The Last Words of Jesus
Physicians and scientists who have studied the medical aspects of the crucifixion concluded that the sayings had to be short because crucifixion causes asphyxia. This makes inhaling air to speak difficult and painful, especially as death approaches.
MATTHEW 27:46,50: "And about the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, "Eli, eli, lama sabachthani?" that is to say, "My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?" ...Jesus, when he cried again with a loud voice, yielded up the ghost."
LUKE 23:46: "And when Jesus had cried with a loud voice, he said, "Father, unto thy hands I commend my spirit:" and having said thus, he gave up the ghost."
JOHN 19:30: "When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, he said, "It is finished:" and he bowed his head, and gave up the ghost."
Who was present at Jesus' crucifixion?
The gospels are in agreement that there were two others being crucified, and that there were soldiers and a mob present. Beyond that, the answer depends on which gospel you prefer to use.
The Gospel according to Mark is clear in that none of the disciples was at the crucifixion. Women looked from afar off: among them, Mary. Since this was the earliest of the gospels, and the other New Testament Gospels used it as their major sources for information on the life of Jesus, Mark ought to be the most accurate gospel.
The Gospel according to Matthew says only that women looked from afar off: among them, Mary and Mary Magdalene.
The Gospel according to Luke says that those of his acquaintance stood afar off with the women.
The Gospel according to John says that the mother of Jesus, her sister (also called Mary) and Mary Magdalene stood by the cross with the disciple whom he loved. Nowhere is the disciple whom Jesus loved identified, but Christian tradition holds him to be John.
The Seven Sayings
The seven sayings form part of a Christian meditation that is often used during Lent, Holy Week and Good Friday. The traditional order of the sayings is:[16]
- Luke 23:34: Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do.
- Luke 23:43: Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in paradise.
- John 19:26–27: Woman, behold your son. Behold your mother.
- Matthew 27:46: My God, My God, why have you forsaken me?
- John 19:28: I thirst.
- John 19:30: It is finished.
- Luke 23:46: Father, into your hands I commit my spirit.
- In Matthew and Mark :
- My God, My God, why have you forsaken me?
- In Luke:
- Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do
- Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in paradise (in response to one of the two thieves crucified next to him)
- Father, into your hands I commit my spirit (last words)
- In John:
- Woman, behold your son: behold your mother (directed at Mary, the mother of Jesus, either as a self-reference, or as a reference to the beloved disciple and an instruction to the disciple himself)
- I thirst (just before a wet sponge, mentioned by all the Canonical Gospels, is offered)
- It is finished (last words)
Historicity of the sayings
James Dunn considers the seven sayings weakly rooted in tradition and sees them as a part of the elaborations in the diverse retellings of Jesus' final hours. Dunn, however, argues in favor of the authenticity of the Mark/Matthew saying in that by presenting Jesus as seeing himself 'forsaken' it would have been an embarrassment to the early Church, and hence would not have been invented. (James G. D. Dunn, Jesus Remembered, Eerdmans, 2003, pp. 779–781.)
Geza Vermes, states that the first saying from (Mark and Matthew) is a quotation from Psalm 22, and is therefore occasionally seen as a theological and literary device employed by the writers. According to Vermes, attempts to interpret the expression as a hopeful reference to scripture provide indirect evidence of its authenticity. (Geza Vermes, The Passion, Penguin 2005, p. 75) and ( Vermes, Géza. The authentic gospel of Jesus. London, Penguin Books. 2004)
Leslie Houlden, on the other hand, states that Luke may have deliberately excluded the Mark/Matthew saying from his Gospel because it did not fit in the model of Jesus he was presenting. (Jesus: the complete guide by Leslie Houlden 2006 p. 627) and (Jesus in history, thought, and culture: an encyclopedia, Volume 1 by James Leslie Houlden 2003 p. 645)