After being mocked and tortured on the cross, the Bible says, “Jesus uttered another loud cry and breathed His last” (Mark 15:37), but what were His final words? John tells us “It is finished” (John 19:30). Jesus’s final cry was a faithful yet painful shout of trust in God, for Jesus knew He had fulfilled His purpose and death was not the end. This Easter, we’re looking at everything Jesus said on the cross leading up to His last words. What do they tell us about who He is and what He did for us?

This article with 7 devotions, each for one of Jesus’ words on the Cross offers us an opportunity to spend the Holy Week with the Savior who lived, died, and triumphantly arose for us. Read on to understand His last words a little better and what they could mean to you today!

 

*This reading is also available in HINDI, TAMIL and MALAYALAM

 

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“I wish they’d bloom longer,” my wife said wistfully as she gazed at the giant pink and white flowers. She leaned in to enjoy the fragrance of flowers she’d planted twenty years ago. They’d been a gift from my mother, who knew she wasn’t long for this world and wanted her garden to live on after her.

Soon our three-year-old granddaughter bounded up the garden walkway, ponytail bouncing with each rapid-fire step. Handing a small stone to our son’s friend Caleb, she announced, “Here!” Accepting the rock from her, he turned it over in his hands. Perceptive beyond his seventeen years, he slipped it into his pocket and said, “Flowers don’t last long.This will last a lot longer.” A shy smile captured our granddaughter’s face. She walked away contentedly, anticipating more garden treasures. Life’s brevity, beauty, and promise, all in a single moment.

Long ago in an upper room, another scene distilled life’s pain, love, and hope into just a few concentrated hours. John the disciple describes the Last Supper:

“Jesus knew that his hour had come to leave this world” (JOHN 13:1). In those fleeting moments, Christ showed His disciples what real leadership looks like (VV. 3-17). He warned of His imminent betrayal at the hands of Judas (VV. 18-30), and cautioned Peter that he would soon deny his Master (V. 38). He told the disciples He was leaving soon but gave them this promise: “I will not abandon you as orphans—I will come to you” (14:18). He assured them, “I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate, who will never leave you. He is the Holy Spirit, who leads into all truth” (VV. 16-17).

Even as He anticipated His own torturous death, Jesus gave comfort to others. “I am leaving you with a gift—peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give. So don’t be troubled or afraid” (14:27).

Soon Jesus and the disciples—minus Judas—would leave the upper room and walk to the Mount of Olives. On any other night, it might have been a lovely evening stroll. Not this night. There, in the garden of Gethsemane, He told His disciples, “My soul is crushed with grief to the point of death” (MATTHEW 26:38). He prayed, “My Father! If it is possible, let this cup of suffering be taken away from me” (V. 39).

Here we see the humanity of Jesus in all its full intensity. Here, too, we see His fierce obedience to His Father to the very end: “Yet I want your will to be done, not mine” (V. 39).

Arrested in that garden, Jesus endured two sham trials and the most unjust verdict in all history. The Creator of the cosmos, crucified by His creatures on a hill outside Jerusalem. From that awful site, Christ would speak His “last seven words.”

You’ll find reflections on each of these seven words as you scroll through. As you read these devotional articles, we pray that you’ll ponder their significance and gain encouragement from the promise of the hope that blooms eternally.

This life inevitably brings pain and death. Too soon, we say goodbye to those we love. Too soon, we ourselves “go the way of all the earth,” as King David poetically described his own approaching death (1 KINGS 2:2 niv).

But, like the blooms in summer, this life also contains immense beauty. And because of Jesus, we anticipate the joy that lies ahead. The flowers my mother gave to my wife live on through the propagation of plants that our Creator planned out before the foundation of the world. Mom’s legacy also thrives through her children, her grandchildren, and in a great- granddaughter who lovingly gives stones to her many friends. But even more wonderfully, we anticipate a forever reunion with all those who love God and choose to follow Him by believing in His Son.

