What Were Jesus' Last Words On The Cross

The Charge

The gospels contradict each other with regards to Jesus’ last words

Matthew 27:46-50 - LSB

46 And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, “Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani?” that is, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?”… 48 And immediately one of them ran, and taking a sponge, he filled it with sour wine and put it on a reed, and gave Him a drink. 49 But the rest of them were saying, “Let us see whether Elijah will come to save Him.” 50 And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice, and yielded up His spirit.

Mark 15:34-37 - LSB

34 And at the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, “Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?” which is translated, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?”… 36 And someone ran and filled a sponge with sour wine, put it on a reed, and gave Him a drink, saying, “Let us see whether Elijah will come to take Him down.” 37 And Jesus, uttering a loud cry, breathed His last.

Luke 23:44-46 - LSB

44 And it was now about the sixth hour, and darkness fell over the whole land until the ninth hour, 45 because the sun was obscured. And the veil of the sanctuary was torn in two. 46 And Jesus, crying out with a loud voice, said, “Father, into Your hands I commit My spirit.” Having said this, He breathed His last.

John 19:26-30 - LSB

26 When Jesus then saw His mother, and the disciple whom He loved standing nearby, He said to His mother, “Woman, behold, your son!”
27 Then He said to the disciple, “Behold, your mother!” From that hour the disciple took her into his home.
28 After this, Jesus, knowing that all things had already been finished, in order to finish the Scripture, said, “I am thirsty.”
29 A jar full of sour wine was standing there; so they put a sponge full of the sour wine upon a branch of hyssop and brought it up to His mouth.
30 Therefore when Jesus had received the sour wine, He said, “It is finished!” And bowing His head, He gave up His spirit.

Detailed Explanation

No Gospel claims the phrases they recall are the only thing Jesus said on the cross—specifically the last thing he said.

Matthew and Mark record the words “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?” Since we read on how bystanders mocked Him afterwards and they gave Him a sponge with sour wine.

After this He could have uttered in either order, the words we read in Luke and John.

John Was Standing Nearby

It is important to note that in the Gospel of John we also read that John was standing close by—within taking distance from Jesus.

John 19:26 - LSB

26 When Jesus then saw His mother, and the disciple whom He loved standing nearby, He said to His mother, “Woman, behold, your son!”

The Loud Cry

To add to the evidence, Matthew and Mark only record Jesus as making a “loud cry” before he died. However, both Mark and Luke include the words Jesus spoke in this loud cry. How could they have known what was said? Because they were standing close by.