Seven sayings of Jesus on the cross

Picture used with permission:
© 2006 http://www.theglorystory.com/

Last Sunday, I shared with you about the last week of Jesus’ earthly life. Today I will restrict it to the last 6 hours of his life. We know that Jesus was crucified at 9am and died at around 3pm. Before he was crucified, “they tried to give Him wine mixed with myrrh; but He did not take it.” (Mark 15:23). Myrrh was a sedative; Jesus refused it, since he wanted to be fully alert while he hung on the cross. During these 6 hours on the cross, 7 profound statements of Jesus are recorded for us in the gospels.

1. Luke 23:34 But Jesus was saying, "Father, forgive them; for they do not know what they are doing."

Jesus forgave all who were involved in crucifying him. Jesus taught about forgiveness & here we see a powerful demonstration of forgiveness to people who killed him. Later people who were martyred for Christ, like the first martyr Stephen echoed similar words of forgiveness.

Here we learn that it is vital to forgive people, irrespective of what they do to us. Matthew 18:21-22 states “ That Peter came and said to Him, "Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me and I forgive him? Up to seven times?" Jesus said to him, "I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven.”
We are to forgive people an unlimited number of times. We must not harbour unforgiveness in our hearts towards anyone.

2. Luke 23:42-43 And He said to him, "Truly I say to you, today you shall be with Me in Paradise."
We know that there were 2 criminals hanging on either side of Jesus. At first both the criminals were speaking against Jesus, but later one of them understood who Jesus was & he was saying, "Jesus, remember me when You come in Your kingdom!". He recognised Jesus as King and was saved. What a wonderful gospel we have that even criminals can receive & enter paradise.

Remember in the time of Moses when serpents bit the Israelites, that Moses lifted up a serpent, and all who saw it were healed.
John 3:14-16 "As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up; so that whoever believes will in Him have eternal life.
For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.”

All who see Jesus’ death for their sakes & believe in Him are saved and have eternal life, just like this criminal. Every sin can be forgiven, if one repents of it & believes in Jesus. Though our sins are as red as crimson, we can be cleansed whiter than snow, through the precious blood of Jesus.


3. John 19:26-27
When Jesus then saw His mother, and the disciple whom He loved standing nearby, He said to His mother, "Woman, behold, your son!"
Then He said to the disciple, "Behold, your mother!" From that hour the disciple took her into his own household.

Biblical scholars tell us that Mary’s husband Joseph was no more at this time & we know that Jesus’ brothers didn’t believe on him. Here we find Jesus fulfilling his duty towards Mary. He entrusted Mary to the care of his closest disciple John.
One of the ten commandments mentioned in Exodus 20:12 states
"Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be prolonged in the land which the LORD your God gives you.”
To honour our parents means that we respect them & also provide and care for them. Jesus rebuked the Pharisees on this matter, since they exempted those in “God’s service” to provide for their parents. (Matthew 15:5,6)

4. John 19:28 After this, Jesus, knowing that all things had already been accomplished, to fulfill the Scripture, said, "I am thirsty."
The Gospel of John was written around AD 85, about 50 years after Jesus’ death. In those times a heresy was developing which stated that Jesus was not really human, but was a mystical being. Hence John specifically mentions these words of Jesus that he was thirsty. Jesus was truly human & felt hunger & thirst just the way we do. People who were crucified felt extreme thirst. Jesus felt it too & said “I am thirsty”. Truly God became truly man!

5. Matthew 27:46 About the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, "ELI, ELI, LAMA SABACHTHANI?" that is, "MY GOD, MY GOD, WHY HAVE YOU FORSAKEN ME?"
It is written in 1 Corinthians 15:3 that “Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures”
When Jesus bore on himself the sins of the whole world, the Father turned his gaze away from him. For a brief moment of time, Jesus experienced being forsaken by God.
God made him who knew no sin, to become sin on our behalf ( 2 Corinthians 5:21). Jesus bore our sin & our curse, so that we might receive blessings. The only begotten Son of God experienced being temporarily forsaken by God, so that we might become adopted sons of God. To us adopted sons, God says that He will never ever forsake us, not even for a moment. (Hebrews 13:5)

6. John 19:30 Therefore when Jesus had received the sour wine, He said, "It is finished!".
In Matthew 27:50-51, it is written “And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice, and yielded up His spirit. And behold, the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom; and the earth shook and the rocks were split.”

