Jesus Christ's Last Words at the Cross: Getting the Mind and the Heart of the Father Across!

Jesus Christ was God’s sacrificial Lamb (John 1:29). He poured out His precious blood (Matthew 26:28) and took upon Him the punishment of the sin of humankind (1 Timothy 2:5-6) so that humankind can be reconciled to God (2 Corinthians 5:19), achieve His righteousness (Romans 3:22), and be healed from their illnesses (1 Peter 2:24).

As a sacrificial Lamb, he suffered death on the cross. During these hours of sacrifices that no man can ever bear to see (Isaiah 53), Jesus Christ uttered His last words.

“Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.” (Luke 23:34)

Jesus Christ was sentenced to be crucified by Pontius Pilate, the governor of Judea, by the demands of the chief priests, the leaders and the people of Judea. Prior to this final verdict, Pontius Pilate sent Jesus Christ to Herod Antipas, being the governor of Galilee. Antipas wanted to see Jesus, not for His judgment but to witness His miracles. Not witnessing any miracle from Him, Antipas sent Jesus Christ back to Pilate. The mob demanded that Jesus Christ be crucified and release the criminal Barabbas instead. Worse, Jesus Christ was crucified between two criminals. Despite being falsely accused, treated with contempt, mocked and whipped, abused and beaten, and viewed as a criminal, Jesus Christ asked forgiveness to the Father on behalf of His people.                                                                                  

Jesus Christ appealed to God the Father in this prayer. Jesus Christ, in the Arabic version, called out “My Father’, to signify Himself as a Son of God. He then directed His prayers for forgiveness. As a suffering Christ in the flesh, His affection was still for the sinful humankind, and with such desire and prayer, He was consistent with His divine will for forgiveness. With this prayer, Jesus Christ demonstrated His priestly office of showing compassion on both the sinful and the ignorant of His divine purpose. 

“Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise.” (Luke 23:43)

While Jesus Christ was hanging on the cross, the people continue to mock Him, questioning His power to save Himself. The soldiers mocked Him and offered Him sour wine. One of the criminals insulted Him and demanded that Jesus Christ miraculously save Himself and the two of them from death. The other criminal rebuked the first, claiming that Jesus Christ is innocent of the punishment that they both deserve. He manifested his faith in Jesus Christ and asked for Him to bring him to His kingdom in heaven. Jesus Christ’s response was one with compassion and assurance. “Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise.”

Not only did Jesus Christ demonstrate compassion and forgiveness during the grave hours before His death, he also demonstrated the assurance of His place in God’s grand design. This story of the penitent criminal is considered the most surprising, most suggestive, and most instructive encounter with the loving Savior. The salvation based on the Cross is instant, direct, and immediate. In providing the instant salvation to the repentant criminal, Jesus Christ showed humankind theology at its finest. There was no sacramentalism, no religious practices, no church ceremonies, no good works! Although these are equally important in the growth of believers, the penitent criminal on the verge of death received salvation without them! 

“Woman, behold thy son, Son, behold your mother!” (John 19:26-27) 

          Jesus Christ’s earthly mother, Mary, witnessed every single suffering of Jesus Christ on the cross of Calvary.  Along with the other women and John, the beloved disciple, Mary bore the pain of a mother seeing her son humiliated, slapped, flogged, and sentenced a criminal. For a mother, the sight was totally unbearable. The prospect of the day that will follow is totally dark and hopeless. Jesus Christ understood His mother’s plight---broken-hearted and losing a son. So He addressed her among the crowd, “Woman, here is your son!” Different thoughts arise from this statement. Some people find it repugnant for Him to deny the very nature of His relationship with Mary, His mother. But Jesus Christ addressed His mother this way for three possible reasons. One reason is that the term “woman” was such an honorable remark among the crowd than a heart-wrenching maternal reference for this moment. Secondly, calling her “woman” eased her pain as a suffering mother for Jesus Christ wanted her to detach herself from Him being a universal Savior to all humankind. Thirdly, addressing her “woman” in a crowd saved her from insults, shame, and embarrassment as the crowd would involve in the crucifixion the mother who raised up a blasphemer and a criminal!

Entrusting His mother to John, the disciple whom He loves, is an act of concern. Jesus Christ knew that His mother needed the emotional and spiritual support in her journey to recovery from a broken heart. Jesus Christ could not afford to leave her with anyone else but to John. As Jesus Christ knew the hearts of men, He knew that John would take care of her even when He will be gone physically. And John willingly did!

