The Seven Last Words on the Cross (2)
We learn the spiritual meaning of the Third, Fourth, and Fifth of the Seven Last Words that Jesus spoke before He died on the cross. By understanding these meanings, we can become true children of God.
Reading: John 19:26–28; Matthew 27:46
“When Jesus saw His mother and the disciple whom He loved standing nearby, He said to His mother, ‘Woman, behold, your son.’ Then He said to the disciple, ‘Behold, your mother.’ From that hour the disciple took her into his own household…”
Memory Verse: Matthew 12:50
“For whoever does the will of My Father who is in heaven, he is My brother and sister and mother.”
Reference: Psalm 69:21
“They also gave me gall for my food, and for my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink.”
John 19:28
“After this, Jesus, knowing that all things had already been accomplished, to fulfill the Scripture, said, ‘I am thirsty.’”
The Third Word: “Woman, behold, your son… Behold, your mother.”
Jesus came to this world as the Son of God to fulfill God’s plan of human salvation. Therefore, every Word He spoke on the cross contains deep spiritual meaning.
Mary, the virgin who gave birth to Jesus, served Him with great care and devotion. When she saw Jesus suffering the most painful and shameful death on the cross, her heart was completely broken. Jesus knew her sorrow better than anyone. So, while hanging on the cross, He spoke to her.
However, Jesus did not call Mary “Mother.”
He said, “Woman” — and this word must not be interpreted as “Mother.”
Why?
Jesus, in His divine nature, has no earthly mother.
He existed before all creation.
He temporarily took on human flesh through Mary so that He could come into the world, but Mary herself is a created being made by God. Jesus, however, is one with the Creator God.
Therefore, Jesus could not call Mary “Mother” in the sense of origin or deity.
The Bible teaches clearly:
- God exists by Himself (Exodus 3:14).
- No one created God.
- Jesus is in very nature God (Philippians 2:6).
- Nowhere in Scripture does Jesus call Mary “Mother.”
Mary is also not Jesus’ mother genetically.
Human life begins when a father’s seed and a mother’s egg unite, but Jesus was conceived by the Holy Spirit, not by human seed. Therefore, Mary cannot be considered His mother in a physical or divine sense.
For this reason, Mary must not be worshiped or treated as an object of devotion.
The Bible forbids worship of any created thing (Exodus 20:4), and worship belongs only to God.
Then who is the “son” that Jesus mentioned?
In John 19:26–27, Jesus pointed to the disciple standing beside Mary — John.
Jesus said, “Woman, behold, your son,” meaning that Mary should regard John as a son for comfort. Jesus understood her grief and gave her John as someone who would take care of her.
To John He said, “Behold, your mother,” meaning that John should care for Mary like family. Jesus wanted to teach that all believers are spiritual family to one another.
Even earthly family ties cannot continue forever if a person does not believe in the Lord. As Jesus said, “Whoever does the will of My Father in heaven is My brother and sister and mother” (Matthew 12:50). True family is formed by doing God’s will, and such people will live together forever in Heaven.
The Fourth Word – Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani?”
Before Jesus died, the Roman soldiers beat Him so severely that His flesh was torn and His bones were exposed. After He was nailed to the cross, He hung there for six hours, shedding water and blood, and His strength was nearly gone. Yet Jesus cried out with a loud voice, “Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani?” and we must understand why.
Every word Jesus spoke on the cross has deep spiritual meaning. If these words were not clearly heard, people would not understand their meaning later, so Jesus spoke loudly so that His words could be recorded accurately in Scripture.
Some people think that Jesus cried out because He was overwhelmed by pain and complained to God, but this is not correct. Jesus endured every insult and suffering without complaint, and He would never blame God at the moment He was completing the work of salvation.
Then why did Jesus say, “Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani?” which means, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?” The first reason is that Jesus cried out to show that He was bearing the sins of all humanity. He had no sin, but He was crucified as the Substitute for sinners, and His cry revealed that He was carrying the full weight of human sin.
We must notice that Jesus normally called God “Father,” but here He said “My God.” This is because Jesus was dying as the Representative of sinners, and a sinner cannot call God “Father.” At that moment He was taking upon Himself the judgment that sinners deserve, so He said “My God” instead of “Father.” This does not mean that the relationship between the Father and the Son was broken; it means that Jesus was taking the place of sinful humanity.
The second reason is that Jesus cried out to warn and awaken people who did not understand why He was dying. God allowed His Son to be nailed to the cross for the salvation of mankind, but the people there were spiritually blind and unaware of God’s love. Therefore Jesus cried out, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?” so that they might understand, repent, and receive salvation.
The Fifth Word – “I am thirsty”
Jesus had been hanging on the cross for many hours under the burning sun, losing a great amount of blood. His body was exhausted, and the physical thirst He felt must have been unbearable. People often say that while hunger can be endured, thirst is far more painful, so His suffering must have been extreme. Yet Jesus did not say “I am thirsty” simply because He could not bear physical thirst. The deeper reason was a spiritual thirst that was far more painful than any physical suffering. It was the earnest cry of the Lord saying, “I am shedding My blood and My throat is dry; please comfort My thirst by bringing back the souls who belong to the price of My blood.” In other words, He was crying out for the salvation of souls who were heading toward death, asking that they be led to Heaven.
The people around Him did not understand this spiritual meaning. When Jesus said, “I am thirsty,” they put a sponge soaked with sour wine on a hyssop branch and brought it to His mouth (John 19:29). This fulfilled the prophecy of Psalm 69:21: “They also gave me gall for my food, and for my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink.”
What is the spiritual meaning of Jesus tasting the sour wine on the cross? It means that Jesus drank the sour wine—symbolizing the suffering required to atone for all human sin—so that we may drink the new wine. The new wine represents the law of love that was completed through Jesus Christ, the Savior, under the New Covenant. In the Old Testament, when people sinned, they had to receive punishment according to the Law, and they had to offer sacrifices—killing animals and offering blood—again and again for forgiveness. But in the New Testament, Jesus Himself became the atoning sacrifice. Through His death on the cross, He redeemed us from all the curses of the Law. This is the meaning of Jesus drinking the sour wine for our sake.
Therefore, anyone who truly believes in the Lord’s love and repents from the heart can receive complete forgiveness of sins through faith. This is God’s providence: Jesus tasted the sour wine, and through Him, we are allowed to drink the new wine of salvation.
Even today, two thousand years later, the Lord is still “thirsty.” His thirst came from shedding His blood. The reason Jesus had to shed His blood and die was to pay the price for our sins and give us true life. Because we received salvation through His precious blood, we must also “find and return the price of His blood.” To satisfy the Lord’s thirst means to save souls who are on the path of death and lead them into Heaven. May we comfort the Lord’s thirst by bringing countless wandering souls—those who still do not know the truth—into salvation.
Who Was the Apostle John?
John was one of the twelve disciples of Jesus. He was the younger brother of James. Because of their strong and quick temper, Jesus once called them “the Sons of Thunder.” Later, John was changed into an apostle of love.
When Jesus was crucified, John stood near the cross. At that moment, Jesus asked John to take care of Mary, the woman who had given birth to Him. From that day, John accepted Mary into his home and served her with respect.
John wrote the Gospel of John, the Letters of 1 John, 2 John, 3 John, and the Book of Revelation.