Seven sentences.

Betrayed with a kiss, Jesus was abandoned by his friends and followers, many of whom were firsthand witnesses to his teachings, miracles and healing.  An innocent man with no sin, Christ was traded for the freedom of a murderous thug by his own people—ones who just days earlier welcomed him with into Jerusalem with great celebration. He suffered the most unimaginable, torturous scourging, receiving 39 stripes; his flesh nearly pulled from his body, being whipped with leather straps tied to shards of metal, bone and broken pottery.  He was mocked, spat upon, laughed at, beaten down and humiliated. Almost physically unrecognizable from the torture, he was crucified on a cross—one of the most sadistically horrible ways in which a person can die.

During his suffering on the cross, Jesus made seven statements, the words of which are filled with indescribable wonder.

Sentence One.

While he had every right to call upon the wrath of God to avenge him, he uttered words that forever changed human history.

“Father, forgive them for they know not what they do.”

While those who crucified him weren’t aware of the gravity of what they were doing, their ignorance of the divine truth did not mean they deserved forgiveness. Yet in the midst of their mocking him and casting lots for his clothes, Christ’s prayer was the ultimate expression of his divine grace and limitless compassion.  [Luke 23:34]

Sentence Two.

Jesus was not alone on Golgotha (Aramaic for “the Place of the Skull”).  He was joined by two criminals—one on his left and one on his right.  As the elders, scribes and soldiers mocked him, so did these men.  People hurled insults at him saying, “He saved others, but he can’t save himself!  Let this Christ, the King of Israel, come down now from the cross, that we may see and believe.” [Mark 15:29-32]

Nailed above him was a sign which read: “THIS IS THE KING OF THE JEWS.”  One of the criminals who hung next to him continued to mock him, saying, “Aren’t you the Messiah?  Save yourself and us!” But the other criminal rebuked him.  “Don’t you fear God,” he said, “since you are under the same sentence?  We are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve.  But this man has done nothing wrong.”

Then, he turned to Jesus and said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.”

Jesus answered him, “Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise.”

This is perhaps one of the most beautifully astounding and encouraging verses in scriptures.  This man, a convicted criminal hanging naked on a cross who probably wasn’t a follower of Jesus, showed the most simple form of trust by asking Christ to remember him when he came into his glory.  Jesus, embodying the mercy of God, promises that this man will be with him in paradise.  Today.  Not sometime in the future.  Today.  By putting his faith in Jesus in proclaiming and believing him to be the true Son of God, this man was in that very moment given eternal life with the Creator.  His works and deeds didn’t get him there.  Grace and mercy given by simple faith did.  What an awesome thing to embrace.

Sentence Three.

While most of his disciples had fled, there were only a few who remained with him.  Most notably present were his mother and one to whom the fourth gospel refers as “the one he loved.”  It is widely accepted by theologians that it was probably John, a close friend of Jesus and the writer of this gospel.  Regardless of who this beloved disciple was, what is clear is that Jesus was asking his friend to take care of his mother.  Christ said, “Dear woman, here is your son.” He wanted to make sure that his mother would be in good hands after his death.

In this moment, we are reminded of the fact that Jesus was in fact a real human being, just like us.  He had feelings and emotions.  He got tired and hungry and thirsty.  He was real flesh and blood; carried in the womb of his mother, growing from a young boy into a powerful teacher.  Many tend to forget that while he was a master teacher and messiah, he was also a son—one who Mary, his mother, loved very much.  In his last moment, he showed that he also showed his love and remembrance of her.

The death of a child is perhaps one of the most painful experiences a parent can have. But to watch your child suffer an extreme torture and death is simply unimaginable.  His suffering was real.  His love endured.  And his love endures.

Sentence Four.

In the ninth hour of his crucifixion, Jesus cried out in a loud voice saying, “Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?” which means:”

“My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”

Jesus felt the weight of complete abandonment as his Father placed the all the sins of the world, past and future, upon him.  Because of this, God had to “turn away” from Jesus as he despises sin and cannot exist in its presence. For the only time in all of eternity, Christ was experiencing a separation from God. This echoed the words of the psalmist found in Psalm 22:1 which reads: “My God, my God, why have you abandoned me? Why are you so far away when I groan for help?”

