THE SEVEN SAYINGS ON THE CROSS GOOD FRIDAY, 21-4-00
Read Luke 23.32-38
Think about the goodness and purity of Jesus Christ. His compassion and love, deeds of kindness and healings. His words of grace. His preaching the glad tidings of the Gospel. There has never been anyone so pure and good as He. He never sinned. Never disobeyed His Father. Never did violence. Never broke any laws. He was a Friend to all, even to wretched harlots and greedy publicans. So, how could people hate Him? What could have caused Pontius Pilate to agree with Herod to condemn Him? and the chief priests and rulers of Israel to conspire with Judas? (the latter betrayed Him, and the former mocked, spat upon and blindfolded and struck Him with their fists) and what could have caused the multitude, who had formerly followed Him and heard him with admiration, to turn against Him and cry out for His death by crucifixion?
I. “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.” Luke 23.34
We meet Jesus, here, as He is being nailed to the cross at the execution site. Here, the Jewish religious rulers are mocking His claim to be the Messiah, the Chosen of God, the Savior. Here, the Roman soldiers are mocking His claim to be a King. Even Pilate has joined in by having a placard fixed above His head to the same cross. And yet, Jesus, Who you would have thought would have had every reason to be offended, bitter, and unforgiving at this moment,--and yet He is still loving and forgiving in the face of this unjust and painful treatment. The soldiers who had beaten him and pierced His flesh now cast lots to decide who would take His garments. Yet He prays to His Heavenly Father to forgive them, to hold back His righteous wrath. But! Do not think that it was because of the wicked plot of the unbelieving Jewish rulers that Jesus is now nailed to the cross. Do not think that it was because of weakness that the Lord of glory has been arrested, tried, and condemned to die. Do not think that the Roman military or governor was responsible. For it was your sins and my sins which put Jesus on the cross. And do not feel sadness just because this seems like an unhappy story filled with someone else’s pain. Rather feel grief over your own sins, which Jesus Christ bore in His own body on the cross. No, these men did not know nor understand just Who Jesus is. He is the Son of God, Who came to bring you back into the love of God by suffering for your sins, and by taking your punishment. And, consistent with love, and as the supreme example of love, Jesus prayed, Father forgive them for they know not what they do. Among the deepest thought we can think, here, and the finest perception we can make, is that the crucifixion of Jesus Christ has everything to do with the love of God for you, and God’s provision of forgiveness of your sins.
II. “Verily I say unto thee, Today shalt thou be with me in paradise” Luke 23.43
Being crucified on the same day, and hanging on either side of the Lord, on their own, deserved, crosses, were two evil-doers. One of these, even though hanging and dying, and coming near the end of his wretched life, only to face God in judgement upon his death, joined in with those who mocked and hated Jesus. “Are you not the Messiah? Save yourself and save us, too, if you are able!” But his former partner in robbery, murder, and rebellion rebuked him. For now, upon a cross and facing death, this second sinner has a change of mind about his life. The sentence of death brings home to him the truth that he is worthy of wrath and punishment because of his constant refusal to submit to the moral will of God. In this humbled state, he turns to Jesus, recognises him as Lord, and cries for mercy and pardon. Perhaps he has bee encouraged by overhearing Jesus’ prayer for His enemies. And he may have reasoned, “Am I not a life-long enemy of God?” Though he has no lifetime of good deeds to present, though he can only say that he is unworthy of pardon, the good and merciful Lord Jesus, from His own cross, assures this man of eternal life. You see, anyone can be saved! Jesus Christ came to save sinners. You and I are no more worthy of eternal life, and equally worthy of punishment, with this evil-doer. But, thanks be to God!, we may also know God’s everlasting love, and His merciful forgiveness, as well as he! Jesus receives and saves sinners!
III. “Woman, behold thy son. Behold thy mother.” John 19.26-27
Once, great multitudes had hailed Jesus and loved Him. Now, an angry mob has rejected Him and cried out for His death. His own disciples have forsaken Him and fled in terror for their own lives, lest they, too, should be arrested and crucified. Peter, who was one of the closest to Jesus, who protested the greatest, has, during the dark night of the Jewish trial, even denied ever having known Him. Jesus is now, suspended between heaven and earth, surrounded only by His enemies, who are mocking Him and feeling very satisfied that they have gotten rid of Him. But the Master is not forsaken by all. The woman who carried Him stands near. She is Mary, who as a pure virgin girl was overshadowed by the Holy Spirit of God, so that she miraculously conceived in her womb the beginning of the humanity of the Son of God. Mary carries a memory of the time just after Jesus was born. An old man, named Simeon, met them together with Joseph, Jesus’ step-father, and prophesied, “Behold this child is set for the falling and rising again of many in Israel, and for a sign which shall be spoken against. Yea, and a sword shall pierce through thine own soul also.” After many years of hiding this saying in her heart, Mary has become an old woman. And she has lived to see this terrible sight of the son who opened her womb crucified. Does not her heart feel pierced? And if she is feeling crushed and hurt to watch, just imagine the pain that Jesus must have felt to be the One doing the suffering! And yet, He is still the same selfless person that He has always been. And seeing John nearby also--John, the one of the Twelve who did not run away to save his own life--he provides for the mother who bore Him and cared for Him in His infancy and youth, by placing her under the protection of John, whom He could trust to look after her in her old age. Yes, it was selfless of Jesus to think of Mary at a time like this. It was selfless of Jesus to have left His glory behind Him in Heaven and to have come into this sinful world for our sakes. It was selfless for Him to become a Man and to have lived a Perfect and Holy life in our stead. And it was selfless for Jesus to have voluntarily surrendered to the will of His Heavenly Father, to drink the bitter cup of suffering. Now, if Jesus Christ could forgive and assure the thief on the other cross, and could remember to provide for His mother at a time like this, then surely, now that He has risen, and has been seated at His Father’s right hand in Glory, He is able to save us and will not forsake us His own sheep. For He loves us with everlasting love.