Here we find Jesus triumphantly crying out “It is finished”. It was a shout of a victor! He accomplished the Father’s purpose. The veil that separated man from God was torn, and the way opened for all men to come back to God. In the Old Testament times, only the Israelites could enter the Temple in the outer court. Further inside, only the priests could worship in the holy place & even further only the high priest could enter the Most holy place and that too only once in a year. But now after Christ’s death, the way in open even for us Gentiles to come right into the Most Holy place! What a wonderful privilege we have! Let us not be far away from the Lord, but draw near with confidence close to Him.

7. Luke 23:46 And Jesus, crying out with a loud voice, said, "Father, INTO YOUR HANDS I COMMIT MY SPIRIT." Having said this, He breathed His last.
Jesus started out by addressing God as Father while on the cross & ends too in the same way.
The communion with God was restored & Jesus entrusted his spirit to the Father.
This was the last words heard from the lips of Jesus. What a way to end an earthly life! In close communion with the Father!!

May we reflect on these 7 sayings of Jesus & allow the Holy Spirit to give us revelation. Amen

Significant Somethings

[Message: Pastor Philip Joseph. Hope I haven’t missed much. Happy reading…]

The gospel books in the Bible-Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, tell us about the life and ministry of Jesus Christ. We know that Jesus lived on this earth for about 33½ years. Very little is written on Jesus’ initial 30 years, before His ministry; quite a lot of writing describe Jesus’ ministry as He went about preaching the good news of the kingdom of God and healing the sick, casting out demons, performing miracles… But a huge portion of the gospel is entirely dedicated to the happenings just before Jesus’ death on the cross. For example, 1/3^rd of the book of Mark’s gospel describes the last week of Jesus life on earth.

This week is celebrated as the Holy Week starting from today-Palm Sunday, through Good Friday to Easter Sunday. We who are Christians, have read, meditated and known these celebrations from our childhood days. We may think we know all about it; but, I pray the Holy Spirit will reveal to us the significance of these happenings of the ‘Holy Week’, starting from the triumphal entry of Jesus’ into Jerusalem.

The prophet had foretold 430 years before, that the ‘King’ would come on a lowly donkey: “Tell the daughter of Zion, Behold, your King is coming to you, lowly, and sitting on a donkey, a colt, the foal of a donkey.” [Matt. 21:5]. The streets of Jerusalem, on that Palm Sunday, were filled with joyous celebration. Even the children shouted “Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the LORD!” And when He had come into Jerusalem, all the city was moved, saying “Who is this?” [Matt. 21:9, 10].

Do you recognize Jesus? Will you shout “Hosanna” or will you say “Who is this?” Eyes to see, and ears to hear, and a heart to perceive-this is my prayer today-for you, whether you are a young child, or a youth or an elderly person.

Unique and significant happenings of that last week, has repercussions down through the ages for people of every nation, every tongue, every tribe; an impression that would last an entire lifetime of a believer, and a significance and meaning for life now and after.

Thw widow...threw in two mites
Picture from http://www.bibleexplained.com/

1. Significant Giving: Mark 14: 3-9 and Mark 12:41-43

A woman broke a flask of very costly fragrant oil and poured it on Jesus’ head. A flask of perfume that costs 10 months salary! What this signifies to me is that no sacrifice is too great to give to Jesus. There may be people who will say, “Why this waste?” and why not give for some social cause and good work. But Jesus loves a cheerful giver; He said “Let her alone… she has come beforehand to anoint My body for burial. Assuredly, I say to you, wherever this gospel is preached in the whole world, what this woman has done will also be told as a memorial to her.”

A poor widow came to give an offering and “threw in two mites…”; So He {Jesus} called His disciples to Himself and said to them, “Assuredly, I say to you that this poor widow has put in more than all those who have given to the treasury;”

There is so much to give and so much to do! Would you give Him what you have? And would you give Him in spite of what you have?

2. Significant Serving: John 13:5-14

In those days, the roads were dusty; there were no cement and tar roads that we have now. And it was a custom to wash one’s feet with water on entering a house. Jesus, on His last supper, was gathered in a house with His disciples. After the supper, Jesus took a towel and a basin of water and washed His disciples’ feet. Peter refused the first time; but Jesus answered and said to him, “What I am doing you do not understand now, but you will know after this.”