Flowers eventually die. Gifts large and small can be lost, forgotten, or misused. But these days, little joys like the gift of a small rock from my granddaughter to a friend remind me of a much larger stone—one from another garden. “Early on Sunday morning, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene came to the tomb and found that the stone had been rolled away from the entrance” (JOHN 20:1). We remember what Jesus said to His disciples: “Since I live, you also will live” (14:19).

Let’s see what the One who conquered death has to say to us in His last seven words.

Tim Gustafson, Our Daily Bread author

 

 

TODAY’S SCRIPTURE | LUKE 23:26-34

26 As they led Jesus away, a man named Simon, who was from Cyrene, happened to be coming in from the countryside. The soldiers seized him and put the cross on him and made him carry it behind Jesus. 27 A large crowd trailed behind, including many grief-stricken women. 28 But Jesus turned and said to them, “Daughters of Jerusalem, don’t weep for me, but weep for yourselves and for your children. 29 For the days are coming when they will say, ‘Fortunate indeed are the women who are childless, the wombs that have not borne a child and the breasts that have never nursed.’ 30 People will beg the mountains, ‘Fall on us,’ and plead with the hills, ‘Bury us.’ 31 For if these things are done when the tree is green, what will happen when it is dry?” 32 Two others, both criminals, were led out to be executed with him. 33 When they came to a place called The Skull, they nailed him to the cross. And the criminals were also crucified— one on his right and one on his left. 34 Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they don’t know what they are doing.” And the soldiers gambled for his clothes by throwing dice.

On January 23rd, 1999 Graham Staines and his two young sons Philip and Timothy, were torched to death in their jeep, while they slept. Their dedicated service among the leprous poor of Odisha, India was little known to the outside world until then.

Amid such tragedy, his wife Gladys and daughter Esther amazed everyone. They chose to react not with hate but in forgiveness. Twelve years later when the trial ended, Gladys released a state- ment that said “I have forgiven the killers and I have no bitterness against them … God in Christ has forgiven me and He expects His followers to do the same.”

While it’s astounding that Gladys and Esther found the courage and strength to forgive these perpetrators, we know that Jesus left us the best example of how we can find the grace to forgive those who hurt, offend, or mistreat us.

He didn’t just tell us to love our enemies and to pray for those who persecute us (MATTHEW 5:43-48); He modeled extreme forgiveness at the cross. Christ was beaten, mocked, and crucified for our sake even “while we were still his enemies” (ROMANS 5:10). But instead of pronouncing curses over His tormentors Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they don’t know what they are doing” (LUKE 23:34).

While there’s no excuse for anyone to mistreat someone else, let’s ask God for the grace to release any anger or bitterness we may be feeling. Jesus wants us to live in a healthy relationship with Him and with others. Let’s forgive as we’ve been forgiven by God (MATTHEW 6:12)—walking in love and following Christ’s example.

NANCY GAVILANES

 

How can you become more forgiving?

 

 

TODAY’S SCRIPTURE | LUKE 23:32-43

 32 Two others, both criminals, were led out to be executed with him. 33 When they came to a place called The Skull, they nailed him to the cross. And the criminals were also crucified—one on his right and one on his left. 34 Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they don’t know what they are doing.” And the soldiers gambled for his clothes by throwing dice. 35 The crowd watched and the leaders scoffed. “He saved others,” they said, “let him save himself if he is really God’s Messiah, the Chosen One.” 36 The soldiers mocked him, too, by offering him a drink of sour wine. 37 They called out to him, “If you are the King of the Jews, save yourself!” 38 A sign was fastened above him with these words: “This is the King of the Jews.” 39 One of the criminals hanging beside him scoffed, “So you’re the Messiah, are you? Prove it by saving yourself—and us, too, while you’re at it!”. 40 But the other criminal protested, “Don’t you fear God even when you have been sentenced to die? 41 We deserve to die for our crimes, but this man hasn’t done anything wrong.” 42 Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your Kingdom.” 43 And Jesus replied, “I assure you, today you will be with me in paradise.”

