We have come to the final chapter of the The Seven Sayings of the Saviour on the Cross, the third classic we’ve read together here. It has gone very quickly! If you have not been reading along with us it is obviously too late to start now, but stayed tuned for the next book we’ll read together (I will announce it here in a couple of weeks).
Summary
The seventh chapter looks at the final words Jesus spoke while on the cross. Having spoken words of forgiveness, salvation, affection, anguish, suffering and victory, he cries forth one final time, this time with words of contentment. Luke 23:46 describes this. “Then Jesus, calling out with a loud voice, said, ‘Father, into your hands I commit my spirit!’ And having said this he breathed his last.”
The chapter follows this outline:
- Here we see the Saviour back again in communion with the Father.
- Here we see a designed contrast.
- Here we see Christ’s perfect yieldedness to God.
- Here we see the absolute uniqueness of the Saviour.
- Here we see the place of eternal security.
- Here we see the blessedness of communion with God.
- Here we see the heart’s true haven.
Discussion
As usual, I’d like to focus on just a couple of the points in this chapter that stood out to me. As with many of these sayings on the cross, I’ve spent a good deal of time in the past thinking and writing about this one. I’ve thought deeply about what it means that Jesus commended His spirit to the Father and what it means that He “dismissed His spirit” as another of the gospel writers terms it. But I learned more in reading this chapter. I enjoyed Pink’s section detailing how this saying points to the uniqueness of Jesus. Jesus’ life was not in the end taken from Him; instead, Jesus laid it down. Jesus had the power to lay down His life and, as we saw three days later, He had the power to take it again. Pink did a great job of tying together the different expressions of this in the gospels, showing how this was a word of power, of authority and of contentment. Jesus willingly gave His life for the Father’s glory and in the end, it was Jesus who surrendered His spirit when His work was done.
And how could the Christian’s heart not be uplifted by section showing how these words show the blessedness of communion with God. Here was Christ, on the cross, in utter agony, in the worst physical trial imaginable, and yet He still enjoyed communion with the Father.
This is one of the sweetest truths brought out by our text. It is our privilege to enjoy communion with God at all times, irrespective of outward circumstances or conditions. Communion with God is by faith, and faith is not affected by the things of sight. No matter how unpleasant your outward lot may be, my reader, it is your unspeakable privilege to enjoy communion with God. Just as the three Hebrews enjoyed fellowship with the Lord in the midst of the fiery furnace, as Daniel did in the lion’s den, as Paul and Silas did in the Philippian jail, as the Saviour did on the cross, so may you wherever you are! Christ’s head rested on a crown of thorns, but beneath were the Father’s hands!
And what a beautiful truth this is. Even (or perhaps especially) in life’s greatest trials, in its most terrifying and terrible moments, we can be assured of our fellowship with the Creator. Nothing can separate us from that sweet communion.
And finally, I’ll make brief mention of the final section which discusses the heart’s true haven. I don’t think I could do better than to quote Pink’s words:
These words then may be taken to express the believer’s care for his soul, that it may be safe, what ever becomes of the body. God’s saint who has come nigh to death exercises few thoughts about his body, where it shall be laid, or how it shall be disposed of; he trusts that into the hands of his friends. But as his care all along has been his soul, so he thinks of it now, and with his last breath commits it to the custody of God. It is not, “Lord Jesus receive my body, take care of my dust;” but “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit” - Lord, secure the jewel when the casket is broken.
The spirit is the treasure. May we all follow the Saviour’s example and commend our souls to the care of the Father.
Next Time
There is no next time, at least with this book. In the next week or two I’ll announce the next book we will read together. As always, you can feel free to leave a comment with any suggestions for future reading. I think we’ll probably go back in time and try to read an older classic for our next round. I’d really like to find a manageable portion of Edwards or Calvin that we could do—but obviously many of their works are just too long for this format.
Your Turn
I am eager to know what you gained from this chapter. Feel free to post comments below or to write about this on your own blog (and then post a comment linking us to your thoughts). Do not feel that you can only say anything if you are going to say something that will wow us all. Just add a comment with some of the things you gained from the this week’s reading. Also feel free to share your reflections about the book as a whole.
