THE SEVEN LAST WORDS OF JESUS,
The dying words of Jesus. Known as a greatest sermon on earth.
References to the of Jesus in the OT
Isaiah 7:14 Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel.
Micah 5:2 But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from of old, from ancient times. (Matthew 2:1)
è*Isaiah 40:3 A voice of one calling: In the desert prepare the way for the Lord; make straight in the wilderness a highway for our God. John the Baptist:
èZechariah 9:9 Rejoice greatly, O Daughter of Zion!(Jerusalem) Shout, Daughter of Jerusalem! See, your king comes to you, righteous and having salvation, gentle and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey. (Luke 19:35-37)
èPsalm 22:6-8.. 'He trusts in the LORD; let the LORD rescue him.Let him deliver him, since he delights in him.
è*Zechariah 11:12 I told them, "If you think it best, give me my pay; but if not, keep it." So they paid me thirty pieces of silver. Matthew 26:14-15:
èPsalms 41:9 Even my close friend, whom I trusted, he who shared my bread, has lifted up his heel against me.
èIsaiah 53:3"He was despised and rejected by men, and familiar with suffering. Like one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not."
Isaiah 53:4 yet we esteemed Him stricken, Smitten by God, and afflicted”
èPs 22:15 mymouth is dry as an earthenware, my tongue sticks in my jaw, you lay me down in the dust of death.
èPs 69:21 To eat they give me poison, to drink vinegar when I am thirsty.
Isaiah 53:5 But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him.
èIsaiah 53:12 says Jesus would be numbered with the transgressors, and indeed, He died on a hill between tow thieves
èPsalm 22:16 Dogs have surrounded me; a band of evil men has encircled me, they have pierced my hands and my feet.
Isaiah 53:12 Therefore I will give him a portion among the great, and he will divide the spoils with the strong, because he poured out his life unto death, and was numbered with the transgressors.
èIsaiah 53:9 He was assigned a grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death, though he had done no violence, nor was any deceit in his mouth
èPsalm 31:5 "Into your hands I commit my spirit; redeem me, O LORD, the God of truth."
Joel 3:31 The sun will be turned to darkness, and the moon to blood before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the LORD."
(Amos 8:9-10) 'I will make the sun go down at noon and darken the earth in broad daylight.
è Acknowledge: by Bp Fulton Sheen. ‘The seven last words”
èThe Passion of Christ in the Four Gospels
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èIf you put all the three Synoptic Gospels we have a complete narrative of the whole passion story. Johns Gospel completes this even though it was written 80 yrs later
èThis original narrative comes from Mark
èFor us- A day begins at twelve midnight and ends at twelve midnight.
· For the Jews- A day began at six o’clock in the evening and ended the following evening at six o’clock. Thus, the Jewish day of Friday began on our Thursday 6 pm and ended on our Friday 6 pm.
Outline of Events The Passion of Jesus
Saturday- Mary (Martha's sister) anointed Jesus
Sunday- Triumphal Entry (Jesus comes into Jerusalem on a donkey.
Monday- Jesus curses the fig tree on His way to Jerusalem, cleanses the temple, and returns to Bethany again
Tuesday- Jesus debates with the religious leaders in Jerusalem and teaches in the Temple.
Wednesday- If this is the case, Wednesday is known as "Silent Wednesday" Judas made arrangements to betray Jesus
èWhy did Judas betray Jesus?
His action may have sprung from one of the 2 motives :
· He may really, either from greed or
· He may have been trying to force Jesus’ hand, and may have wished not to see him killed but compel him to act.
èèThe first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread was anytime between Wednesday 6:00 pm and Thursday 6: 00 pm.
Thursday- Preparations for the Passover took place on this day.
èOn Thursday before 6:00 pm the lambs for the Passover meal were sacrificed in the Temple to be eaten later that evening after 6: 00 pm.
èWashing of the feet.
èThe last Supper.
Jesus gives His Upper Room discourses and then goes to pray in the Garden of Gethsemane, betrayal by Judas.
èMark and Matthew speak of the Hagadda tells his disciples that “after singing a hymn, they went out. “An essential part of the “Hallel”. “Hallel” means “Praise God!” the Hallel consisted of Psalms 113 – 118, which are all psalms of praise. These psalms were sung in sections at different points of the Passover meal. At the very end of the meal “the Great Hallel” was sung, which is Ps 136. That was the hymn they sang before they went out to the Mount of Olives.
