Three Prayers of Jesus Christ on the Cross
Three prayers on the cross
As we learned from our Bible studies, Sunday school, and learning from church services, and others like our family, friends, and neighbors as well, Jesus is known to many as the Son of God sent from above by the Father. The world may be saved through Him, and believing in Him will be rewarded an everlasting life. (John 3:16 KJV). Jesus is human and divine, and some may be confused if they have not heard the story of Jesus yet and did not hear a proper interpretation or a simple literal explanation.
If Jesus Christ is both fully human and God, was He human before He became God? Or, is He God that became human? As others believed during the 5th century, Jesus’ humanity only added to Him and that He already existed even when the world did not exist. Jesus is known to many as the Son of God sent from above by the Father; through Him, the world may be saved, and believing in Him will.
For a little explanation, Nestorianism, one of the beliefs during the 5th century, is a Christian doctrine that Jesus existed as two persons, the man Jesus and the divine Son of God. This is confusing because human flesh only started when life began after God gave breath to a human being and was named Adam. A group also believed Jesus only appeared to be human before his Baptism. This is called Adoptionism.
When we listen to all these beliefs, there are many of them and will only add to our collection of doubts and confusion. Just for the sake of learning, or sometimes they call it the school of thought, there were three popular beliefs of the 5th century in Christological teachings: Catholicism—Two Natures in One Person; Nestorianism—Two Natures in Two Persons and Monophysitism— One Nature in One Person. The two natures of Christ stand to firm up to this date, Christ in the human body and God incarnate.
Pay attention to One True God to settle this confusion, and you will never get wrong. What He did and what the Son did. There are many biblical stories written and movies playing in theatres and on Television that are made for business giving profit to producers. The Trinity is the safest and very close to the truth, or it is the truth.
Though it is not written word for word in the Bible, it is evident through our wisdom that the Godhead exists, as well as the Bible, which was not written but translated, and we believe in it. When we believe in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, our faith will not come back void, and we will never get lost in translation. Though the word Trinity is not written in the Bible, it was written as a prologue in the Book of Revelation.
We cannot have Spirit and flesh, or there will be a struggle between the two natures. One will be stronger than the other; one will be loved, and the other will be ignored. If you believe that Jesus was only a man before his Baptism and became God entirely after His ascension with a glorified body and is now seated at the right hand of God, Would you still believe it?
We learned from the Bible that God’s children have two natures. One is being born of the Spirit, the work of the Holy Spirit that brings us to light with spiritual life, and the 2nd is establishing our close relationship with the Father, who is a Spirit. Humans produce and reproduce only human life; trees and animals produce after their own kind. Therefore, we only need to rely entirely on His guidance as to the Spirit of wisdom and truth that will give us the strength to discern and follow the right direction.
He will equip us with the Word, so we must stay bold and honorable as long as we are humble and in alliance with the truth. No matter who stays in our way, whoever stands against it, the truth is more powerful than lies. Those who want to block our path will surely fail. Be alert and sober-minded because the enemy will keep attacking and moving around us restlessly. They are deprived of sleep and will keep on looking for someone to devour. We should never forget that wherever we go, we are protected because we are wearing the armor of God.
We must fight the good fight of faith. We must resist the devil, keep our faith, and firmly stand on our ground in defense of any lies, deceptions, and temptations. These are great weapons for people that lack knowledge but are not ignorant of the word of God. God will never leave us till the end of our fight. The enemy will start the fight, and we will finish the war, for God’s word is more significant than any sharp sword the enemy has.
The key to this fight is to have a mind focused on how Christ made his enemy flee. Whatever is in our hearts and mind will show reflection that will make the enemy confuse. When we draw near to God, God will draw near to us. So we must be prepared to free our minds from clutters and doubts, and with pure hearts, who else will be against us if they know that we are protected from head to toe?
Jesus shouldered all our sins to free us from the bondage of sin brought by one man, Adam. He made a way and cleansed the entire burden that will hinder our way to reconciliation with God the Father. He laid down his life for us. God’s plan will never be changed. Nobody and nothing in this universe can stop that plan.
Many believe that the Father sent the Son to die on the cross, and many believers have rejected that notion because it takes away the glory of the Son. Jesus himself said in John10:17-18 “The reason my Father loves me is that I lay down my life—only to take it up again.” “No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have the authority to lay it down and take it up again. This command I received from my Father.” “For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.” John 3:17 (KJV) This word is not the Father’s decision to send the Son to save the world but Son’s decision. This is very clear when we put John 3:16 to complete the context.
