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Cries from the Cross: A Journey into the Heart of Jesus
"To stand at the foot of the cross is to witness the purpose for which God created the world." The cross is a wonder unfathomable. Time cannot contain its reach. No kingdom can surpass its power. No heart can endure its weight. And yet it is the center of everything. It cannot be passed over. Pastor and author Erwin W. Lutzer believes that the better we grasp what the cross meant to Christ, the better we grasp what it should mean to us. To do this, Lutzer examines Jesus' cries from the cross. Search with him and see how God's love and justice meet. Know the weight of sin and the power of redemption. Look upon Jesus in His weakness, obedience, sorrow, and compassion. Let the scandal of the cross give you pause. The cross deserves our attention. Journey forth into the heart of Jesus, that your own heart may be shaped to His.
176 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2002
26 people are currently reading
118 people want to read
About the author
Erwin W. Lutzer
167 books281 followersErwin W. Lutzer is senior pastor of The Moody Church in Chicago. A graduate of Dallas Theological Seminary and Loyola University, he is the author of numerous books, including the Gold Medallion Award winner "Hitler's Cross" and the best seller "One Minute After You Die". He is also a teacher on radio programs heard on more than 700 stations throughout the United States and the world, including "Songs in the Night," "The Moody Church Hour," and the daily feature "Running to Win." He and his wife, Rebecca, live in the Chicago area and have three married children and seven grandchildren.
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Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews
March 31, 2023
Really good study of the seven sayings of Christ on the cross.
April 23, 2025
"This book is written with the conviction that the better we grasp what the cross meant to Christ , the better we will understand what the cross should mean to us. To stand at the foot of the cross is to witness the purpose for which God created the world . Here we see the attributes of God on display; and if we look carefully, we will see ourselves, with all of our needs, sins, and self-deceptions. Thankfully, it is at the cross that God chose remove His wrath from those who would humbly trust Christ as their sin-bearer." -
Erwin Lutzer
Erwin Lutzer
December 28, 2018
Loved it. So good.
April 15, 2025
First sentence: Were you there when they crucified my Lord? As a child I wondered what those words could possibly mean. Obviously, the author of the hymn intended that we answer yes to the question. And yet, what could be clearer than the fact that I was not there when they crucified my Lord?
Cries from the Cross is a wonderful book--whether you are reading it for the first time or treating yourself to a reread. In this one, Lutzer is examining Jesus' words spoken from the cross. There is a chapter for each of Jesus' seven statements or 'cries.' There's also a preface, introduction, and epilogue that help set the book into context.
Do you know what Jesus' seven cries from the cross were? Have you considered how they can speak into your life--how they relate to you personally? If you haven't--or even if you have--it's worth pondering (again). I know that 'pondering' or 'meditating' or 'reflecting' takes time and that the average person prioritizes just about everything else over silence or quiet--but at what costs to our souls?
Here they are in the order in which he writes about them:
A Cry for Pardon: "Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing." (Luke 23:34)
A Cry of Assurance: "Today you will be with me in paradise." (Luke 23:43)
A Cry of Compassion: "Dear woman, here is your son...Here is your mother." (John 19:26-27)
A Cry of Anguish: "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" (Matthew 27:46)
A Cry of Suffering: "I am thirsty." (John 19:28)
A Cry of Victory: "It is finished." (John 19:30)
A Cry of Submission: "Father, into your hands I commit my spirit." (Luke 23:46)
Lutzer clearly and passionately shares the gospel message--that old, old story--that gospel message that when empowered by the Spirit--through the Spirit--can transform lives and take people out of darkness and into the light.
I love, love, love, love, LOVE this one. It is a thrilling read. This was my second or perhaps third time to read it.
Cries from the Cross is a wonderful book--whether you are reading it for the first time or treating yourself to a reread. In this one, Lutzer is examining Jesus' words spoken from the cross. There is a chapter for each of Jesus' seven statements or 'cries.' There's also a preface, introduction, and epilogue that help set the book into context.
Do you know what Jesus' seven cries from the cross were? Have you considered how they can speak into your life--how they relate to you personally? If you haven't--or even if you have--it's worth pondering (again). I know that 'pondering' or 'meditating' or 'reflecting' takes time and that the average person prioritizes just about everything else over silence or quiet--but at what costs to our souls?
Here they are in the order in which he writes about them:
A Cry for Pardon: "Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing." (Luke 23:34)
A Cry of Assurance: "Today you will be with me in paradise." (Luke 23:43)
A Cry of Compassion: "Dear woman, here is your son...Here is your mother." (John 19:26-27)
A Cry of Anguish: "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" (Matthew 27:46)
A Cry of Suffering: "I am thirsty." (John 19:28)
A Cry of Victory: "It is finished." (John 19:30)
A Cry of Submission: "Father, into your hands I commit my spirit." (Luke 23:46)
Lutzer clearly and passionately shares the gospel message--that old, old story--that gospel message that when empowered by the Spirit--through the Spirit--can transform lives and take people out of darkness and into the light.