Christopher Hitchens was a famous atheist who enthusiastically debated believers in Christ. When he was dying of cancer, he announced that anyone who heard that he’d converted to Jesus on his deathbed should take that as

proof that he’d lost his mind. After Christopher died, a debate opponent and friend noted that Hitchens had preemptively warned his followers because he knew that in the face of death he might despair and turn to Christ. And who knows? He might have. A person can fight God his entire life and still be mercifully saved with seconds to spare. It’s happened before.

The thief on the cross had led a wicked life. He told his fellow criminal, “We deserve to die for our crimes, but this man [Jesus] hasn’t done anything wrong” (LUKE 23:41). Now he was down to his final, excruciating hours, in which his physical agony threatened to distract from his greater spiritual need.

And he was wasting precious minutes. He initially joined the others who were mocking and yelling insults at Jesus (MARK 15:32). But as he hung on the cross, yearning for death, he turned and looked at his last chance. He said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your Kingdom” (LUKE 23:42).

God delights in saving people, including those who’ve run out of time. Instead of focusing on what we’ve done wrong, let’s look to Jesus.

MIKE WITTMER

 

What are your biggest regrets? Why might you think you’re unforgivable?

Dear Jesus, I’m looking at You and You alone, for only You can truly save me?

 

 

TODAY’S SCRIPTURE | JOHN 19:25-27

 25 Standing near the cross were Jesus’ mother, and his mother’s sister, Mary (the wife of Clopas), and Mary Magdalene. 26 When Jesus saw his mother standing there beside the disciple he loved, he said to her, “Dear woman, here is your son.” 27 And he said to this disciple, “Here is your mother.” And from then on this disciple took her into his home.

 

When my dad passed away soon after my parents’ fortieth anniversary, my mother grieved deeply, but she also worried. Who would pay the bills? Would she have enough money? What if the house needed repairs? She soon learned that her worry was unneeded. My dad had painstakingly arranged, years ago, for her every financial need after his death. My sister and I committed to helping our mom with any other needs.

Caring for family like this takes on a special significance in some of Jesus’ final words. Despite hanging from the cross, Jesus looked upon His mother, Mary, and beloved disciple, John. Then He spoke these moving words: “Dear woman, here is your son,” and to John, “Here is your mother” (JOHN 19:26-27).

Those are remarkable words of love shared at a gripping moment of grief. In Jewish culture, a dying son would commit his mother’s care to a male sibling, such as, in Jesus’ case, His brothers(SEE MATTHEW 13:55), because Mary’s husband, Joseph, had probably already died. But Jesus’ brothers hadn’t yet accepted Him as the Christ—that is, the Messiah.

Focused on Mary’s well-being, Jesus appointed His disciple John as her caretaker. “From then on this disciple took her into his home” (JOHN 19:27). What Christ did reflects the fact that all believers are members of a new family in God, establishing our caring bond at the foot of the cross.

PATRICIA RAYBON

 

What does it mean for you to view believers as family?

Make me willing and ready, dear Jesus, to help fellow believers.

 

 

TODAY’S SCRIPTURE | MATTHEW 27:45-50

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 abandoned me?” 47 Some of the bystanders misunderstood and thought he was calling for the prophet Elijah. 48 One of them ran and filled a sponge with sour wine, holding it up to him on a reed stick so he could drink. 49 But the rest said, “Wait! Let’s see whether Elijah comes to save him.” 50 Then Jesus shouted out again, and he released his spirit.

When my grandfather was dying, I went to the hospital to say goodbye. The halls were empty, and his room was sterile: fluorescent lights, linoleum floor, one potted plant, one family picture. The whole place smelled of vinegar and lemon. I’d never seen a person die before, but I heard the death rattle in his breathing and saw his sunken eyes. I wanted to tell him goodbye. I wanted him to know (though I don’t think he was conscious) that even in this gloomy place, he wasn’t alone.

