THE STORY OF PASSION OF CHRIST (2004)

Depicts the final twelve hours in the life of Jesus of Nazareth, on the day of his crucifixion in Jerusalem.

A depiction of the last twelve hours in the life of Jesus of Nazareth, on the day of his crucifixion in
Jerusalem. The story opens in the Garden of Olives where Jesus has gone to pray after the Last Supper.
Betrayed by Judas Iscariot, the controversial Jesus--who has performed 'miracles' and has publicly
announced that he is 'the Son of God'--is arrested and taken back within the city walls of Jerusalem.
There, the leaders of the Pharisees confront him with accusations of blasphemy; subsequently, his trial
results with the leaders condemning him to his death. Jesus is brought before Pontius Pilate, the prefect
of the Roman province of Judaea, for his sentencing. Pilate listens to the accusations leveled at Jesus by
the Pharisees. Realizing that his own decision will cause him to become embroiled in a political conflict,
Pilate defers to King Herod in deciding the matter of how to persecute Jesus. However, Herod returns
Jesus to Pilate who, in turn, gives the crowd a choice between which prisoner they would rather to see
set free--Jesus, or Barrabas. The crowd chooses to have Barrabas set free. Thus, Jesus is handed over to
the Roman soldiers and is brutally flagellated. Bloody and unrecognizable, he is brought back before
Pilate who, once again, presents him to the thirsty crowd--assuming they will see that Jesus has been
punished enough. The crowd, however, is not satisfied. Thus, Pilate washes his hands of the entire
dilemma, ordering his men to do as the crowd wishes. Whipped and weakened, Jesus is presented with
the cross and is ordered to carry it through the streets of Jerusalem, all the way up to Golgotha. There,
more corporal cruelty takes place as Jesus is nailed to the cross--suffering, he hangs there, left to die.
Initially, in his dazed suffering, Jesus is alarmed that he has been abandoned by God his father. He then
beseeches God. At the moment of his death, nature itself over-turns.

—Anthony Pereyra {hypersonic91@yahoo.com}

In times of turmoil around the biblical 33 A.D., the threatening and equally seditious to both the Romans
and the Jewish high priests, Jesus of Nazareth, is captured in the dead of night at the Garden of
Gethsemane, after being betrayed by Judas Iscariot. Tried by the Pharisees and turned over to the
priests and the angry mob after Pontius Pilate--the doubtful Roman governor--has washed his hands of
the matter of Jesus' freedom, the Son of God will eventually carry His cross to Golgotha to be crucified.
In the end, following His final twelve hours on this earth, Christ will endure extreme suffering, torture--
and, ultimately, death--in reparation for our sins, only to rise from the dead on the third day.

—Nick Riganas

Mel Gibson's well-publicized production The Passion of the Christ concerns the last 12 hours in the life
of Jesus of Nazareth. The dialogue is spoken in the ancient Aramaic language, along with Latin and
Hebrew. In the Garden of Gethsemane near the Mount of Olives, Jesus (James Caviezel) is betrayed by
Judas Iscariot (Luca Lionello). Jesus is condemned to death for blasphemy and brought before Pontius
Pilate (Hristo Naumov Shopov), the Roman governor of Judea, for sentencing. The roaring crowd
demand his death, so Pilate orders his crucifixion. Jesus is severely beaten and made to carry his cross
up to Golgotha, the hill outside Jerusalem, where he is nailed to the cross. Romanian theatrical actress
Maia Morgenstern plays Mary, Mother of God, and Italian superstar Monica Bellucci plays Mary
Magdalene.
The Passion of The Christ focusses on the last twelve hours of Jesus of Nazareth's life. The film begins in
the Garden of Gethsemane where Jesus has gone to pray after sitting the Last Supper. Jesus must resist
the temptations of Satan. Betrayed by Judas Iscariot, Jesus is then arrested and taken within the city
walls of Jerusalem where leaders of the Pharisees confront him with accusations of blasphemy and his
trial results in a condemnation to death.

—Adam Ward

This film depicts the final hours of Jesus Christ, starting from His prayers in the Garden of Gethsemane
and His betrayal at the hands of Judas Iscariot. It goes on to show the trials He endured under Pontius
Pilate and King Herod as well as the torture and ridicule He suffered in between. Once the death
sentence is pronounced, He carries a heavy wooden cross to Golgotha amidst throngs of jeering citizens
and horrendous beatings, while a few citizens do what they can to help Him. Throughout this time, we
are shown memories from His past with His mother and Disciples, where He gives His teachings. Finally,
He is crucified, dies, and is buried, but resurrects from the dead on the third day.

—Curly Q. Link

Spoilers

The synopsis below may give away important plot points.

Synopsis

The film opens in Gethsemane in 'medias res as' in the dead of night some hours after the last supper.
Jesus prays and is tempted by Satan, while his apostles, Peter, James, and John sleep. After receiving
thirty pieces of silver from the highly feared Jewish priests of the Temple in Jerusalem, one of Jesus'
other apostles, Judas Iscariot, tells them the location where his teacher is and the priests send a
contingent of guards to arrest Jesus for heresy.

In the woods outside Gethsemane, Judas approaches with the temple guards and betrays Jesus with a
kiss on his cheek. As the guards move in to arrest Jesus, Peter intervenes and attacks them, cutting off
the ear of Malchus, one of the guards, but Jesus tells Peter to stop with the violence and magically heals
Malchus' ear. The temple guards arrest Jesus and the rest of the apostles flee.

John runs and tells Jesus' mother, Mary, as well as Mary Magdalene of the arrest, and Peter follows
Jesus at a distance who is severely beaten by the Temple guards on their way back to Jerusalem. At the
Jewish Temple, the head priest, Caiaphas, holds a trial of Jesus over the objection of some of the other
priests, who are expelled from the court. When questioned by Caiaphas whether he is the son of God,
Jesus replies "I am". Caiaphas is horrified and tears his robes, and Jesus is condemned to death for
blasphemy. Upon entering the Temple, Peter is confronted by a mob of Jewish spectators who recognize
him being one of Jesus followers and confront him. Three times Peter denies knowing Jesus, but then
runs away sobbing at his cowardice.