Friday- Jesus is arrested
6 a.m. Jesus Stands Trial Before Pilate…… Jesus Sent to Herod
7 a.m. .Jesus Returned to Pilate
……..Jesus is Sentenced to Death
8 a.m. ….Jesus is Led Away to Calvary
9 Am… The Crucifixion "The Third Hour" Jesus said, "Father, forgive them, for they do now know what they are doing."The Soldiers Cast Lots for Jesus' Clothing
10a.m. Jesus is Insulted and Mocked by the people & soldiers scoffed by the religious teachers,
11Jesus with the Criminal , "I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise." Jesus Speaks to Mary and John , he said to her, "Woman, he is your son." And he said to this disciple, "She is your mother."
12pm - "The Sixth Hour" Darkness Covers the Land
1 p.m. Jesus Cries Out to the Father, 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?” Jesus is Thirsty, Jesus knew that everything was now finished, and to fulfill the Scriptures he said, "I am thirsty."A jar of sour wine was sitting there, so they soaked a sponge in it, put it on a hyssop branch, and held it up to his lips.
2 p.m. It is Finished
3 p.m. - "The Ninth Hour" The Earthquake, curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. The Centurion - "Surely he was the Son of God!" The Soldiers Break the Thieves' Legs, The Soldier Pierces Jesus Side, Jesus is Laid in the Tomb
Jesus is crucified at the 3rd hour approximately 9:00am, He hangs on the cross for 6 hours, and finally at the
9th hour ie at 6pm he dies on the cross.
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èJesus was abused physically 40 lashes (thorn), crowned, carried the cross 3 km ), abused verbally, humiliated to the extent that he felt that even his GOD had forsaken him.
èThe Last words of Jesus were phrases, because he really could not speak, He was physically drained, lost a lot of blood, beaten, he had to physically pull HIMSELF UP to speak, His lungs were crushed by his own weight.
èJesus’ first words were recorded in the temple where he was lost at the festival of the Passover, here we find that his last words were again around the same time of the Passover.
èAt the first Passover the people sacrificed their lambs, put blood with the hyssop plant over their doors, ate their food in haste, & travelled 40 years through hardships, led by God to the promised land…. Here we find The lamb of God was sacrificed, so that we were redeemed of our sins & have an opportunity to go to heaven.
èFor any message to be given there are 3 things required, 1. A pulpit, 2. An Audience, 3rd The Truth.
èIn his Ist message, The pulpit was the mountainside, The audience the unlettered Galileans’, & the message was The Beatitudes. The last messageThe pulpit was the cross, The audience the scribes, Pharisees who blasphemed, Temple Priests who ridiculed, Roman soldiers who drank and gambled, timid disciples who feared, Magdalene who wept, John who loved Jesus, Mother Mary who grieved only as a mother can grieve, message was the last 7 words.
è In the long history of the church the dying words of only three men are recorded, Israel (Jacob),Moses, St Stephen,& Jesus. >>Israel was the Ist Israelite, >>Moses was the first of the Chosen people of God >> Steven was the first martyr.
èThe executioners expected him to cry. Church historians Seneca, Cicero tell us, those who were crucified experienced excruciating pain they cursed the day they were born, they cursed the executioners their mother and even spat at the jeering crowd. It was even necessary sometimes to cut their tongues of because of their filthy absuses
èèèThis year too we be part of the Maundy Thursday, Good Friday & Easter services. What would our experience be. Will we again experience the DEATH of Jesus as spectators, participants OR another OBLIGATION
èWHEN WE LOOSE SOME ONE TO DEATH WHAT HAS BEEN OUR EXPERIENCE, Do we have a Jesus experience.
I think seven is noteworthy, because God often works in a cycle of seven
èOnly Mk speaks about a young man who followed Jesus and escaped nqk3d (that is, with only his loincloth on) when he seized.
Jesus would likewise be wrapped in a linen cloth at his burial (15:46) and will leave it behind in his resurrection, symbolizing his escape from death.
