The Forgotten JesusSample

Words from the Cross

When Jesus is dying on the cross, He’s not only suffering for the sins of the world; He’s actually preaching a sermon.

When a rabbi referred to the first phrase of a Scripture passage, his students would recall the rest of the passage, as well as the lessons they had learned from it. On the cross when Jesus said, “My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?” (Matt. 27:46) in Hebrew, it wasn’t something the Romans who were crucifying Him would have understood. He wanted to teach His disciples one last lesson as He was dying. Jesus was quoting Psalm 22. 

Psalm 22 moves from anguish to praise of God. He was intentionally teaching His disciples (and us) a lesson. Even from the cross Jesus is saying this may look bad, but we are victorious in the end, and the world will know about this. This is why when Jesus gave up His spirit He said, “It is finished” (John 19:30).

While not a quote from Psalm 22, Jesus’ last words before He died were the final bullet point of a cross suspended sermon. When Jesus died, the curtain in the temple that separated the holy of holies split from top to bottom. This spoke to a greater spiritual reality. The separation between God and man is finally removed. The sacrificial system is done. The need for a yearly sacrifice for the atonement of sins is done. Jesus, in the finished work on the cross, has completed what God sent Him to do.

We don’t need a high priest to go before us in order to atone for our sins. We don’t need a temple to bring our sacrifice to. We don’t need a wandering tabernacle in the wilderness. Jesus has finished all the work necessary and removed the barriers that keep us from God. We simply have to come to Him in repentance and faith and receive His finished work on our behalf.  

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