Meanwhile, the remorseful Judas attempts to return the money in order have Jesus freed, but he is
refused by the priests. Tormented by demons and his guilt, he flees the city and hangs himself with a
rope from a dead donkey at dawn.

Caiaphas brings Jesus before Pontius Pilate, the local Roman governor of Judea, to be condemned to
death. But after questioning Jesus, the Latin-speaking Pilate (who is fluent in Jesus' native Aramaic
language) finds no reason to convict him after he is told by his wife, Claudia, about a bad dream she had
the night before about condemning a holy man to death. So instead, Pilate sends Jesus to the court of
King Herod Antipas, as Jesus is from Herod's ruling town of Nazareth. After Jesus is returned, Pilate
offers the crowd that he will chastise Jesus for heresy and then will set him free. Pilate attempts to have
Jesus freed by giving the people an option of freeing Jesus or the violent criminal Barabbas. To Pilate's
dismay, the hostile and religious crowd demands to have Barabbas freed and Jesus killed. In an attempt
to appease the crowd, Pilate has Jesus brutally scourged and mocked with a crown of thorns, yet the
crowd continues to demand that Jesus be crucified. Faced with a citywide riot, Pilate is left with no
choice but to reluctantly order Jesus' crucifixion.

As Jesus carries the cross along the Via Dolorosa to Calvary, Veronica wipes Jesus' bloodied face with her
veil until the Roman guards grab her and shove her on her way. Simon of Cyrene is unwillingly pressed
into carrying the cross for Jesus, who by this time is too weak to carry the large wooden cross by
himself.

On a hill outside Jerusalem called Golgotha (Aramaic for 'Hill of Skulls'), Jesus is then crucified with his
wrists and feet nailed to the cross. One criminal that is crucified next to him mock him for being now
helpless and unable to do anything. At mid afternoon, as he hangs from the cross, Jesus prays
forgiveness for those who did this to him, and redeems one of the criminals crucified next to him. After
Jesus gives up his spirit and dies, a single drop of rain falls from the sky, triggering an earthquake which
destroys the Temple and rips the cloth covering the Holy of Holies in two, to the horror of Caiaphas and
the other priests. Satan is then shown screaming in defeat. The Roman soldiers then kill the two
criminals by breaking their legs, while one of them thrusts a spear into Jesus' chest to make sure that he
is dead. Jesus is brought down from the cross as Mary and Mary Magdalene weep for him.

In the final scene, Jesus then rises from the dead as he leaves his tomb where his is buried with the
wounds in his hands, feet, and side still visible.

Stations of the Cross, also called Way of the Cross, a series of 14 pictures or carvings portraying events in
the Passion of Christ, from his condemnation by Pontius Pilate to his entombment. The series of stations
is as follows: (1) Jesus is condemned to death, (2) he is made to bear his cross, (3) he falls the first time,
(4) he meets his mother, (5) Simon of Cyrene is made to bear the cross, (6) Veronicawipes Jesus’ face,
(7) he falls the second time, (8) the women of Jerusalem weep over Jesus, (9) he falls the third time, (10)
he is stripped of his garments, (11) he is nailed to the cross, (12) he dies on the cross, (13) he is taken
down from the cross, and (14) he is placed in the sepulchre. The images are usually mounted on the
inside walls of a church or chapel but may also be erected in such places as cemeteries, corridors of
hospitals and religious houses, or on mountainsides.
The devotional exercise of visiting and praying in front of each of the 14 stations and meditating on the
Passion of Christ stems from the practice of early Christian pilgrims who visited the scenes of the events
in Jerusalem and walked the traditional route from the supposed location of Pilate’s house to Calvary.
Tradition holds that Mary, the mother of Jesus, set up stone markers at her home outside Jerusalem to
prayerfully retrace the steps of her son’s Passion, but the origin of the devotion in its present form is not
clear. The number of stations originally observed in Jerusalem was considerably smaller than 14. In the
early 16th century, Ways of the Cross were established in Europe, and the tradition of 14 stations
probably derived from the best known of them, that at Leuven (1505). The Franciscans long popularized
the practice, and in the 18th century they bowed to Western Christian devotional feeling and provided
14 stations in Jerusalem. The traditional stations have been recently supplemented with the Via Lucis
(the Way of Light), in which the meditations focus on the resurrected Christ.

Prayerful meditation through the Stations of the Cross is especially common during Lent and on Fridays
throughout the year, in commemoration of Christ’s Crucifixion on Good Friday. The devotion may be
done individually or in a group and is particularly important in Roman Catholic, Anglican,
and Lutheran traditions. Each station is commonly visited with some variation of the prayer “We adore
you, O Christ, and we bless you. Because by your holy cross you have redeemed the world” and with a
reading from a relevant passage of Scripture. Both St. Francis of Assisi and St. Alphonso Maria de’
Liguori wrote devotional guides for the Stations of the Cross that remain popular.

The Stations of the Cross or the Way of the Cross, also known as the Way of Sorrows or the Via Crucis,
refers to a series of images depicting Jesus Christ on the day of his crucifixion and
accompanying prayers. The stations grew out of imitations of Via Dolorosa in Jerusalem which is
believed to be the actual path Jesus walked to Mount Calvary. The object of the stations is to help the
Christians faithful to make a spiritual pilgrimage through contemplation of the Passion of Christ. It has
become one of the most popular devotions and the stations can be found in many Western
Christian churches, including Anglican,[1] Lutheran,[2] Methodist,[3] and Roman Catholic ones.