What could be worse than feeling alone in your darkest hour? Yet Jesus felt this very sorrow. From the cross, He cried: “My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?” (MATTHEW 27:46). He wasn’t only expressing His own dereliction, but He was also voicing the agony of the whole world. Christ wasn’t speaking off the cuff but evoking one of Israel’s prayers (PSALM 22:1). He echoed Israel’s dread that God might forsake them, and He was also praying with us, speaking the same dread each of us face in our own moments of despair. When we lose a child or a marriage fails, we fear God’s absence.

However, it’s precisely Jesus on this lonely cross—and the resurrection soon to follow—that answers our distress. We may feel forsaken, but Jesus reveals the truth: God is always with us, even into death’s valley. We’re never forsaken.

WINN COLLIER

 

Where have you felt forsaken? How has God met you in that forsaken place?

Dear God, I know what it is to feel forsaken. Because of You, I know I’m never alone.

 

 

TODAY’S SCRIPTURE | JOHN 4:5-14

5 Eventually he came to the Samaritan village of Sychar, near the field that Jacob gave to his son Joseph. 6 Jacob’s well was there; and Jesus, tired from the long walk, sat wearily beside the well about noontime. 7 Soon a Samaritan woman came to draw water, and Jesus said to her, “Please give me a drink.” 8 He was alone at the time because his disciples had gone into the village to buy some food. 9 The woman was surprised, for Jews refuse to have anything to do with Samaritans. She said to Jesus, “You are a Jew, and I am a Samaritan woman. Why are you asking me for a drink?” 10 Jesus replied, “If you only knew the gift God has for you and who you are speaking to, you would ask me, and I would give you living water.” 11 “But sir, you don’t have a rope or a bucket,” she said, “and this well is very deep. Where would you get this living water? 12 And besides, do you think you’re greater than our ancestor Jacob, who gave us this well? How can you offer better water than he and his sons and his animals enjoyed?” 13 Jesus replied, “Anyone who drinks this water will soon become thirsty again. 14 But those who drink the water I give will never be thirsty again. It becomes a fresh, bubbling spring within them, giving them eternal life.”

A family excitedly opened their door to a team of volunteers who’d traveled to their village in a rural region of India to provide a borewell and a simple home water filter system. Demonstrating how the filter would provide safe water to quench their thirst, the team also told the family about “living water” that would satisfy their deepest need—peace with God.

The team members followed Christ’s example of explaining a spiritual reality by relating it to a person’s need to satisfy physical thirst. Weary from travel, Jesus sat down beside a well. After asking a woman there for water, He addressed her deeper need: “Anyone who drinks this water will soon become thirsty again. But those who drink the water I give will never be thirsty again” (JOHN 4:13-14). Jesus offered her soul refreshment through a relationship with God.

To offer this living water to all people, Christ had to go through the anguish of thirst again. As He hung on the cross, He cried out, “I am thirsty” (JOHN 19:28)—a sign that His life was ebbing away. He willingly suffered, enduring the pain of physical thirst, knowing that God would raise Him to life again. Like the woman at the well, we can have access to living water for our thirsty souls through faith in Jesus.

The volunteer team celebrated when the family enjoyed clean water and rejoiced when they also accepted the gift of living water Christ offers. It’s a gift available to anyone whose soul thirsts.

LISA M. SAMRA

 

How does thirst for water relate to spiritual thirst? How have you responded to the offer of living water?

Jesus, my soul is satisfied in You.

 

TODAY’S SCRIPTURE | JOHN 19:28-37

 28 Jesus knew that his mission was now finished, and to fulfill Scripture 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. 30 When Jesus had tasted it, he said, “It is finished!” Then he bowed his head and gave up his spirit. 31 It was the day of preparation, and the Jewish leaders didn’t want the bodies hanging there the next day, which was the Sabbath (and a very special Sabbath, because it was Passover week). So they asked Pilate to hasten their deaths by ordering that their legs be broken. Then their bodies could be taken down. 32 So the soldiers came and broke the legs of the two men crucified with Jesus. 33 But when they came to Jesus, they saw that he was already dead, so they didn’t break his legs. 34 One of the soldiers, however, pierced his side with a spear, and immediately blood and water flowed out. 35 (This report is from an eyewitness giving an accurate account. He speaks the truth so that you also may continue to believe.) 36 These things happened in fulfillment of the Scriptures that say, “Not one of his bones will be broken,” 37 and “They will look on the one they pierced.”