IV. “My God, My God, Why hast Thou forsaken me?” Matthew 27.46
After all the beatings and stripes, the wounds and blows and the crown of thorns, Jesus sufferings did not end. The rejection and humiliation was not all. And now, after three hours with His wrists and ankles pierced with long nails, we must now consider what was the worst aspect of all His sufferings. Jesus cried out with a loud voice, My God, why hast thou forsaken Me? What could this mean? It was not only that He suffered pain. It was not only that He was despised and rejected. It was not only that His lifeblood was being drained from His body. It was that the sins of sinners were being laid on Him, and the wrath of God against those sins was being poured out on Him. This was the cause of His greatest anguish. He had known nothing but perfect bliss and happy communion with His Father. But now, with the sin of the world laid upon Him, that fellowship was cut off. Great fear was upon Him. Loneliness. Darkness came upon His soul, as the light of the noon day sun was blotted out and darkness covered the land. You see, for our sin, we deserve eternal wrath and punishment. But during those final hours upon the cross, Jesus bore our sins for us. He suffered the curse and penalty of sin for us, in our place. At that time, He knew what we merit: to be separated from God, to be away from His Presence forever. And being the Infinite Son of God, He was able to suffer the equivalent of what we all deserve, though His sufferings took place on only that day. Jesus Christ, as a Lamb, slain for us! Feeling the displeasure of God the Father. Bearing our sins. Being our Substitute. He took upon Himself all of our sins, so that we could be saved from sin forever.
V. “I thirst” John 19.28
The physical part of His sufferings was great. He was denied rest through the previous night. He was arrested, tied up, beaten, struck on the face. He was whipped until His back was torn to shreds. His scalp had been punctured by many sharp thorns. He was bruised and bleeding, pierced and hanged on a cross. He was not given any water to drink. Every time He needed to gulp down a breath of air, He had to force His weight onto His pierced ankles, so as to raise Himself enough to reduce the constriction of His wind passage. Through the morning hours, and, now, into the afternoon, His throat became parched, and must have felt as dry as the desert. With His body craving moisture beyond the point He could take this suffering anymore, He said in a hoarse voice, “I am thirsty.” With some measure of pity, someone wet His lips with a sponge. Think on this scene of suffering and agony, and know that He did this all for you.
VI. “It is finished” John 19.30
Immediately, he said, “It is finished.” What could He have been understood to have meant? That His life was over? That He had come to end of His strength? Much more than that! Jesus Christ had finished all that the Father had sent Him into the world to do. He perfectly obeyed all of the Law of God. He lived the most holy and good and pure life that it is possible to live. And then He suffered for the sins of Man. He did both of these, the obeying and the suffering, in the place of sinners. We could never be righteous enough to deserve to enter the Presence of God to live forever. And we could never have suffered enough through eternity to be able to satisfy the wrath of God against even one of our many sins. But Jesus, by His Perfect Life, and by His Substitutionary death, did all that was needed for us to be saved. Believe in Him and receive Him as your only Saviour. Know that “It is finished” means Jesus Christ offers you a full and complete salvation.
VII. “Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit” Luke 23.46
This final saying of Jesus was uttered with His last breath. But do not think that this committing of Himself to God was something He did only at the end of His life. This was the theme of His life! Devotion to God. Dedication to doing the will of His Father. Submission and Surrender. These were all His Passion. And we who believe on Him judge, that since He died for us, we must live for Him. He owns us for He bought us with His own precious life’s blood. May we be as devoted to Him, our Shepherd Who laid down His life for us His sheep, as He was to His Heavenly Father. Jesus committed Himself to His Father, for He knew the reward awaiting Him. Hebrews 12.2. The Father raised Him from the dead and placed Him at His right hand with authority over all of heaven and earth. Jesus Who died is now alive and the Lord of all. Love and honor Him. Surrender your heart to Him.