The Sayings of Christ On--and After--the Cross

Sunday Bible Study Lesson, March 24, 2013.

The study book talks about the identity of Christ as Messiah, Lamb, and King.

What are some of his other identities?

How do we relate to him in these other identities?

Key thought:  As awful as the crucifixion is, it is meaningless unless Jesus is who he says he is, if these are not his identities.  We cannot separate the cross from his identity(ies).

Relationship with Jesus means we must understand fully who he is and what he wants.

See his heart in the gospels.  

His heart is clearly seen in the seven last sayings from the cross.  Our pastor has been preaching on these but I missed two of them, so I want to recap and use that as our starting point for discussion and reflection.

1.     Matthew Luke 23:34.  “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.”  Other translations?  “They do not know what they are doing.”

a.    As usual, he calls God “Father.”  He is interceding, as in Heaven now (Hebrews 5).

b.    Who is he talking about?  I think the Romans in that context, who really wouldn’t have known or understood at that time.   They would not have known who he is, what his purpose was, or the consequences.

c.    The context tells us the difference in the attitudes of the ruling Jewish elders; they were more aware but still ignorant.

d.    Some editions of the Bible will have a note that says this is not in the oldest manuscripts.  That is always confusing for believers—do we accept it or not?  It does go along with the rest of Scripture, especially Stephen’s martyrdom.  Other passages are not in the oldest available manuscripts, such as John 8.  Even if we say, “I don’t accept that,” nothing is really changed about the content of scripture.

e.    He is fulfilling Matthew 5:44 – “Love your enemies, bless those who curse you.” 

f.     Another reference is Ps. 109:4:  “I give myself to prayer for my enemies.”

g.    He will be followed by Stephen, the first martyr, who in Acts 7:60 said, “Do not lay this sin to their charge.”

h.    My reflection:  What is Jesus saying here?  That they are not knowledgeable, therefore not responsible?  If they weren’t responsible, they wouldn’t need forgiveness The need for forgiveness implies the existence of sin.  We don’t need forgiveness if there is no sin or harm.  .  None of us ever knows the full consequences of our sin.  We can’t know how a sharp word wounds another.  We can’t know how selfishly affects others.  So we all need forgiveness because, while we choose the sin, we do not understand the sin, even when we confess it.

i.      Further, Jesus knows their hearts, so this is a true statement; he could not speak untruth. 

j.      This saying embodies TOTAL GRACE.

2.     John 19:27.  “Woman, behold your son;  Son, behold your mother.” 

a.    There are four women at the cross:  Mary, Mary’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene.   Sort of like my class with four Ashleys in it!

b.    John, the beloved disciple, is being entrusted with care for his mother.  This raises questions—where is the rest of his family?  Why aren’t they taking care of her?  As the oldest son he is responsible, perhaps.

c.    The burden on Mary is enormous here, to see her baby, her firstborn, executed like that.  What was she pondering then? 

d.    Despite the agony of the crucifixion, Jesus has TOTAL AWARENESS and is still conscious of the humans around him, as we see in the next one.

3.     Luke 23:43:  “Today you will be with me in Paradise.”

a.    We have recently heard a sermon on this.  The usual takeaways are that we are immediately in God’s presence after death (as opposed to waiting indefinitely for the resurrection) and that faith alone is needed for salvation, not rituals such as baptism or church membership.  Deathbed conversions have their place.

b.    It also says to me that God accepts us as we are even with limited knowledge and that there is no formula for conversion or salvation.  Many people suffer from lack of assurance of salvation and go over and over in their minds, “Did I say the right words?”  What would be the right words, according to the Bible?  The Muslims have a confession that makes them a Muslim, automatically.  No such confession, verbatim, is given to Christians.  It is our understanding, our trust, our will, that matters, not a formula or ritual.  Unfortunately, that causes a lot of people anguish, needlessly. 

c.    This saying speaks to the TOTAL KNOWLEDGE OF THE FUTURE that Jesus has, except for the second coming.

4.     Matthew 27:46, Mark 15:34.  “Eli, Eli, lama sabach thani.” 

a.    If Martin Luther and Charles Spurgeon didn’t feel adequate to preach on this, neither do I!

b.    It is the ninth hour (about 3:00) and the sky is dark; at his death, the physical world reacts.

c.    Theologically, there are two men:  Adam (in whom all die) and Christ (in whom all are made alive).

d.    Jesus is speaking as humanity now, and also he is becoming sin for us.

e.    This cry, which is almost unthinkable, tells us of Jesus’ taking on the TOTAL PENALTY FOR SIN.

5.     John 19:28.  “I thirst.” 

a.    At this point he is given sour wine; it is forced upon him.

b.    Earlier he had been given sour wine or vinegar mixed with a type of aromatic painkiller (myrrh rather than gall), which he refused.  Matthew 27:34.

c.    This saying speaks to his TOTAL HUMANITY. 

6.     Luke 23:46:  “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit.”

a.    Psalm 31:5 reference, although the Psalmist adds, “You have redeemed me.”

b.    I Peter 2:23.  He was committed his spirit in the same way he had committed everything else.

c.    This saying speaks to his TOTAL COMMITMENT.

d.    Also, it speaks to his TOTAL WILL, CHOICE, and CONTROL in his death.

7.     John 19:30:  “It is finished.”

a.    What is finished?

b.    This saying speaks to TOTAL VICTORY. 

All of these sayings portray Jesus TOTAL LOVE. 

Although we speak of the seven last sayings of Christ, they aren’t his last sayings.  There are many more, because of the victorious resurrection.  The many sayings after the resurrection fall into four categories.

Sayings about Proof:              Luke 24:17 ff (Emmaus conversation)

                                                Luke 24:39-41; “Behold my hands and feet” 

John 20:28-29; proof to Thomas alone; faith is better than sight!

Acts 9:4-6 – Appearance to Saul/Paul

Sayings about Peace:             Here, Jesus recognizes that they are scared to death to see him alive!

                                                Matthew 28:9 – “Rejoice!”

                                                Matthew 28:10

                                                Luke 24:36

                                                John 20:17 – Appearance to Mary Magdalene

                                                John 20:21

                                                John 21:5-25 – Restoring Peter

Sayings about Purpose:          Matthew 28:10

                                                Matthew 28:18-19

                                                Matthew 16:15ff (debated verses)

                                                Luke 24:44-49

                                                John 20:22

                                                Acts 1:4-8

                                                II Corinthians 12:9 – My strength is made perfect in weakness

Sayings about his Promised Presence:          Matthew 28:20

                                                                        John 20:22

Closing Thoughts:

The church is not a corporation with employees (pastoral staff) and clients (members).

It is a family where everyone has a role and task.