The Seven Last Words
My Cup Runneth Over • Sermon • Submitted • Presented • 45:52
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· 99 viewsThis series is based on the 2025 Lenten season curriculum by Foundry Publishing, My Cup Runneth Over. This week we take a look at the seven last words of CHRIST in a close-up look at both HIS divinity and his humanity.
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Transcript
Handout
Greeting
Announce Annual Meeting following Sunday service, April 27th
At the conclusion of the service today (talk to them)
Anna
Kim
Mark
Shawna
Announce text: Luke 23:33-34; Luke 23:39-43; John 19:25-27; Matthew 27:45-46; John 19:28-30; Luke 23:44-46
Key Text: Luke 23:33-34; Luke 23:39-43; John 19:25-27; Matthew 27:45-46; John 19:28-30; Luke 23:44-46
Review
First Sunday of Lent (Bill): The Call to Discipleship
We learned that what we long for matters. JESUS asked what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and yet lose his own soul?
The Call to Discipleship is a call to focus on what matters most - our relationship with JESUS.
It cannot be a casual relationship - it must be a fully-committed, all-in desire to know and be known by HIM.
Second Sunday of Lent: Preparation and Sacrifice
We focused on the sacrifice CHRIST made and how that serves as an example for us - that we should “be imitators of CHRIST.”
We also spent some time reflecting again on the tradition of Communion and what it means when we celebrate the sacrament together.
The bread & wine received with thanksgiving provide renewed life, salvation, and unity by faith in CHRIST.
Third Sunday of Lent: Prayer & Obedience
Prayer is an expression of our inability to meet the demands of life by ourselves.
Seeking a place of solitude, as JESUS did, frees us from distractions and allows us to more clearly hear the still, small voice.
JESUS surrendered to GOD’s plan, evening in the face of suffering, and we’re called to do the same.
As CHRIST followers, we’re called to pray through our struggles. We are not alone. HOLY SPIRIT provides comfort & strength to face what is before us.
Fourth Sunday of Lent: Facing Failure
We looked at the dynamic contrast between human weakness and GOD’s divine response.
We learned that JESUS understands we are frail creatures who make mistakes, and HE love us anyway.
We also learned that to combat our own frailty, we must continually seek God’s face and live into God’s presence. True strength comes from HIS Presence. When we pack our lives full of what God has to offer, there’s less room for temptation and sin to enter our lives.
We learned that Peter’s story didn’t end with his failure. Like Peter, the LORD wants to turn our failures into opportunities to learn and grow.
We mourn and are remorseful for our mistakes, but we continue to press in and seek HIM, allowing HIM to redeem our mistakes for something good.
Fifth Sunday of Lent: The Way of Suffering
Last week, we looked at three points from CHRIST’s journey to the cross that underscore the depth of HIS suffering.
CHRIST’s Journey to the Cross
The Crowds Turned against Jesus
We contrasted the differences in the crowd’s actions over the span of about 4 days.
How they went from praising JESUS and treating HIM like the King HE is ...
… to crying for HIS crucifixion because they were so desperate for blood.
After a futile attempt at defending JESUS, Pilate attempted to absolve himself of delivering a righteous Man to the blood-thirsty, near-riotous crowd for execution.
Instead of a show of strength, Pilate instead shows weakness.
JESUS was tortured
While we typically might think only of JESUS’ suffering on the cross, we tend to ignore the great amount of suffering HE endured before that moment.
The 600-1000 Roman soldiers typically used to handle such a crowd, now partners with the mob in the crucifixion process.
Instead of dealing harshly with the crowd, the deal harshly with JESUS repeatedly beating JESUS with a cat of nine tails ...
… leather strips filled with bone, metal, and glass designed to slice and filet the skin open ...
Then we saw all of the imagery of a King on display in mocking fashion
Scarlet (royal color) robe, crown of thorns, reed sceptre, genuflecting before JESUS.
JESUS carried HIS (& Our) Shame
JESUS was then drug out of the Praetorium and forced to carry HIS Own cross until HE was too weak to do so any longer.