In 2014, Britain announced that it was working to pay back a £2.6 billion (roughly ₹2420 crores) debt dating back to the eighteenth century. After a financial crash in 1720, something called the South Sea Bubble, the government undertook a bailout that resulted in several million pounds of debt. Now, due to low interest rates, the current government was ready to pay back various debts accrued over the years that had been passed on to future generations.

When Jesus cried, “It is finished!” (JOHN 19:30), He was announcing that the longest-standing debt of humanity—sin—had been paid in full. This sixth of the seven words Jesus spoke from the cross was a single Greek word—tetelestai. The word was used to describe taxes or debts being paid in full, servants completing tasks, and more. And it speaks of Jesus, the perfect Lamb of God, who as He died “knew that his mission was now finished” (V. 28).

When Christ died on the cross, He fully met the righteous demands of the law, taking all the sins of the world upon Himself (1 PETER 2:24). He not only covered sin but took “away the sin of the world” (JOHN 1:29).

Because Jesus paid our debt, we can—by believing in His sac- rificial death and resurrection—receive eternal life and enjoy life “to the full” today (10:10 NIV). The debt has been paid!

MARVIN WILLIAMS

 

What does it mean for you to know your debt of sin is paid in full by Jesus? How will you thank Him today for His sacrificial death for you?

Dear Jesus, thank You for paying my debt completely.

 

 TODAY’S SCRIPTURE | MARK 15:33-41

33 At noon, darkness fell across the whole land until three o’clock. 34 Then at three o’clock Jesus called out with a loud voice, “Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?” which means “My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?” 35 Some of the bystanders misunderstood and thought he was calling for the prophet Elijah. 36 One of them ran and filled a sponge with sour wine, holding it up to him on a reed stick so he could drink. “Wait!” he said. “Let’s see whether Elijah comes to take him down!” 37 Then Jesus uttered another loud cry and breathed his last. 38 And the curtain in the sanctuary of the Temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. 39 When the Roman officer who stood facing him saw how he had died, he exclaimed, “This man truly was the Son of God!” 40 Some women were there, watching from a distance, including Mary Magdalene, Mary (the mother of James the younger and of Joseph), and Salome. 41 They had been followers of Jesus and had cared for him while he was in Galilee. Many other women who had come with him to Jerusalem were also there.

As Martin Luther lay dying, a pastor roused him and asked, “Reverend father, will you die steadfast in Christ and the doctrines you have preached?” Luther replied, “Yes,” then fell asleep for the last time. What a way to go! I hope my last words are equally significant. I’d prefer not to die mid- sentence, ending my life on a throwaway line. I want to die like Luther, confidently affirming what matters most.

What about Jesus’ last words? The gospel of Mark says, “Jesus uttered another loud cry and breathed his last” (15:37). Matthew agrees, “Jesus shouted out again, and he released his spirit” (27:50). What was this last, loud cry? Was it a shout of triumph or despair? Did it mark the lowest part of Jesus’ suffering or the start of His victory?

We don’t have to guess because Luke fills in the blank. He writes, “Then Jesus shouted, ‘Father, I entrust my spirit into your hands!’ And with those words he breathed his last” (23:46). John adds that Jesus also said, “ ‘It is finished!’ Then he bowed his head and gave up his spirit” (19:30).

Jesus’ final cry was a painful shout of trust in God. And because His final words were infused with faith, they wouldn’t be His last. God raised Jesus—His precious Son—in triumph, as He will one day raise all who keep faith in Christ.

MIKE WITTMER

 

What would you like your last words to be? Write them down, so loved ones can read them after you’re gone.
How might you reflect these last words today?

