The Seven Words From the Cross

In one paragraph

This Easter Sunday message walked through the seven statements Jesus made from the cross, reading them not just as historical record but as a window into who Jesus is and how his people are called to live. The preacher framed the whole series between the first recorded words of Jesus as a boy, "I must be about my Father's business," and his post-resurrection commission to the disciples, showing...

Read together

1. Luke 23:33-34 Jesus crucified between two criminals, first word: Father forgive them
2. Colossians 3:13 forgiving one another as God in Christ has forgiven you
3. Ephesians 4:32 forgiving one another as God in Christ has forgiven you
4. Luke 23:39-43 penitent thief, second word: today you will be with me in paradise
5. John 19:25-27 third word: woman behold your son, behold your mother
6. Psalm 22:1 fourth word: my God my God why have you forsaken me, quoted on the cross
7. Mark 15:33-34 darkness over the land, Jesus cries Eloi Eloi lama sabachthani
8. Matthew 27:45-46 darkness over the land, Jesus cries Eli Eli
9. Psalm 22:1-5 David feeling forsaken yet turning to trust in God
10. John 19:28-30 fifth and sixth words: I thirst, it is finished
11. Luke 23:44-46 darkness, veil torn in two, seventh word: father into your hands I commit my spirit
12. Psalm 31:1-5 source of seventh word, David entrusting spirit to God
13. Proverbs 22:6 train up a child in the way they should go, mentioned during baby dedication anecdote
14. James 1:27 pure religion is caring for widows and orphans
15. 1 Peter 2:21-24 Christ left an example, entrusting himself to the one who judges righteously, by his wounds we are healed
16. Isaiah 53 by his wounds we are healed, attributed in connection with 1 Peter 2:24
17. John 3:16 God so loved the world, whoever believes will not perish but have everlasting life
18. Philippians 2:8-9 Christ humbled himself to death and was highly exalted, all authority given to him
19. Matthew 28:18-20 great commission, all authority given, go make disciples of all nations
20. 2 Corinthians 5:17 benediction, anyone in Christ is a new creation, old life gone new life begun

Talk about it

1. The preacher pointed out that Jesus prayed 'Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do' while he was actively being nailed to the cross. Is there someone in your life who has hurt you, possibly without fully understanding what they were doing? What would it look like to pray for their forgiveness the way Jesus did?
2. The penitent thief had no time for baptism, confirmation, or any formal step of faith. He simply recognized his own sin, recognized Jesus' innocence, and asked to be remembered. What does that tell us about what God requires of a person, and does that change how you think about sharing faith with others?
3. Jesus, even while dying, made sure Mary and John would care for one another. The preacher tied this to James's description of pure religion as caring for widows and orphans. Who in your own community might need that kind of practical, concrete care right now?
4. The preacher described the Greek word tetelestai, translated 'it is finished,' as indicating something completed in the past with ongoing consequences reaching into eternity. How does trusting in the finished work of Christ actually change the way you live day to day, or does it?
5. First Peter 2 describes Jesus as one who, while suffering and being insulted, kept on entrusting himself to the one who judges rightly. The preacher framed that ongoing trust as the model for how Christians are to live. Where in your life right now is it hardest to entrust yourself to God rather than to manage things on your own?