The arrival of the Easter week It evokes, in many believers, the memory of Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross of Calvary, where he suffered at the hands of Roman empire as part of the purpose that the creator entrusted him on earth.
According to biblical stories, between Your crucifixion And his death, Jesus raised several requests to heaven and spoke with one of the convicted who was crucified with him.
The four gospels narrate the moments of his passion in detail, which allows the believer to imagine the physical suffering that involved being whipped, perforated in feet and hands with nails and exposed on a cross until he exhales his last breath.
“Consumored is”, one of the phrases pronounced by Jesus at the time of death, symbolizes the fulfillment of the redemptive mission for which he was sent, and marks the closure of his sacrifice on the cross.
Before exhaling his last breath, Jesus delivered seven phrases on the Cross of Calvary. These expressions, loaded with faith, forgiveness and delivery, marked their legacy and summarize the central message of their redemptive mission.
1. forgiveness (first sentence)
After being presented to the Roman governor Poncio Pilate and after the election of the people to free a inmate, Jesus was sentenced to die crucified. Destiny was Calvary, also known as El Gólgota, a place identified by its way as “the skull.”
According to the story of the Gospel of St. Luke 23, Jesus was taken to Golgota with two criminals, being crucified between them. From the cross, his first word was a plea of mercy:
Father, forgive them, because they don’t know what they do (Luke 23:34).
With this phrase, Jesus intercedes with the creator, asking that they are not imputed to have condemned him, in a gesture of compassion towards those who did not understand that he was sent.
2. Promise of forgiveness (second sentence)
During the crucifixion, according to the Scriptures, Romans, Jews and some priests made fun of Jesus, who was hung on the cross with a sign that said: “This is the king of the Jews.”
In that context, as recorded in Lucas 23:39, one of the crucified thieves next to him said:
If you are the Christ, save yourself and us.
However, the other inmate rebuked him, recognizing that Jesus had not committed any crime, unlike them. Then, he went to the Messiah with a plea:
Remember me when you come in your kingdom.
Jesus, in a gesture of deep compassion and mercy, responded with his second sentence, collected in Luke 23:43:
I assure you: today you will be with me in paradise.
This answer not only represents a promise of salvation, but reaffirms the unconditional love of Jesus, even in the midst of suffering.
3. Word of care (third sentence)
Amid the pain of the crucifixion, Jesus not only thought of his spiritual mission, but also the well -being of his mother. According to the Gospel of St. John 19: 26-27, seeing Mary at the foot of the Cross, accompanied by the disciple whom she loved-traditionally identified as John-Jesus pronounced his third phrase:
“Woman, there you have your son,” he told Maria. Then, addressing the disciple, he said: “There you have your mother.”
From that moment, the disciple welcomed her at home, fulfilling Jesus’ desire that her mother was not homeless.
These words show their tenderness and filial responsibility, even at the moment of greater suffering, and have been interpreted by the Christian tradition as the symbolic act of trusting humanity, represented in John, in the care of Mary.
4. Abandonment clamor (fourth phrase)
In his torture. Near the ninth hour (around 3 pm), the Bible reports that Jesus raised his voice from the cross in a shout of pain.
“Elí, Elí! Lemá Sabactaní?”, What does it mean: My God, my God! Why have you abandoned me?
Phrase that refers a clamor of anguish that expresses the weight of human suffering that is portrayed in Psalm 22.
This phrase pronounced in Aramaic, does not indicate a loss of faith or despair, but of a deep manifestation of pain in full identification with mourning humanity. Theologians comment that this cry reveals that, even in the apparent absence of God, Jesus maintains the link with the Father, calling him “my God” in an act of persevering faith.
5. Water request (fifth phrase)
Amid pain, Scripture recounts that Jesus expressed a physical need: the desire to drink water. This moment is recorded in the Gospel of St. John 19:28, which details the brief phrase:
I am thirsty.
According to theologians, this expression symbolizes “the thirst of the righteous”, in allusion to Psalm 69:21. This act reveals both its physical suffering and its spiritual dimension.
6. compliance word (sixth phrase)
In the midst of pain, and as the time of his departure approached, Jesus delivered one of the most significant phrases of his mission, an expression that believers carry as a banner.
According to the Gospel of St. John 19:30, after receiving the vinegar, Jesus exclaimed:
Everything is fulfilled.
Then he bowed his head and gave his spirit to God.
Theologians claim that this phrase marks the closure of a life delivered to the service of the divine will. The expression, translated as “consummated”, represents the culmination of the work of salvation entrusted by the Father.
7. Final delivery of your life (seventh phrase)
With his last sighs on the cross, and after having expressed compliance with his mission, Jesus pronounced his definitive delivery to God. According to the Gospel of St. Luke 23:46, he exclaimed in a strong voice:
Father, in your hands I entrust my spirit.
He died at that time.