The Passion Narratives - the Seven Sayings from the Cross

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The Passion Narratives – The Seven Sayings from the Cross 24/03/2021

Derrick Harrison 24/03/2021

The Passion Narratives No 4 – The Seven Sayings from the Cross

This is our fifth talk in a series which began at Caesarea Philippi with Peter’s confession of Jesus as Messiah and the Son of God, followed by Jesus’ first teaching about the cross, and then came Jesus’ Transfiguration and His journey to Jerusalem. Jesus entered the city amid Hosannah’s – and so began the Holy Week which concluded with Gethsemane. The next day Jesus is crucified. Our previous talk was about Jesus’ crucifixion from Isa.53, which sets the scene for today as we consider the cross by looking at “The Seven Sayings of Jesus” spoken during His crucifixion.

The Seven Sayings of Jesus from the Cross Jesus Christ spoke seven significant statements or “seven last words” during His tortuous three hours of enduring crucifixion. These seven sayings are recorded in the Gospels, between the time when He was nailed to the cross and His death; they reveal that He is God’s eternal Son as well as being Mary’s human son. The following statement about Jesus’ cross is found in Peter’s first sermon, “Men of Israel, hear these words: Jesus of Nazareth, a Man attested by God to you by miracles, wonders, and signs which God did through Him in your midst, as you yourselves also know— Him, being delivered by the determined purpose and foreknowledge of God, you have taken by lawless hands, have crucified, and put to death; whom God raised up, having loosed the pains of death, because it was not possible that He should be held by it” (Acts 2:22-24).

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The Passion Narratives No 4 – The Seven Sayings from the Cross

These verses are important because Peter points out three things about Jesus and His crucifixion, (1) His humanness, - “a MAN attested

by God by miracles …,” (2) he then points to His crucifixion and says that Jesus’ crucifixion was determined by God and for His purposes and (3) he charges the Jewish authorities directly with His death. That certainly was an awful indictment, but it was true!

Before we examine each saying of Jesus from the cross, we need to outline Jesus’ footsteps from the Garden of Gethsemane to the cross.

The Order of Events in the Passion Narrative of Jesus 1. The Last Supper.

2. The agony in the Garden of Gethsemane.

3. The arrest of Jesus after his betrayal by Judas.

4. The examination and condemnation of Jesus by the Jews.

5. The trial before Pilate when Jesus is sentenced to be crucified and then He is scourged.

6. The crucifixion of Jesus leading to death.

The Crucifixion (a detail from), by Mathis Gothart Grünewald (1515)

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The Passion Narratives No 4 – The Seven Sayings from the Cross

A Timetable of these Events which take place on Thursday & Friday1 Maundy Thursday2 Mid-Day – Jesus’ disciples prepare for the Passover in the Upper Room, “And the disciples did as Jesus had directed them, and they prepared the Passover” (Matthew 26:19).

6:00 p.m. – Jesus begins the “Last Supper” “And when the hour came, he sat at table, and the apostles with him. And he said to them, “I have earnestly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer; for I tell you I shall not eat it until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God” (Luke 22:14-16).

8:00 p.m. – Jesus leads his disciples to the Garden of Gethsemane, “And he came out, and went, as was his custom, to the Mount of Olives; and the disciples followed him. And when he came to the place he said to them, “Pray that you may not enter into temptation” (Luke 22:39-40).

9:00 p.m. – 3:00 a.m. – Jesus is betrayed by Judas and arrested by soldiers. He is taken first to the former High Priest Annas, and then to Caiaphas, the current High Priest, where He spends the night in a dungeon.

Good Friday

1

Sometimes the two days – Maundy Thursday and Good Friday are linked with the “Holy Week” which commences with Jesus’ Entry into Jerusalem and finishes with Jesus’ Resurrection Day. 2 Maundy is derived from the Latin word for "command," and refers to Jesus' commandment to the disciples to "Love one another as I have loved you."

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The Passion Narratives No 4 – The Seven Sayings from the Cross

6:00 a.m. – Jesus is taken in front of the Sanhedrin and then sent to Pilate “When day came, the assembly of the elders of the people gathered together, both chief priests and scribes; and they led him away to their council … Then the whole company of them arose, and brought him before Pilate” (Luke 22:66; 23:1).

