The Last Words Of Jesus: What Did Jesus Say on the Cross?

What were the last sentences or words of Christ while on the cross?  What are their significances to believers and unbelievers today?

Forgive Them Father

Luke 23:34 “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.” And they cast lots to divide his garments.”

Here is the epitome of forgiveness; forgiving others who are in the process of murdering Him.  What greater model of forgiveness than to forgive them who were crucifying Him, He who was completely innocent.  When they cast lots to divide His garments, this was the fulfillment of the prophecy about Christ from David in Psalm 22:18 “they divide my garments among them, and for my clothing they cast lots” which was written hundreds of years before the cross.

The Thief on the Cross

Luke 23:43 “And he said to him, “Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise.”

This is what Jesus told the thief on the cross after the thief put his trust in Christ to save him.  The other thief was ridiculing Jesus but the other thief rebuked him by saying “Do you not fear God, since you are under the same sentence of condemnation?  And we indeed justly, for we are receiving the due reward of our deeds; but this man has done nothing wrong” (Luke 23:40-41).  Here the thief acknowledged that Jesus was innocent, having done nothing wrong and he asked the other thief, “Do you not fear God?”  At this, Jesus said that “today you will be with me in Paradise.”  This reveals that good works didn’t save him for he had no chance to do anything; baptism couldn’t save him for there was no way to leave the cross to be baptized but it is in trusting Christ alone that saves.

Behold Your Mother

John 19:26-27 “When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby, he said to his mother, “Woman, behold, your son!”  Then he said to the disciple, “Behold, your mother!” And from that hour the disciple took her to his own home.”

It appears that Jesus was declaring that He is not Mary’s son anymore.  He is more than that because He is now Mary’s Savior and by telling John “Behold your mother!” He was telling John to care for Mary as his own mother after He was gone.  Jesus called His mother “woman” signifying the end of Jesus being only His physical Son but He was now the Son of God Who died for her and for all sinners.  That “very hour the disciple (John) took her to his own home” to care for her as his own mother.

Forsaken by God

Matthew 27:46 “And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” that is, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”

After hanging for hours on the cross and the ensuing darkness, indicating the Father’s separation from Him, Jesus cries out “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”  Here Jesus is not addressing God as Father anymore but “My God” since He is dying for the sins of humanity and this is the first time in all eternity that the Father and the Son have been separated.  No one knows but God alone how painful this separation must have been and we forget or don’t even think about just how much the Father suffered in this. Imagine you were a father or a mother and seeing your only child go through such agony and untold suffering, especially knowing that there were completely innocent.  The fact that the Father suffered severely is often overlooked. God had forsaken Him because the Father cannot look at sin and Jesus became sin for us (2 Cor 5:21).

I Thirst

John 19:28 “After this, Jesus, knowing that all was now finished, said (to fulfill the Scripture), “I thirst.”

Here Jesus knew that it was all but finished meaning that the sacrifice was completed with the nearness of His death swiftly approaching.  This doesn’t mean that He died unexpectedly because Jesus once said that “no man takes my life but I lay it down of myself. I have power to lay it down and I have power to take it up again” (John 10:18).  The fulfillment of the Scripture may well be from Psalm 69:21 where it is written that “They gave me poison for food, and for my thirst they gave me sour wine to drink” because they then took a “jar full of sour wine stood there, so they put a sponge full of the sour wine on a hyssop branch and held it to his mouth” (John 19:29).  Jesus may have been saying in effect that He thirsted for the fellowship of the Father and to be in the presence of the Father for quite often He said that “If any many thirst, let  him come to Me (or God)” (John 7:37).  Just as we can have a hunger and thirst after God and His righteousness, Jesus thirsted deeply for fellowship with the Father.

It is Finished

John 19:30 “When Jesus had received the sour wine, he said, “It is finished,” and he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.”

Just after Jesus received the sour wine to drink (John 19:28) He said that “It is finished” which means that His mission on earth as the God-Man sacrifice was completed but more than that, I believe it was the Greek verb “tetelestai” which essentially means “It is done” or “paid in full” because the price of His own life was valuable enough to be able to redeem or purchase us to prevent the wrath of God from being placed on us by being put on Him.  This sacrifice was sufficient to pay for all of the Old Testament saints, the saints at that time, and the saints who will trust in Him for all eternity.  He who knew no sin, became sin for us so that when the Father now looks at us, He sees us as having Jesus’ very own righteousness (2 Cor 5:21).  That is why it is done, finished, or paid in full for us; He paid a debt that He did not owe because we owed a debt we could not pay.

Into Your Hands Father

Luke 23:46 “Then Jesus, calling out with a loud voice, said, “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit!” And having said this he breathed his last.”

When Jesus called out, the actual Greek is closer to “He cried out” because He wanted all to hear that He was going back to the Father from whom He had first been with.  Here, Jesus committed or entrusted (is a better word) His spirit in the Father’s hands or care.  He is giving His life willingly as He said no one takes it from Him but He freely and willingly gave up His life (John 10:18). That is when “He breathed His last” breath.

Conclusion

Someday you will breathe your last breath. The statistics on death are very impressive.  All will die in Adam but those in Christ will live again (1 Cor 15:22).  Every one of us has an appointment with death (Heb 9:27) but no one knows when that will be.  It could be suddenly and unexpectedly so you must choose today whom you will serve.  It will either be God by repenting and trusting in Christ or it will be in rejecting Him and by doing so you choose eternal separation from God (Rev 20:11-15).  It is your choice but to not make a choice is to still choose…to reject Him and that will not go well with your soul (John 3:16-18).

Another Reading on Patheos to Check Out: What Did Jesus Really Look Like: A Look at the Bible Facts

Article by Jack Wellman

Jack Wellman is Pastor of the Mulvane Brethren church in Mulvane Kansas. Jack is also the Senior Writer at What Christians Want To Know whose mission is to equip, encourage, and energize Christians and to address questions about the believer’s daily walk with God and the Bible. You can follow Jack on Google Plus or check out his book  Blind Chance or Intelligent Design available on Amazon