In reflecting on the depth of Jesus’s suffering, we remember the high price JESUS paid to reconcile our relationship to the FATHER.
We are reminded that we need to mourn our sins.
We can pray for strength to endure, just as JESUS did.
As we contemplate JESUS’ suffering, we can find comfort in the midst of our own suffering with the knowledge that we serve a GOD who truly understands us and what we’re going through.
Announce text again: Luke 23:33-34; Luke 23:39-43; John 19:25-27; Matthew 27:45-46; John 19:28-30; Luke 23:44-46
Scripture Reading
Scripture Reading
33 When they came to the place called The Skull, there they crucified Him and the criminals, one on the right and the other on the left.
34 But Jesus was saying, “Father, forgive them; for they do not know what they are doing.” And they cast lots, dividing up His garments among themselves.
39 One of the criminals who were hanged there was hurling abuse at Him, saying, “Are You not the Christ? Save Yourself and us!”
40 But the other answered, and rebuking him said, “Do you not even fear God, since you are under the same sentence of condemnation?
41 “And we indeed are suffering justly, for we are receiving what we deserve for our deeds; but this man has done nothing wrong.”
42 And he was saying, “Jesus, remember me when You come in Your kingdom!”
43 And He said to him, “Truly I say to you, today you shall be with Me in Paradise.”
25 Therefore the soldiers did these things.
But standing by the cross of Jesus were His mother, and His mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene.
26 When Jesus then saw His mother, and the disciple whom He loved standing nearby, He said to His mother, “Woman, behold, your son!”
27 Then He said to the disciple, “Behold, your mother!” From that hour the disciple took her into his own household.
45 Now from the sixth hour darkness fell upon all the land until the ninth hour.
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?”
28 After this, Jesus, knowing that all things had already been accomplished, to fulfill the Scripture, said, “I am thirsty.”
29 A jar full of sour wine was standing there; so they put a sponge full of the sour wine upon a branch of hyssop and brought it up to His mouth.
30 Therefore when Jesus had received the sour wine, He said, “It is finished!” And He bowed His head and gave up His spirit.
44 It was now about the sixth hour, and darkness fell over the whole land until the ninth hour,
45 because the sun was obscured; and the veil of the temple was torn in two.
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.
Prayer for added blessing to the reading of the Word
Message
Message
The next message in our series, My Cup Runneth Over, is titled, The Seven Last Words.
Introduction
Introduction
There are a lot of sermons that focus on one or two of the last things Jesus said on the cross. Often a message will focus on one particular Gospel’s account of the crucifixion, gleaning insight from the details in that account. Although it means we will be jumping around a lot today, it’s good for us to take a closer look at all seven things Jesus said from the cross according to the Gospel accounts. Jesus was both fully God and fully human, and his words from the cross give us a close-up look at both his divinity and his humanity.
Body
Body
The Seven Last Words
“Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.”
Luke 23:33-34
Even while suffering, Jesus wanted to see others forgiven. Sometimes we tend to wait until the hurtful thing has passed, until we’ve had time to process and heal, before we think about forgiveness. Jesus shows us another way, forgiving even as the evil is being done.
34 But Jesus was saying, “Father, forgive them; for they do not know what they are doing.” And they cast lots, dividing up His garments among themselves.
Psalm 22 is another lament of David that is closely tied to the suffering and death of JESUS. It is because of the portrayal of extreme anguish and suffering of the individual who is waiting on GOD for deliverance. As we will note later, JESUS references this Psalm in another final saying, thus adding to the application of this Psalm to JESUS.
18 They divide my garments among them,
And for my clothing they cast lots.
In anticipation of the Psalmist’s death, his enemies are already dividing up his clothes.
Casting lots was considered a fair game of chance to determine action or responsibility.
In the Gospels, JESUS is already hanging on the cross when this takes place.
Jesus acknowledged that they didn’t even fully understand the depth of their depravity, even as they cast lots and divided up his clothing while he suffered in front of them.