7:00 a.m. – Jesus stands trial in front of Pilate and then He is sent to Herod Antipas, “Pilate asked whether the man was a Galilean. And when he learned that he belonged to Herod’s jurisdiction, he sent him over to Herod, who was himself in Jerusalem at that time” (Luke 23:6-7).

8:00 a.m. – Jesus stands before Herod Antipas and is mocked, “Then Herod, with his men of war, treated Him with contempt and mocked Him, arrayed Him in a gorgeous robe, and sent Him back to Pilate” (Luke 23:11) 8:30 a.m. – Jesus is brought back to Pilate who tries to release him, “You brought me this man as one who was perverting the people; and after examining him before you, behold, I did not find this man guilty of any of your charges against him” (Luke 23:14).

9:00 a.m. – 10:00 a.m. – Jesus is scourged and then starts the ascent to Mount Calvary, “I will therefore chastise him and release him” … And as they led him away, they seized one Simon of Cyrene, who was coming in from the country, and laid on him the cross, to carry it behind Jesus” (Luke 23:16, 26).

12:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m. – Jesus is nailed to the cross and hangs there for three hours, “And when they came to the place which is called The Skull, there they crucified him, and the criminals, one on the right and

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one on the left. And Jesus said, “Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do” (Luke 23:33-34).

3:00 p.m. – Jesus dies on the cross, “It was now about the sixth hour, and there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour, while the sun’s light failed; and the curtain of the temple was torn in two. Then Jesus, crying with a loud voice, said, “Father, into thy hands I commit my spirit!” And having said this he breathed his last” (Luke 23:44-46).

The Seven Sayings of Jesus from the Cross 1) Jesus Speaks to Father (Luke 23:34) “Then Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do.”

And they divided His garments and cast lots.”

Who is Jesus referring to? The answer is in the verse, Father forgive the soldiers. They were involved from the very beginning, from the time they apprehended Him in the Garden of Gethsemane and brought Him bound as a prisoner to the Jewish authorities and then to Pilate. We read about how the soldiers executed the commands of Pilate to scourge Jesus and how they mocked and humiliated Him, “So, then Pilate took Jesus and scourged Him. And the soldiers twisted a crown of thorns and put it on His head, and they put on Him a purple robe. Then they said, “Hail, King of the Jews!”

And they struck Him with their hands” (Jn.19:1-3).

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The Passion Narratives No 4 – The Seven Sayings from the Cross

You will remember that as He made His way along the Via Dolorosa route through the narrow streets and steps in Jerusalem that He collapsed under the weight of the cross, thus showing to what extent the cruel scourging had worked shock and havoc to the body of Jesus as the soldier’s whip had torn into His body. As He made His way to the cross it is clear that His body was broken already, even before He arrived at Golgotha.

Matthew omits the action of the soldiers when they forced Jesus to the ground, stretched out His arms in a cruciform shape and hammered great nails through His wrists and then nailed His feet to the base of the cross. Most men fought this barbaric act of cruelty, but it appears that Jesus endured this silently, submissively, and unprotestingly. The four soldiers who were responsible for carrying out Jesus’ crucifixion were probably responsible for digging the hole in which the occupied cross was raised and dropped violently into the hole and then wedged into the ground. The violent drop would have jarred and torn the wrists and the feet of Jesus due to the nails, (for Matthew’s omission read Mat.27:34-35). The soldiers stripped Jesus of His seamless robe, fulfilling prophecy (Ps.22:18), “And they crucified him, and parted his garments, casting lots: that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, “They parted my garments among them, and upon my vesture did they cast lots” (Mat.27:35).

The four legionaries had probably crucified a number of Jews and they are totally unaware of who it is they are crucifying. I have found it a great benefit to have just come from spending hours studying Isaiah ch.53. These hardened men are not even revulsed by the awful condition of Jesus. Matthew says that these soldiers, “and sitting down they watched him there” (Mat.27:36). The soldiers then pinned a rough

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The Passion Narratives No 4 – The Seven Sayings from the Cross

notice over His head, called “an accusation” above Jesus’ head, we call it the titular, “JESUS OF NAZARETH THE KING OF THE JEWS” (Jn.19:19).

