While hanging from a cross, Jesus uttered seven powerful statements that reveal His heart and ministry to us. Each statement carries the weight of the Gospel in itself and together they provide a portrait of God's eternal plan of salvation through Christ.

Statement 1: "Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing" (see Luke 23:34).

Jesus did not ask forgiveness for Himself — He didn't need to, He was sinless. Jesus did not ask for a quick, painless death — He knew His purpose for dying on the Cross. Jesus did not ask God for vengeance on the people who sentenced Him to death — instead He prayed on their behalf. Even in His suffering, Jesus was able to forgive His tormentors and care about their souls. If Jesus could forgive those who hurt Him, He can forgive us of our sins — and give us the strength to forgive others.

Statement 2: "I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise?"(see Luke 23:39-43).

In one of His last interactions with another person, Jesus extended eternal life. Through His open forgiveness of others in his first statement, Jesus sparked an internal transformation in the criminal next to Him. Our Savior did not allow His own suffering and torment to distract Him from the cries of faith from a repentant sinner. Just as He was not too preoccupied to minister to this criminal, He is never too busy for our concerns.

Statement 3: "He said to his mother, 'Dear woman, here is your son,' and to the disciple, 'Here is your mother'" (see John 19:26-27).

Jesus' first two statements clearly revealed His divinity — His power to forgive sin and to grant eternal salvation. His third statement reflects His humanity. As fully God and fully man, Jesus' concern for Mary was not just as a Savior, but as a son. His compassion for His earthly mother reminds us that Jesus also cares for our well-being and direction in life, even when we don't understand God's plans. And as Jesus asked John to care for Mary, He asks us to care for others on His behalf.

Statement 4: "My God, My God, why have you forsaken me?" (see Matthew 27:45-50).

This prayer is the very heart and necessity of the Cross. It is the fulfillment of prophecy from Psalm 22. For the first time in eternity, the Son knew the wrath and the judgment of God. Our sins were poured out on Jesus and God could not look upon Him carrying our sins. That is the one thing the Father cannot do — look upon sin. This separation from the Father must have been even more agonizing than the physical torture, yet He suffered it for our sake.

Statement 5: "I thirst" (see John 19:28-29).

After enduring unthinkable stress, three days of imprisonment, trials, floggings, and crucifixion, the Son of God — who made the waters of the world — experienced extreme dehydration and thirst. In this statement Jesus fulfilled another prophecy (see Psalm 69:21). Still, there is a deeper meaning to His thirst. Psalm 42 says, "As the deer panteth after water, my soul panteth for You, O God. My soul thirsts for the Living God. When can I go and meet with God?" Jesus cried out with the psalmist; He was thirsting for the presence and fellowship of God the Father during their separation on the Cross.

Statement 6: "Father, into your hands I commit my spirit" (see Luke 23:44-49).

This cry was not the cry of defeat, but a cry of victory. It was not the cry of being conquered by death, but of conquering death. It was not a cry of a person who was a victim of circumstances, but One who is in control of His circumstances. As a commander who would dismiss his servant from his presence, Jesus dismissed His own spirit and went to be with God the Father as He spoke the words of Psalm 31:5. When the centurion at the cross witnessed Jesus' victorious cry, the officer recognized the difference between Jesus and every other dying man he had seen. It was in this moment that he said, "Surely this was a righteous man."

Statement 7: "It is finished" (see John 19:28-30).

How many times in the Gospel of John does Jesus talk about His hour? He would say, "My hour has not yet come," or "the hour has come, the hour is coming." It was as if Jesus was hearing the chimes of a clock that nobody else could hear. The life of the Lord Jesus Christ — the sum total of His ministry and mission — was leading to this one, final cry, "Tetelestai" or "It is finished." From His birth, through His boyhood, manhood, and public ministry, Jesus' focus was to finish the work His Father had given to Him — the work of redemption.

Jesus Christ atoned for the sins of the world on Calvary's hill. From the very beginning, it was God's plan for our redemption. Today, just as in those final hours on Calvary, "the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God" (1 Corinthians 1:18). Thanks be to God!

Excerpted from the sermon series Seven Statements From The Cross by Michael Youssef, Ph.D.