2. “Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise.”
Luke 23:39-43
One of the criminals mocked Jesus, but the other defended him.
39 One of the criminals who were hanged there was hurling abuse at Him, saying, “Are You not the Christ? Save Yourself and us!”
One criminal joins in with the crowd, repeating their mocking cries.
35 And the people stood by, looking on. And even the rulers were sneering at Him, saying, “He saved others; let Him save Himself if this is the Christ of God, His Chosen One.”
37 and saying, “If You are the King of the Jews, save Yourself!”
The other criminal acknowledges his sin, and that their punishment is just.
41 “And we indeed are suffering justly, for we are receiving what we deserve for our deeds; but this man has done nothing wrong.”
When the criminal asked Jesus to remember him, Jesus told him that the man would be with him in paradise. Jesus’s grace for the man was even greater than what the man requested. Instead of just remembering him, Jesus welcomed him.
43 And He said to him, “Truly I say to you, today you shall be with Me in Paradise.”
The Greek word for paradise appears in the Septuagint (Greek translation of OT) to describe the Garden of Eden.
Jewish literature from centuries prior to JESUS time on earth used the same word to refer to the blissful place of the righteous dead.
It wasn’t until the first century AD that the word became synonymous with heaven.
3. “Woman, here is your son” and, “Here is your mother.”
John 19:25-27
26 When Jesus saw his mother there, and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby, he said to her, “Woman, here is your son,” 27 and to the disciple, “Here is your mother.” From that time on, this disciple took her into his home.
Mary’s husband Joseph was likely dead at this time.
During this time, men typically married girls/women about 15 years younger than them on average.
The last mention of Joseph in Scripture was when JESUS was 12 years old.
Men typically died before the age of 40.
By contrast, John was probably not yet 20 years of age.
JESUS respectfully addresses his mother as “Woman,” as HE had done at the wedding in Cana - time not yet come.
HE was not being disrespectful.
Rather, the term served as kind of distancing of HIMSELF in terms of HIS divinity.
It was a reminder that HE is the Son of HIS Heavenly FATHER.
Despite HIS divine role of SONship and imminent death, HIS humanity tied to this familial relationship is seen in HIS care for HIS mother.
Even as he died, Jesus cared for the concrete needs of his mother. It was a cultural expectation for the eldest son to care for the parents, especially their mothers, as they aged. Jesus knew he could trust John to care for his mother after he died.
John would take JESUS’ place as Mary’s provider and protector.
Something of note is that Mary didn’t shy away from Jesus’s suffering but stayed with him at the cross until the end. Jesus was probably comforted by her presence, but it’s also likely he didn’t want her to see his suffering. Even as he suffered, his concern was with making sure his mother would be cared for.
4. “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” or, “My God, My God, why have you forsaken me?”
Matthew 27:45-46
This statement has traditionally been interpreted as a sign of GOD-forsakenness and abandonment as JESUS dies with the weight of the world’s sins upon HIM.
However, this loud cry is within the context of the righteous suffering typology that Matthew presents throughout the Passion Narrative.
Jesus was quoting Psalm 22, which is a psalm of trust in God.
1 My God, my God, why have You forsaken me?
Far from my deliverance are the words of my groaning.
Although there is a personal lament of abandonment in the midst of personal suffering, the Psalmist does not remain there.
Instead, he moves from ...
… desperation to hope
… suffering to salvation
… humiliation to vindication
This psalm laments the pain of hardship yet trusts in the deliverance of God. By quoting it, Jesus could have been implying his own sadness even while asserting his trust in the Father.
Quoting this psalm could also have been a way for Jesus to express the visceral pain of abandonment he felt at the deepest point of his suffering.
5. “I am thirsty.”
John 19:28-30
28 After this, Jesus, knowing that all things had already been accomplished, to fulfill the Scripture, said, “I am thirsty.”
29 A jar full of sour wine was standing there; so they put a sponge full of the sour wine upon a branch of hyssop and brought it up to His mouth.
Jesus was still fully human as he died on the cross. He expressed a real, physical need.