Comments (5) »
1. Scott D. Andersen
June 19, 2008
11:03 AM
First, I thought a few times during this read of a previous article Tim wrote called, I think, Blood on the Pages. The article described how Tim’s relative was showing him a book on how to butcher and the pages discussing butchering a deer were marked with bloody fingerprints indicating how this man had spent time in these pages, using them and benefiting from them. I think of that article as I read books now, making sure I read with ruler and pencil, underlining, writing in the margin, digesting what I read, and leaving blood on the pages. Pink’s book is covered then in numerous “bloody fingerprints.”
For example, I especially enjoyed noting how each of the seven sayings was fulfillment of a specific prophetic word. Also that this word was one of contentment, rest, faith.
Or the comparison to the seven sayings to the creation of the world. On the 6th day God completed his work and the sixth saying was “it is finished.” Then the 7th day was a day of rest, and this word is a day of rest.
The division of the 6 hours of suffering into 3 hours at the hands of men, and the 3 hours enduring at the hands of the Father the just punishment of outraged holiness. But then communion was reestablished as Jesus Cried with a Loud Voice, “Father.”
How Pink pointed out some 45 times Jesus used the word “Father” in John 14-16, and another 6 in John 17.
Of the seven sayings:
3 sayings were concerning men:
“Today you will be with me…”
“Woman, behold thy Son”
“I thirst..”
3 Sayings addressed to God:
“Forgive them”
“Why have you forsaken…”
“..Into thy hands”
1 saying addressed to Men, God and Angels:
“It is finished”
Especially how also how Jesus died a death no man else could die, even telling us yielded up the ghost equals “dismissed his Spirit”
Was intrigued that Pink pointed out that man is a “Tripartite being”, “spirit and soul and body” (1 Thess. 5:23) I guess I agree on the one hand, but it seems there is much controversy over this definition. Any discussion or further comments would be appreciated.
Here is what Charles Hodge had to say:
“This doctrine of a threefold constitution of man being adopted by Plato, was introduced partially into the early Church, but soon came to be regarded as dangerous, if not heretical. Its being held by the Gnostics that the pneuma in man was a part of the divine essence, and incapable of sin; and by the Apollinarians that Christ had only a human soma and psuche, but not a human pneuma, the Church rejected the doctrine that the psuche and pneuma were distinct substances, since upon it those heresies were founded. In later times the Semi-Pelagians taught that the soul and body, but not the spirit in man were the subjects of original sin. All Protestants, Lutherans and Reformed, were, therefore, the more zealous in maintaining that the soul and spirit, psuche and pneuma, are one and the same substance and essence. And this, as before remarked, has been the common doctrine of the Church.”
Charles Hodge, Systematic Theology, Vol II, p. 51, Hendrickson Publishers, 2003. ISBN 1-56563-459-4.
Thanks Tim, this reading has been God’s blessing to myself, family and friends as it has fueled some good thoughts and conversations. “Keeping the main thing the main thing” — CJ Mahaney
sda
2. Scott D. Andersen
June 19, 2008
11:37 AM
Sorry, the above mentioned article by Tim was called “Blood on the Book.” Well worth reading if you haven’t. It’s one of my favorites.
http://www.challies.com/archives/articles/bible-study/blood-on-the-book.php
Knowing our common experience of reading Tim’s mentioned article, I just love it when a friend comments concerning the pencil markings on pages, “oh, there blood on these pages.”
sda
3. Mrs. J.D. Darr
June 19, 2008
2:20 PM
Scott, thanks for sharing your beautiful notes! Tim, as always, we are blessed by your insight! I’m looking forward to the next book :)
4. Daniel Arthur
June 19, 2008
3:04 PM
Tim, thanks for this creative idea, and for the excellent choice of the book. It was a blessing to try to think with more depth about this topic.
This chapter actually left me with a sense of satisfaction - the story ended as it should have - with confidence and hope in the resurrection. What a blessing!
More thoughts are posted on my blog.
5. David Porter
June 25, 2008
1:58 PM
First of all…Tim….thank you so much for pointing us to this text. What a treasure! My life is truly changed from its understandings.
Secondly, this blogging medium has left me with wondrous notes to refer back to for later meditation, rich lessons to point family and friends to in future conversations, and even still, the potential for new friendships from all over the world as we grow together in Christ.
How cool is that!
Here is my final post on this book:
http://www.boomerinthepew.com/2008/06/the-seventh-wor.html
Post Your Comment Here »