Father, into Your hands I commit my spirit—now and forever.

 

I had never heard of the seven last words of Christ before I attended my current church in Chicago, Illinois. I still remember searching the Scriptures after I heard about the “Seven Last Words” service to count each of the words Jesus said before He died. I was never able to find just seven words. But then I went to my first Seven Last Words service on Good Friday at my church. During this gathering, almost all of our congregation and visitors crammed into the sanctuary, and we listened to seven different ministers. These ministers shared from the Gospels the seven phrases Jesus said while hanging on the cross.

That’s when I got it, and I learned the seven phrases (“words”) Jesus said before dying.

And each Good Friday when I attend this service and listen to seven different sermons inspired by these seven phrases—a great deal of preaching to take in during one sitting—I hear something different, new, and inspiring.

I cling just a bit more to Jesus, His amazing character, and the example He demonstrated for His disciples as He died.

When I hear “Father, forgive them” (LUKE 23:34), I see Christ modeling forgiveness for us—even for the really tough things in life, the really painful acts done to me or my loved ones out of maliciousness. How do I forgive? I ask for God’s help as I recall Jesus’ words through His perspective and pain.

When I hear “Today you will be with me in paradise” (LUKE 23:43), I not only hear Jesus forgiving, I see His restoration of a sinner. I see Him embodying Scripture that says He will wipe away the sins of all who turn to Him and grant eternal life—regardless of our past (SEE MATTHEW 9:2 AND JOHN 3:16). I see His desire to be with us forever.

When I hear “Dear woman, here is your son” and to a beloved disciple, “Here is your mother” (JOHN 19:26-27), I see Christ caring for others even in the midst of excruciating pain. I see Him providing families for those without families and commanding us to care for each other.

When I hear “My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?” (MATTHEW 27:46), I hear a big, looming question. I hear depression. I hear loneliness. I hear hurt even in the midst of completing a mission Jesus knew He was called to do—a mission He talked about with His disciples (SEE MARK 8:31-33). He knew He was sent as a sacrifice for our sins and to show us the way to live, yet He grappled with real, raw human emotions of isolation, loneliness, and despair. Through Jesus’ heart-wrenching question, I learn how to lean in and cry out to God with the questions of life. I learn that lamenting is okay. I can honestly present my questions and concerns to Him. I also learn that some questions may go unanswered; lamenting is about acknowledging my God and releasing those questions to Him.

When I hear “I am thirsty” (JOHN 19:28), I’m reminded that though Jesus is fully God, He’s also fully human. He felt what I feel as a human being.

When I hear “It is finished!” (JOHN 19:30), I see our Savior completing His mission on His own terms—He died because He said He was done. He was still in control—even unto death. When what He came to accomplish was done, He pronounced it and let go.

And when I hear “Father, I entrust my spirit into your hands!” (LUKE 23:46), I see Christ willingly giving up His spirit to God, His Father. Recognizing who really controls everything, I see surrender, peace, and true faith. And a reminder to rest in God as I turn things over to Him.

Reflecting on the seven last words of Jesus takes me back; it carries me to a cross I did not know, an incident where He was strung up to die. It takes me back to who Christ is and His model for us today. It reminds me of what I need to do as

I attempt to follow the Messiah and live according to God’s plan. Jesus truly lived as a shining example of how we are to strive to live through His Spirit and power.

Jesus’ last words remind me of His heart, emotions, care, and commitment. I pray His words are examples for you too that lead to a changed life; that His words encourage you to strive by the power of His transforming grace to be more like Him through hard days and through easy ones. I hope His words provide a vivid picture of caring for others even when they hurt you and need forgiveness. I hope Jesus’ words and actions show you how to leave whatever you’re facing in God’s hands and in God’s care with His help.

Following Christ’s example like this is impossible on our own. It requires faith in the Messiah—constant trust and reliance on God’s power and grace. We must surrender our lives to Him every day. Jesus showed us the way; now it’s up to us to follow.

 Will you follow Him?

Katara Patton, Our Daily Bread author