The Seven Words Christ Spoke while on the Cross

The Seven Last Words of Jesus from the Cross: A Meditation on His Love

The final words spoken by Jesus as he hung on the cross are among the most powerful ever uttered. Each phrase is a window into his heart, revealing his mercy, mission, and immeasurable love for us. As we reflect on these words, may our hearts be stirred to deeper faith, deeper gratitude, and deeper surrender.

1. Word of Forgiveness

“Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.” – Luke 23:34

At the height of his suffering, Jesus prays—not for himself, but for those who are crucifying him. What mercy! What patience!

They didn’t know what they were doing (see 1 Corinthians 2:8—"None of the rulers of this age understood this, for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory."), but that ignorance did not make them innocent. Jesus wasn’t declaring them saved—salvation requires repentance, faith, and new birth. But he was interceding, asking for a delay in judgment, pleading for time for them to receive grace.

Here we glimpse the depths of God’s patience and the breadth of his mercy. This is the God who calls you to believe. This is the Saviour sent to rescue. Do you know this forgiveness?

2. Word of Salvation

“Truly, I say to you, today you will be with Me in paradise.” – Luke 23:43

Two criminals hung beside Jesus. Both broken. Both condemned. But one turned to him in desperate, genuine faith: “Remember me.” And in that moment, grace was poured out.

No time for good works. No religious résumé. Just trust in Jesus. And that was enough.

Salvation is immediate. It is personal. It is by grace alone.

Have you come to Jesus like that thief—honest, humble, and trusting?

3. Word of Compassion

“Woman, behold your son... Behold your mother.” – John 19:26–27

Even in His agony, Jesus looks outward. He sees his mother. He sees John. He brings them together in a new bond—a new family.

The cross does not isolate us; it draws us into community. The Church is born at the foot of the cross, through compassion and connection.

This is the kind of love Christ has for his people. A love that sees. A love that acts. A love that creates family.

Who is God calling you to care for—even in the midst of your own struggle?

4. Word of Anguish

“My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?” – Matthew 27:46; Mark 15:34

This is the most haunting cry in Scripture. Jesus, the Son, experiences abandonment as he bears the full weight of sin.

He quotes Psalm 22—a psalm that begins in desolation but ends in trust. Even in the darkness, Jesus is praying.

If you’ve ever felt forsaken, know this: Jesus has been there. And because he was forsaken, we never truly are.

Do you bring your pain to him? He understands.

5. Word of Suffering

“I thirst.” – John 19:28

Such a simple phrase, but so full of meaning. Jesus, the Creator of water, is parched. The One who said, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to me,” now tastes the dryness of death.

He feels the full weight of human pain. He doesn’t just understand suffering—He lived it.

What do you thirst for in life? Jesus meets us in that place. He shares in our pain and offers us the water of life.

6. Word of Victory

“It is finished.” – John 19:30

This is not a cry of defeat, but of triumph. The mission is complete. The debt is paid. Nothing more needs to be added.

Redemption has been accomplished—fully, finally, forever.

Are you still trying to earn what has already been given? Rest in the finished work of Christ. You are free.

7. Word of Trust

“Father, into Your hands I commit My spirit.” – Luke 23:46

Jesus dies not in fear, but in faith. He surrenders to the Father with complete trust.

This is the final act of love—the Son entrusting himself into the hands of God.

It is also an invitation. Will you trust God like this? Even in uncertainty, even in suffering, your life is safest in his hands.

Final Thought:

These seven words are not just moments in a story—they are invitations to enter into the life Jesus offers. Mercy. Grace. Love. Pain. Victory. Surrender.

They speak to every part of our journey. May they draw you nearer to the cross—and to the Saviour who died there for you.

**Based on a lesson for the Karen Zoom class the day before Good Friday.

It is finished

When Jesus had received the sour wine, he said, “It is finished,” and he bowed his head and gave up his spirit (John 19:30).

1. It is finished! Do not forget
this word, my heart, that he once said.
My soul, recall it was for you he died.
For you he suffered, he was crucified.
Remember him who one time perished,
who cried aloud: It is finished!

2. It is finished! It was foretold
by faithful prophets from of old.
Find solace in the wounds of Jesus Christ
who, for the sin of man, was sacrificed.
What God in ages past established,
our Lord fulfilled. It is finished!

3. It is finished! All satisfied:
the Father lays his wrath aside.
Our peace is won and God's demands were met.
Our Saviour, Christ, has paid our ev'ry debt.
We should not fear for he on Calv'ry bled
to make us whole. It is finished!

4. It is finished! What must I do
to add to what was done by you?
No work, no deed, for what you did for me
has earned me life with you, eternally.
Henceforth, I'll follow Jesus Christ, my head.
I am reborn. It is finished!