è(I) The FIRST words went to the people who hated him
Father FORGIVE THEM for THEY KNOW NOT WHAT THEY DO (Luke 23:34).
The soldiers are part of an execution, bored with crucifixion. Perhaps this team will have conducted several crucifixions this week already. The first time they saw a crucifixion they may have been moved by its brutality, but now they are calloused, emotionless.
First, the soldiers begin with the cruel process of nailing the criminal to a cross, then hoisting him up, the cross swaying forward, then back until it is secured with wedges at the bottom to hold it upright in the hole. And when that task is done, they sit around the base waiting for the criminal to die -- sometimes for days. To pass the time they gamble, deciding by a casting of lots who will be awarded the victim's last possessions. That is the scene.
Jesus prays that the Father would forgive "them." Who are "they" for whom he prays? Let's consider the possibilities.
èJesus preached Love all his life
èThe Pharisees, and the executioners wanted to see what Jesus would do now, It was easy for Jesus to speak of
LOVE YOUR ENEMIES, DO GOOD TO THOSE WHO HATE YOU
è All they heard was:Jesus pleads, “Father. Forgive them; for they know not what they do
è Forgive whom:………….Soldiers. Pilate the politician who washed his hands off, condemning godbecause of his friendship of Caesar chief priests and scribes Pharisees and Sadducees , -The soldiers in the courtroom of Caiaphas, who mauled, & humiliated him. ….You and I.
ðIf God forgives our past present &future ( I Confess ‘for what I have done and failed to do); Our Father “Forgive us our sins AS WE FORGIVE THOSE WHO SIN AGAINST US.
ð“But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.” (Matthew 6:15)
è-forgive them why because they NEW WHAT THEY WERE DOING, AND STILL WENT ON DOING, Are we not the same.
è He came to forgive us of our sins and to empower us to forgive others
ðI believe He was offering forgiveness for everyone, they entire human race, and not just the Romans torturing Him.
(2) “This day you will be with Me in paradise ”Luke 23:39-43,
èThe 2nd words went to the thieves.
39 One of the criminals who hung there hurled insults at him: 'Aren't you the Christ? Save yourself and us!' 40 But the other criminal rebuked him. 'Don't you fear God,' he said, 'since you are under the same sentence? 41 We are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve. But this man has done nothing wrong.' 42 Then he said, 'Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.' 43 Jesus answered him, 'I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise.'…
èè ..Scripture Is Fulfilled… (Isaiah 53:9, 12)Psalm 22:6-8
èThese thieves represent two classes of people …èthem represent all of us. They were helpless sinners, We are murderers, robbers, and rebels, slanderers, gossipers, We’ve have rebelled, gone our own way. èJohn Powell ‘If you really now who we are, you will put us behind bars’
è Very few criminal admit they’re guilty
èWe can repent and confess, then believe we have a place with Christ in paradise. AND BE SAVED, èèWe need to claim that promise.
Jesus came to save us he carried his out promise till the very end, he saved even the convict.
It is said tht Jesus would have died on the cross even if there was one single sinner
ðHe was the criminal who stormed heaven.
3) Woman. Behold thy son!John19:25- 27èThe 3rd went to the saints,
"25 Near the cross of Jesus stood his mother, his mother's sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. 26 When Jesus saw his mother there, and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby, he said to his mother, 'Dear woman, here is your son,' 27 and to the disciple, 'Here is your mother.' From that time on, this disciple took her into his home."
èThe Disciple Whom Jesus Loved St. John
èWhat Are We to Learn from the Third Word?
1. Love for our Family
2. Responsibility for our Family
èYou would probably be preoccupied with your own suffering. If I’ve got a little splinter, I want everyone to know. But here, Jesus becomes concerned with the suffering of others
èBut I think something more spiritual is going on here. Biblically, the woman symbolizes the church. In Genesis, we learn that the “seed of the woman” is Christ. He was “bruising” the serpent’s head when He says, “Woman, behold your son.” It’s an invitation, & a command, to behold Jesus on the cross, as the church’s Savior.