Commonly, a series of 14 images will be arranged in numbered order along a path and the faithful travel
from image to image, in order, stopping at each station to say the selected prayers and reflections. This
will be done individually or in a procession most commonly during Lent, especially on Good Friday, in
a spirit of reparation for the sufferings and insults that Jesus endured during his passion.[4][5]

The style, form, and placement of the stations vary widely. The typical stations are small plaques
with reliefs or paintings placed around a church nave. Modern minimalist stations can be simple crosses
with a numeral in the centre.[4][6] Occasionally the faithful might say the stations of the cross without
there being any image, such as when the pope leads the stations of the cross around
the Colosseum in Romeon Good Friday.[7]

History[edit]

Typical indoor placement along the nave (Hong Kong Catholic Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception)
The Stations of the Cross originated in pilgrimages to Jerusalem and a desire to reproduce the Via
Dolorosa. Imitating holy places was not a new concept. For example, the religious complex of Santo
Stefano in Bologna, Italy, replicated the Church of the Holy Sepulchreand other religious sites,
including Mount of Olives and Valley of Josaphat.[8]

After the siege of 1187, Jerusalem fell to the forces of Saladin, the first sultan of Egypt and Syria. Forty
years later Franciscans were allowed back into the Holy Land. Their founder, Saint Francis of Assisi, held
the Passion of Christ in special veneration and is said to have been the first person to
receive stigmata.[9] In 1217, St. Francis also founded the Custody of the Holy Land to guard and
promote the devotion to holy places. Their efforts were recognized when Franciscans were officially
proclaimed custodians of holy places by Pope Clement VI in 1342.[9] Although several travelers who
visited the Holy Land during the 12–14th centuries (e.g. Riccoldo da Monte di Croce, Burchard of Mount
Sion, James of Verona), mention a "Via Sacra", i.e. a settled route that pilgrims followed, there is nothing
in their accounts to identify this with the Way of the Cross, as we understand it.[10] The earliest use of
the word "stations", as applied to the accustomed halting-places in the Via Sacra at Jerusalem, occurs in
the narrative of an English pilgrim, William Wey, who visited the Holy Land in the mid-15th century, and
described pilgrims following the footsteps of Christ to the cross. In 1521, a book called Geystlich
Strass (German: "spiritual road") was printed with illustrations of the stations in the Holy Land.[10]

During the 15th and 16th centuries the Franciscans began to build a series of outdoor shrines in Europe
to duplicate their counterparts in the Holy Land. The number of stations varied between seven and
thirty; seven was common. These were usually placed, often in small buildings, along the approach to a
church, as in a set of 1490 by Adam Kraft, leading to the Johanniskirche in Nuremberg.[11] A number of
rural examples were established as attractions in their own right, usually on attractive wooded hills.
These include the Sacro Monte di Domodossola (1657) and Sacro Monte di Belmonte (1712), and form
part of the Sacri Monti of Piedmont and Lombardy World Heritage Site, together with other examples
on different devotional themes. In these the sculptures are often approaching life-size and very
elaborate. Remnants of these are often referred to as calvary hills.

In 1686, in answer to their petition, Pope Innocent XI granted to the Franciscans the right to erect
stations within their churches. In 1731, Pope Clement XII extended to all churches the right to have the
stations, provided that a Franciscan father erected them, with the consent of the local bishop. At the
same time the number was fixed at fourteen. In 1857, the bishops of England were allowed to erect the
stations by themselves, without the intervention of a Franciscan priest, and in 1862 this right was
extended to bishops throughout the church.[12]

Stations

The early set of seven scenes was usually numbers 2, 3, 4, 6, 7, 11 and 14 from the list below.[11] The
standard set from the 17th to 20th centuries has consisted of 14 pictures or sculptures depicting the
following scenes:

Pilate condemns Jesus to die

Jesus accepts His cross

Jesus falls for the first time

Jesus meets His mother, Mary

Simon of Cyrene helps carry the cross

Veronica wipes the face of Jesus

Jesus falls for the second time

Jesus meets the women of Jerusalem

Jesus falls for the third time

Jesus is stripped of His clothes

Jesus is nailed to the cross

Jesus dies on the cross

Jesus is taken down from the cross

Jesus is placed in the tomb

Although not traditionally part of the Stations, the Resurrection of Jesus is, in very rare instances,
included as a fifteenth station.[13][14]

Scriptural form]

Main article: Scriptural Way of the Cross

Out of the fourteen traditional Stations of the Cross, only eight have a clear scriptural foundation.
Stations 3, 4, 6, 7, and 9 are not specifically attested to in the gospels (in particular, no evidence exists of
station 6 ever being known before medieval times) and Station 13 (representing Jesus's body being
taken down off the cross and laid in the arms of his mother Mary) seems to embellish the gospels'
record, which states that Joseph of Arimathea took Jesus down from the cross and buried him. To
provide a version of this devotion more closely aligned with the biblical accounts, Pope John Paul
II introduced a new form of devotion, called the Scriptural Way of the Cross, on Good Friday 1991. He
celebrated that form many times but not exclusively at the Colosseum in Rome,[15][16] using the
following sequence (as published by the United States Catholic Conference of Bishops):[17]

Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane;

Jesus is betrayed by Judas and arrested;

Jesus is condemned by the Sanhedrin;

Jesus is denied by Peter;

Jesus is judged by Pilate;

Jesus is scourged and crowned with thorns;

Jesus takes up his cross;

Jesus is helped by Simon of Cyrene to carry his cross;

Jesus meets the women of Jerusalem;

Jesus is crucified;

Jesus promises his kingdom to the repentant thief;

Jesus entrusts Mary and John to each other;

Jesus dies on the cross; and

Jesus is laid in the tomb.

