On the cross, Jesus spoke seven final phrases that changed the course of human history. These “Seven Last Words of Christ,” as they’re traditionally known, reveal profound theological truths about Christ’s character, mission, and His relationship with both God and humanity. As we reflect on Good Friday, let’s examine these words that continue to transform lives today.
The cross stands as the centerpiece of our faith. There, suspended between heaven and earth, our Saviour spoke words of enduring significance that take us on a journey through forgiveness, salvation, adoption by grace, justice, incarnation, completion, and rest.
1. “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.” (Luke 23:34)
As soldiers cast lots to divide the garments of Christ, he prepared to clothe us with righteousness. In this moment of excruciating pain, Jesus asks his Father to forgive the very ones who nailed him to the cross. Our great high priest, raised above the ground with arms reaching out to gather in the whole world, prays for those who placed him there. And the Father offers free forgiveness to the ones who murder his son.
2. “Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in paradise.” (Luke 23:43)
On that day, even the thief on the cross could enter into God’s salvation. With minutes left in his earthly life, this criminal received assurance of eternal life—a powerful testimony that salvation comes not through works but through faith in Christ.
3. “Woman, behold your son! … Behold your mother!” (John 19:26-27)
When Jesus tells John that he has a new mother, he forges a new family. His words not only protect his mother but, in John’s theologically rich gospel, demonstrate that Jesus has created a new family—not one of blood, but one of grace. The church is born at the foot of the cross.
4. “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” (Matthew 27:46; Mark 15:34)
Jesus quotes Psalm 22:1. At first it sounds like Jesus has admitted defeat. But he cites the words of a psalm that begins with the experience of God-forsakenness but ends with God’s vindication of the one who suffers. Psalm 22 concludes with the salvation of the nations through the one whose hands and feet were pierced. In this cry of dereliction, Jesus experiences the full weight of separation from the Father so that we never have to.
5. “I thirst.” (John 19:28)
Psalm 69:21 lies in the background. His thirst shows him to be human, to be one acquainted with grief and sorrow and pain. Soon he will be given sour wine on a sponge. Unable to find water, he will soon have his side pierced, from which side will flow living waters. As the flood of old destroyed the world, now the river from his side would give life to the world. Through his thirst, he will satisfy all those who hunger and thirst after righteousness.
6. “It is finished.” (John 19:30)
The sixth word of Jesus not only tells you the Passion has come to an end, and the life of Christ is about to be given up to the Father’s care; it also tells you something more. Earlier, Jesus cited the first verse of Psalm 22:1—”my God, my God, why have you forsaken me”—and now he alludes to the final verse: “He has done it!” (Ps 22:31). In Hebrew, עָשָׂה (asah) could just as easily be rendered “he has accomplished it” or even “finished it.” The debt is paid; the work is complete.
7. “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit.” (Luke 23:46)
Here, Jesus again quotes the Psalms, in this case, Psalm 31:5. This is a cry of victory, and the next part of the verse is: “you have redeemed me, O Lord, faithful God.” Jesus knows that the cross is not the end, and he will be redeemed from death. God will not let his holy one see corruption.
God brings him up from the dead, and into his hands he commits his spirit. Jesus enters into his rest, we might say, after his labors, and we can strive to enter into that same rest.
From the Cross to Our Lives
These seven words changed the world: forgiveness, salvation, adoption by grace, justice and vindication, incarnation, a finished work, and finally rest. And they continue to transform our lives today.
- As Christ forgave us at the cross, who can we forgive today in our lives?
- As God saved us, who can we share this message of salvation with tomorrow?
- As God adopted us into his family, how can we practice brotherly and sisterly love with each other in our church?
While we could focus on our response, we must ultimately return to the cross where Christ cried, “My God, My God, why have you forsaken me?” Here we find the most profound act of God’s love.
The Father sent his own beloved Son to the cross. Jesus says in John’s Gospel that “this is why the Father loves me, because I lay down my life” (John 10:17-18). At Calvary, God himself, having taken human flesh, suffers to satisfy divine justice so that we might be declared righteous by faith. As John writes, “We love him because he first loved us” (1 John 4:19). He loves us to the end—even to the point of suffering justice’s due on our behalf out of his great love for mankind.
As we enter into Easter, remember that “God so loved the world that he gave his only Son” (John 3:16) to the cross for us and for our salvation.