We’ve mentioned Psalm 22 a couple of times during this message, and there are some who might consider this another extension of that Psalm.
However, John also cites Psalm 69 in his Gospel, and most scholars believe this verse is a reference to Psalm 69:21.
21 They also gave me gall for my food
And for my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink.
Psalm 69 is another lament, and in this verse, the psalmist is presenting a lament that his thirst has not been quenched.
Instead of giving him water, he is given vinegar to drink.
In John’s account, this is not necessarily another malicious act of mockery.
This was an inexpensive drink that was common amongst the Roman army.
It was considered a refreshing drink.
This is more likely a modest attempt at kindness in offering the drink to help dull his pain.
By saying this, Jesus also fulfilled Scripture.
to fulfill Scripture - John’s intent was not that JESUS was navigating a mental checklist of preset, prophetic expectations.
Jesus said this one needy word because he was so thirsty, not because he knew one more verse of Scripture needed fulfillment.
But the Evangelist John was thrilled that even Jesus' poignant penultimate cry fulfilled Scripture texts that speak of the Innocent
Sufferer's future longing for liquid.
— Frederick Dale Bruner
(Bruner 2012, 1112)
Those near the cross lifted wine vinegar on a sponge to his lips.
6. “It is finished.”
John 19:28-30
The last verse is a good tie-together for us, and offers itself as a segue to this saying of JESUS.
JESUS knew that all things had been accomplished, while HE was still alive.
What was HE thinking about?
This same Greek verb is used by John in other places in his Gospel account.
1 Now before the Feast of the Passover, Jesus knowing that His hour had come that He would depart out of this world to the Father, having loved His own who were in the world, He loved them to the end.
We can find the answer to this question earlier in John.
4 “I glorified You on the earth, having accomplished the work which You have given Me to do.
JESUS had a mission - an assignment - that GOD The FATHER wanted JESUS to do on this earth prior to HIS death.
Jesus knew his work on the cross was done, that God’s incarnational purpose had been accomplished.
These were his last words recorded in John’s account.
7. “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit.”
Luke 23:44-46
The last words recorded in Luke are different from John’s account. The Gospels of Matthew and Mark do not record what JESUS said, only that HE cried out in a loud voice and died.
Obviously we don’t know what Jesus’s true last words were. Either Gospel account is plausible. Perhaps HE said both things.
The order in which he said them doesn’t matter as much as the fact that he said them.
Even in his last moment of intense suffering, Jesus was giving everything to God.
JESUS final cry of dedication to GOD The FATHER was a quotation from yet another Psalm.
5 Into Your hand I commit my spirit;
You have ransomed me, O Lord, God of truth.
JESUS committed his life to God during his years of ministry, and at the end, he committed his spirit to God in the last moment of his life.
So, pj … What’s the point?
Conclusion
Conclusion
What do we take from all of these final words of Jesus? Jesus suffered, but even in suffering, he cared for the needs of others. He looked on with compassion at those who tortured him, asking God to forgive them. He wanted to make sure the needs of his mother would be met in his absence. He forgave the criminal on the cross, welcoming him into paradise.
In previous weeks, we’ve talked about what it means to take up our cross and follow Jesus. Following Jesus to the cross means doing so without scorn or bitterness. We don’t begrudgingly carry a cross and spew venom at anyone who gets close enough to see our suffering. Instead, we take up our cross and lay down our lives with pure love for others and devotion to God. Whether you’re going through trials now or looking ahead to the next storm of life, follow the example of Jesus. Lead with love. Lead with kindness. Take the high road, even if it takes you to a low place. Follow Jesus and pick up your cross.
Closing prayer & benediction
24 The Lord bless you, and keep you;
25 The Lord make His face shine on you,
And be gracious to you;
26 The Lord lift up His countenance on you,
And give you peace.’
Scripture records the following words in v.27:
27 “So they shall invoke My name on the sons of Israel, and I then will bless them.”
So, receive and go with the blessings of YAHWEH!
