The 8 Things Christ Said on the Cross

​        This past Monday was Memorial Day, where our nation stopped to honor those in the military who have sacrificed their lives for our freedom. Even though it is wonderful to do this, we must also remember the greatest sacrifice that ever took place on the Earth, and that is the sacrifice Christ gave on the Cross for the remission of our sins. 
         The practice of crucifixion was common during Jesus’ time on the Earth, especially in the Roman Empire. For example, in 71 B.C., following a slave revolt in Rome, 6,000 recaptured slaves were crucified on the Appian Way leading to the city. This form of execution was also employed by the Persians, Greeks, and the Jews.  Alexander the Great was said to have 2,000 men, and the Jew Alexander Jannaeus crucified 800 Pharisees who had been involved in a revolt. 
         Crucifixion is said to be the worst way to die, which is why it was typically used for criminals.  The person who was to be crucified was first subjected to a beating with a three-thong whip made of leather with pieces of bone or metal attached to it. The victim was stripped naked and then was secured with leather ties. He was then beaten from his upper hack to the lower extremities of his legs. The flesh would be separated from the muscle during these beatings. Eventually muscle could he shredded from the bone. The bones of the back, including the spinal column, was often exposed during these beatings. It was not uncommon for these beatings to be fatal.  It is said by historians that such a beating would have most likely left Jesus in a physically critical state, even before the crucifixion took place. 
         After the beating, Jesus was required to carry the cross to the execution site. It is said that the upper crossbar of the cross would have weighed 120 pounds, which easily explains why Jesus needed assistance carrying it after the previous brutal beating (Luke 23:26). Once He had reached to place where He would be crucified, Jesus’ wrists would have been nailed to the cross. It is a common belief that Jesus’ palms were nailed to the Cross, but this would not have been so because a nail through the palm of the hand would not have been able to hold up the weight of the rest of the body. Therefore, the Romans would place a nail through each of the wrists of the person being crucified. The Greek word for “hands” (cheiras) such as was used in John 20:27 also referred to the wrists.  Jesus’ feet were nailed as well. In 1968 the first remains of a crucified man was found in Jerusalem with a 7 inch nail pierced through his heels. 
         A criminal who was subjected to crucifixion was left hanging until they died from extensive blood loss and suffocation. Many people lived for days in this manner, however, Jesus only lived 6 hours. Jesus’ crucifixion was prophesized a thousand years before He came to the Earth. In Psalm 22:14-18, King David, who was a prophet himself, wrote the following:

“I am poured out like water, And all my bones are out of joint: My heart is like wax; It is melted within me. My strength is dried up like a potsherd; And my tongue cleaveth to my jaws; And thou hast brought me into the dust of death. For dogs have compassed me: A company of evildoers have inclosed me; They pierced my hands and my feet. I may count all my bones; They look and stare upon me. They part my garments among them, And upon my vesture do they cast lots”

      Other prophecies of Jesus’ crucifixion include Isaiah 50:6 which foretold Jesus’ back being beaten, Psalm 22:16 foretells Jesus’ hands and feet being pierced, and His clothing being divided, Psalm 69:21 foretells how Jesus was given vinegar and gall to drink. Although it was often the case that those crucified were not given a burial, but left out in the open to rot or be eaten by animals, Christ was given a tomb by a wealthy Jew, and this was prophesized in Isaiah 53:9). All of these prophecies show the divine origin of the Bible. 
        The reason Christ died such a horrendous death on the Cross was to fulfill God’s Plan of Salvation. He had to die in such a manner that He shed blood, so that we could have remission of sins (Hebrews 9:22). God’s Plan was that His Son would offer His life in exchange of mankind’s (I Corinthians 15:3). Jesus, Who was innocent, died in the same manner that was bestowed upon the guiltiest of criminals, so that we, who are guilty of sin, could have eternal life. We can also be buried and raised up with Christ in baptism, and have remission of sins. (Acts 2:38; Romans 6:3-4). 
      During His time on the Cross, Christ spoke eight sentences  before finally fulfilling His mission here on the Earth. These seven sayings were as follows: 
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1. “Father forgive them, for they know not what they do.” (Luke 23:34)
2. “Verily, I say unto thee, today thou shalt be with me in paradise” (Luke 23:43)
3. {To His mother, Mary, regarding the apostle John} “Woman behold thy son” (John 19:26)
4. [To the apostle, John, regarding His mother, Mary] “Behold thy mother” (John 19:27). John, from that point, took Mary into his own home. 
5. “Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani? That is to say, My God, my God, why hast though forsaken me?”(Matthew 27:46)
6. “I thirst” (John 19: 28)
7. “It is finished” (John 19:30). 
8. “Father, into thy hands, I commend my spirit” (Luke 23:46). 

       We should take time out of every day and think about the great suffering and sacrifice that Jesus endured so that we can have eternal life in Heaven. God wants all of us to be saved, however it is our responsibility to choose to be saved. None of us are worthy of Heaven because we are all sinners (Romans 3:23), however, through the great Mercy of God, and the sacrifice of His Son, Jesus Christ, can we have a home in Heaven, if we are faithful and obedient to His Word (Jude 13:21). Whenever we are tempted to follow the ways of the world, let us take time to think about the horrible suffering and death that Christ endured so that we can be saved, and let us all be grateful to Him for this sacrifice. We are given a wonderful gift that we do not need to squander away by trying to “fit in” with the ways of the world.               May we all strive to work every day to be the best Christians we can be, so that we can honor Christ in our thoughts, actions, and appearance! When others look at us, they should see more of Christ than they do of us! It is only in this way that we can shine our Christian lights into the world and influence others to follow Christ. 

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