Jesus’ Sermon of Love from the Cross

Introduction: The Greatest Sermon Ever Preached

The cross was not just Jesus’ death—it was His greatest sermon. While hanging between heaven and earth, tortured and dying, Jesus preached the most powerful message of love, forgiveness, and fulfilled prophecy the world has ever heard. Every word He spoke, every action He took, proclaimed the Father’s love and the completion of God’s redemptive plan.

I. The Prophecy Fulfilled Before Their Eyes

A. “My God, My God, Why Have You Forsaken Me?” (Matthew 27:46)

Jesus’ cry was not despair—it was a teaching moment. By quoting Psalm 22:1, He was directing the crowd to the entire psalm, which reads like a play-by-play account of His crucifixion written 1,000 years earlier.

Key Prophecies from Psalm 22: – “They pierced my hands and my feet” (v. 16) – The crucifixion method – “They divide my garments among them, and for my clothing they cast lots” (v. 18) – Fulfilled as Roman soldiers gambled for His seamless robe – “All who see me mock me; they make mouths at me; they wag their heads” (v. 7) – The mocking crowds – “My strength is dried up like a potsherd, and my tongue sticks to my jaws” (v. 15) – His thirst – “I can count all my bones—they stare and gloat over me” (v. 17) – His exposed, tortured body

B. The Deliberate Fulfillment

Jesus had countless opportunities to avoid this moment: – He could have called down legions of angels (Matthew 26:53) – He could have escaped when they came to arrest Him – He could have defended Himself before Pilate – He could have come down from the cross as the mockers challenged

Instead, He chose to fulfill every prophecy, to complete every detail of God’s plan.

II. Seven Sermons of Love from the Cross

1. “Father, Forgive Them, for They Know Not What They Do” (Luke 23:34)

The Sermon of Unmerited Grace – While nails pierced His hands, love pierced His heart for His executioners – He prayed for their forgiveness before they even asked – This wasn’t weakness—it was the ultimate display of divine love

2. “Truly, I Say to You, Today You Will Be with Me in Paradise” (Luke 23:43)

The Sermon of Immediate Salvation – To the repentant thief: instant grace, immediate acceptance – No religious ritual required—just faith and repentance – Paradise promised to a criminal who had nothing to offer but his broken heart

3. “Woman, Behold Your Son… Behold Your Mother” (John 19:26-27)

The Sermon of Caring Love – Even in agony, He cared for His mother’s future – Establishing family bonds beyond blood—the church as family – Love that thinks of others even in personal suffering

4. “My God, My God, Why Have You Forsaken Me?” (Matthew 27:46)

The Sermon of Prophetic Teaching – Pointing them to Psalm 22—the crucifixion blueprint – Taking our separation from God upon Himself – The Father turning away so we would never have to experience that separation

5. “I Thirst” (John 19:28)

The Sermon of Fulfilled Scripture – Fulfilling Psalm 69:21: “For my thirst they gave me sour wine to drink” – His humanity displayed—He felt every pain we feel – The Living Water experienced thirst so we might never thirst again

6. “It Is Finished” (John 19:30)

The Sermon of Completed Mission – Tetelestai – “Paid in full” – Every prophecy fulfilled, every requirement met – The work of salvation complete—nothing left undone

7. “Father, Into Your Hands I Commit My Spirit” (Luke 23:46)

The Sermon of Trusting Surrender – Even in death, complete trust in the Father – Quoting Psalm 31:5—returning to Scripture even in His final breath – The perfect example of dying well

III. The Heart of Love That Could Have Been Hatred

A. The Natural Human Response

How would we respond to such treatment? Most of us would be filled with: – Hatred for our persecutors – Contempt for the injustice – Bitterness toward those who betrayed us – Anger at the system that condemned us

B. The Divine Response

Jesus chose love over hatred, forgiveness over revenge, teaching over cursing. His response revealed: – The heart of God toward humanity – The nature of divine love—unconditional and sacrificial – The power of grace to transform even the worst situations

IV. The Good Shepherd’s Ultimate Act

A. “No Greater Love” (John 15:13)

“Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends.” – Jesus didn’t just teach this—He lived it – The ultimate demonstration of sacrificial love – Not just dying for friends, but for enemies

B. The Good Shepherd’s Choice (John 10:11-18)

“I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.” – No one took His life—He gave it willingly – He had the power to lay it down and take it up again – Death was not His defeat—it was His victory

V. The Ultimate Vulnerability: From Homeless to Naked

A. A Life Without Earthly Comfort

Jesus lived knowing the deepest human longings for security and belonging: – “Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head” (Matthew 8:20) – He slept on the ground while sparrows nested in comfort above Him – He cursed the fig tree in His hunger, feeling the gnawing of an empty stomach – He who feeds the multitudes often went without food Himself

B. The Final Stripping Away

In His final hours, even what little He had was taken: – His clothes—stripped away, leaving Him naked before the crowd – His dignity—mocked and ridiculed by those He came to save – His physical strength—beaten, tortured, and broken – His very life—poured out drop by drop

Yet in this moment of absolute vulnerability, when He had nothing left to give, His heart remained fixed on others. The crowd laughed and jeered, but all He could think of was their souls. His love overcame every natural instinct for self-preservation, every human cry for justice, every desire for revenge.

C. The Lamb’s Final Gift

There He hung—the Son of Man who had no place to lay His head—making sure His babies would have everything they needed for eternity. The homeless King securing mansions for His children. The hungry Savior providing the Bread of Life. The naked Lord clothing us in His righteousness.

We all face death alone, but Jesus faced it surrounded by mockers who celebrated His agony. Yet even then, He was not thinking of His own suffering. He was thinking of theirs. He was thinking of ours.

Conclusion: When Love Gives Everything

The Lamb of God stood stripped of everything earthly, yet rich in love. He had no place to lay His head, but His babies would have place at the Father’s table. He thirsted on the cross so we might drink from rivers of living water. He was forsaken so we would never be alone.

“It is finished”—Tetelestai—”Paid in full.”

Every drop of blood, every labored breath, every moment of agony was the currency of our salvation. The Son of Man gave all He had left in this world—His life—and in that giving, He gave us everything we needed for the next.

His final sermon was not preached from a pulpit but from a cross. Not with eloquent words but with sacrificial love. Not to a willing congregation but to a mocking crowd. Yet it remains the most powerful message ever delivered—a message that continues to transform hearts and lives today.

The cross stands as God’s ultimate sermon: “This is how much I love you. This is how far I’ll go to bring you home. This is what it means to love without limit, to give without reservation, to sacrifice without condition.”

The homeless King made us joint heirs with Him in His Father’s kingdom. The Lamb who was slain now sits upon the throne. And the love that kept Him on that cross is the same love that keeps us in His hands forever.

“But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” – Romans 5:8

“Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends.” – John 15:13