In 2007, Pope Benedict XVI approved this set of stations for meditation and public
celebration.[18][better source needed]

Modern usage

Station 5: Simon of Cyrene helps Jesus carry the Cross, Good Fridayprocession 2011 at Ulm, Germany

In the Roman Catholic Church, the devotion may be conducted personally by the faithful, making their
way from one station to another and saying the prayers, or by having an officiating celebrant move from
cross to cross while the faithful make the responses. The stations themselves must consist of, at the very
least, fourteen wooden crosses, pictures alone do not suffice, and they must be blessed by someone
with the authority to erect stations.[19]

Pope John Paul II led an annual public prayer of the Stations of the Cross at the Roman Colosseum on
Good Friday. Originally, the pope himself carried the cross from station to station, but in his last years
when age and infirmity limited his strength, John Paul presided over the celebration from a stage on
the Palatine Hill, while others carried the cross. Just days prior to his death in 2005, Pope John Paul II
observed the Stations of the Cross from his private chapel. Each year a different person is invited to
write the meditation texts for the Stations. Past composers of the Papal Stations include several non-
Catholics. The pope himself wrote the texts for the Great Jubilee in 2000 and used the traditional
Stations.

The celebration of the Stations of the Cross is especially common on the Fridays of Lent, especially Good
Friday. Community celebrations are usually accompanied by various songs and prayers. Particularly
common as musical accompaniment is the Stabat Mater. At the end of each station the Adoramus Te is
sometimes sung. The Alleluia is also sung, except during Lent.

Structurally, Mel Gibson's 2004 film, The Passion of the Christ, follows the Stations of the Cross.[20] The
fourteenth and last station, the Burial, is not prominently depicted (compared to the other thirteen) but
it is implied since the last shot before credit titles is Jesus resurrected and about to leave the tomb.

Debates[edit]

Place of Christ's resurrection[edit]

Some modern liturgists[21] say the traditional Stations of the Cross are incomplete without a final scene
depicting the empty tomb and the resurrection of Jesus because Jesus' rising from the dead was an
integral part of his salvific work on Earth. Advocates of the traditional form of the Stations ending with
the body of Jesus being placed in the tomb say the Stations are intended as a meditation on
the atoning death of Jesus, and not as a complete picture of his life, death, and resurrection. Another
point of contention, at least between some ranking liturgists and traditionalists, is (the use of) the "New
Way of the Cross" being recited exclusively in the Philippines and by Filipinos abroad.

The Stations of the Resurrection (also known by the Latin name of Via Lucis, Way of Light) are used in
some churches at Eastertide to meditate on the Resurrection and Ascension of Jesus Christ.

Music[edit]

Franz Liszt wrote a Via crucis for choir, soloists and piano or organ or harmonium in 1879. In 1931,
French organist Marcel Dupré improvised and transcribed musical meditations based on fourteen
poems by Paul Claudel, one for each station. Peter Maxwell Davies's Vesalii Icones(1969), for male
dancer, solo cello and instrumental ensemble, brings together the Stations of the Cross and a series of
drawings from the anatomical treatise De humani corporis fabrica (1543) by the Belgian physician
Andreas van Wesel (Vesalius). In Davies's sequence, the final "station" represents the Resurrection, but
of Antichrist, the composer's moral point being the need to distinguish what is false from what is
real.[22] David Bowie regarded his 1976 song "Station to Station" as "very much concerned with the
stations of the cross".[23] Michael Valenti (known primarily as a Broadway composer) wrote, with
librettist Diane Seymour, an oratorio depicting the fourteen Stations of the Cross entitled "The Way". It
was premiered in 1991. Paweł_Łukaszewski wrote Via Crucis in 2000 and it was premiered by
the Wrocław_Opera on Good Friday March 30, 2018 and transmitted on TVP_Kultura. Stefano Vagnini's
2002 modular oratorio, Via Crucis,[24] a composition for organ, computer, choir, string orchestra and
brass quartet, depicts the fourteen Stations of the Cross.

As the Stations of the Cross are prayed during the season of Lent in Catholic churches, each station is
traditionally followed by a verse of the Stabat Mater, composed in the 13th century
by Franciscan Jacopone da Todi. James Matthew Wilson's poetic sequence, The Stations of the Cross, is
written in the same meter as da Todi's poem.[25]

THE SEVEN WORDS OF JESUS ON THE CROSS

Christ Jesus died on the Cross to redeem mankind, to save us from our sins because of his love for us. As
recorded in the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John in the Holy Bible, Jesus Christ was mocked,
scorned, and tortured in the praetorium. He carried his cross up the Via Dolorosa in Jerusalem to
Calvary, was nailed to the Cross, and hung between two common criminals. He suffered an
indescribable end, recalled by the Church on Good Friday of Holy Week.

One may meditate on the Passion of Christ by reflecting on his Seven Words on the Cross or by a
devotion known as The Way of the Cross.

When religious pilgrimages to the Holy Land ended with military occupation of Jerusalem in the Middle
Ages, a popular devotion known as The Way of the Cross arose during Lent retracing the Passion,
Crucifixion, and Death of Jesus. The fourteen Stations of the Cross are (1) Pilate condemns Jesus to
death; (2) Jesus takes up his Cross; (3) He falls the first time; (4) Jesus meets his sorrowful mother Mary;
(5) Simon helps carry the cross; (6) Veronica cleans his face; (7) He falls the second time; (8) Jesus
consoles the women of Jerusalem; (9) He falls the third time; (10) Jesus is stripped of his garments; (11)
Jesus is nailed to the cross; (12) Jesus Christ dies on the cross; (13) Our Lord is taken down from the
cross; (14) Christ is laid in the tomb.

Here are his Seven Words, the last seven expressions of Jesus Christ on the Cross recorded in Scripture.

THE FIRST WORD

"Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do."
Luke 23:34

Jesus of Nazareth is looking down from the cross just after he was crucified between two criminals. He
sees the soldiers who have mocked, scourged, and tortured him, and who have just nailed him to the
cross. He probably remembers those who have sentenced him - Caiaphas and the high priests of the
Sanhedrin. Pilate realized it was out of envy that they handed him over (Matthew 27:18, Mark 15:10).
But is Jesus not also thinking of his Apostles and companions who have deserted him, to Peter who has
denied him three times, to the fickle crowd who only days before praised him on his entrance to
Jerusalem, and then days later demanded his crucifixion?

