Easter (7 words on the cross)

Today the Christians all over the world celebrate the most important day of our faith story ever after. Why i say it’s the most important  day? Coz i cannot imagine if Christ did not substitute me and you, we can surely know where we’re going today.. “ETERNAL DEATH” i can say it for sure...

Praise God MY LORD did it for me, for you and all of us not when we know HIM yet when we were in the darkness..when we were still captivated by this world, HE came and sacrificed HIS LIFE just to set me and you free.

So, in this remarkable day i wanna share a little bit what i’ve learnt during the 7 weeks of passion until today. The great lessons i learn are from the 7 words of Jesus on the cross and the greatest redemption He did on the cross.

The seven words on the cross

I would never ever imagine if i were in Christ position, hanging on the cross, tortured, got mocked by the rulers, what would be the best words i say if i were hanging on the cross? I know for sure, cursing... however The BIBLE clearly wrote all the words spoken by Jesus on the cross. There are 7 expressions on the cross that have amazed me a lot;

•       Father, forgive them for they know not what they do (Luke 23:34).

This is a prayer for us, the transgression. Ev. Stephen Tong in his book “7 perkataan Salib” wrote that among the seven words, three of them are the prayers. The first, the fourth and the seventh expression. Why did He pray for asking forgiveness for us if He Himself has power to forgive our sins? Who can forgive our sins or can say ur sin has been forgiven if it’s not GOD? And Jesus is God so what does it mean by “forgive them”?

Actually He made an intercession for the transgression and has also fulfilled the prophesy of Isaiah in Isaiah 53:12. Jesus knew that the heaviest judgment of God would be poured down to those who had crucified Him and also the city, by saying “Father forgive them for they know not what they do” He was making an intercession. (the commentary of Clarke in the Word-school of ministry version(www.ccsom.org)).

Many stories in the bible tell us about intercession, one of them is the intercession of Abraham for Sodom. But that intercession is between man (Abraham) and God (the creator). It’s different with the intercession on the cross. It was not between man and God yet God and God. Jesus is the incarnation of God in this world. He is 100% man and 100% God.  The question here is that why Jesus made the intercession if He has power to forgive sins? This prayer will open up our eyes to see the truth about GOD. The bible says that God is love and just. He loves us but He is also a just judge. By saying this prayer Jesus was likely to say “ Father, punish me not them!” (Stephen Tong; 7 perkataan salib)

The intercession on the cross was not only the fulfilment of the prophesy but also the substitution of the object of God’s wrath. We indeed should be the accused but Jesus has replaced our position. We deserve death for all our transgressions but He made the intercession on the cross to ask Father “Let me bear it all alone!”

•     Verily I say unto thee, to-day shalt thou be with me in paradise (Luke 23:43)

This second expression has been always my favorite one after i heard my pastor preached about it some years ago. This expression was addressed to one of the malefactors hung on the cross. There were two malefactors but each one made a different decision. One chose to blasphemy Him while the other one realized that he was a sinner and repented. He asked Jesus something which was not asked by the other one. He asked “Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom”. He confessed his faith that he believed Jesus is Christ that He has power to save the spirit that’s why he did not ask the thing that the other one asked “save thy self and us”. Jesus welcomed his faith by saying “verily I say unto thee To day thou shalt thou be with me in paradise”.

What does it mean by to day?

Few weeks ago we discussed about “eternal life” in Trinity and i love what my friend shared. He said something that many Christians tend to take it for granted. He shared that eternal life doesn't start after we die yet it begins to day once we receive Christ as our savior. The bible says in 2 Corinthians 5:17 “therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new”. Once someone receives Christ he’s received forgiveness and eternal life and it starts “today”. To day all things become new, to day old things have passed away. Clarke wrote in his commentary that Paradise means the beginning. It was, in the beginning, the habitation of man in his state of innocence in which he enjoyed that presence of his Maker which constituted his supreme happiness. When Jesus said “to day you shall be with me in paradise” He had guaranteed the malefactor that you’ve received eternal life to day not tomorrow nor the day after tomorrow yet to day!

•      Woman, behold thy son....; behold thy mother! (John 19:26-27)

Actually i missed this part preaching at church coz i woke up late and did not go to morning service (again it's my sin confession :) ) but i've got the explanation from the commentary of Clarke quoted from the word-school of ministry version. 

“This is a remarkable expression, and has been much misunderstood. It conveys no idea of disrespect, nor of unconcern, as has been commonly supposed. In the way of compellation, man! and woman! were titles of as much respect among the Hebrews as sir! and madam! are among us. But why does not Jesus call her mother? Probably because he wished to spare her feelings; he would not mention a name, the very sound of which must have wrung her heart with additional sorrow. On this account he says, Behold thy son! this was the language of pure natural affection: “Consider this crucified man no longer at present as any relative of thine; but take that disciple whom my power shall preserve from evil for thy son; and, while he considers thee as his mother, account him for thy child.” It is probable that it was because the keeping of the blessed virgin was entrusted to him that he was the only disciple of our Lord who died a natural death, God having preserved him for the sake of the person whom he gave him in charge. Many children are not only preserved alive, but abundantly prospered in temporal things, for the sake of the desolate parents whom God hast cast upon their care. It is very likely that Joseph was dead previously to this; and that this was the reason why the desolate virgin is committed to the care of the beloved disciple.” (quoted from The Commentary of Clarke (www.ccsom.com))

Jesus knew how hurt her mother’s heart seeing her son dying on the cross that’s why this third expression was spoken. But lets take a glimpse on Mary, seeing the Crucifixion from a mother’s perspective. one thing i love from Mary is that the way she keeps all things in her heart. I read Stephen Tong’s book and found a fact that i’ve never realized before. Mary must have been quite old on the day of Crucifixion but imagine how big her love for her son, she had to walk from Nazareth to Jerusalem. I believe it takes a long journey for an old woman like Mary. But she did walk to see her son that she loved. She had faced so many difficult times starting from the day when Gabriel came and told her that she would be pregnant but at that time she had not got married. That must be very difficult! And this time she had to see her beloved son dying, got mocked by all people, crucified as if he was a criminal, can you imagine how hard it is if you were in Mary’s position?  Her heart must be so broken. So many unanswered questions had been kept in her heart.

