The Seven Sayings of the Saviour on the Cross - Intro. II

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ Jesus

In the previous session, we understood that the death of Jesus on the cross was natural, unnatural, preternatural and supernatural. We also learnt what we mean to say by the four adjectives related to the death of Jesus on the cross. You can read more by following the link here... Introduction

Now let us understand by a careful study of the Gospel narratives that describe His death and see a sevenfold proof and verification of His assertion with regarding to Jesus laying down His life of His own accord and that no man takes it from Him.

1. That our Lord "laid down His life", and that He was not powerless n the hands of His enemies can be seen clearly in John 18, where we have the record of His arrest. A band of officers from the chief priests and Pharisees, headed by Judas, sought Him in Gethsamene. When Jesus asked them who they seek, their reply was "Jesus was Nazareth", and then our Lord uttered the ineffable title of Diety, that by which Jehovah had revealed Himself of old to Moses at the burning bush - "I AM". The effect was startling. We are told that "they went backward, and fell to the ground." These officers were awestruck. They were in the presence of incarnate Deity and were overpowered by a brief consciousness of Divine majesty. How plain it is then that had He so pleased, our blessed Saviour could have walked quietly away, leaving those who had come to arrest Him prostrate on the ground! Instead, He delivers Himself up into their hands and is led (not driven) as a lamb to the slaughter.
2. Let us now turn to Matthew 27:46 - the most solemn verse in all the Bible - "And about the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani? that is to say, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?" Why does the Holy Spirit, through the Bible say that the Saviour uttered that terrible cry with a loud voice? Most certainly there is a reason for it. It becomes apparent when we note that He yielded His ghost, again with a loud voice (Matt. 27:50). What do these words mean? Do they not tell us that the Saviour was not exhausted by what He had just passed through? Do they not intimate that His strength had not failed Him? that He was still master of Himself, that instead of being conquered by death, He was but yielding Himself to it? Do they not show us that God had "laid help upon one that was mighty" (Ps. 89:19)?
3. We will now look at His fourth utterance on the cross - "I thirst". This word, in the light of its setting, furnishes a wonderful evidence of our Lord's complete self-possession. The whole verse reads as follows: "After this, Jesus knowing that all things were now accomplished, that the scripture might be fulfilled, said, I Thirst" (John 19:28). Prophets had predicted that the Saviour would be given vinegar mingled with gall. And in order that this prophesy might be fulfilled, He cried, "I thirst". This is a clear evidence of the fact that Jesus was in full possession of His mental faculties, that His mind was unclouded, that His terrible sufferings had neither deranged nor disturbed it. As He hung on the Cross, at the close of the six hours, His mind reviewed the entire scope of the prophetic word and checked off one by one those predictions that had reference to His passion. Excepting the prophesies that were to be fulfilled after His death, only one remained unfulfilled, namely, "They gave me also gall for my meat, and in my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink" (Ps. 69:21), and this was not overlooked by the blessed Saviour. Again, we say, what proof is here furnished that He "laid down his life himself"!
4. The next verification that supplies to our Lord's words in John 10:18 is found in John 19:30 - "When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, he said, It is finished: and He bowed His head, and gave up the ghost". What are we intended to learn from these words? What is signified here by this act of our Saviour? The implication is clear. Prior to this, our Lord's head had been held erect. It was no impotent sufferer that hung there on the cursed tree in a swoon. Had that been the case, His head would have lolled helplessly on His chest, and it would have been impossible for Him to "bow" it. Also note attentively the verb that is being used here: it is not His head "fell", but He - consciously, calmly, reverently-bowed His head. How sublime was His carriage even on the Tree! What superb composure was shown by our Lord. Was it not His majestic bearing on the Cross that, among other things, caused the centurion to cry "Truly this was the Son of God" (Matt. 27:54)!
5. Let us look now at His last act of all: "And when Jesus had cried with a loud voice, he said, Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit: and having said thus, he gave the ghost" (Luke 23:46). None one else had did this or died like this. How accurately these words agree with His own statement, so often quoted by us, "I lay down my life, that I might take it again. No man takes it from me, but I  lay it down of myself" (John 10:17-18). The uniqueness of our Lord's action may be seen by comparing His words on the Cross with those of dying Stephen. As the first Christian martyr came to the brink, he cried, "Lord Jesus, receive my spirit" (Acts 7:59). But in contrast with this, Christ said, "Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit." Stephen's spirit was taken from him. Not so with the Saviour. None could take from Him His life. He "gave up" His spirit.
6. The next verification is with regard to the action of the soldiers to the legs of those on the three crosses gives further evidence of the uniqueness of Christ's death. We read, " Therefore, because it was the Preparation Day, that the bodies should not remain on the cross on the Sabbath (for that Sabbath was a high day), the Jews asked Pilate that their legs might be broken, and that they might be taken away. Then the soldiers came and broke the legs of the first and of the other who was crucified with Him. But when they came to Jesus and saw that He was already dead, they did not break His legs." (John 19:31-33). We see in the Bible that Jesus and the two thieves were crucified together. They had been on their respective crosses the same length of time. And now at the close of the day, the two thieves are still alive, for it is well known that death by crucifixion, though exceedingly painful, was usually a slow death. No vital member of the body are directly affected and often the sufferer lingered on for two or three days before being completely overcome by exhaustion. It was not natural, therefore, that Christ should be dead after but six hours on the Cross. The Jews recognized this and requested Pilate that the legs of all the three be broken and thus death be hastened. In fact, that the Saviour was "dead already" when the soldiers came to Him, though the two thieves yet lived, we have additional proof that He had voluntarily "laid down His life of Himself", that it was not "taken from him."
7. For the final demonstration of the super-natural character of Christ's death, we turn to note the wonderful phenomenon that accompanied it, "Then, behold, the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom; and the earth quaked, and the rocks were split, and the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised." (Matt. 27:51-52), That was not an ordinary death that had been witnessed on the summit of Golgotha's rugged heights, and it was followed by no ordinary attendants. First, the veil of the temple was rent in two from top to bottom, to show that a Hand from heaven had torn the curtain that shut out the temple worshiper from the earthly throne of God - thus signifying that the way into the Holiest was now made plain and that access to God Himself had been opened up through the broken body of His Son. Next, the earth did quake. Not an earthquake, but the entire earth itself was shaken to its very foundation and rocked on its axis, as though to show it was horrified at the most awful deed that had been perpetrated on its surface. And the rocks rent - the very strength of the nature gave way before the greater power of that Death. Finally, we are told that the graves were opened, showing that the power of Satan, which is death, was there shattered - all the outward attestations of the value of that astonishing death.

Putting all these evidences together, we can say that the Death of Christ, then was unique, miraculous, supernatural. In the following series, we will listen to the words of our Saviour on the cross - words that make known to us some of the attendant circumstances of the great Tragedy; words that reveal the excellencies of the One who suffered there; words in which is wrapped up the Gospel of our Salvation; and words that inform us of the purpose, the meaning, the sufferings, and the sufficiency of the Death Divine.

May the Lord Almighty open our hearts to listen and understand to those words that fell from the mouth of His Son.

The above excerpt has been taken from the book "The Seven Sayings of the Saviour on the Cross" by Dr. Arthur W. Pink.

Your brother in Christ Jesus

Jobin George