Jesus' last words

It began by Jesus quoting a Psalm: the 22nd to be exact: "My God, My God why have you forsaken me?" - a fulfilment of everything that had happened. I encourage you to read the Psalm 22, for it's entire discourse is the intent of what Jesus meant.

Then he cried aloud, "It is finished!" - a Hebrew/Aramaic term meaning "the debt is paid in full."

and finally he said,

"Father, I commit my Spirit to You."


In it's entirety, this is most likely what Jesus said:

Including in Psalm 22, written one thousand five hundred years before Jesus was hanging there on this cross, after assuring one of the thiefs next to him that on this day they will be together in paradise, some time passes until about late in the afternoon Jesus prays the most powerful prayer ever recorded in the bible; a prayer of declaration, a prayer of promise and hope, a prayer of completion...

Jesus spoke, loud enough for all the people to hear,
"My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?
Why are you so far from saving me,
so far from the words of my groaning?
O my God, I cry out by day, but you do not answer,
by night, and am not silent."

"Yet you are enthroned as the Holy One;
you are the praise of Israel.
In you our fathers put their trust;
they trusted and you delivered them.
They cried to you and were saved;
in you they trusted and were not disappointed."

"But I am a worm and not a man,
scorned by men and despised by the people.
All who see me mock me;
they hurl insults, shaking their heads:
"He trusts in the Lord ;
let the Lord rescue him.
Let him deliver him,
since he delights in him."

"Yet you brought me out of the womb;
you made me trust in you
even at my mother's breast.
From birth I was cast upon you;
from my mother's womb you have been my God.
Do not be far from me,
for trouble is near
and there is no one to help."

"Many bulls surround me;
strong bulls of Bashan encircle me.
Roaring lions tearing their prey
open their mouths wide against me.
I am poured out like water,
and all my bones are out of joint.
My heart has turned to wax;
it has melted away within me.
My strength is dried up like a potsherd,
and my tongue sticks to the roof of my mouth;
you lay me in the dust of death.
Dogs have surrounded me;
a band of evil men has encircled me,
they have pierced my hands and my feet.
I can count all my bones;
people stare and gloat over me.
They divide my garments among them
and cast lots for my clothing."

"But you, O Lord , be not far off;
O my Strength, come quickly to help me.
Deliver my life from the sword,
my precious life from the power of the dogs.
Rescue me from the mouth of the lions;
save me from the horns of the wild oxen."

"I will declare your name to my brothers;
in the congregation I will praise you.
You who fear the Lord , praise him!
All you descendants of Jacob, honor him!
Revere him, all you descendants of Israel!
For he has not despised or disdained
the suffering of the afflicted one;
he has not hidden his face from him
but has listened to his cry for help."

"From you comes the theme of my praise in the great assembly;
before those who fear you will I fulfill my vows.
The poor will eat and be satisfied;
they who seek the Lord will praise him-
may your hearts live forever!
All the ends of the earth
will remember and turn to the Lord ,
and all the families of the nations
will bow down before him,
for dominion belongs to the Lord
and he rules over the nations."

"All the rich of the earth will feast and worship;
all who go down to the dust will kneel before him-
those who cannot keep themselves alive.
Posterity will serve him;
future generations will be told about the Lord."
They will proclaim his righteousness
to a people yet unborn-
for he has done it. It is finished!"

"Father, into your hands I commit my spirit."

and then he died.


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Josephus

Sorry...but I am not buying the idea that Jesus preached from the cross.

He said what was necessary...but no more. Jesus was in a human body and suffering more than my heart can stand. Each time he spoke the pain would be excruciating. For in order to get air into his diaphragm he would have to push up with his feet. This would cause him to drag his torn and bleeding back against the rough wood of the cross. He was weak, exhausted, and in unimaginable pain. But it was important that his work was completed more so than his comfort. You must understand then, how important each word that he spoke. He gave us everything.

Please do not change what is written.

LOVE

You forget the conversation Jesus had with the thief on the cross. I'm sure if Jesus could speak then, he could speak this - if he saw a need to.

But this is what was written - in Psalms. Read it yourself: Psalm 22.

This is the Psalm Jesus was referring to when he said, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" He needn't have said anything else but this single line - because to the Jews that were listening to him would know what he was referring to. He probably didn't preach, but the bible records only his last words. He didn't have to preach because Psalm 22 already spoke for him to those who were understanding what he meant when he said the first verse of that pslam.

Reading this psalm, one also can see why how He said "it is finished!" The debt had been paid in full.