è And Jesus said in John 12:32, “And I , if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me. “ Christ was lifted up at the cross to a position of visibility. Jn 12:32 When Moses stood on a hill when Israel was fighting the Amalekites. He even stretched out his hands in intercession, and as long as the people could see him, they won the battle. When Moses got tired and his hands dropped, the tide would turn. When he lifted up his hands again, they were victorious again. But they had to behold him, as the church must behold her Seed. As long as we can see by faith Christ’s nail-pierced hands raised before the Father intercession for us, we can gain the victory. Exodus 17:8
(4) “My God! My God why have you forsaken me?”
Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani
33 At the sixth hour darkness came over the whole land until the ninth hour. 34 And at the ninth hour Jesus cried out in a loud voice, 'Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?' -- which means, 'My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?' 35 When some of those standing near heard this, they said, 'Listen, he's calling Elijah.'" (Mk 15:33-35; also Mt 27:45-47)
Think about the word "Father" and its alternatives. "God"is the generic term for deity. "Lord" is a term of respect and honor , "Almighty God" would be a bit formal "Creator God" is a common substitute
"Father /Abba /Dada" on the other hand is one of the childs first words.
He spoke to his heavenly Father in as childlike, trustful and intimate
è“And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, “Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani?” (ARAMAIC) “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?” Why did He say that? Some people wonder if Jesus lost faith, crying out because He believed God had left Him. They think He’s saying “God, why have you left me?”……………..was he calling Elija. Eloi is in Aramic, Eli is in Greek
èDarkness over the Land from the 6th Hr till 9th hr (12noon-3pm)
1. A symbol of moral darkness, "when darkness reigns" (Luke 22:53)
2. A fulfillment of prophecy.
è"Then the LORD said to Moses, 'Stretch out your hand toward the sky so that darkness will spread over Egypt -- darkness that can be felt.' So Moses stretched out his hand toward the sky, and total darkness covered all Egypt for THREE DAYS." (Exodus 10:21-22)
èWhy Have You FORSAKEN Me?
"Forsaken" In Greek it is enkataleipō, "to separate connection with someone , abandon, desert
(Isaiah 59:2)"But your iniquities have separated you from your God;
èJesus is forsaken by God because he has taken our sins upon him. He is "the Lamb referring to Jesus as the ultimate Passover Lamb, a sacrifice of God, who takes away the sin of the world." (John 1:29).
èIsaiah 53:4 says, “yet we esteemed Him stricken, Smitten by God, and afflicted”
èFORSAKEN BY HIS OWN PEOPLE - John 1:11
He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. ( saddest line in the Bible)
FORSAKEN BY HIS DISCIPLES - John 16:32 “
FORSAKEN BY HIS FATHER - John 17:24-25.
Remember The Lords prayer THE OUR FATHER. now Abba
èTHINKING HIS FATHER has FORSAKE HIM HE CALLS OUT TO HIS FATHER
èThis is the first time when Jesus who called his father—My father in heaven—in Our Father…..FORSAKEN …called him “My God”
(5) “I thirst!”John 19:28-29"28 Later, knowing that all was now completed, and so that the Scripture would be fulfilled, Jesus said, "I am thirsty." 29 A jar of wine vinegar was there, so they soaked a sponge in it, put the sponge on a stalk of the hyssop plant, and lifted it to Jesus' lips."
è What did Jesus thirst for, certainly not water, but LOVE
èThese words of Jesus betray the suffering of God-Man on the cross abandoned by man.
èIt is near the end of Jesus' human life. He senses it. He has hung on the cross for six hours now. It has become hard for Jesus to even get a breath. Hung from his arms, he must pull himself up each time he wants to breathe. His shoulders ache, his mouth is parched. He is exhausted
èJesus is dehydrated from His long trials and the loss of blood. He’d been whipped in the back and pounded in the face by the soldiers. They also shoved thorns on His head. His tongue was swollen with thirst.
àPerhaps they added frankincense to numb pain. He wetted his tongue but refused to drink it. He needed the scripture to be fulfilled. & he had offered himself to his father as a sacrifice for us
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The Hyssop & sponge…Hyssop was used to sprinkle blood on the doorposts and lintels on the first Passover (Exodus 12:22). It was associated with purification and sacrifices in the tabernacle (Leviticus 14:4, 6; Numbers 19:6, 18). 1. Jesus' Physical Humanity
First and probably of greatest importance, Jesus' word "I thirst," reminds us of Jesus' physical nature, his humanity. Jesus Fifth Word, "I thirst," reminds us that Jesus died in the flesh for us and for our sins.