“My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” (Matthew 27:46 & Mark 15:34)

          As early as 6 in the morning, Jesus Christ has been handed over to Pontius Pilate for a scornful trial. Then before 9 in the morning, Jesus Christ has been led to Calvary and at 9 in the morning, he was crucified.  For the next three hours, Jesus Christ suffered the shame and judgment of mankind. Crucifixion on the cross is considered to be the most shameful, most painful, most abhorrent, most obscene, and most disgraceful execution known to humans. In ancient times, crucifixion is not an ordinary execution, rather, it is the worst of all capital punishments, considered worse than death by burning, death by beheading, or death by wild beasts. Imagine, what Jesus Christ has felt hanging there in the most horrifying event in life as a Son of God! For almost nine hours of shameful and mocked exposure to the world, Jesus Christ did not only carry the judgment and shame of the world, he suffered the rejection of his divine God and loving Father. It is very clear that during the moments of crucifixion when Jesus Christ assumed the role of the most sinful of all sinners, God the Father could not afford to look at Him. That is why God the Father has to cover the scene from His sight by total darkness. God the Father, after all, remained a just God, even when His own Son was temporarily the sacrificial Lamb of humankind.

“I thirst!” (John 19:28)                                                                                                                                         Jesus Christ displayed all his human nature during the crucifixion.  Had He displayed His power as the Son of God, then all of humanity had lost its hope for righteousness and salvation. Aside from suffering grief, mental torture, and social embarrassment, Jesus Christ succumbed to physical exhaustion. The heat of the day and the loss of blood and sweat caused Him to thirst. His asking for water is Jesus Christ’s full proof of His humanity. He did not receive relief from His thirst. Instead, He was given sour wine. His thirst is more than physical display, though, as it fulfills the prophecy regarding Him as the Messiah in Psalm 69:21 and Psalm 22:15.                     In considering the divine nature of Jesus Christ, His thirst could be understood spiritually as His desire after the salvation of His people.

“It is finished!” (John 19:30)          
         Jesus Christ, being in constant, one accord with the Father, knew His role in the Godhead. Even when He was 12 years old when His parents found Him in the temple, He knew what He was doing and what will be doing. He knew that in the same city and the same celebration, Mary her mother lost Him as a child, yet found Him on the third day. He knew that it will happen again. The hematidrosis that He suffered on the garden of Gethsemane was a painful struggle to follow the will of the Father or to have the cup of His life passes away from Him. Nevertheless, in all of these moments in Jesus Christ’s life, He perfectly knew the will of the Father. And now God’s will had come to be fulfilled. He knew that everything was now accomplished. He knew that the Scripture was now fulfilled. The last thing that He needed to do was to give up His Spirit.  
          In Jesus Christ is the fulfillment of the wonderful plan of God. Jesus Christ knew that in Him all things were made, all prophecies fulfilled, all victories made complete. It is now for us believers to seal that complete work of love, sacrifice, and salvation through faith. For without faith, it is impossible to please God, especially that the exercise of such faith cost Him His own beloved Son.

“Father, into your hands I commend my spirit. (Luke 23:46)  
          When Jesus Christ finally gave up His spirit, He knew that He can commit it to no one else, except to God the Father. Just as He was about to die, He offered back to God his soul as an offering for sin. Now that He has fulfilled the will of the Father, He entrusted His soul to the Father’s divine care and protection. As prophesied in Psalm 31:5, His spirit that separated from His body now belonged back to God. And as Jesus Christ entrusted His spirit to the Father, He uttered His greeting to His entrance to heaven. This is an expression of the most profound and most blessed repose after one’s task on earth was done. This declares that the spirit, even that of the Son of God, will exist apart from the body into the hands of God. This is actually a homecoming. In fact, this is a claim to victory and rejoicing, as Jesus Christ will now return to the Father who sent Him. A what a triumphant welcome, for each of us believers to experience when in our time, we can freely and faithfully greet our Father both in the edge of death and in the entrance to heaven!
          Because His spirit was offered back to the Father by laying His life, freely and voluntarily, no man or devil, otherwise could have taken that life and victory away from Him.

This week, we reflect on the sufferings and death of our Lord Jesus Christ. These last words of Jesus Christ are His triumphant claims to victory over sin and death. These are not empty, useless words. These are not empty words of hope and promise. For the only empty legacy that He left us behind was his tomb.