This title, written by Pilate was meant as a savage taunt to the Jews rather than as an insult to Jesus. Look at what they are doing to Him now, - they are engaged in the awful atrocity of killing Him! They are occupied in the cruel activity of crucifying Him, they are inflicting and exploiting pain, crucifixion is torture both physical and mental.

Matthew portrays Jesus as silent and submissive to the affliction and oppression of the cross, as Isaiah had prophesied, “He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he opens not his mouth” (Isa.53:7).

The soldiers mocked Jesus’ claim of Kingship and His message of salvation. They taunted Him, offering Him drugged wine to deaden the pain a little and dull His senses, “The soldiers also mocked Him, coming and offering Him sour wine, and saying, “If You are the King of the Jews, save Yourself” (Lk.23:36-37).

Jesus asks His Father to forgive the soldiers for what they were doing to Him. It is true that they did not know what they were doing, but they were still accountable and as such needed forgiveness.

Matthew refers to the three long hours of darkness, from noon to three in the afternoon during which time Jesus is silent in His passive

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sufferings on our behalf, enduring the cross for us. The long eventful silence was broken by His agonised cry of dereliction which we will consider later.

Following the death of Jesus, Matthew records the fact that the temple curtain was rent (v51).

2) Jesus Speaks to the Criminal on the Cross (Luke 23:43) This second saying of Jesus is recorded by Luke alongside his other two sayings spoken from the cross. Listen to the repentant criminal as he rebukes the other criminal being crucified, “Do you not even fear God, seeing you are under the same condemnation? And we indeed justly, for we receive the due reward of our deeds; but this Man has done nothing wrong.”

Then he said to Jesus, “Lord, remember me when You come into Your kingdom.” And Jesus said to him, “Assuredly, I say to you, today you will be with Me in Paradise” (Lk.23:39-43).

Firstly, one of the criminals racked by pain and torture railed blasphemies at Jesus, but then the repentant thief rebuked the other thief, pain and torture has chastened his heart to the point where he acknowledges that his penalty was just and the prayer of Jesus asking Father to forgive His tormenters had raised faith and hope in his heart.

Jesus’ cross was raised between the two men and Jesus held in His hands the keys to heaven and hell and both their eternal destinies.

Jesus breaks His silence a second time as He speaks to the repentant thief next to Him on the adjoining cross, He speaks words of promise and assurance to him. Jesus is now dying and thus He is providing New Life Radio – Talk No 24

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The Passion Narratives No 4 – The Seven Sayings from the Cross

salvation for sinners which means that He is opening heaven’s door to all repentant sinners because Jesus is right now paying the price for their sins by His death on the cross. This sinner dying on a cross next to Jesus will be the first person to benefit from Christ’s salvation. How amazing and how glorious is this? He will be the first redeemed soul to enjoy the fruits of Jesus’ passion and death. Jesus said, “Assuredly, I say to you, you will be with Me in paradise.”

Very soon Jesus will die, and His body will be taken down from the cross and carried to the new tomb of Joseph and there it will lie till resurrection morning when Jesus will rise from the dead. We read that when Jesus rose again many other people rose up from their tombs and walked round the streets of Jerusalem, - that must have been an amazing morning of surprises in Jerusalem! This story of the repentant criminal in paradise with Jesus points to our future hope that when we die, we will go to paradise to be with Jesus.

Jesus had a particular love for the poor and the marginalized which incensed the religious leaders of His day. Jesus chose out their company, He socialized with them and ate at their tables. Jesus told the “End Time” parable (Mat.21:8-10) of the marriage feast and described how the king commanded his servants to invite all and sundry to the feast. The parable displays God’ generous heart for all.

3) Jesus Speaks to Mary and John (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!” Then disciple, “Behold your mother!”

He

said

to

the

And from that hour that disciple took her to his own home.”