Is he also thinking of us, who daily forget him in our lives?

Does he react angrily? No! At the height of his physical suffering, his love prevails and He asks His Father
to forgive! Could there ever be greater irony? Jesus asks his Father to forgive, but it is by His very
Sacrifice on the Cross that mankind is able to be forgiven!

Right up to his final hours on earth, Jesus preaches forgiveness. He teaches forgiveness in the Lord's
prayer: "Forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us" (Matthew 6:12). When
asked by Peter, how many times should we forgive someone, Jesus answers seventy times seven
(Matthew 18:21-22). He forgives the paralytic at Capernaum (Mark 2:3-12), the sinful woman who
anointed him in the home of Simon the Pharisee (Luke 7:37-48), and the adulteress caught in the act
and about to be stoned (John 8:1-11). During the Institution of the Eucharist at the Last Supper, Jesus
tells them to drink of the cup: "Drink of it, all of you; for this is my blood of the covenant, which is
poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins" (Matthew 26:27-28). And even following his
Resurrection, his first act is to commission his disciples to forgive: "Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive
the sins of any, they are forgiven; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained" (John 20:22-23).

THE SECOND WORD

"Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise."

Luke 23:43

Now it is not just the religious leaders or the soldiers that mock Jesus, but even one of the criminals, a
downward progression of mockery. But the criminal on the right speaks up for Jesus, explaining the two
criminals are receiving their just due, whereas "this man has done nothing wrong." Then, turning to
Jesus, he asks, "Jesus, remember me when you come in your kingdom" (Luke 23:42). What wonderful
faith this repentant sinner has in Jesus - far more than the doubting Thomas, one of his own Apostles.
Ignoring his own suffering, Jesus responds with mercy in His second word, living out his own
Beatitude, "Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy."

The second word again is about forgiveness, this time directed to a sinner. Just as the first word, this
Biblical expression is found only in the Gospel of Luke. Jesus shows his Divinity by opening heaven for a
repentant sinner - such generosity to a man that only asked to be remembered!
This expression offers us hope for salvation, for if we turn our hearts and prayers to Him and accept his
forgiveness, we will also be with Jesus Christ at the end of our lives.

THE THIRD WORD

"Jesus said to his mother: "Woman, this is your son."

Then he said to the disciple: "This is your mother."
John 19:26-27

Jesus and Mary are together again, at the beginning of his ministry in Cana and now at the end of his
public ministry at the foot of the Cross. John is the only Evangelist to record Our Lord's mother Mary at
the Cross. The Lord refers to his mother as woman at the Wedding Feast of Cana (John 2:1-11) and in
this passage, recalling the woman in Genesis 3:15, the first Messianic prophecy of the Redeemer,
anticipating the woman clothed with the sun in Revelation 12.

What sorrow must fill Mary's heart! How she must have felt meeting her Son as he carried the Cross on
the Via Dolorosa. "Behold I make all things new" (Revelation 21:5). And then she had to watch him being
nailed to the Cross. Once again, a sword pierces Mary's soul: we are reminded of the prophecy of
Simeon at the Presentation of the infant Jesus in the Temple (Luke 2:35).

The loved ones of Jesus are with Him in John's Gospel. There are four at the foot of the cross, Mary his
Mother, John, the disciple whom he loved, his mother's sister Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary
Magdalene. He addresses his third word to his mother Mary and John, the only eye-witness of the
Gospel writers.

Jesus again rises above the occasion as he cares for the ones that love him. The good son that He is,
Jesus is concerned about looking after his mother. St. Joseph was noticeably absent. St. Joseph was not
present at family occasions like the Wedding Feast of Cana and had probably died before the public
ministry of Jesus, or else he would have been the one to take care of Mary following the Passion of Our
Lord. In fact, this passage indicates that Jesus was the only child of Mary, because if he did have natural
brothers or sisters, they would have provided for her. But Jesus looks to John to care for her.

Another striking phrase indicating Jesus of Nazareth was an only child is Mark 6:3, referring to Jesus: "Is
not this the carpenter, the son of Mary, and the brother of James and Joses and Judas and Simon, and
are not his sisters here with us?" The terms brother and sister in Hebrew or Aramaic at that time could
mean either biological sibling, cousin or kinsman, or a spiritual brother or sister. Now if James, Joses and
Judas and Simon were also natural sons of Mary, Jesus would not have been called the "son of Mary,"
but rather "one of the sons of Mary."
THE FOURTH WORD

"My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?"

Matthew 27:46 and Mark 15:34

This was the only expression of Jesus in the Gospels of Matthew and Mark. Both Gospels related that it
was in the ninth hour, after 3 hours of darkness, that Jesus cried out this fourth word. The ninth hour
was three o'clock in Judea. After the fourth Word, Mark related with a horrible sense of finality, "And
Jesus uttered a loud cry, and breathed his last" (Mark 15:37).

One is struck by the anguished tone of this expression in contrast to the first three words of Jesus. He
feels separated from his Father. This cry is from the painful heart of the human Jesus who must feel
deserted by His Father and the Holy Spirit, not to mention his earthly companions the disciples, who "all
left him and fled" (Matthew 26:56, Mark 14:50). As if to emphasize his loneliness, Mark (15:40) even has
his loved ones "looking on from afar." Jesus is now all alone, and he must face death by himself.

But is not this exactly what happens to all of us when we die? We too are all alone at the time of death!
Jesus completely lives the human experience as we do, and by doing so, frees us from the clutches of
sin.

His fourth Word is the opening line of Psalm 22, and thus his cry from the Cross recalls the cry of Israel,
and of all innocent persons who suffer. Psalm 22 of David makes a striking prophecy of the crucifixion of
the Messiah at a time when crucifixion was not known to exist: "They have pierced my hands and my
feet, they have numbered all my bones" (22:16-17). The Psalm continues: "They divide my garments
among them, and for my vesture they cast lots" (22:18).

