THE FIRST WORD - “Father, forgive them for they don’t know what they do.”

This is trust in the Father and love for mankind in the extreme. Jesus trusted his life in the hands of the Father. If these soldiers were taking everything away from Him, how could he possibly ask the Father to forgive them? In fact, they were taking nothing from Jesus. Jesus’s life has always been and will also be in the Father. In His complete security in the Father, the heart of Jesus focuses on the lost lambs. Some of the soldiers were likely just following orders, doing their jobs to earn their living. In fulfilling their duty, they were killing an innocent man. Father, forgive them. They don’t know what they are doing. Some of the soldiers likely knew more. They mocked Jesus. They were cruel to Jesus. They tortured Jesus and likely had fun doing it. Remember that they blindfolded Jesus and struck him and asked him to tell them who hit him? People who get joy out of cruelty really don’t know what they are doing. They are far from the path of righteousness. Father, forgive them. They don’t know what they are doing. They need love.

Can we look at the bad actors in our lives – those who have hurt us, lied to us, stolen from us — and pray for them as Jesus prayed for those who were crucifying him? “Father, forgive them. They don’t know what they are doing.”

THE SECOND WORD - “Today you will be with me in paradise.”

The thieves on either side of Jesus represent two basic reactions to Jesus: scorn and faith. One thief hears that Jesus claims to be the Christ and mocks him. “Ha! If you are really the Christ, save yourself and us!” He lives in a universe without morals or meaning. The other thief offers wisdom to his comrade: “Do you not fear God?” He owns his wrongdoing, saying opening that they are receiving the just penalty for their crimes. But he turns to Jesus. Did he hear Jesus pray for the very people who were crucifying Him? Was he near enough to hear how Jesus responded in the kangaroo court he was put through? Who knows? But there was something about Jesus that the thief saw in Jesus that drew him. So, he turned to Jesus. He didn’t try to justify or explain his crimes. He didn’t blame other people for what he did. He simply turned to Jesus and said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” He relies solely on the mercy of Jesus.

For anyone who knew Jesus, His response was predictable: forgiveness and comfort. “Today you will be with me in paradise.” We hear echoes of Jesus’ words to the paralytic, “Take heart, your sins are forgiven.” We remember his encounter with the woman caught in adultery, “Neither do I condemn you. Now go and sin no more.”

Can we do what the thief on the cross did? Can we simply own our sin with no blame and no self-justification? Can we be as humble as the thief on the cross, with no pride left, no wealth left, no talent left — in the thief’s case, no life left — and simply turn to Jesus? Can we drop our pride and not bring up one shred of what we think is evidence of our goodness? Can we simply turn to Jesus and say, “Here I am with nothing to offer. But I see who you are. Remember me when you come into your kingdom.”?

And will you hear the words of Jesus anew this evening? Neither do I condemn you. Take heart, your sins are forgiven. You will be with me in paradise.

THE THIRD WORD — “Woman, behold your son! Son, behold your mother.”

Amid his suffering, Jesus is thinking about other people and what they need. First, he prays for those crucifying Him. Then he comforts and assures the thief who turns to Him. Now he turns to His mother.

Thirty-three years before, when Jesus was brought to the temple to be circumcised, a prophet named Simeon had prophesied about Jesus being the Messiah. Then he turned to Mary and told her that a sword would pierce her soul as well. Surely if Mary did not have faith in her son and his mission, she would have rather had a sword pierce her own heart than watch her son die on the cross.

And surely, part of Jesus’ suffering was watching his mother suffer the pain of watching her son suffer and die.

Now Jesus ensures that His mother is taken care of. He entrusts the care of His mother to one of his closest friends, John. We are told that from that hour the disciple took her to his own home.

Can we continue to care for others while we, ourselves, are suffering? Can we look out for the needs of others even when we feel the crushing weight of the world on ourselves?

THE FOURTH WORD — “My God, My God, why hast thou forsaken me?”

At the beginning of his ministry, when Jesus was tempted, He turned to the scriptures to ward off the attacks of Satan. Now, on the cross, Jesus turns to the scriptures. He cries out the words of Psalm 22:1, “My God! My God! Why have you forsaken me?” It is a deeply messianic Psalm, where we also find “They have pierced my hands and feet” and “They divide my garments among them and for my clothing they cast lots.” God has placed the sins of the world on his shoulders just as the scriptures have said. He is experiencing what he knew he would face as the messiah. The words of Isaiah 53 are fulfilled in his body on the cross:

Isaiah 53:4–6 (ESV) Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. But he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned—every one—to his own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all.

Are we able to see God’s plan and work in our suffering? Are we able to call to our aid Jesus’s words that he will never leave us or forsake us when we are enduring sorrow or pain?

THE FIFTH WORD - “I thirst.”

Lest you forget the humanity of Jesus as he was dying on the cross for you, he thirsted. John tells us, “Jesus, knowing that all was now finished, said (to fulfill the Scripture), ‘I thirst.’ A jar full of sour wine stood there, so they put a sponge full of the sour wine on a hyssop branch and held it to his mouth.” This is a prophecy found in the Psalms: Psalm 69:21 (ESV) “…for my thirst they gave me sour wine to drink.”

A plan whose foundation was put in place at the fall into sin in the Garden of Eden was now reaching its conclusion. The head of the serpent would be crushed. The work of Satan would be undone. But not without Satan bruising the heal of the offspring of Eve, Jesus Christ. So much pain. So much suffering. 

God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world but that the world might be saved through Him. Jesus, the eternal Son of God, took on human flesh to experience all of humanity without falling into sin. Even at the end, he is still human. He said, “I thirst.”

THE SIXTH WORD — “It is finished.”

What a short word for an act that shook the foundations of the universe and fundamentally reoriented life itself. In Greek, it’s a single word. “It’s done,” said Jesus. Satan can accuse us all he wants, but taunts of unlovability are hollow. What greater display of love could there be? Satan can no longer hold sin and death over our heads as tools of fear and intimidation. Satan’s tools of shame and worthlessness are rendered dull and useless. The cross of Christ shows them to be vicious lies of the first order. Ultimately love is on display for the world to see. Jesus died for us. It is finished. The sin is paid for. The slate is wiped clean. The hard drive is erased. The ledger is not only zeroed out but tossed into the ocean. There is no more keeping track of sin. “By His wounds we are healed… the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all.” And IT. IS. FINISHED. It is not kinda done. It is not half-finished and now we have to complete it. IT. IS. FINISHED. God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their sins against them. God was in Christ reconciling you to himself not counting your sins against you. IT. IS. FINISHED. While we were yet sinners Christ died for us. And now, IT. IS. FINISHED.

THE SEVENTH WORD — “Father, into Thy hands I commit my Spirit.”

These are the ultimate words of faith. These are the words that apply in any and every situation. No matter what we face on earth, there is one thing that is certain. Death will come for us. It’s only a matter of timing. It is not “if,” it is “when.” Every struggle in life is temporary. Every pain is temporary. Regardless of what you are going through, this is the universal prayer of faith. We entrust ourselves to our Father in heaven. Our spirits are safe in the Father’s hands. Whenever we exit this world and leave this veil of tears, we will go to be with the one to whom we have entrusted our souls. The struggle will be over. The pain will cease. Entrusting our eternal souls to our heavenly Father lets the peace and joy of our heavenly life reach back in time to our earthly life and change everything. As we commit our spirits to our heavenly Father, we know we are safe in the ultimate sense and we can walk with joy through whatever life throws at us.

Much grace and peace to you!