradise,” as the heavenly counterpart of the garden of Eden. It is located in the third heaven, meaning the dwelling place of God. It is therefore “the Paradise of God,” according to Revelation 2:7. Man cannot destroy it as he did the earthly paradise of Eden. The heavenly paradise bears the stamp of divine perfection.
• The Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil and the temptation to sin are missing in paradise. Christ is there as the true Tree of Life, and the Holy Spirit is the source of living water (Jn. 4:14-24, 7:37-39; Rev. 22:1-2). The thirst and hunger of the heart is supplied in every way. Those who have fallen asleep through Jesus are already unspeakably happy in the presence of God (2 Cor. 12:2-4). They hear glorious words, which a man on earth cannot express. Paul was taken up there as “a man in Christ” (v.2), and it is the place of all who are united to Him as the last Adam.

“Woman, Behold Your Son!”
We want to occupy ourselves now for a moment with this third statement of Jesus while He was on the cross. The Lord addressed it to His mother and to John, the beloved disciple: “When Jesus therefore saw His mother, and the disciple whom He loved standing by, He said to His mother, ‘Woman, behold your son!’ Then He said to the disciple, ‘Behold your mother!’ And from that hour that disciple took her to his own home” (Jn. 19:26-27).

This did not concern Christ’s enemies, but His friends and followers. There were only a few faithful followers who stood by the cross, and in John’s gospel they are mentioned by name. The beloved disciple gave moral support to Mary in the suffering that pierced through her own soul, about which Simeon had prophesied when Jesus was a baby (Lk. 2:34-35). John would be her support and companion, so her sorrow would be alleviated. The Lord gave them both the place they were to take after His passing: Mary received a son who would care for her, and John received a loving mother.

It is still like that today among the followers of Christ. He shows us the right place, and it is His desire that we mutually support one another. In the family of the children of God one cannot live on one’s own; we share our joys and sorrows. And it is the Lord who determines what place we should occupy in relation to the other members of the household of faith and what responsibility we should bear.

It is remarkable that John later told us so much about the mutual relationships within the family of God’s children. In 1 John, this apostle’s first letter, he clearly showed that not all believers occupy the same place. There are “little children” (2:12-13) in the faith who have only just come to know the Father and the joys of childhood, as well as the exalted position of sons. Others have grown spiritually and become strong in the conflict with the evil one. However, these “young men” (vv.13-14) still need certain admonitions, or gentle counsel.

Still others are called “fathers” (vv.13-14) because they in turn have led people to Christ, and as fathers in Christ they pay attention and show care to their spiritual children. To them the apostle devotes no more admonitions. It is enough that they know Him who is from the beginning and live in constant communion with the Father and the Son. What a privilege it is to be assigned such a place of blessing in God’s household by the Lord Himself!

“I Thirst!”
The fifth and sixth statements of Christ from the cross are found in John 19, the seventh is recorded in Luke 23. The end of Christ’s life is described very succinctly, or very briefly, in John 19:28-30. Here we first find an exclamation of the Lord to fulfill the Scriptures: “I thirst!” (v.28). We are reminded of what is written in Psalms: “My strength is dried up like a potsherd, and My tongue clings to My jaws; You have brought Me to the dust of death” (22:15) and, “They also gave Me gall for My food, and for My thirst they gave Me vinegar to drink” (69:21). The Lord had refused the sour wine just after His hands and feet were pierced because it was an anesthetic (Mt. 27:34).

But after finishing the work – for Jesus knew that now all things were accomplished (Jn. 19:28) – He could express His human feelings and desires. And then He does so with the special purpose of fulfilling the Scriptures, so all the messianic prophecies would have been realized in His life and in His death.

“It Is Finished!”
After taking the sour wine, He said, “It is finished!” (v.30). The great work of redemption was accomplished, and the Scriptures were fulfilled. Then, bowing His head He gave up His spirit into the hands of His Father. This is the independent and voluntary surrender of His soul into death (10:17-18). He had power to lay down His life.

“Father, Into Your Hands”
In laying down His life He, according to Luke, was still able to cry out with a loud voice the words, “Father, into Your hands I commit My spirit” (23:46). This was the seventh statement by the Lord while on the cross. When He had said this, He died. Therefore, both the first and the last words from the cross begin with the intimate word “Father.” The One who spoke here was He who has accomplished everything – the One in whom we find all our salvation (Acts 4:12).

Following In His Example
The martyr Stephen, when he died, imitated the Lord’s example, and his words reflect both the first and last statements from the cross, of forgiveness and trust (see 7:54-60). What joy was his through the Spirit as he said, “Look, I see the heavens opened and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God!” (v.56). Then Stephen said, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit” and while kneeling down, “Lord, do not charge them with this sin” (vv.59-60). He surrendered his spirit into the hands of the glorified Lord, who stood at God’s right hand to receive him into His heavenly presence.

May our last words, too, bring glory to our Lord. Oh, the joy that awaits!

By Hugo Bouter (adapted)

On earth the song begins; In heaven more sweet and loud – “To Him that cleansed our sins By His atoning blood; To Him,” we sing in joyful strain,
“Be honor, power and praise, Amen.” —Joseph Swain (1761–1796)