There can not be a more dreadful moment in the history of man as this moment. Jesus who came to
save us is crucified, and He realizes the horror of what is happening and what He now is enduring. He is
about to be engulfed in the raging sea of sin. Evil triumphs, as Jesus admits: "But this is your hour" (Luke
22:53). But it is only for a moment. The burden of all the sins of humanity for a moment overwhelm the
humanity of our Savior.

But does this not have to happen? Does this not have to occur if Jesus is to save us? It is in defeat of his
humanity that the Divine plan of His Father will be completed. It is by His death that we are redeemed.
"For there is one God. There is also one mediator between God and the human race, Christ Jesus,
himself human, who gave himself as ransom for all" (I Timothy 2:5-6).

"He himself bore our sins in his body upon the cross,
so that, free from sin, we might live for righteousness.
By his wounds you have been healed."
First Peter 2:24

THE FIFTH WORD

"I thirst."
John 19:28
The fifth word of Jesus is His only human expression of His physical suffering. Jesus is now in shock. The
wounds inflicted upon him in the scourging, the crowning with thorns, losing blood on the three-hour
walk through the city of Jerusalem on the Via Dolorosa to Golgotha, and the nailing upon the cross are
now taking their toll.

The Gospel of John first refers to thirst when Jesus meets the Samaritan woman at the well. After first
asking for "a drink," he answers the woman, “Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again, but
those who drink of the water that I will give them will never be thirsty. The water that I will give will
become in them a spring of water gushing up to eternal life" (John 4:13-14). This passage implies there is
more than just physical thirst.

Jesus also thirsts in a spiritual sense. He thirsts for love. He thirsts for the love of his Father, who has left
him unaided during this dreadful hour when He must fulfill his mission all alone. And he thirsts for the
love and salvation of his people, the human race. Jesus practiced what he preached:

"This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.
Greater love has no man than this,
That he lay down his life for his friends."
JOhn 15:12-13

THE SIXTH WORD

When Jesus had received the wine, he said, "It is finished;"

and he bowed his head and handed over the spirit.
John 19:30

The Gospel of John recalls the sacrifice of the Passover Lamb in Exodus 12 in this passage. The soldiers
offered wine on a sprig of hyssop to the Lord. Hyssop is a small plant that was used to sprinkle the blood
of the Passover Lamb on the doorposts of the Hebrews (Exodus 12:22). John's Gospel related that it was
the Day of Preparation, the day before the actual Sabbath Passover, that Jesus was sentenced to death
(19:14) and sacrificed on the Cross (19:31). John continues in 19:33-34: "But when they came to Jesus
and saw he was already dead, they did not break his legs," recalling the instruction in Exodus 12:46
concerning the Passover Lamb. He died at the ninth hour (three o'clock in the afternoon), about the
same time as the Passover lambs were slaughtered in the Temple. Christ became the Paschal or
Passover Lamb, as noted by St. Paul: "For Christ our Passover lamb has been sacrificed" (First
Corinthians 5:7). The innocent Lamb was slain for our sins, so that we might be forgiven. It is now a fait
accomplit. The sixth word is Jesus' recognition that his suffering is over and his task is completed. Jesus
is obedient to the Father and gives his love for mankind by redeeming us with His death on the Cross.

The above painting is meant to capture the moment.

What was the darkest day of mankind became the brightest day for mankind.

And the Gospels as a group captured this paradox. The Synoptic Gospels narrated the horror of the
event - the agony in the garden, the abandonment by his Apostles, the trial before the Sanhedrin, the
intense mockery and torture heaped upon Jesus, his suffering all alone, the darkness over the land, and
his death, starkly portrayed by both Matthew (27:47-51) and Mark (15:33-38).
In contrast, the passion of Jesus in the Gospel of John expresses his Kingship and proves to be His
triumphant road to glory. John presents Jesus as directing the action the entire way. The phrase "It is
finished" carries a sense of accomplishment. In John, there is no trial before the Sanhedrin, but rather
Jesus is introduced at the Roman trial as "Behold your King!" (John 19:14). Jesus is not stumbling or
falling as in the Synoptic Gospels, but the way of the Cross is presented with majesty and dignity, for
"Jesus went out bearing his own Cross" (John 19:17). And in John, the inscription at the head of the
cross is pointedly written "Jesus of Nazareth, The King of the Jews" (John 19:19). The inscription INRI at
the top of the cross is the Latin Iesus Nazarenus, Rex Iudaeorum.

When Jesus died, He "handed over" the Spirit. Jesus remained in control to the end, and it is He who
handed over his Spirit. One should not miss the double entendre here, for this may also be interpreted
as His death brought forth the Holy Spirit.

The Gospel of John gradually reveals the Holy Spirit. Jesus mentions living water in John 4:10 and during
the Feast of Tabernacles refers to living water as the Holy Spirit in 7:37-39. At the Last Supper, Christ
announces he would ask the Father to send "another Advocate to be with you always, the Spirit of
truth" (14:16-17). The word Advocate is also translated as Comforter, Helper, Paraclete, or Counselor.
"But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you everything,
and remind you of all that I have said to you" (14:26). The symbolism of water for the Holy Spirit
becomes more evident in John 19:34: "But one of the soldiers pierced his side with a spear, and
immediately there came out blood and water." The piercing of his side fulfills the prophecy in Zechariah
12:10: "They will look on me whom they have pierced." The piercing of Jesus' side prefigures
the Sacraments of Eucharist (blood) and Baptism (water), as well as the beginning of the Church.