Jesus saw Mary, He knew the sorrow in His mother’s heart. As a man He also had to obey one of the law that’s to honor father and mother. He called Mary “woman”. Many people thought that it was a disrespectful expression but in Hebrew it has much respect as Clarke explanation above. He gave the trust to John to take care of His mother, it shows that Jesus did care of Mary in time when all the burdens of the world was on His shoulder, when all the wages of sin consumed Him.

•      Eli, Eli lama sabachthani? My God my God why hast thous forsaken me? (Matthew 27:46)

This expression was quoted from psalm 22;1. This psalm was a prophesy about The Christ. There are so many commentaries on this verse and i was kinda confused to think about it. Frankly as a man i will never ever understand this greatest expression. Even Martin Luther himself ever thought about this verse for hours and came to the final, he stood up while hitting his chest and said; “who can understand that God is leaving God?” (Stephen Tong,  perkataan salib, ). Yes, it is truly the greatest expression.

I still remember what we learnt in Trinity. Sin is the thing that separates man from God. And the separation is the hardest thing for man. But how can God leave God? From this expression i find the greatest love of God. John 3:16 says; “for God so loved the world that He gave his only begotten son”. Lets stop at this phrase before go on to the rest. God so loved the world. The only reason Jesus was sent to this world is LOVE, merely LOVE. God knew there was no other way to save man only by sending Christ as a redeemer. Sin has separated men from their previous goal of creation as God created man for having a loving personal relationship with Him. The separation can never be healed unless through Christ. Man cannot ever feel the hardest feeling of being separated from God, man cant ever stand. When Jesus cried “My God, My God, why hast thou forsaken me” i feel so broken coz i realize that God knows I cant ever stand for that separation that’s why HE HIMSELF came and substituted me. The crying of Jesus has opened up my eyes to see that the separation from God is the most terrible thing that cannot ever be experienced by man that GOD HIMSELF took my position and felt it just for saving the most despicable man like me.. it’s truly an amazing grace!!!!

Probably the explanation on this expression is out of the concept of all commentaries but I myself have experienced it. I don't need to understand the greatest secret that is out of my logical thinking, all i need is to be aware of HIS greatest love and find my self such a wretch before him but this very wicked wretch has been saved by GOD’S UNCONDITIONAL LOVE, and i know i would never boast myself for it coz it’s only by HIS GRACE, AMEN!

•      I thirst (John 19:28)

A pastor in his preaching ever told that the most torturing state for man is thirst. Man can stand for being hungry a bit longer but not for being thirsty. That’s why Jesus came and told the Samaritan woman by the well of Jacob that HE is the living water (in John 4) for He knew how long the woman had suffered by thirst.

So, the state of being thirsty shows how tortured Jesus felt. But why He said He was thirsty if He Himself is the living water. The commentary of Clarke gives us biblical explanation on this expression;

“I thirst - The scripture that referred to his drinking the vinegar is Psalm 69:21 (69:21 ​​​​​​​They put bitter poison into my food, and to quench my thirst they give me vinegar to drink). The fatigue which he had undergone, the grief he had felt, the heat of the day, and the loss of blood, were the natural causes of this thirst. This he would have borne without complaint; but he wished to give them the fullest proof of his being the Messiah, by distinctly marking how every thing relative to the Messiah, which had been written in the prophets, had its complete fulfillment in him.”

 

So, every word came out from His mouth is the living Word, showing that HE is GOD.

•      It is finished (John 19:30)

This expression was spoken right after they gave Him drink sour wine. It was spoken to confirm that the prophesy on the old testament about Christ had been fulfilled. “It is done” in the other words means “I have executed the great designs of the Almighty - I have satisfied the demands of his justice - I have accomplished all that was written in the prophets, and suffered the utmost malice of my enemies; and now the way to the holy of hollies is made manifest through my blood.” (Clarke’s commentary)

“It is done” shows that a beginning of reconciliation with God has just started. It is done by Christ.

•      Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit (Luke 23:46)

It is the last words spoken by Jesus on the cross. The first one began with a prayer, “Father” and the last also was closed with a prayer. It is a proof of submission from the beginning till the end, that The Son of God came to fulfill the promise.

Pastor Stephen Tong said that Christ is the only one who commended His spirit into the mightiest power. His life was not spoiled by death and the power of grave but was commended into God’s hands. It’s the greatest thing in history.

The seven expressions were spoken on the cross and Jesus died but the story did not stop at this part. No, it has not done. If it’s done at this point then we have worshipped a spiritual leader not God. But the good news is that He is risen from the death, he has conquered the power of the grave, and that’s the most important thing of our faith. Our savior is risen.

That’s Easter all about.. our SAVIOR is risen, HE’s alive. Our hopes and expectation does not fade away...

And the morning has broken..bringing our hopes to be true. Christ is risen, Christ is risen!!!!

Happy Easter 2011

Be abundantly blessed,

Haniva