What were Jesus's last words on the cross?

Upvote:-6

I must disagree with all of these possible sayings. Ultimate death from crucifixion is caused by suffocation which would have made any coherent speech impossible. At best there might have been some gasping or wheezing sounds but that wouldn't have made a good story.

Upvote:8

I don't see how to answer this without copying and pasting the entire resolution from the other site, but in summary, each person documented what they heard, and in total we can deduce what he actually said, which is, all in a loud voice, "My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?", then "Father, unto thy hands I commend my spirit:"and finally, "It is finished:"

From an apologetics site dedicated to showing possible resolutions to Bible discrepancies: http://contenderministries.org/discrepancies/contradictions.php#17

First, John was nearer to the cross and probably heard things the others didn't. John is referred to in scripture as the disciple that Jesus loved (John 13:23). Notice he is mentioned as being near the cross of Jesus.

John 19:25 Near the cross of Jesus stood his mother, his mother's sister, Mary the wife of Cleophas, and Mary Magdalene. When Jesus saw his mother there, and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby, he said to his mother, "Dear woman, here is your son," and to the disciple, "Here is your mother." From that time on, this disciple took her into his home."

Notice, in the verse above, Jesus is speaking only to Mary and John who are directly below the cross.

When John recounts the events at the cross, he's focusing on what was said privately to him at the foot of the cross and what's said to those standing close by - the plea of thirst, the statement of completion, and the turning over of responsibility for Jesus' mother to John.

Matthew focused on the words Jesus said "in a loud voice" to all that were there (the crowd).

The Last thing Matthew heard was "My god, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? Then a loud cry before giving up the ghost.

Luke hears the same loud cry that Matthew mentions, but also hears after that, probably because he's closer, "Father, unto thy hands I commend my spirit". It makes sense that he would say "My God, My God..." in a louder voice than he would say his last words commending his spirit into the father's hands.

When Jesus asked for something to drink, he was speaking to those below the cross where John was standing. John heard what the others farther back heard, but also heard the dialogue about asking the people near the cross for water and his quieter statement, "It is finished".

Here are the three accounts put together:

"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 had cried again with a loud voice said , 'Father, unto thy hands I commend my spirit:' (notice the cry with a loud voice is separated from Jesus commending His spirit, probably quieter), then he said softly, 'It is finished:' and he bowed his head, and gave up the ghost."

Note that this is from one apologetics website, and is an interpretation rather than something we know as absolute fact, but it is answered using the basic principles of resolving Biblical discrepancies.

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