THE SEVENTH WORD

Jesus cried out in a loud voice,

"Father, into your hands I commend my spirit."
Luke 23:46

The seventh word of Jesus is from the Gospel of Luke, and is directed to the Father in heaven, just
before He dies. Jesus recalls Psalm 31:5 - "Into thy hands I commend my spirit; thou hast redeemed me,
O Lord, faithful God." Luke repeatedly pleads Jesus' innocence: with Pilate (Luke 23:4, 14-15, 22),
through Dismas the criminal (by legend) (Luke 23:41), and immediately after His death with the
centurion - "Now when the centurion saw what had taken place, he praised God and said, "Certainly this
man was innocent" (Luke 23:47).

Jesus was obedient to His Father to the end, and his final word before his death on the Cross was a
prayer to His Father.

The relationship of Jesus to the Father is revealed in the Gospel of John, for He remarked, "The Father
and I are one" (10:30), and again at the Last Supper: "Do you not believe I am in the Father and the
Father is in me? The words that I speak to you I do not speak on my own. The Father who dwells in me is
doing his works" (14:10). And He can return: "I came from the Father and have come into the world;
again, I am leaving the world and going to the Father" (16:28). Jesus fulfills His own mission and that of
His Father on the Cross:
"For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son,
So that everyone who believes in him
may not perish but have eternal life.
John 3:16

Don Stewart :: What Is the Significance of the Words Jesus Spoke While on the Cross?

The Gospels record that during the six hours Jesus was hanging on the cross He made seven different
statements. These statements are of tremendous significance because they are the last words of Jesus
before His death. They demonstrate that Jesus was consistent in His life and in His message until the
end.

1. "Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do" (Luke 24:34).

This first of seven sayings of Jesus shows that He was thinking of others until the end of His life. Even
while experiencing the horrible pain of crucifixion, He was praying for the very people who caused His
suffering. He came to earth for the purpose of forgiving sinners and He loved them and forgave them up
until the end. It was because of man's sin that He was on the cross-suffering on behalf of that sin.

2. "Today you will be with me in Paradise" (Luke 23:43).

Not only did Jesus forgive those who crucified Him, He also forgave one of the thieves crucified next to
Him. When the thieves were put on the cross both of them cursed Jesus but, as time elapsed, one of the
thieves had a change of heart.

Then one of the criminals who were hanged blasphemed him, saying, 'If you are the Christ, save yourself
and us.' But the other, answering, rebuked him, saying, 'Do you not even fear God, seeing you are under
the same condemnation? And we indeed justly, for we receive the due reward of our deeds; but this
man has done nothing wrong.' Then he said to Jesus, 'Lord, remember me when you come into your
kingdom' (Luke 23:39-42).

It was at this juncture that Jesus made His second statement from the cross promising to forgive the
repentant thief. Again we see Jesus' concern for others. His example later led the Apostle Paul to exhort
the Philippian church,

Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others
better than himself (Philippians 2:3).

3. "Woman, behold your Son" (John 19:26).

As Jesus continued to suffer on the cross His mind was still upon others. He saw His mother standing
near the Apostle John and said, "Woman, behold your son." He then looked at John and said, "Behold
your mother!" By doing this He was entrusting the care of His mother to John. The law required the
firstborn son to take care of his parents, and Jesus was obeying the law of God up until the end. Early in
His ministry Jesus emphasized His respect for the law:

Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill
(Matthew 5:17).
He honored and obeyed the law throughout His life and He also honored the law while suffering His
death.

4. "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" (Matthew 27:46).

The fourth saying of Jesus from the cross is probably the most difficult for us to understand. The sinless
Son of God who had been, from all eternity, in an intimate relationship with His Father, is now spiritually
separated from Him. When the sins of the world were put upon Jesus there was, for the first time, a
separation between the Father and the Son. The Bible records something happened between them that
we can only understand through the eye of faith.

That is, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to himself (2 Corinthians 5:19).

The Father was placing the sins of the world upon the Son in order that everything in the universe that
had been affected by sin could again be made right with God. Jesus was suffering the pain and
separation that we deserve:

For he made him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in
him (2 Corinthians 5:21).

In order for this to occur, the Father had to forsake the Son and punish Him on our behalf.

5. "I thirst" (John 19:28).

The fifth statement that Jesus made from the cross reminds us again that He suffered as a human being.
The Bible says,

After this, Jesus, knowing that all things were now accomplished, that the Scripture might be fulfilled,
said, 'I thirst' (John 19:28).

He lived as a man and suffered as a man in order that He could identify with suffering humanity. From
this statement we observe that Jesus suffered the full physical effect of crucifixion. There was no easing
up, for the weight of our sins was placed upon Him.

6. "It is finished" (John 19:30).

The sixth statement from Jesus while on the cross was a cry of victory. The Greek text
reads tetelestai, "It is finished." What was finished? As we consider the life and ministry of Jesus we can
think of several things that His death made complete.

Jesus Finished The Job That The Father Gave Him To Do

First, Jesus had to finish the task the Father had sent Him to earth to accomplish, namely to provide
salvation for humankind. By living His entire life without sin, Jesus was able to become the perfect
sacrifice for the sins of the world. The way of salvation had now been made complete. No more animal
sacrifices were necessary for they had only pointed to the ultimate sacrifice Jesus had now offered. His
was the supreme sacrifice which satisfied the righteous demands of a holy God.

Jesus Fulfilled Prophecy

The second thing that was accomplished by Jesus on the cross was a fulfillment of prophecy. The
predicted Messiah had come as God promised He would. Prophecies of the Word of God, which are
always accurate, had again come to pass. The Savior was promised; now Christ the Savior had come and
accomplished the promised salvation.

Jesus Achieved Victory Over The Devil

A third matter that was accomplished by Jesus' death on the cross was the victory over the devil. The
Scripture says that one of the purposes for Jesus' coming was to destroy the works of the devil (1 John
3:8). The death of Christ finished that task. The dominion over the earth that man, through his sin, had
handed over to the devil was now won back. The authority of Satan had been vanquished - the victory
had been won. When Christ comes back again He will take hold of the victory that He won over the devil
on Calvary's cross.

