The Seven Stages of Restoration
The seven sayings of the Cross occupy a most sacred place in the hearts of Christians everywhere because of Christ’s death, burial, and subsequent resurrection. The Cross is the centerpiece of our faith, and without the resurrection, we have no faith (I Corinthians 15:13–14). On this week of Passover and the celebration of the blood shed and victory won over sin, sickness, and Satan, we pause again to take a closer look at Jesus upon the cross.
Of all the things I have considered about Jesus and what He purchased for us in His dying, I have never spent as much time studying these seven sayings as I did this year. As I pondered and prayed, a pattern emerged. Each saying reveals a stage of restoration. Below is a summary of each stage for your consideration. If you would like to hear my full explanation of each saying, you may watch the series I finished this week on our YouTube channel, The Church Triumphant of Pasadena.
Stage One: “Father, forgive them for they know not what they do.”
Notice, Jesus didn’t say, “I forgive them,” but rather, “Father, forgive them.” In other words, “Father, because I belong to You, forgive through Me.” Jesus relied upon the grace of the Spirit to work in Him at that moment. Forgiveness always gives the benefit of the doubt (“they know not what they do”). Forgiveness teaches us to intercede for the very people who are accusing us and rejecting us. Wow! Only Jesus can do that. Through His first words, forgiveness defeated hate and bitterness, and restoration began.
Stage Two: “Today you will be with Me in Paradise.”
As the two thieves on either side of Jesus reviled Him, along with the crowd, the prevailing sentiment was anger and blame. Suddenly, Jesus began praying and forgiving. One thief recognized the difference between guilt and innocence, and revelation came to the dying criminal hanging next to Jesus. He asked Jesus to remember him in His kingdom. These were messianic words. Jesus’ words of forgiveness now extended beyond Himself.
First, it was forgiveness working in Him. Second, forgiveness working through Him helped someone else facing the same situation. “Today you will be with Me” could also say in modern terms, “I got you. I overcame the hate and envy, now you can too.” Restoration always widens the scope. God never wastes pain and suffering. As soon as you forgive, you have tools to help someone else.
Stage Three: “Woman, behold your son. Son, behold your mother.”
Mary, the woman who bore Jesus, had been on the scene for hours, watching her miracle Son die with the words of the prophet Simeon echoing in her ears: “A sword will pierce your own soul” (Luke 2:35). Restoration is not just to overcome the pain of the present; it is the power to reset the future. Mary felt powerless to help Jesus. Her love was so deep that she could hardly bear to watch, but her devotion demanded that she stay. Her other sons were not there to support her, but John was there. John was Jesus’ spiritual son. By placing Mary in John’s care, Jesus was bringing His mother into His generation. Restoration empowers us to radically change our generations! Jesus moved Mary from abandonment and grief to comfort and peace. John took care of her from that day forward. Everything changed that day. The cross breaks generational curses from the past that make us feel powerless and releases generational blessings that last a lifetime.
Stage Four: “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?”
After three brutal hours on the cross hanging naked and exposed in the full light of morning sunshine, in agony of body and soul, a supernatural darkness descended, hiding the noonday sun. During those first three hours people had gawked at Jesus while He despised the shame. The darkness at noon brought something with it. Abandonment, separation, demons, voices, and visions of evil swirled around Him. Jesus began to quote Psalm 22. His burden and pain were too much to utter it all, but the prophetic psalm was on His mind.
Jesus, who knew no sin, became sin for us. This was the bitter cup He had to drink—to be sinless and yet suffer as the worst of sinners. It wasn’t fair! At the heart of all pain and rejection is the question of why. Why did a loving God allow these things in the first place? In the darkness, in the agony of soul, in that growing gap between God’s sovereignty and our independence, hangs the why. Calvary was the ultimate injustice. Even the crucified thief knew he himself deserved to die, but not Jesus. In order to redeem us, Jesus bore the burden of humanity’s why and put it back in the hands of God. With this determination to praise God even when He was innocently suffering, Jesus defeated the demons of darkness.
We can give up our why today and rest in the simple trust in the goodness of God because of what Jesus did on the cross. Restoration accelerates on the other side of the why. Read the rest of Psalm 22 for more insight.
Stage Five: “I thirst.”
The fact that Jesus could become exhausted and dehydrated gives us another layer of hope. Being betrayed, enduring mock trials and false accusations throughout the night, being mocked, beaten, scourged, and then hung on the cross for six hours had pushed Jesus to His limit physically, emotionally, and mentally. Jesus was barely alive when He cried out, “I thirst!” Every bit of reserve had been drained out of Him—for us!
Jesus was poured out so we could be poured into! He went to the extreme so He could be touched with the feeling of our infirmities as our High Priest (Hebrews 4:15). By saying, “I thirst,” He opened the door to divine restoration, because mankind has nothing to offer but vinegar. Jesus needed water; instead, He was given vinegar. This was mankind’s answer to being depleted. Vinegar was supposed to ease the pain and help someone forget how miserable they were. Jesus tasted that disappointment for us so He could give us a remedy. Divine restoration will renew all of your reserves: mentally, emotionally, spiritually, and physically. Jesus takes care of it all!
Stage Six: “It is finished!”
The phrase “it is finished” has many meanings and usages. One of my favorite examples is found in Ancient Greece. Those running a marathon would often shout, “It is finished!” as they crossed the finish line. It was another way of saying, “I won!” Whether they were first or last, they didn’t quit. They defeated the route. The 26.2 miles did not defeat them.
Notice, Jesus didn’t say, “I’m finished.” Rather, He said, “It is finished.” With all He did and all He endured up to this point, He didn’t give up. He finished the course. Jesus wanted us to have everything that sin and Satan had stolen from us. He hung there in agony until He died. He finished the work the Father had given Him to do.
In the process of restoration, God doesn’t want us to have partial restoration, or even most of our restoration. We must not settle for less than what Calvary purchased for us. Jesus gives us the power to finish. Just as He gives us faith to begin, He also gives us faith to finish (Hebrews 12:2–3).
Think of the ten lepers. Nine were mostly restored: they were cleansed and healed. The one Samaritan who came back and worshipped? He got everything. He was made whole!
Stage Seven: “Father, into Your hands I commend My spirit.”
Luke explained that Jesus began speaking on the cross by saying, “Father, forgive them.” Luke then told us that in His last words, Jesus again addressed His Father. From beginning to end, it was all about the Father and His love for us. The final stage of restoration happens when we are overflowing with the Holy Spirit. Jesus breathed out His spirit so we could breathe it in! Just as “it is finished” tells us that Jesus has the final word, so putting His spirit in the hands of the Father reveals that all the control belongs to Him.
Despite all that the hands of men had done to Him, Jesus ended up in the hands of the Father. God turned it all for good.
What was intended to be a miserable defeat turned into the greatest victory ever won. If you will walk through these stages with Jesus, you can win your greatest victory too!