We have just concluded a series of messages this week on the Seven Sayings of Jesus on the Cross. All of the words of Jesus are significant and filled with meaning. Often, even humans say some of their most important words upon departing from others, whether temporarily or eternally. We should cleave to every word of our Lord whether spoken when he was just a lad or while dying on the cross. (Luke 2:49, John 6:63, Matt. 4:4.)

I want to relate some of the things said by others around the cross of Jesus. Their sayings reveal a great deal about human nature and man’s lost state. Some reflect a tenderness and compassion for Jesus. Some, like the thief on his right, were sorrowful for their misdeeds and sought the Lord’s forgiveness.

There are many cultural differences between the east and west. I do not want to oversimplify the great issues, but there are differences in the value we place upon human life. Jews and Arabs, even to this day, often kill one another. In battle with the west, they will use our distaste for the loss of life to bluff the mighty military power of the west. The Jews and Romans not only scourged and killed the Lord of life, but they mocked him while he suffered excruciating pain. They were hard and callused.

I have never known of anyone who spoke harshly to another while they were dying. Some were very ungodly and needed to be rebuked while they lived. But now while the sinner dies the family weeps for him. These mocked Jesus while he suffered. What cruelty and hardness of heart!

Here are some of their words to Jesus and about Him.

"One of the malefactors which were hanged railed on him, saying, If thou be Christ, save thyself and us." (Luke 23:39.)

This statement mocked his claims of being the Son of God. They perhaps thought that his scourging and crucifixion proved that he was not the Son of God. How would God allow his Son to be so punished? The Muslims to this day argue against the cross because they do not understand how God would so humiliate his only Son. Their emphasis upon "honor" keeps them from seeing the love of God for lost man and his work in re-establishing the honor we have lost due to sin. The Muslims need to allow God to be God. If He desires to come to earth and die in man’s place, why can he not do so?? Let us let God be God. Jesus was honored by being raised and given a name that is above every name. Yes, there was shame and humiliation suffered by our Lord. He was bearing our shame and guilt before God.

But there is something else in this statement by the thief and others at the foot of the cross. It is typical of man to want to forego pain, suffering and sacrifice. Watch out for number one; no one else will. Do not give too much; do not sacrifice too much; do not get too involved in religion. Save yourself. This is what man would do if he were in Jesus’ place. If we had his power, we would have called forth the angels of God and destroyed the sinful Jews and Romans.

But the applause of history is not reserved for those who save themselves, but rather to those who sacrifice themselves. Honor, even among men, is reserved for those few who give their lives for others. Jesus taught that we should seek to serve, not to be served.

"Whosoever will be great among you, let him be your minister. Whosoever will be chief among you, let him be your servant. Even as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister and to give his life a ransom for many." (Matt. 20:26-28.)

For this reason, we esteem very highly characters like "Mother" Teresa who served the poorest of the poor in Calcutta, India; Dietrich Bonhoeffer, who was advised by Americans to stay in this land and not to oppose Hitler, returned and was executed at the end of WW 2; Frank Ferree, the border angel (Mexican and Texas border) who lived to help others (he was honored by President Carter and other government officials); or a local person named Thomas Cannon from Richmond who has given away more than $96,000 (as of Sept. 1997). Cannon often gives his gifts in $1000 sums to needy causes and to those who do good deeds. He gave this while living on a modest salary from the postal service.

Parents do not encourage their children to become missionaries to destitute lands because we want our children to "save themselves." We all seek to save ourselves from toil, sacrifice and service to others. We seek early retirement with riches instead of service to God and man!

"Hereby perceive we the love of God, because he laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren." (1 John 3:16.)

"My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? Some of them that stood there, when they heard this, said, This man calls for Elijah. And straightway one of them ran and took a sponge and filled it with vinegar and put it on a reed and gave him to drink. The rest said, Let be, let us see whether Elijah will come to save him." (Matt. 27:47-49.)

The people at the foot of the cross could not understand clearly the words of Jesus. They misunderstood his lament to God, thinking that he was calling for Elijah. Perhaps, it was because of the Aramaic words, Eli, Eli, (my God, my God) that they mockingly said that he was calling for Elijah.

It may have been due to their misunderstanding of Scripture. The Jews had long looked for the coming of Elijah. The close of the Old Testament gave this promise. "Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord. And he will turn the heart of the fathers to the children and the heart of the children to their fathers, lest I come and smite the earth with a curse." (Malachi 4:5.) When Jesus was transfigured before three apostles, Moses and Elijah appeared talking with Jesus. (Matt. 17:1-3.) Moses was the law-giver and Elijah stood for the prophets of God.