I love, love, love, love, LOVE this one. It is a thrilling read. This was my second or perhaps third time to read it.
March 3, 2015
Based on a sermon series by Erwin Lutzer the pastor of Moody Church. This book was released in a decade ago but is being re-released in new format's and in the Kindle format. I want to thank Moody Press for making a review copy of this book available to me for free through Net Galley.
Pastor Lutzer will take you through all of the statements that Christ made on the Cross when the Romans were crucifying him. Those statements are:
1. Father forgive them for they know not what they do
2. Today you will be with me in Paradise, a promise given to the repentant criminal
3. Woman, here is your son . . . Here, is your mother
4. My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?
5. I am thirsty
6. It is finished!
7. Father, into your hands I commit my spirit
Each of these statements from Christ is full of meaning. As Pastor Lutzer points out when someone is dying the last words that they utter are usually very important to them and something that you should take care to listen to. These words of Christ reveal His heart and reveal His mission that the Father sent Him to earth to accomplish. That mission is being finalized here at the Cross!
Through excellent writing and exposition of the Scripture you will find encouragement as Pastor Lutzer explains each statement and what their impact is on the people who were at the Cross watching Him die. They are statements that we should take time to carefully study and meditate on so that we understand their impact to the world and to ourselves.
I believe this is a great book for people to be reading this month before we get to Easter Sunday. I would encourage you to pick up a copy and make a careful study of it.
Blessings!
Pastor Lutzer will take you through all of the statements that Christ made on the Cross when the Romans were crucifying him. Those statements are:
1. Father forgive them for they know not what they do
2. Today you will be with me in Paradise, a promise given to the repentant criminal
3. Woman, here is your son . . . Here, is your mother
4. My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?
5. I am thirsty
6. It is finished!
7. Father, into your hands I commit my spirit
Each of these statements from Christ is full of meaning. As Pastor Lutzer points out when someone is dying the last words that they utter are usually very important to them and something that you should take care to listen to. These words of Christ reveal His heart and reveal His mission that the Father sent Him to earth to accomplish. That mission is being finalized here at the Cross!
Through excellent writing and exposition of the Scripture you will find encouragement as Pastor Lutzer explains each statement and what their impact is on the people who were at the Cross watching Him die. They are statements that we should take time to carefully study and meditate on so that we understand their impact to the world and to ourselves.
I believe this is a great book for people to be reading this month before we get to Easter Sunday. I would encourage you to pick up a copy and make a careful study of it.
Blessings!
November 27, 2011
Great small group book! Short, gospel soaked chapters that will help you love and trust Christ more.
June 18, 2019
“Remember, that at the end of the day, what the world really needs is to see Jesus.” This book gave me a glimpse in to the heart of Jesus. I highly recommend to anyone searching or needing reaffirmation of the love of God for his children.
April 15, 2022
“Yes, if we expect people to believe in our Redeemer…we will have to follow our Redeemer to the cross. Let us…embrace the cross, not just as a means of salvation but as a way of living…” (from the last paragraph of the book).
April 6, 2023
wonderful experience for weekly meditation through Lent season
Doing this with a friend was such a sweet experience, each week exploring Erwin Lutzer’s handling of the final 7 last words of Christ on the cross. I plan To make this my annual Lenten practice.
Doing this with a friend was such a sweet experience, each week exploring Erwin Lutzer’s handling of the final 7 last words of Christ on the cross. I plan To make this my annual Lenten practice.
June 5, 2023
Erwin Lutzer's books are consistently excellent and well worth my time in reading. They are not only thought-provoking, I learn much and am awed by the insights shared. This one was particularly helpful for reading during the Lenten season.
June 26, 2021
Excellent!!
November 12, 2023
Love this book...read from Christmas to Easter. It will prepare your heart
September 30, 2024
Lutzer Fortune #1
Nice meditative book about the cross and its effectiveness.
Nothing overtly deep, but it is still and because of the original message quite profound.
Worth a read.
Nice meditative book about the cross and its effectiveness.
Nothing overtly deep, but it is still and because of the original message quite profound.
Worth a read.
March 6, 2015
The Cries from the Cross is to better understand what the cross meant to Jesus so that we may better understand what the Cross should mean to us. What does it mean to carry the cross?
The Cross is a journey into the heart of Jesus. When we question God – Where were you in my deepest sorrow, my deepest pain, in my worst ugly way, you were at the cross. Something to consider is not that Jesus died for my sins, but how he died. Both reasons are significant to who Jesus and our need for him as Savior.
The cry for Pardon is about how we view forgiveness. How do we view forgiveness when others keep hurting us, when there is no admittance to guilt, when someone is out to destroy us? When you look at the perspective that sin is not against you but ultimately against God, because of the cross, we can extend mercy. When sin is against us, do we scream Justice or Mercy? When we sin against others, do desire justice or mercy?
An interesting insight on the words of Jesus when he asked the Father to forgive them because they know not what they did; from Judas, Pilate, and the religious teachers that sought Jesus’ death, they all knew what they were doing; they did not realize the enormity of what they did by putting God to death.