Jesus explained the significance of His act, saying “…you also ought to wash one another’s feet.” (John 13:14). Do you see the need of those around? It’s easy to pray and leave it to God. But God is calling you to fulfill the need of your brothers and sisters around you. See the need? Serve.

3. Significant Emblems: Luke 22:19-21

In that last supper, Jesus took the bread and the cup and said: “This is my body which is given for you…” and “This cup is the new covenant in My blood, which is shed for you…”: Do this in remembrance of Me.

The birthday of Jesus is not mentioned; but His death day has been destined since time began; He will be the Passover Lamb. His blood will cover us. Just as the angel of death ‘passed over’ the blood covered doorposts of the houses of Israelites in Egypt, so the blood of the New Covenant covers those who believe in Jesus Christ. Are you protected? When was the last time you shared in the body and blood of Jesus Christ? As often as you do it, you proclaim the Lord’s death till He comes. (1 Cor. 11:26)

4. Significant prayer: John 17: 1-26

Jesus loves you. He loved you while He was here on earth, and He loves you now, in heaven. He remembered you and me in that significant prayer.

Yes, He prayed for Himself. But He did not stop with that! He continued in intercessory prayer (a large part of John17) for His disciples, and also for every person who would believe through the word of His disciples!

You must pray for yourself. But pray for others too. Pray that you do not enter into temptation (Luke 22:40); and pray also for others. Let God’s love be in you.

In the garden of Gethsemane, the prayer of Jesus was so intense that His sweat turned into blood drops! Luke, a medical doctor by profession, surely knows what he is talking about! (Luke 22:44). Today, we hear doctors confirming that this is possible; that with great intensity and stress, blood vessels may break. But the significance of that prayer is echoed in Jesus’ words: It is enough {over}! The victory over the cross and shame was done there in that intense prayer of Gethsemane. No more troubled spirit and soul; Jesus victoriously went to the cross!

Whatever is your prayer, let it be significant; let it be for others too; let it be intense. Jesus prayed for you and me; He is still praying an intercessory prayer- that our strength will not fail. Be strong! Be courageous! And God will grant you the victory.

5. Significant Suffering: Matt. 27: 22-23

The crowds that shouted “Hosanna” somehow changed their tone within a week to shout “Crucify Him!” The governor said, “Why, what evil has He done?” But they cried out all the more saying, “Let Him be crucified!”

Peter writes a first-hand account of what happened that night and its significance. He says: For to this you were called because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that you should follow His steps: “Who committed no sin, nor was deceit found in His mouth”, who, when He was reviled, did not revile in return; when He suffered, He did not threaten, but committed Himself to Him who judges righteously;… (1 Peter 2:21-23)

What do the crowds say about you; it really does not matter. They may shout praises one moment and heap abuses the next; it happened to Jesus! Even the judiciary may not help your case sometimes; they may succumb to populist pressures {read media perversion}. “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,” says the Lord. And again, “The LORD will judge His people.” It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God. [Heb. 10: 30, 31]

Give your best… and give all your suffering to Him who judges righteously. Love and serve; remember His covenant of body and blood and pray the intense prayer of your life. Amen.

Continue…

[Message: Pastor Sunil D’Souza (Udupi, Karnataka). Hope I haven’t missed much. Happy reading…]

Thanks be to God for this hour and this day. Without Him {Jesus}, I can do nothing (John 15:5); and in the words of Paul “By the grace of God, I am what I am” (1 Cor. 15:10). And from the book of Lamentations, we know that we are not consumed because of His great mercies. Great is His faithfulness.

In the book of Revelations, the word ‘Blessed’ occurs 7 times. We must endeavor to find ourselves within the categories of the ‘blessed’ people. These are the last days and the coming of Jesus is at hand. It is important for us to know what God thinks about us. Are you and I among those having a good testimony from God?

You see, God had a testimony about David – a man after my own heart (Acts 13:22); and about Moses – a man who is faithful in all my house (Numbers 12:7). God who does not look at the outward appearance, but searches the depths of the heart – does He have a testimony about you and me?

Revelation 1:3 says: Blessed is He…that reads… meditates… and keeps the words of this book.

Relatively speaking, the reading and meditating part is quite easy… but the difficult part is to walk the word. Jesus spoke the parable of the wise man and the foolish man, building their house. He likened the wise man to those who hear and keep the God’s word as against the foolish, who only ‘hears’ the word. So, the difference is really in walk only!