5. It is finished! I am set free.
I praise my Lord so joyfully.
All sin and death are by your pow'r removed
and I am by the Holy Ghost renewed.
Although I falter and feel vanquished
yet this I know: It is finished!

6. It is finished! Do not forget
this word, my heart, that he once said
and let it serve you now and all your life.
Hold on to Christ throughout the bitter strife.
Do stay with him and you'll be comforted,
for he once said: It is finished!

George van Popta, 2022

(In SATB) 

"He descended into hell."

As we approach Good Friday, we reflect upon the suffering of our Saviour and his descent into hell for us.

Perhaps the most misunderstood words of the Apostles’Creed are: “He descended into hell.” In this ancient statement of what the church and believers believe, we say that Jesus Christ suffered, was crucified, that he died and was buried, that he descended into hell. Then we go on to say that he arose from the dead, and ascended into heaven. A quick read will lead the reader to conclude that between his death and resurrection, Jesus Christ spent some time in hell, the place of eternal punishment.

Did he? Did the Lord Jesus, after he gave up his spirit, go to hell until Easter morning? We know that his body was buried in a tomb. But where did his soul, his spirit go? Did it go to hell? Did it go to that place described in the Bible as the lake of fire, as the outer darkness – the place of eternal torment of all those who hate God?

No, the soul of Jesus Christ did not go to the place of eternal torment between Friday evening and Sunday morning. Several of the things Christ said on the cross prove that conclusively.

Towards the end, Jesus said, “It is finished.” His payment for the sin of man was finished. If it was finished, why would he need to go to the place of eternal torment? If he did, in fact, go to the place of everlasting punishment, even just for a little longer than a day, we could only conclude that “it” was not finished on the cross. Obviously, more suffering was required.

His promise to the one criminal crucified with him also proves that he did not, upon death, go to hell. To the criminal who repented and asked Christ to remember him when he came into his kingdom, Christ said, “Truly I say to you, today you will be with me in paradise.” Not tomorrow or the day after or sometime in the future, but “today.” Both Jesus and the criminal died on Friday. And on that very day they were together in paradise, in the heavenly kingdom.

Just before he died, Christ said, “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit.” If he needed to go to hell to suffer there in the spirit yet for a day or so, he would not have been able to commit his spirit into the Father’s hands. His spirit would have been committed into the hands of the devil.

These three words of Christ on the cross prove that Jesus did not go to hell, the place of eternal punishment, after he died; rather, while his body went into the grave, his soul went to the Father in heaven.

Why, then, does the church say in the Apostles’ Creed, “he descended into hell?” What is the meaning of this article of faith?

It does not refer to something that Christ endured after he died; rather, it refers to the “anguish, pain, terror and agony, which he endured throughout all his sufferings, but especially on the cross” (Heidelberg Catechism, Answer 44). The life of Christ was a steady descent into hell. He suffered the depths of hellish agony on the cross. For what is the essential thing about hell? Surely it is God-forsakeness. God the Father forsook his Son on the cross. The most heart rending words Jesus spoke on the cross – the most heart-breaking words spoken in the history of mankind – were, “My God! My God! Why have you forsaken me?” While Jesus Christ hung on the cross, the whole land was plunged into darkness for three hours from noon until midafternoon. God withdrew the gift of light from his Son. He who once said, “Let there be light!” made it dark. In that darkness, Christ knew that he was utterly forsaken. God the Father had abandoned him. “He descended into hell.”

To be forsaken by God is the essential thing about hell. There is no doubt that hell is a place in God’s universe. Some of the mainline churches have worked the doctrine of hell out of their theology and confession. They put Satan on the unemployed list. A church can only come to this conclusion as it closes the Bible. The Lord Jesus warned us about hell. He said that it is the place of unquenchable fire. Hell is also referred to as the outer darkness, the bottomless pit, the lake of fire and sulphur, and the second death. The Bible uses different images to describe hell. The images are powerful and inspire fear. The worst thing about hell, though, is not the fire or the darkness. The worst thing about hell is being forsaken by God. The most frightening aspect of hell is being left, for eternity, to yourself. The man who wanted nothing to do with God gets his wish. He is left to his own devices, forever. Recall back to when you, as a child, were lost for a half hour. The feeling of abandonment is still vivid. Amplify that feeling infinitely, and perhaps you can just begin to get the first inklings of what it would mean to be abandoned by God in hell forever.

Christ suffered under the wrath of God against the sin of man the whole time he lived on earth, but especially on the cross. The good news is that whoever believes in him will not be cast into hell but will, instead, receive eternal life. That’s the good news of Good Friday and of Easter Sunday. We are free! Free from the curse of God and received back into the Father’s favour.