No usurpation of authority happened between the Father and the Son. That is how faithful the Father is to His Word. When He equips us the power and authority, we can freely use it against any attack by wrongdoers in heavenly places according to His will and purpose. We can enjoy righteously exercising our free will, and any decision, action, and reaction that is out of the line will have consequences.
It is better to ask the Holy Spirit within us before making a move that we are not sure about. He can guide us on any decision and protect us in our daily journey. If ever we need help, call on His Name. When we ask, we will get the answer; when we seek, we will find; and when we knock, His heart is like an open door. Always open to welcome us.
Here are the three prayers of Jesus Christ on the cross: “Father forgive them; for they know not what they do” (Luke 23:34). This prayer is an eye-opener that Jesus unlocked or revealed to us that the Father, who is all in all and the One that will grant forgiveness. This prayer tells us that Jesus already forgave his executioners and those falsely accused Him that brought Him to death and gave forgiveness even though they were not asking for it. What was significant was that it was coming from His heart.
Who among us in that situation nearing death still thought to forgive those who sinned against us? We should learn from this prayer the presence of God in times of need and forgiveness, which is love to the fullest. His humbleness shows us the righteous way of living is to forgive. The truth always starts from the heart and not from the mouth. Jesus gives us a new life by cleansing us from the old sin passed to us from generation to generation so we can start a new beginning. How good it is to be within the Trinity.
“My God, My God, why hast thou forsaken me?” (Matt 27:46, Mark 15:34). This is the cry of the Spirit amid pain and suffering while hanging between the heavens and the earth. In this situation, Jesus showed us that without God, we neither are anything and reminded us that God the Father is our refuge in times like this. No flesh can bear the body’s pain without the soul crying for help. God will not leave or forsake us, and we always have a choice in how to make our relationship work as a son and God as our Father.
“Father, into thy hands, I commit my spirit” (Luke 23:46). When our body gets exhausted and becomes numb due to unbearable beating and punishment, our body loses all the energy and chance to live; only death will be the hope and will. When the agony ends, our soul stops functioning; pain and suffering cannot be felt anymore by the body, and the Spirit is the last to depart our body and return to God, who has given us life in the first place. The body will see corruption, from dust to dust; from dust, the body was created, made, and formed, and it will go back.
God will welcome back the Spirit, and the soul that did not sin will not die and will have a glorious body and joyful life in eternity, called the New Heaven. In this New Heaven, all the negative that happened in the old earth will come to pass and will never be remembered. Goodbye world! (Emphasis mine)
The last word Jesus uttered, “it is finished,” should mean so much to us. He died on the cross for our sins, sins that turned humanity less holy and imperfect, sins that became an inheritance for all humans from the fall of one man that allowed sin to enter the world.
We became an excellent example of the perfect imperfection of humanity. We all make mistakes, and no human is an excuse for being human. However, if we try to be perfect, then maybe we need to face ourselves in the mirror and ask ourselves who we are, and maybe we may get an answer.
If we keep the belief that the original sin is still at hand, then the sacrifice and redemptive work of our Lord Jesus Christ is void. It’s finished, he said, mission accomplished. He ascended to heaven and seated on the right hand of the Father to oversee the kingdom He established on earth, and He will also prepare rooms that He promised to His apostles. God wants us to be with Him. He cares for us, plans for us, will not forsake us, and wants us to spend eternity with Him! That is His will and definitely will be fulfilled.
Prayer
Let us pray.
Oh, most Heavenly Father, our only God, Creator, our Provider, you have given us all the blessings we may not even deserve. Oh Lord God, you sent your Son, Jesus to redeem us from our sins because you love your children.
Forgive us, Lord, for our transgressions if we have offended and sinned against you. You are always a forgiving God; thank you, Oh Lord, for life, happiness, and all the blessings you have poured upon us.
We pray to you, Oh Lord, that you continue to protect us from any sickness, this Covid 19 that has become a pandemic, that you take away this virus and allow the people working on a cure to create a vaccine.
Protect all front-liners fighting the virus and give them faith, strength, and wisdom to continue their work.
Thank you, Oh Lord, and continue to bless and protect us and heal the land you let us inhabit.
We pray unto You, our Almighty Father, to Your mighty Son Jesus and the work of the Your Spirit within us. Amen.