The Seven Sayings of the Saviour on the Cross - Introduction

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ Jesus

Christ is Risen! Indeed He is risen!!

We all are now in the midst of enjoying fellowship with our risen Saviour after He defeated death and defeating man's greatest enemy and making us right in the sight of our Father in Heaven. In the days that led to the crucifixion and resurrection of our Saviour, I had determined to understand the sayings of our Lord, that He uttered while on the cross. For this purpose, I had made use of the book written by Dr. Arthur W. Pink, "The Seven Sayings of the Saviour on the Cross". It was a very enlightening read and opened my eyes to many things. I would like to share few of them here with you all during the consecutive weeks. Always praying that you all will be blessed by them.

The death of the Lord Jesus Christ is a subject of never-failing interest to all who study prayerfully the Scriptures. Its is not only because the believer's all, both for time and eternity, depends upon it, but also because of its transcendent uniqueness. Four words appear to sum up the salient features of this Mystery of mysteries: The Death of Christ was NATURAL, UNNATURAL, PRETERNATURAL, and SUPERNATURAL. A brief explanation seems to be called for by way of definition and amplification.

1. The Death of Christ was natural. By this we mean to say that the death was a real death. It is because we are so familiar with the fact of the above statement that it appears simple and commonplace, yet what we touch here for the spiritual mind is one of the main elements of wonderment. The One who was "taken, and by wicked hands" crucified and slain was none less than Immanuel. The One who died on Calvary's Cross was non other than Jehovah's "Fellow". The blood that was shed on the accursed Tree was Divine - "The Church of God, which He has purchased with HIS OWN blood" (Acts 20:28). As says the apostle Paul, "God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto Himself" (2 Cor. 5:19). But how could Jehovah's Fellow suffer? How could the Eternal One die? He who was in the beginning was the Word, who was with God, and who was God, "became flesh". He who was in the form of God took upon Him the form of a servant and was made in the likeness of men; "and being found fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even death of the cross" (Phil. 2:8). Thus having become incarnate, the Lord of Glory was capable of suffering death, and so it was that He "tasted" death itself. In His words, "Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit" we see how natural His death was, and the reality of it became still more apparent when He was laid in the tomb, where he remained for three days.
2. The Death of Christ was un-natural.  By this we mean the it was abnormal. Above we have said that in becoming incarnate, the Son of God was capable of suffering death, yet it must not be inferred from this that death therefore had a claim on him; because, the very reverse was the truth. Death is the wages of sin, and He had none. Before His birth it was said to Mary, "that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God" (Luke 1:35). Not only did the Lord Jesus enter this world without contracting the defilement attaching to fallen human nature, but He "did not sin" (1 Pet. 2:22), had "no sin" (1 John 3:5), "knew no sin" (2 Cor. 5:21). In His person and in His conduct, He was the Holy One of God "without blemish and without spot" (1 Pet. 1:19). As such, death had no claim upon Him. Even Pilate had to acknowledge that he could find in Him "no fault." Hence we say, for the Holy One of God to die was un-natural.
3. The Death of Christ was preter-natural. By this we mean that it was marked out and determined for Him beforehand. He was the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world (Rev. 13:8). Before Adam was created, the Fall was anticipated. Before sin entered the world, salvation was planned by God. In the eternal councils of Deity, it was foreordained that there should be a Saviour for sinners, a Saviour who should suffer the just for the unjust, a Saviour who should die in order that we might live. And "because there was none other good enough to pay the price of sin" the only Begotten of the Father offered Himself as the Ransom. The preternatural character of the Death of  Christ has been well termed the "undergirding of the Cross". It was in view of that approaching Death that God justly "passed over former sins" (Rom. 3:25). Had not Christ been, in the reckoning of God, the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world, every sinning person in the Old Testament times would have gone down to the Pit the moment he sinned!
4. The Death of Christ was super-natural. By this we mean that it was different from every other death. In all things He has the pre-eminence. His birth was different from all other births. His life was different from all other lives. And His death was different from all other deaths. This was clearly intimated in His own utterance upon the subject - "Therefore does my Father love me, because I lay down my life, that I might take it again. No man takes it from me, but I lay it down myself. I have power to... take it again." (John 10:17-18). A careful study of the Gospel narratives that describe His death furnish a sevenfold proof and verification of His assertion.

This careful study I would like to continue in the next session. Kindly do keep me in your prayers.

May the grace of the Father, love of the Son and fellowship of the Holy Spirit be unto you all.

Your brother in Christ Jesus

Jobin George