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The Passion Narratives No 4 – The Seven Sayings from the Cross

This loving spontaneous behaviour of Jesus requires no explanation whatsoever as He sees His mother’s distress and vulnerability in her grief as she watches her Son’s crucifixion and John His beloved disciple standing beside her. He was giving His mother to John as His parting gift to him, and He was giving His beloved disciple to Mary as His parting gift to her, because He knew that He was about to die. All responsibilities have to be relinquished at death and all friendships and relationships, however close, have also to be relinquished. We pray that we will each die well, not only for our own sake but for the sake of our loved ones. Jesus provided for His mother in His absence. One can imagine the joy of their deepening and devoted friendship which centred in their mutual love for Jesus who was soon to ascend and be exalted at Father’s right-hand. Both Mary’s and John’s loss would be swallowed up in their new friendship and in the future possibilities which will open up for them resulting from their fellowship together.

Both Mary and John are renowned in Scripture for their abundant love for God. Imagine the fruit which will flow out from their friendship! – surely, one of the many untold stories that originate in the gospel narrative.

4) Jesus’ “Cry of dereliction” to Father (Matthew 27:46; Mark 15:34) “Now from the sixth hour there was darkness over all the land unto the ninth hour” (Mat.27:45).

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?”

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The Passion Narratives No 4 – The Seven Sayings from the Cross

“My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me? Why are You so far from helping Me, And from the words of My groaning?” (Ps.22:1).

I think it would be helpful to take a quick look at the psalm for further insight into this messianic prophecy quoted by Jesus from the cross. I think it is quite amazing that we hear Jesus crying out loudly, these words are wrung from His heart, they are so deep they are beyond our comprehension.

This agonised cry of Jesus encapsulates the agony of Jesus’ sufferings on the cross. He is not crying out due to physical pain, or psychological melt down, but He cries out, - My God, My God, why have YOU forsaken me?” This cry has been termed, “His cry of dereliction.” It is a statement of truth beyond the possibility of our understanding or comprehension. We can ask, - “Why was He abandoned by His Father?” – and we give an answer based on multiple Scriptures, but we cannot enter into the sufferings of God at this deep level.

Let me state the fact of Jesus’ physical sufferings as they are described in most detail by the prophet Isaiah (ch.53), he described how His face was marred more than any human face, but he also says that His soul was made an offering for sin and also that He shall see of the travail of His soul and be satisfied. Here Isaiah has gone to a deeper level than the physical suffering of Jesus and speaks about His soul suffering for sin. Paul, also moves to this deeper level of Christ’s death when he says, that Christ became sin for us, “For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him” (2Cor.5:21).

“Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures” (1Cor.15:3).

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By taking our sin, He suffered the judgement of God against sin.

“Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, “Cursed, is every one that hangs on a tree” (Gal.3:13).

To return to the physical for a moment, Jesus became fully human through the His conception in the womb of Mary. All humans die and to experience our humanity He had to taste of death, not because He sinned but because He had taken on Himself our sin. The Bible says that “the soul that sins must die.”

If Jesus felt so deeply His separation, did it cause Him to doubt and to question Father’s love and integrity? Let me give you the answer to that question – look again at His cry. What did He say? His cry began with Him addressing Father personally - “My God, My God.” Despite the pain You are subjecting Me to, you are still MY God. The answer lies also in the very last words He spoke to Father moments before He died - “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit.” These last words of Jesus express His utter trust in Father to the very end.

5) Jesus Cries out in Thirst (John 19:28) After this, Jesus, knowing that all things were accomplished, that the Scripture might be fulfilled, said,

now

“I thirst!”

What had been “now accomplished”? Every Messianic prophecy directly relating to God’s salvation, from Gen.3:15 onwards to the end of the Old Testament has been completely fulfilled in every detail and nuance in the crucifixion of Jesus. Is this also the satisfaction Isaiah prophesied about? Yes, Jesus has not only fulfilled every prophecy concerning Himself, but He has done the work to which prophecy New Life Radio – Talk No 24

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pointed – He had accomplished salvation now! He has just made full satisfaction for our sin. I am convinced that Jesus is communicating this fact to us. Truly, the victory of the cross and the obtaining of salvation is an amazing accomplishment of Jesus which we do not fully comprehend or fully appreciate, “And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night” (Rev.12:10).

