The 7 Sayings of Jesus From the Cross

When Jesus was on this earth, He was 100% human and 100% Deity. He experienced the same sufferings, emotions and temptations that we do. This is why when He was in the Garden of Gethsemane.  His emotions were overwhelming Him and causing Him to sweat great drops like blood. Jesus knew that He was going to have to experience agonizing pain, so that we could live. This was a great burden for one man to bear, but Jesus loved us enough that He was willing to die for us.

Romans 5:7-8: "For scarcely for a righteous man will one die; yet perhaps for a good man someone would even dare to die.  But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”

When we think about all the suffering that Jesus endured for us, it makes it worse knowing that He didn’t deserve any of it because He was perfect and He had no sin, but this was God’s plan all along, and He did it for us even though we did not deserve it.  Jesus was upon the cross for 6 painful hours from 9 am to 3 pm. His hands and His feet were nailed to the cross and He was raised up just as He said He would be. John 3:14:  "And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up.”

He was put between two thieves and they mocked Him along with the others that were there, watching this crucifixion. This brings us to Jesus’ first saying.  Luke 23:33-34: "And when they had come to the place called Calvary, there they crucified Him, and the criminals, one on the right hand and the other on the left. Then Jesus said, "Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do."  Now think about this first saying, Jesus was praying for these people that they might be forgiven for what they were doing. Even though Jesus had gone through more suffering and pain than most could bear and even though these Jews had earlier shouted, Crucify Him, Crucify Him! He was willing to pray for them.  Matthew 5:43-45: "You have heard that it was said, you shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.  But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.” Not only did He practice what He preached at this difficult moment, Isaiah prophesied that He would make intercession for these transgressors in Isaiah 53:12. Jesus’ prayer teaches us how much He wants us to be forgiven of our sins. Some Christians have the attitude that they hope they are saved, but friends we can know that we are saved, and we can learn from this prayer of Jesus, that God desires us to be saved.  1 John 5:13: "These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life, and that you may continue to believe in the name of the Son of God.”

The second thing Jesus said from the cross is found in Luke 23:39-43: "Then one of the criminals who were hanged blasphemed Him, saying, "If You are the Christ, save Yourself and us. But the other, answering, rebuked him, saying, 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."  Because the thief had a change of heart, Jesus assured Him that he would be in paradise with Him that day. Jesus had the authority to do this. (Luke 5:24: "But that ye may know that the Son of man hath power upon earth to forgive sins.”) This saying teaches us that when we die, we do not cease to exist. Yes, our life here on earth is over, but we begin a new life as we wait in paradise for the judgment of God. If we are not Christians, Jesus taught in the story of the rich man and Lazarus that we will be waiting in awful place of torment. Of course this entire area is called the Hadean realm and it is the waiting place for all the souls that have passed on until the day of Judgment.

The third saying of Jesus from the cross is found in 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 He said to the disciple, Behold your mother! And from that hour that disciple took her to his own home.”