We all know some of Jesus’ last words on the cross: Father forgive them, for they know not what they do; Today you will be with me in paradise; Behold your son: behold your mother; I thirst; etc. But what were the absolute very last words of Jesus on the cross?
Interestingly, the four gospels are not in full agreement: Matthew 27 and Mark 15 say, My God, My God, why have you forsaken Me? Luke 23 says, Father, into your hands I commit My spirit. Lastly, John 19 records Jesus saying, It is finished. If you were a gospel writer, what would you have recorded as Jesus’ absolute very last words on the cross?
QUESTIONS SCRIBBLED ON MY HEART’S WALL:
1. Since Matthew & Mark both agree that Jesus said My God, My God, why have you forsaken Me? then they must have got it right – right? But hold on. A few verses later, Matthew adds, And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice, and yielded up His spirit (vs. 50) and a few verses later Mark adds something similar, And Jesus cried out with a loud voice, and breathed His last. (vs. 37). My question is: What was this “cried out”? Was it the same sound I make when I hit my thumb with a hammer – an audible out-lash of pain? Was his outcry a distinguishable or indistinguishable utterance? While the answer is uncertain, it does allow for the possibility that what Matthew & Mark recorded were not necessarily the absolute last words of Jesus on the cross.
2. What about Luke and John’s account? We know that John was the only disciple of Jesus at the cross. Luke wasn’t even around – he later emerges in the New Testament narrative in Acts under the ministry of Paul. Luke was a physician and was more of a compiler or historian putting together an orderly account in Luke and Acts. Since John was the only Calvary eye-witness among the four gospel writers, I’m inclined to trust his narrative the most . . . until I make a closer comparison of his account and Luke’s. Compare them with me:
Luke 23:46 And when Jesus had cried out with a loud voice, He said, "Father, 'into Your hands I commit My spirit.'“ Having said this, He breathed His last.
John 19:39 So when Jesus had received the sour wine, He said, "It is finished!" And bowing His head, He gave up His spirit.
3. Did you catch the clue? Look carefully at John’s comments after Jesus said, It is finished. John adds, And bowing His head, He gave up His spirit – which fits perfectly with what Luke records Father, into Your hands I commit My spirit” – after which Jesus breathed His last. So . . . I guess my vote now goes to Luke’s account for recording the absolute words of Jesus. It’s just a vote, I may still be wrong.
4. Now let’s dig deeper. Does the lack of agreement among the gospels suggest disagreement, disharmony and even contradiction among the gospel accounts? I don’t think so. I think that the variances among the accounts are normal and to be expected. If you and I both witnessed a traffic accident and the police separate us to get written statements, I can guarantee you that our accounts would have points of similarity and points of variance. We all see and hear things differently. In a court of law, the fact that two witnesses have points of variance in their testimony only adds to the validity of the witnesses.
5. Digging further, I am convinced that in grief situations, human nature tends to lock onto words or images that are most striking, that most trigger an emotional response. Such words or images get more “cemented” in our memory.
Consider Matthew – his aim was to show that Jesus was the fulfiller of Old Testament prophecy – to show that Jesus was the Messiah, the Son of God. For Matthew to hear Jesus say, My God, My God, why have you forsaken Me must have sent shockwaves throughout his soul. In the midst of horrific grief, Jesus’ statement might suggest both differentiation and abandonment from Father God – both notions quite contrary to what Matthew believed and hoped for in Christ Jesus. As a result, this statement of Jesus above all other last statements would be cemented in Matthew’s mind.
Consider Mark – a young non-disciple at the time of Christ – likely the curious onlooker who almost got caught at Gethsemane (Mark 14:51). Perhaps as the son of a wealthy widow who generously supported the Christ followers, Mark may have felt resentment about all the money that could have otherwise been his, flowing out to the disciples. To this end, Mark may not originally have been a “friendly”. He may have secretly wished for the failure of the disciples. To hear of Christ saying, My God, My God, why have you forsaken Me may have elicited a trigger quite different from Matthew’s. The emotional trigger may have been one of glee – that Jesus had failed and that this whole business of supporting the disciples would terminate. As a result, this statement of Jesus above all other last statements would be cemented in Mark’s mind. Again, the same statement cemented in the memory of Matthew and Mark – but for opposite reasons.
Consider Luke – a dispassionate physician, inclined toward detail, taking in all the eyewitness accounts and attempting to compile an orderly account. In terms of the notion of human emotional triggers and cementing of memories, Luke was not at the cross. Again, Luke had no emotional investment in the Calvary events. Luke, unlike any of the others, could gather up the facts of the events after the fact and put them together in a detached manner. Luke already knew of the resurrection. All of the others were living in the moment of the horrific events of the cross.
Finally, consider John – the beloved disciple – perhaps the one closest to Jesus. At the cross, Jesus being brutally executed was not just John’s Savior and Lord, it was his best friend. And when Jesus said, It is finished, I’m inclined to believe that those words triggered the worst of anguish in John’s seat of emotions and that anything else that was said didn’t matter. It was over. All was lost. As a result, this statement of Jesus above all other last statements would be eternally cemented in John’s mind.
6. Now pretend you are embedded among the disciples – either in hiding or actually at the cross. You are there with all your hopes, dreams, and emotions. Jesus made lots of “last statements” in a period of a few hours. Of all the statements of Christ, which would most trigger your emotions and be cemented in your memory to the exclusion of any other statement? If you were a gospel writer, how would your account read to later generations. Don’t cheat yourself on this exercise. Sort through all the layers that make up who you are. Your answer may surprise you.