In this moment, “God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.” [2 Corinthians 5:21]  Jesus not only felt the pain and suffering in his physical body, but also experienced the Hell of being separated from the perfect love of and community with his Father.

This is one of the greatest mysteries of God’s love—one that we will never understand while in this life.  Yet, even with the tiniest thread of understanding, it leads us to humility, adoration and gratefulness.  The beautiful news is that while we were drowning in our depravity, turning on the one whom days earlier we were praising as the prophesied Messiah, God showed  indescribable compassion. He willingly and purposefully gave his son Jesus to stretch out his hand and pull us to undeserved safety. Christ took the sins of the entire world upon himself—every sin, of every type, of every person—and nailed them to the cross.

Sentence Five.

“I am thirsty.”

In the many hours that he hung on the cross, it is of no surprise that Jesus must have experienced extreme thirst.  He lost a substantial quantity of blood and sweat through torture even before crucifixion.  This statement was an obvious request for something to drink.  The Roman soldiers soaked a sponge in cheap sour wine (the kind common to lower class people in that time), and raised it on a pole to his mouth.

While this may seem like a plain statement, Jesus was actually fulfilling a prophecy:  “Their insults have broken my heart, and I am in despair. If only one person would show some pity; if only one would turn and comfort me. But instead, they give me poison for food; they offer me sour wine for my thirst. [Psalm 69: 20-21]

The Psalms reflected the pain of Israel.  Jesus embodied that pain, suffering for not only their sins, but also taking upon himself all the sin of the world. “I am thirsty” showed Christ’s humanity; that the evil he experienced had taken it’s toll.

Sentence Six.

Glorious words followed:  “It is finished.”

On the surface, this statement was a declaration that it was finally done—his suffering was over.  He had fulfilled the prophecies given centuries before him. However, the original Greek word used is tetelestai, a word written on business documents or receipts in New Testament times to indicate that a bill had been “paid in full.” The relationship between receipts and what Christ had done would have been an unmistakable statement that he had died to pay for their sins.

We were bought from death for a price—one paid in blood. The transaction was complete and the debt had forever, unequivocally been “paid in full.”  Wrap your head around that.

Sentence Seven.

“Father, I entrust my spirit into your hands!”

Christ’s last words seem as though he was saying, “Father, I give myself to you—whatever happens to me after I die is up to you.” On a surface level this is quite true.  However, there is something more moving in these words.

Just as he had quoted prophetic Psalms in his earlier words, he uses his last words to reflect Psalm 31.  Verse 1 begins with a desperate cry for God’s help: “O LORD, I have come to you for protection; don’t let me be disgraced.  Save me, for you do what is right.”

It continues in verse 5 by asking for God’s deliverance through a profession of his faithfulness and might: “I entrust my spirit into your hand. Rescue me, LORD, for you are a faithful God.”

The rest of the Psalm continues as though Christ was literally speaking the words, ending with praises for God’s redemption and salvation. By quoting Psalm 31, Jesus points back to the familiar suffering of David, and forward to his own resurrection. By saying, “I entrust my spirit into your hands,” Jesus was not only committing his fate to his Father, but he was also expressing faith that he would be exonerated and delivered. While God did not deliver him from death by crucifixion, he did provide something unimaginably marvelous.

Seven sentences.  Seven statements that can easily be glossed over when reading the story of Christ’s crucifixion.  But when you look more closely, you will see that these are far more than simple sentences.  In truth, they are keys not only to understanding God’s undying faithfulness and love, but also keys to freedom.  They are sentences given to free us from our potential sentences—those of eternal separation of a loving Father, Creator, God, and friend.  While he had no reason to share his compassion and grace, through Christ’s crucifixion and ultimate resurrection, he gave just that.  What an amazing gift. What amazing grace.