THE LAST WORDS OF CHRIST ON THE CROSS PART 1

Despised and Rejected by Men

Isaiah 53:3 “He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief; and as one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not.”

It had been roughly 3.5 years since Jesus began His earthly ministry. During that time, He definitely knew what it was to be despised and rejected. The scribes, Pharisees, Sadducees, and other religious leaders had opposed Him at every turn. The crowds and religious leaders had tried to arrest or kill Him on multiple occasions. Why did they hate Him so much? It was because He was the light of the world and they loved darkness. His life and teaching shone a light on their wickedness, so they despised Him for it. The night before this dreadful day, his own disciple Judas had betrayed Him for 30 pieces of silver. The other disciples had fled for their lives and abandoned Him. One of His closest friends had denied Him 3 times. He was brought before the high priest and the Jewish Sanhedrin. While there, He was falsely accused, mocked, and beaten. They spit in His face, slapped Him, and had His beard pulled out. He was brought before Pilate, Herod, and Pilate again as the Jewish leaders falsely accused Him and sought the death penalty for Him. Though there was no fault or sin found in Him, they cried out, “Crucify Him!” After all of this verbal and physical abuse, Pilate delivered Him to be scourged. When you just read the text, you don’t realize how severe scourging was. They used a leather whip embedded with sharp metal and bone, so it would rip away your flesh as they struck you. Many people would die after such a horrific beating. The soldiers then put a crown of thorns on His precious head and a reed in His hand. Then they knelt before Him and mocked Him. Then they spit on Him and struck Him in the head. And then they delivered Him to be crucified.

Isaiah 53:7–8 “He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth; like a lamb that is led to the slaughter, and like a sheep that before its shearers is silent, so he opened not his mouth. By oppression and judgment he was taken away; and as for his generation, who considered that he was cut off out of the land of the living, stricken for the transgression of my people?”

Matthew 26:53 “Do you think that I cannot appeal to my Father, and he will at once send me more than twelve legions of angels?”

A full legion of Roman soldiers was bout 6000 men. So 12 legions of angels would be 72,000. In 2 Kings 19, a single angel killed 185,000 Assyrians in one night. A single angel killed 70,000 people of Israel in 2 Samuel 24. As powerful as those angels are, they are nothing compared to the power of Christ Himself.

A Word of Forgiveness

The first cry of Jesus would have happened either while they were nailing Him to the cross or very shortly after.

Luke 10:16 ““The one who hears you hears me, and the one who rejects you rejects me, and the one who rejects me rejects him who sent me.””

Isaiah 53:12 “Therefore I will divide him a portion with the many, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong, because he poured out his soul to death and was numbered with the transgressors; yet he bore the sin of many, and makes intercession for the transgressors.”

Here is the Lord Jesus, in mortal agony, practicing what He had preached!

Romans 2:21–23 “you then who teach others, do you not teach yourself? While you preach against stealing, do you steal? You who say that one must not commit adultery, do you commit adultery? You who abhor idols, do you rob temples? You who boast in the law dishonor God by breaking the law.”

Luke 6:27–28 ““But I say to you who hear, Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you.”

It should take our breath away to realize that as the precious blood of the spotless Lamb of God flowed, our Great High Priest began to intercede for His people!

Romans 8:33–34 “Who shall bring any charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised—who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us.”

Hebrews 7:25 “Consequently, he is able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them.”

Ephesians 1:7 “In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace,”

A Word of Salvation

It didn’t take long for the Father to begin to answer this prayer!

Matthew 27:44 “And the robbers who were crucified with him also reviled him in the same way.”

A friend of sinners

Mark 2:16–17 “And the scribes of the Pharisees, when they saw that he was eating with sinners and tax collectors, said to his disciples, “Why does he eat with tax collectors and sinners?” And when Jesus heard it, he said to them, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I came not to call the righteous, but sinners.””

1 Timothy 1:15–16 “The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the foremost. But I received mercy for this reason, that in me, as the foremost, Jesus Christ might display his perfect patience as an example to those who were to believe in him for eternal life.”

The thief saw his own sin and the sinlessness of Christ. In that moment, he knew that Christ was his only hope. He clearly repented of his sins and placed his faith in Christ.

Compare him to the blind men crying out and the woman touching Christ’s hem.

John 3:14–16 “And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in him may have eternal life. “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.”

The invitation taken

John 6:37 “All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never cast out.”

The promise given

John 17:3 “And this is eternal life, that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.”

Psalm 16:11 “You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.”

2 Corinthians 5:8 “Yes, we are of good courage, and we would rather be away from the body and at home with the Lord.”

Time is short!

James 4:14 “yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes.”