It’s easy to come to church, sing some great songs on Sunday, show yourself a Christian, maybe, even take the water-baptism; but it’s the other days of the week that really count for a Christian! What is the difference then? Is it just nice to hear sermon after sermon, be uplifted in our spirits and then wait for the next sermon? Matt. 13:23 says that those who understood the word produced fruit (harvest) – some thirty-fold, some sixty-fold and others hundred-fold! So, hearing the word is good; but it is better to understand. This is my prayer too, as was the prayer of Paul to Ephesians “…that the eyes of your heart maybe opened…” (Eph. 1:13-17).

Opening of the eyes of the heart is what matters! It happened in the time Jesus (Luke 24:45-48). It happens even today, because of the Helper. If our eyes of understanding is not opened, it will profit us nothing. (Why do people still think child baptism is okay?) It is not enough to simply believe in Jesus (James refutes that even the demons believe that and tremble). Do you love Jesus? So many people say that they do! What is the difference then? Simply put by John in 1 John 5:3: For this is the love of God that we keep His commandments…

1. Stand in the word of God

Ezra 7:10 says: For Ezra had prepared his heart to seek the law of the LORD, and to do it, and to teach in Israel…

Many today read the word of God only to teach others… When a Pastor was preaching from the pulpit, he noticed that a man sitting in one of the front pews lean and shift towards his left; after a few moments, the same person leaned towards the right. He kept doing this during the entire message, and so the Pastor met him after the service and queried him about his actions. He replied that he leaned this way and that, so the message will ‘hit’ the right person sitting in the pews behind him.

If the entire ‘message’ is for others, then why are you here? I have been in ministry long enough to notice wives giving long glances to husbands, and husbands- to wives, according to the word that is being preached. When you read and meditate on God’s word, would you keep in mind that this word is primarily for you to keep? Otherwise, you will be like the foolish person building his house upon the sand. The rains came, the floods rose and the winds blew and beat upon that house. And it fell… and great was its fall.

A story is told about four people in a boat; rowing hard to reach the other shore. It was dusk and they continued rowing all through the night; but they could not see nor get to the other shore. When morning dawned, they found that they had rowed nowhere, but were in the same spot, because the rope anchoring the boat to the shore was still not untied!

There are many wanting to go to the other shore; but few are willing to leave this shore. They fear their time is not yet come, or they fear their peers and friends who may mock them. Or maybe, it is his or her brother, sister or one of the close relatives, who is working against their decision to follow Christ. Prov. 29:25 says: The fear of man brings a snare; but whoever puts his trust in the LORD is safe. Is it not better to be safe now than be sorry later?

Ezek 38: 7 and Amos 4:12 calls for the people of the Lord to be ready for the coming of Jesus and to stand before Him. How are you doing in your little boat? Are you building on the rock solid word of God? How? -By walking the word! You shall know the truth, and the truth shall set you free. Christianity is not a religion to observe and opt for; it is the life giving word bringing salvation to all-through Jesus Christ- He’s the only way.

2. Continue in the Grace of God

Acts 13:43: Now when the congregation was broken up, many of the Jews and religious proselytes followed Paul and Barnabas: who, speaking to them, persuaded them to continue in the grace of God.

The word of God says: …where sin abounded, grace abounded much more. (Romans 5:20). And Paul continues in Romans 6:1,2 “What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? Certainly not! How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it?”

But there are a certain group of people, who misuse grace. They have the mindset that they can continue to live as they please and still count on grace. They attend church; they may even take baptism; yet, continue in their ‘usual’ lifestyle. A Pastor on a house visit found the man quickly changing the TV channel as he entered his house. The new channel showed up similar images, and the man of the house quickly changed to some other channel; only it happened to be worse… The pastor remarked “Maybe the earlier one was better…”. These are the ones who have not understood repentance-which is turning away from sin.

I was a drunkard; ad when I was drunk I used to beat up just anybody in my youth. And if I found none, I used to beat my friends… I was good in karate and had a good physique. But then, I came to Jesus; He changed me. He gave me grace… sufficient to continue in it. I cannot turn back and know my old days again… I cannot go back to sin.

