The Bible records seven sayings of Jesus from the cross. They are the final things Jesus said before He died, was buried, and was resurrected. While Jesus later said many things after He came back to life, His sayings from the cross are widely referred to as “The Last Words of Christ.”
The Seven Last Words of Christ have resonated with Christians for over two millennia. Spread across the four Gospels, these statements reveal profound insight into the bitter suffering and merciful heart of Jesus as He agonized on the cross.
This Bible Says series of articles dives into the meaning of each of these seven statements plus the prophetic warning Jesus issued to the daughters of Jerusalem on the way to the cross.
To read an article click one of the titles in “quotes” below.
Jesus’s statement on the way to the cross was:
“Daughters of Jerusalem, stop weeping for Me, but weep for yourselves and for your children. For behold, the days are coming when they will say, ‘Blessed are the barren, and the wombs that never bore, and the breasts that never nursed.’ Then they will begin to say to the mountains, ‘Fall on us,’ and to the hills, ‘Cover us.’ For if they do these things when the tree is green, what will happen when it is dry?”
(Luke 23:28-31)
“On the Way to the Cross: Jesus’s Prophetic Warning”
The seven last words of Jesus are:
- “Father, forgive them; for they do not know what they are doing.”
(Luke 23:34)
“1: A Word of Mercy”
- “Truly I say to you, today you shall be with Me in Paradise.”
(Luke 23:43)
“2: A Word of Assurance”
- “Woman, behold, your son!” “Behold, your mother!”
(John 19:26b, 27b)
“3: A Word of Love”
- “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?”
(Matthew 27:46; Mark 15:34)
“4: A Word of Desolation”
- “I am thirsty.”
(John 19:28)
“5: A Word of Agony”
- “It is finished!”
(John 19:30)
“6: A Word of Victory”
- “Father, into Your hands I commit My spirit.”
(Luke 23:46)
“7: A Word of Trust”
The first three statements are sometimes referred to as “The Wrath of Man” because Jesus said them before the Passover sky went dark while scoffers mocked Him on the cross. They were said during the first three hours He was on the cross.
The last four statements are referred to as “The Wrath of God” because they were spoken after the sky went dark and Jesus was forsaken of God. Jesus said His last four statements after being on the cross for six hours during His final moments shortly before He died.
Jesus spoke the first three statements during the first three hours He was on the cross. Then came three hours of “silence” where the Bible provides no account of anything except for a darkness that lasted for three hours. His final four statements came after this three-hour period of silence and darkness. All of Jesus’s last four remarks were uttered in His last moments before His death. This is deduced from the following observations:
- Mark tells us that “it was the third hour [9:00 am] when they crucified Him” (Mark 15:25).
- The first three Gospels report that darkness covered the whole land about the sixth hour (12:00 pm) until the ninth hour (3:00 pm) (Matthew 27:45; Mark 15:33; Luke 23:44-45a).
- The chronologically minded Gospel writer, Luke, (Luke 1:3), records Jesus’s first two statements (Luke 23:34, 23:43) before the sixth hour when the darkness came (Luke 23:44).
- Likewise, John indicates that Jesus said His third statement toward the beginning of His crucifixion when He first saw His mother from the cross (John 19:26-27).
- Matthew and Mark tell us that Jesus said His fourth statement at the ninth hour after the three hours of darkness had ended (Matthew 27:46; Mark 15:34).
- John and Luke also indicate that Jesus said His fifth, sixth, and seventh statements in the final moments of His natural life (John 19:28, 19:30; Luke 23:46).
Therefore, the first three statements were made between 9:00 am and 12:00 pm before the darkness covered the land. Then it was dark for three hours from 12:00 pm – 3:00 pm. Then, Jesus made His final four statements sometime around 3:00 pm. As He spoke His very final statement, He breathed His last.
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