When Jesus came, he told the disciples that this OT passage referred to John the Baptist. "For all the prophets and the law prophesied until John. If ye will receive it, this is Elijah which was to come." (Matt. 11:13-14.) John the Baptist came in the spirit and power of Elijah. He was like him in many ways. Both were spokesmen for God. The angel of God said this to John’s parents before his birth. (Luke 1:13, 17.) Three years after Jesus explained this passage in Malachi, they were still talking about the coming of Elijah.

Conjecture and confusion of Scripture often lead to presumptuous attitudes and actions. They were interested in Scripture while murdering an innocent person. Such contradictions and hypocrisies often befall mankind. Jesus was right when he said, For they know not what they do. The Hebrew writer explained that high priests were ordained from among men to offer sacrifices to God, and so that they would have "compassion on the ignorant and on them that are out of the way." (Heb. 5:1-2.)

Religious people today often fall prey to the same contradictions. While waiting for Scripture to be fulfilled, we often live as the world lives. We should know better. Paul wrote, "Be not conformed to this world, but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind that ye may prove what is that good, acceptable, and perfect will of God." (Rom. 12:2.) While we have all that we need to produce a strong faith in God, we often take a wait and see attitude. Let us see what will happen. It might be spectacular. What will Elijah do if he comes? It might be something extraordinary that we can relate to our families and friends. There are many on-lookers and bystanders. They will not get involved; they lack faith and commitment.

All of us are standing at the foot of the cross. What is our role? What will be do about this One who died for us? Do we care enough to be a disciple, or will we just watch and talk about what happens?

"And one of the malefactors which were hanged railed on him, saying, If thou be Christ, save thyself and us. But the other answering rebuked him, saying, Dost not thou fear God, seeing thou art in the same condemnation? And we indeed justly, for we receive the due reward of our deeds, but this man has done nothing amiss. And he said unto Jesus, Lord, remember me when thou comest in thy kingdom." (Luke 23:39-42.)

Those words, remember me, are well chosen ones by the thief. He did not ask for deliverance from the cross on which he was dying. He did not ask to sit on the right or left in the Lord’s kingdom, like James and John did. He did not think that he deserved anything special because of all the good deeds of his life. His life was misspent and ending in shame. He knew that he deserved the punishment that he was receiving. This request was forged in pain and faith.

He knew something about the Lord and his message. Perhaps, he understood more than many of the apostles and other disciples. He did not think that death would keep him from participating in some way in the Lord’s kingdom. Perhaps, he also believed in the resurrection of the dead. One thing we know, he had a great faith in the Lord and at last was expressing it. Remember me---what well chosen words! His request was not for physical, earthly pleasure. It was not self-centered in order to save himself. The request had a spiritual quality and dimension that the Lord always favors with an answer.

We too should cry, Remember me in your eternal kingdom. The Lord wants to remember us with his blessings. "For God is not unrighteous to forget your work and labor of love, which ye have showed toward his name, in that ye have ministered to the saints and do minister." (Heb. 6:10.) The existence of "the Lamb’s book of life" indicates clearly to all that the Lord wants to remember us. (Phil. 4:3.)

"Now when the centurion and they that were with him, watching Jesus, saw the earthquake and those things that were done, they feared greatly, saying, Truly this was the Son of God." (Matt. 27:54.)

The footnote in the NIV reads, "Or a son of God." Luke’s gospel account reads, "Certainly this was a righteous man." (23:47.) This centurion had little understanding of the significance of the expression, Son of God, and probably was using it only in a general sense. He was more acquainted with the many gods of Rome; he was familiar with the notion that man could anger the gods and they would retaliate. The earthquake and darkness was evidence to him that one of the many gods was very upset. He is simply referring to Jesus in a general sense as a follower of some god. We read too much into his words when we apply our faith and understanding into his words.

"There is no article with God or Son in the Greek so that it means ‘God’s Son,’ either ‘the Son of God’ or ‘a Son of God.’ There is no way to tell. Evidently the centurion was deeply moved by the portents which he had witnessed. He had heard the several flings at Jesus for claiming to be the Son of God and may even have heard of his claim before the Sanhedrin and Pilate. How much he meant by his words we do not know, but probably he meant more than merely ‘a righteous man.’ (Luke 23:47.) (Word Pictures in New Testament, A. T. Robertson, 236.)

Whatever the centurion thought or understood is irrelevant. John’s gospel account was written to produce faith in Jesus as the Son of God. (John 20:30-31.) He is the one and only Son of God, the one Mediator between man and God. (1 Tim. 2:5.) There is not another. Peter preached in Jerusalem, "Neither is there salvation in any other; for there is none other name under heaven given among men whereby we must be saved." (Acts 4:12.)