2. Jesus' Awareness of Scripture… Isaiah 53:12
3. Jesus' Determination to Complete His Task …., Jesus said, "I thirst" to strengthen himself and ease his throat so that he might cry out his final words from the cross "with a loud voice." He was summoning himself to bring it all to completion.
èMatthew 25:34 When I was hungry& you gave me food, I wasthirstyyou gave me something to drink, I was a stranger & you welcomed me, I was naked & you gave me clothing, I was sick & you took care of me, I was in prison & you visited me.
He was describing His condition on the cross. He was hungry, thirsty, sick, alone, a stranger, and a prisoner
è The first miracle of Jesus was to turn water into pure grape juice at a wedding and He gave it to all humanity by offering all of us His blood—pure and sinless. However, the last thing we offered Him was sour wine. . Not only did He give us His blood, He took our sin. He made a complete transaction.
(6) “It is finished” John 19
"When he had received the drink, Jesus said, 'It is finished.' With that, he bowed his head and gave up his spirit." (Jn 19:30)"cried out again in a loud voice" (Mt 27:50. Mk 15:37). John gives us the content of this loud cry: "It is finished!" A Cry of Victory,it is also an announcement of obedience fulfilled
èWhat Did Jesus Come to Accomplish?
"Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!" (Jn 1:29)
"For the Son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost." (Lk 19:10)
"For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many." (Mark 10:45)
"Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners." (1 Timothy 1:15)
"But you know that he appeared so that he might take away our sins."
(1 John 3:5)
èChrist’s mission was a total success; that’s wonderful news! He accomplished everything He came to do. And why did He come? “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting live”. (claim the promise)
èThe Greek word for “finish” here is teleo, which can also mean “paid in full”. It means the debt is canceled. and so that the Scripture would be fulfilled. Christ did just that when He declared, “It is finished.” He completed His plan for saving us, and He paid the debt. And not just part of the debt—He didn’t make a down payment, and now we’ve got to keep the payments up. He said it is canceled, paid in full. That’s good news.
His 6th word was a cry’ All is finished, I have accomplished the work my father gave me, His 6th word was for the world & his 7th was for God. His 6th was a farewell to the earth, The 7th his entrance in to heaven
(7) “Father; into your hands I commend my spirit” Luke 23:44-46"44 It was now about the sixth hour, and darkness came over the whole land until the ninth hour, 45 for the sun stopped shining. And the curtain of the temple was torn in two. 46 Jesus called out with a loud voice, 'Father, into your hands I commit my spirit.' When he had said this, he breathed his last." (Luke 23:44-46)
Under the Romans, crucifixion was often a long, drawn-out process. a public reminder of the danger of any attempt to resist Roman power.
Criminals would often last for days before they finally succumbed, though on this day, the day before a Sabbath, any surviving criminals would be killed by breaking their
è The curtain in Herod's temple would have been nearly 60 feet (18 m) high and 4 inches (100 mm) thick. According to Hebrews 9:1-10, this curtain was representative of the separation between God and man, beyond which only the High Priest was permitted to pass, and then only once each year to enter into God's presence and make atonement for the sins of Israel. Bible expositors agree that the rending of the veil is symbolic of Jesus establishing a new and living way of access to God.
Here for the last moment on earth he speaks to his Abba / father in intimacy & trust as he had done right through his ministry. the word "commit"/ commend is the Hebrew verb pāqad. “to entrust someone to the care and protection of someone."As he lets go of this life, Jesus trusts his eternal destiny to the Father's everlasting arms.
èOne of the characteristics of the great men of the Bible is that they picked their time of death, because they knew it was God’s will of them. Their death was part of God’s plan. Moses, Jacob, Samson and so does Jesus.
He said, “Father, into Your hands commit My sprit.’ And having said this, He breathed His last”.
èThe Romans were actually surprised that Jesus died so soon because criminals often languished for days on the cross. Jesus expired after about only six hours. He let out that last breath, His skin tone faded to gray, and He died—all willingly.
èI believe each morning it would be prudent for us to pray, “Father, into your hands I commit my sprit.”v