The time of grace is limited. Soon it will be over. Yes, the coming of Jesus is at hand and grace will cease. The church, the bride will be taken up. But, now is the accepted time… we can turn away from sin and come to Jesus… and continue in that enabling grace of God that He supplies. Matt. 25 talks about the wise and the foolish virgins. All ten were willing to meet the Bridegroom; but only five of them were really ‘prepared’. Are you prepared? 1 Peter 1:16 demands, that we be holy, because He is holy.

3. Continue in Christian Faith

Acts 14:22 says: …strengthening the souls of the disciples, exhorting them to continue in the faith, and saying, “We must through many tribulations enter the kingdom of God.”

There was a man named Bartimaeus. He was blind and he called out to Jesus who was passing by. Do you know what others told him? The Bible says …many warned him to be quiet; but he cried out all the more… (Mark10:48). What is it to walk in faith? Why do you hesitate to follow Jesus? Is it because of others-maybe your friends, or your close relatives? Do you say that I do not come to church because my father, mother or brother does not like it? Do others ask you to be quiet, and they tell you that you know nothing?

There was a man named Kartar Singh in Punjab, India. He came to the knowledge of the truth of the gospel and gave his heart to Jesus Christ. Though a rich Sikh, he had to leave his family and home, because his father publicly renounced him as his son, after trying hard to make Kartar reject Jesus. Donning the clothes of a Sadhu, he began to preach Christ in Tibet. He was caught and bound up in a wet yak skin that would slowly dry when the sun was up, causing the skin to shrink and his bones to break. This slow torture continued for three long days, but the peace and joy of the Lord flooded the soul of Kartar Singh as he lay in physical agony. Waiting for death, Kartar sang songs of praise and prayed for the salvation of his enemies. Finally, on the third day as death drew near, he asked that his right hand might be set free. Probably from curiosity rather than mercy, his request was granted. With his free hand Kartar wrote on the fly-leaf of his New Testament, “I pray that my love for Him may not be less than that of the Hindu woman who burns along with the corpse of her dead husband. When for the dead husband, who she may not hope to meet again, she does so much, how much more should I do for a living Lord who is moreover the Lord of life?”

There are many other life examples to narrate. People who sacrificed all; all for the sake of Jesus! There is only one heart, and it is given to Jesus; this is my story, and this is my song. This is the faith that I more precious than gold. This is the faith worth fighting the ‘good fight’ for. This is the faith to keep; and this is the faith to share. This is the faith in which we must continue. Paul declares: “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.” (2 Tim. 4:7).

4. Stand in the Gospel

1 Cor. 15:1 “Moreover, brethren, I declare to you the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received and in which you stand.”

There are many things written in the gospel of Jesus Christ-His life, His ministry, His death, burial and resurrection, His second coming... These have been given to us that we may understand the gospel and STAND in the gospel. Otherwise, sooner or later we will be deceived! There is the 'Father only' group of people; then there are those who propagate there is no Holy Spirit; then there are others saying, 'Only Jesus'-All these forget the truth of the gospel; the Father, Son and the Holy Spirit.

There was a lay preacher, who wanted to visit one of the members of our church and share 'his' gospel. He was from the 'Jesus only' sect and the said member, after talking to me, told him: Please come this wednesday; but our Pastor will also be there to hear your 'gospel'. Although we waited, he didn't turn up that day. That is why I say, you must share such things with your pastor and grow in fellowship. There was also this self-proclaimed prophet in Mangalore, who met a member and warned him not to marry; lest he faced dire consequences and possibly death! We went and tried counselling and showed him what is written in the Word of God. Paul does warn Timothy "Now the Spirit expressly says that in latter times some will depart from the faith, giving heed to deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons, speaking lies in hypocrisy, having their own conscience seared with a hot iron, forbidding to marry...". But, the frightened man never recovered and he remains a bachelor till now, although he is 42y. What am I saying? You stand in the gospel; stand on the word of God.

5. Continue in Brotherly Love (Hospitality)

Heb. 13:1: Let brotherly love continue.

I am a guest here in Mumbai, and I have received hospitality from members of this church. Each one of us is called to love and help your brothers. The writer of Hebrews continues in verse 2: Do not forget to entertain strangers, for by so doing some have unwittingly entertained angels.

6. Walk worthy of God

1 Thess. 2:12

7. Continue in the Hope of the Gospel

Colossians 1:23