The major theme of A.W. Pink’s The Seven Sayings of the Saviour on the Cross is that Christ’s death was completely unique because He was truly the Son of God. Every one of His words, every action, displayed in some way that He was Divine.

During Bible study last Friday night, I was reminded that Jesus had predicted this very thing as He repeatedly told the Judeans who He was. After attending the Feast of Booths He stayed near Jerusalem, teaching in the temple and becoming more aggressive about declaring His relationship to God the Father. John 8:58 is the verse I’m most familiar with – Jesus’ statement that “before Abraham was, I am.” However, at least twice before during that discussion He explicitly claimed to be the Jehovah God who had revealed Himself to Moses.

In John 8:28, Jesus predicts His death, and what that will reveal: “So Jesus said to them, ‘When you have lifted up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am.’” I never really noticed this – that His very death would prove that He was the eternal God. Matthew’s Gospel confirms that Jesus’ words were indeed true: “When the centurion and those who were with him, keeping watch over Jesus, saw the earthquake and what took place, they were filled with awe and said, ‘Truly this was the Son of God!’” (Mt. 27:54)

I’m really glad to have read this book by Pink, since it has taken John 8:28 and just opened it up. Each chapter of the book shows how Christ’s words were true – how he showed in every word He spoke from the cross that He was no mere man, but God Himself.

These words are so easy to write, but so difficult to absorb – how unspeakable is it that the God who descended on Mount Sinai in fire and smoke, so holy that He could not be approached, is the same God who hung bleeding on the cross, made sin for me. Meditating on that certainly helps to deal with my pride and self-focus. “Thanks be to God for His inexpressible gift!” (2 Cor. 9:15)