You’ve probably seen that t-shirt: the one with all the superheroes sitting on a construction beam, listening to Jesus in the middle. He’s telling them, “And that’s how I saved the world.”

It’s a fun image. But it raises a real question: How exactly did Jesus save the world?

The answer is in his final seven statements from the cross. These weren’t random last words. They reveal God’s entire plan of salvation: what the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit planned before anything was even created.

Let’s walk through them together.

“Father, Forgive Them”

Luke 23:34 “Jesus said, ‘Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.'”

Think about this: Jesus is being nailed to a cross. The pain is unimaginable. And his first words? A prayer for the people hurting him.

But who exactly was he praying for?

• The soldiers casting lots for his clothes? Yes.
• The crowd that welcomed him into Jerusalem days earlier but now demanded his death? Absolutely.
• The religious leaders who rejected him because he didn’t fit their expectations of what the Messiah should be? Yes.
• His disciples, including Judas who betrayed him, Peter who denied him three times, and the others who ran away in fear? Yes.
• Future generations who would reject him? Even them.

Just hours before in the garden, Jesus had prayed for all believers, present and future (John 17:20-21). Now on the cross, he’s still interceding: “Father, forgive them.”

That includes you. That includes me.

“Today You Will Be with Me in Paradise”

Luke 23:42-43 Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” Jesus answered him, “Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise.”

One of the criminals crucified next to Jesus made a last-minute decision to follow him. And Jesus responded with an incredible promise: “Today you’ll be with me in paradise.”

This man couldn’t get baptized. He had no time to live a good life or make amends for his wrongs. But Jesus gave him salvation anyway as a free gift.

That’s grace. Pure and simple.

As Charles Spurgeon wrote: “Stripped of His garments, and nailed to the cross, our Lord was mocked by a ribald crowd, and was dying in agony. Yet, while in that condition, He achieved this marvelous deed of grace.”

Salvation isn’t about being good enough. It’s about trusting Jesus.

“Woman, Here Is Your Son”

John 19:26-27 When Jesus saw his mother there, and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby, he said to her, “Woman, here is your son,” and to the disciple,”Here is your mother.”

Even while dying, Jesus took care of his mom.

Mary stood there watching her son suffer. Joseph (Jesus’s earthly father) had died years earlier. Jesus knew his mother would need someone to walk with her through the grief and trauma of what she was witnessing.

So, he gave her into John’s care, the disciple who loved him and stayed with him to the very end.

Even in his darkest moment, Jesus honored his parents and thought about relationships and community. He didn’t face death isolated. And he didn’t want his mother to face the aftermath alone.

“My God, My God, Why Have You Forsaken Me?”

Matthew 27:45-46 “From noon until three in the afternoon darkness came over all the land. About three in the afternoon Jesus cried out in a loud voice, ‘Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?’ (which means ‘My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?’).”

For three hours, darkness covered the land. This was God’s way of announcing his judgment.

Here’s what happened: Jesus (who had never experienced sin in his entire life) took on the sin of the entire world. Your sin. My sin. The sin of every person who has ever lived or ever will live.

Every lie. Every hurtful word. Every selfish choice. Every violent act. Everything.

2 Corinthians 5:21 says, “He who knew no sin became sin for us.”

And because sin separates us from God, Jesus was separated from his Father for the first time ever. The anguish was so intense that he cried out, “Why have you forsaken me?”

Jesus didn’t just die a painful physical death. He experienced the full weight of hell, separation from God, so we wouldn’t have to.

“I Am Thirsty”

John 19:28-29 Later, knowing that everything had now been finished, and so that Scripture would be fulfilled, Jesus said, “I am thirsty.”

Three simple words: “I am thirsty.”

On one level, it’s exactly what you’d expect someone to say while dying on a cross. But there’s more to it.

David prophesied about this moment hundreds of years earlier: “My mouth is dried up like a potsherd, and my tongue sticks to the roof of my mouth” (Psalm 22:15). Another psalm said, “They put gall in my food and gave me vinegar for my thirst” (Psalm 69:21).

Jesus fulfilled every prophecy, even the small ones.

In these three words, we see both his humanity (he’s thirsty) and his divinity (he’s fulfilling Scripture).

A side note: Sin doesn’t just separate us from God spiritually. It impacts us physically too. Stress from sin can lead to heart disease, mental illness, diabetes, and more. Our choices have consequences, physically and spiritually.

“It Is Finished”

John 19:30 When he had received the drink, Jesus said, “It is finished.” With that, he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.

This wasn’t a statement of defeat. It was a declaration of victory.

“It is finished” meant:

• His suffering was over
• Every Old Testament prophecy about the Messiah was fulfilled
• The Father’s plan of salvation was complete
• The debt of sin was paid in full

Jesus accomplished everything he came to do. The mission was complete.

“Father, Into Your Hands I Commit My Spirit”

Luke 23:46 Jesus called out with a loud voice, “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit.” When he had said this, he breathed his last.

Jesus’s final act was committing his spirit to the Father (fulfilling Psalm 31:5).

After he died, a few more prophecies remained to be fulfilled, but now the Father would ensure they happened:

• A soldier pierced his side (Psalm 22:16), and blood and water poured out
• His legs weren’t broken like the other criminals (Psalm 34:20)
• He was buried in a rich man’s tomb (Isaiah 53:9)

And then, three days later, Jesus fulfilled the final prophecy himself: he rose from the dead.

That resurrection proved once and for all that he is the true Savior of the world, yesterday, today, and forever.

What This Means for You

These seven statements aren’t just historical facts. They’re deeply personal.

Through his words from the cross, Jesus showed us:

• Forgiveness is available to anyone who asks
• Salvation is a gift, not something you earn
• God values relationships (even in suffering)
• Jesus took on our separation from God, so we don’t have to experience it
• He understands our humanity and our pain
• The mission is complete: there’s nothing left for us to do to earn salvation
• We can have peace with God through Jesus

Maybe you’re reading this, and you’ve never trusted Jesus before. Or maybe you’ve followed him for years but needed this reminder of what he did for you.

Either way, the cross changes everything.

Jesus didn’t just die. He saved the world. And he invites you to be part of that story.

✏️  AUTHOR CREDITS

This blog was written by the Mission Hills Church Communications Team.