Having gained our salvation, He now addresses His own need. We can’t imagine the dryness, the parched throat, the unrelieved suffering, the painful struggle to breathe and the silent flow of His blood as it seeps from His body, making His death inevitable. Jesus’ rasping cry for a drink was heard by a soldier, “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” (Jn.19:30).

“They gave me also gall for my meat; and in my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink” (Ps.69:21).

This is the only occasion Jesus seeks relief for His physical suffering.

Surely, it is significant that it is John who points this out to us, he recorded Jesus’ meeting the Samaritan woman at Jacob’s well and His promise to her that He will give to her living water, springing up from within her, unto eternal life. The death of Jesus will make this eternal supply of gushing spring water available to all women and men who come thirsty to Him,

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The Passion Narratives No 4 – The Seven Sayings from the Cross

“Ho, every one that thirsts, come ye to the waters, and he that hath no money; come ye, buy, and eat; yea, come, buy wine and milk without money and without price” (Isa.55:1).

In Jesus’ craving for His thirst to be slaked by water He was also expressing His insatiable thirst for the souls of men and women. It has been suggested that Jesus’ cry of thirst was like Hannah’s cry for children, or Rachel’s similar cry, - Now Rachel said to Jacob, “Give me children, or else I die!” (Gen.30:1). If the cry of a mother for children is so desperate, then how much more did Jesus cry out for spiritual children to be born out of His death.

6) Jesus’ Final Declaration, (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.”

“Into Your hand I commit my spirit; You have redeemed me, O Lord God of truth” (Psalm 31:5).

What is finished? Did He mean that my life’s work is finished? (it certainly was), did He mean His life as a man was finished? (it certainly was), or did He mean that the great work of salvation was now finished through His work on the cross? Yes, a million times yes. No one yet knew that He was going to rise again from the dead. The resurrection of Jesus is God’s seal on what He had accomplished on the cross. This was not a cry of dereliction, rather it was a cry of ultimate triumph.

Isaiah wrote, “He shall see of the travail of His soul and be satisfied.”

Here is His satisfaction, He has won, He has gained all the kingdoms of the earth for our God by His crucifixion and death.

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The Passion Narratives No 4 – The Seven Sayings from the Cross

It appears as if His body has come to its final collapse and He is only a breath away from death, but suddenly the darkness is pierced by this last loud cry of Jesus, - “It is finished!” The battle for your salvation has been won and Jesus has paid the full price for your sin and the door into paradise is wide open for you! Jesus did not die as helpless men die, but by the exercise of the volition of His will He dismissed His own spirit over which He had absolute control, in other words, He chose the precise moment of His death because He was in absolute control of Himself to the end. Men could mutilate and abuse His body, they could taunt and mock Him as a man, they could question and scoff His Sonship, but they could not defeat Him who resolutely endured to the very end, showing to all that the Son is unconquerable and that He has accomplished salvation at infinite cost to Himself and His Father.

Listen to Jesus’ very last words to the churches in the Revelation, “Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me.” (Rev.3:20).

7) Jesus’ Last Word to Father (Luke 23:46) “It was now about the sixth hour, and there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour, while the sun’s light failed; and the curtain of the temple was torn in two. Then Jesus, crying with a loud voice, said, “Father, into thy hands I commit my spirit!”

And having said this he breathed his last” (Luke 23:44-46).

I know now from this verse that despite Jesus’ cry of dereliction he did not fail to trust in His God. In His very last breathe we see that His

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faith in Father was firm, sure and strong, - into your hands I commit my spirit. This was His last act of faith, His last act of total trust when He breathes out His utter devotion to Father - He breathes His last breath, and He is gone!

With exhausted strength, His broken body having reached its end, suddenly with a surge of mighty strength, He cries out from the very core of His being a strong shout of triumph, “IT IS FINISHED!” Death did not overcome Him, because we read that He released His own spirit from His broken body which immediately returned to Father.

His head tilts to the side and reclines on the cross-member of timber where His arms are stretched out and His hands nailed. His head rests there, His work completed, and salvation accomplished.

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