These words are as plain as the bible writes them. I added nothing. All I did was insert Psalm 22 right after Jesus' first verse of it. When you do, 22 makes complete and total sense. You'd have to be blind to not see how it relates to Jesus' exact condition there as he hung on that cross. Whether or not that is exactly what he said, it doesn't matter. What matters is what he meant. And this is it.

Josephus,
can I please have your permission to debate Catchup?

Actually I think Catchup has retired from this conversation, if I assume he's read my last response to him. This is an important matter for this thread. If you like, you may send me a private message in your user control panel with what you hope to point out to him, and I'll consider it; but for now, I think this horse has died.

It might be important for those of us who worship the risen Lord to recognize that Jesus last words were not from the cross at all. His last words on earth were the Great Commission (most famous at the end of Matthew). But even after that He spoke to John in Revelation and said:

"Yes, I am coming soon."

proceeded by:

"Behold, I am coming soon! My reward is with me, and I will give to everyone according to what he has done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End.
"Blessed are those who wash their robes, that they may have the right to the tree of life and may go through the gates into the city. Outside are the dogs, those who practice magic arts, the sexually immoral, the murderers, the idolaters and everyone who loves and practices falsehood.
"I, Jesus, have sent my angel to give you this testimony for the churches. I am the Root and the Offspring of David, and the bright Morning Star."
Revelation 22:12-

Amen. Come Lord Jesus.
The grace of the Lord Jesus be with God's people. Amen.
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Ironically, in the same chapter it does say a few things about those who insist on adding words to the Bible. I'm not going to debate the point. I know that many people try to make this only pertain to Revelation... and... well... it's your soul...do as you choose. It would be wise to leave the "flawless" Word of God as it stands.

Peace to all who seek it
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Has anyone here, reading this thread, bothered to read Psalm 22 yet? Yes, No, maybe later? Comments? What do you think of Psalm 22? And after reading it, do you think Jesus was referring to it when he was dying on that cross? Yes, no? Maybe? Comments? I don't care?

Of course He was referring to it and quoted from it. There are a few Great Bible Scholars who believe for various reasons Jesus quoted the entire 22nd Psalm. There is not "proof" of this that I know of, as that is not recorded as fact in inspired scripture, but He most definitely quoted from it. And if you read the 22nd Psalm it is an exact description of a crucifixion, and not only that but His crucifixion.

Messianic Psalms are "pictures of Christ". The 22nd Psalm is a picture of His crucification, and more. In that Psalm we are allowed inside the mind of Christ to experience His thoughts and feelings as He hung there.

It is awesome and chilling to read. When you see it in the context of a Mesianic Psalm, it sheds a whole new light on the Crucification.

One last comment! That cry of Jesus from the cross: My God, My God, why has Thou forsaken me? Has anyone ever stopped to think and realize how horrible and terrifying that is? That JESUS is the only "MAN" who could ever ask that question.

No other living man has ever been forsaken by God. NO ONE can make that claim. As long as a man is alive he CAN ALWAYS turn to God at any time. Man turns his back and forsakes God but NEVER the other way around.

What a chilling thought! To be forsaken by God! Praise God that is something we need never experience.

Amen Gerry!

Josephus-It's a cool thought...something I look forward to God enlightening me on in His time. Thank you for your efforts.

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So now we have the "last words" from the Cross, the "last words" on earth prior to ascending, and the "last words" of "inspiration". Hmmmm! Well I gues that is the last word!

That was well covered. Good string!

G'day Josephus
I always thought the gospels gave the best reference on what Jesus last words were. According to Luke an eye and ear witness to the facts, this is what he wrote just for the record.

Luke 23:34 Jesus said, "Father, forgive these people, because they don’t know what they are doing."

Luke 23:43 And Jesus replied, "I assure you, today you will be with me in paradise."

John 19:26 When Jesus saw his mother standing there beside the disciple he loved, he said to her, "Woman, he is your son." 27 And he said to this disciple, "She is your mother." And from then on this disciple took her into his home.

Matthew 28:45 At noon, darkness fell across the whole land until three o’clock. 46 At about three o’clock, Jesus called out with a loud voice, "Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?" which means, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?"

Luke 23:46 Then Jesus shouted, "Father, I entrust my spirit into your hands!" And with those words he breathed his last

John 19:28 Jesus knew that everything was now finished, and to fulfill the Scriptures he said, "I am thirsty." 29 A jar of sour wine was sitting there, so they soaked a sponge in it, put it on a hyssop branch, and held it up to his lips.

John 19:30 When Jesus had tasted it, he said, "It is finished!" Then he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.