Jesus Suffering Was Finished

A fourth and final reason that Jesus said, "It is finished" is with regard to His own suffering. Jesus spent
over thirty years upon the earth living among sinful man, suffering from the self-imposed limitations of
that existence. He had now endured the final six hours of that suffering on a cross. This was now
finished. He would no longer have to suffer the limits of space and time. It was finished!

7. "Father, into your hands I commend my spirit" (Luke 23:46).

This is the final statement that we have from Jesus before His death. Everything had been completed
and now it was time to dismiss His spirit. Jesus had previously made the statement that He would
willingly lay down His life for His sheep.

Therefore my Father loves me, because I lay down my life that I may take it again. No one takes it from
me, but I lay it down of myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This
command I have received from my Father (John 10:17,18).

From this we realize that Jesus had to purposely dismiss His spirit; it could not be taken from Him.
Unless He desired to die, He would not have had to. Because He was a willing victim, however, He chose
to die. Upon making His final statement, Jesus died.

Summary

The seven statements Jesus made from the cross have far-reaching significance for us today. They once
again remind us that His death, besides being a fact of history, was much more than that. It was the
supreme sacrifice that secured our salvation. His final words show us that we can have the utmost
confidence in Him as our Savior.

God gave the 10 Commandments from Mount Sinai, accompanied by smoke, earthquakes and the blast
of a trumpet to emphasize the importance of these laws. Moses recorded God’s words in Exodus 20 and
recounted the event again in Deuteronomy 5. There are only slight differences of emphasis in the
accounts. Both versions are listed below, along with a list of the commandments in short form.

The numbering of the commandments on the first three lists below reflects the numbering used in much
of the Christian world, though Catholics, Jews and others use various numbering systems (as shown
below that).
Do the 10 commandments apply in our lives today? Download the free booklet for answers.

The 10 Commandments List, Short Form*

You shall have no other gods before Me.

You shall not make idols.

You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain.

Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy.

Honor your father and your mother.

You shall not murder.

You shall not commit adultery.

You shall not steal.

You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.

You shall not covet.

The 10 Commandments List in Exodus 20:2-17

“I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. You
shall have no other gods before Me.

“You shall not make for yourself a carved image—any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or
that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth; you shall not bow down to them nor
serve them. For I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the
children to the third and fourth generations of those who hate Me, but showing mercy to thousands, to
those who love Me and keep My commandments.

“You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain, for the LORD will not hold him guiltless who
takes His name in vain.

“Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the
seventh day is the Sabbath of the LORD your God. In it you shall do no work: you, nor your son, nor your
daughter, nor your male servant, nor your female servant, nor your cattle, nor your stranger who is
within your gates. For in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in
them, and rested the seventh day. Therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and hallowed it.

“Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long upon the land which the LORD your
God is giving you.

“You shall not murder.

“You shall not commit adultery.

“You shall not steal.

“You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.

“You shall not covet your neighbor’s house; you shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, nor his male
servant, nor his female servant, nor his ox, nor his donkey, nor anything that is your neighbor’s.”

The 10 Commandments List in Deuteronomy 5:6-21

“I am the LORD your God who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. You
shall have no other gods before Me.

“You shall not make for yourself a carved image—any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or
that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth; you shall not bow down to them nor
serve them. For I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the
children to the third and fourth generations of those who hate Me, but showing mercy to thousands, to
those who love Me and keep My commandments.

“You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain, for the LORD will not hold him guiltless who
takes His name in vain.

“Observe the Sabbath day, to keep it holy, as the LORD your God commanded you. Six days you shall
labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the LORD your God. In it you shall do
no work: you, nor your son, nor your daughter, nor your male servant, nor your female servant, nor your
ox, nor your donkey, nor any of your cattle, nor your stranger who is within your gates, that your male
servant and your female servant may rest as well as you. And remember that you were a slave in the
land of Egypt, and the LORD your God brought you out from there by a mighty hand and by an
outstretched arm; therefore the LORD your God commanded you to keep the Sabbath day.

“Honor your father and your mother, as the LORD your God has commanded you, that your days may be
long, and that it may be well with you in the land which the LORD your God is giving you.

6“You shall not murder.

7You shall not commit adultery.

8“You shall not steal.

9“You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.

10“You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife; and you shall not desire your neighbor’s house, his field, his
male servant, his female servant, his ox, his donkey, or anything that is your neighbor’s.”

The 10 Commandments List, Jewish Numbering*

“I am the Lord your God who brought you out of the land of Egypt, the house of bondage.

“You shall not recognize the gods of others in My presence. You shall not make yourself a carved image
nor any likeness of that which is in the heavens above or on the earth below or in the water beneath the
earth. You shall not prostrate yourself to them nor worship them, for I am the Lord, your God.

“You shall not take the Name of the Lord, your God, in vain, for The Lord will not absolve anyone who
takes His Name in vain.
“Remember the Sabbath day to sanctify it. Six days shall you work and accomplish all your work; but the
seventh day is Sabbath to the Lord, your God; you shall not do any work—you, your son, your daughter,
your servant, your animal, and the stranger within your gates—for in six days The Lord made the
heavens and the earth, the sea and all that is in them, and He rested on the seventh day. Therefore, The
Lord blessed the Sabbath day and sanctified it.

“Honor your father and your mother, so that your days will be lengthened upon the land that the Lord,
your God, gives you.

“You shall not murder.

“You shall not commit adultery.

“You shall not steal.

“You shall not bear false witness against your fellow.

“You shall not covet your fellow’s house: you shall not covet your fellow’s wife, or his man servant, his
female servant, his ox, his donkey, nor anything that belongs to your fellow.”

The 10 Commandments List, Catholic Numbering, Short Form*

“I am the LORD your God: you shall not have strange Gods before me.

“You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain.

“Remember to keep holy the LORD’s Day.

“Honor your father and mother.

“You shall not kill.

“You shall not commit adultery.

“You shall not steal.

“You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.

“You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife.

“You shall not covet your neighbor’s goods.”