The cry of Assurance is the cry for us as we realize that our only hope is the mercy of God. The two thieves represent the world. With two different attitudes toward their need and how that need is met. One asks to be remembered, the other demands to be free. One fears, one mocks.
The Cry of Compassion was the love Christ has for his own. In this particular case, Mary the mother of Jesus , was shown compassion as Jesus prepared her for his death In offering his beloved Disciple John to be the son and for John to take care of her as his own mother. Just like Jesus asked John to take his place as Mary’s son, Jesus asks the same for us. Do you love my sheep? It is in the sacrificial compassion that we are most like Jesus.
The Cry of Anguish at the cross is where God’s inflexible holiness and boundless love collided and with a cry of Anguish, we were redeemed. My God! My God! Why have you forsaken me? The Cry of Anguish gives to sobering words that do we love the sin that drove the nails into the body of our Savior. This reminded me of a well-known teacher that challenged their students to question what they find funny. Many things that we find entertaining are what drove Christ to the cross. What anguish we give to the Father. May our hearts break over sin?
A Cry of Suffering at the cross was the display of Jesus’ humanity. It is our call to be in submission to the Father. By giving up our own will, will our thirst be satisfied?
A Cry of Victory is our willingness to accept Christ payment. It is not our worthiness. The worthiness is what Christ did and is doing. The cry of Victory is the words it is Finished.
A Cry of Submission is changing the world thru suffering. In our submission to God, we place ourselves in his providential hand.
I liked the story of the African Tribe that says when a believer dies he has arrived. We are not departed from this world but we have arrived in the arms of Jesus.
My huge thanks to the publisher Moody Publishing and NetGalley for a ARC to read and review
The Cross is a journey into the heart of Jesus. When we question God – Where were you in my deepest sorrow, my deepest pain, in my worst ugly way, you were at the cross. Something to consider is not that Jesus died for my sins, but how he died. Both reasons are significant to who Jesus and our need for him as Savior.
The cry for Pardon is about how we view forgiveness. How do we view forgiveness when others keep hurting us, when there is no admittance to guilt, when someone is out to destroy us? When you look at the perspective that sin is not against you but ultimately against God, because of the cross, we can extend mercy. When sin is against us, do we scream Justice or Mercy? When we sin against others, do desire justice or mercy?
An interesting insight on the words of Jesus when he asked the Father to forgive them because they know not what they did; from Judas, Pilate, and the religious teachers that sought Jesus’ death, they all knew what they were doing; they did not realize the enormity of what they did by putting God to death.
The cry of Assurance is the cry for us as we realize that our only hope is the mercy of God. The two thieves represent the world. With two different attitudes toward their need and how that need is met. One asks to be remembered, the other demands to be free. One fears, one mocks.
The Cry of Compassion was the love Christ has for his own. In this particular case, Mary the mother of Jesus , was shown compassion as Jesus prepared her for his death In offering his beloved Disciple John to be the son and for John to take care of her as his own mother. Just like Jesus asked John to take his place as Mary’s son, Jesus asks the same for us. Do you love my sheep? It is in the sacrificial compassion that we are most like Jesus.
The Cry of Anguish at the cross is where God’s inflexible holiness and boundless love collided and with a cry of Anguish, we were redeemed. My God! My God! Why have you forsaken me? The Cry of Anguish gives to sobering words that do we love the sin that drove the nails into the body of our Savior. This reminded me of a well-known teacher that challenged their students to question what they find funny. Many things that we find entertaining are what drove Christ to the cross. What anguish we give to the Father. May our hearts break over sin?
A Cry of Suffering at the cross was the display of Jesus’ humanity. It is our call to be in submission to the Father. By giving up our own will, will our thirst be satisfied?
A Cry of Victory is our willingness to accept Christ payment. It is not our worthiness. The worthiness is what Christ did and is doing. The cry of Victory is the words it is Finished.
A Cry of Submission is changing the world thru suffering. In our submission to God, we place ourselves in his providential hand.
I liked the story of the African Tribe that says when a believer dies he has arrived. We are not departed from this world but we have arrived in the arms of Jesus.
My huge thanks to the publisher Moody Publishing and NetGalley for a ARC to read and review
April 1, 2015
NOTE: A copy of this book was given to me by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
Absolutely fantastic book especially for this time of the year!
Pastor Erwin Lutzer explains what each utterance of our Lord Jesus Christ meant, as he hung on the cross at Calvary. Using scripture from Old and New Testament Pastor Lutzer shows the reader how God's great plan for salvation had been planned since before the beginning of time.
The writing is clear and easy for everyone to understand. It's not a long book but there is so much information packed into it! A definite must have for every Christian household!
Absolutely fantastic book especially for this time of the year!
Pastor Erwin Lutzer explains what each utterance of our Lord Jesus Christ meant, as he hung on the cross at Calvary. Using scripture from Old and New Testament Pastor Lutzer shows the reader how God's great plan for salvation had been planned since before the beginning of time.
The writing is clear and easy for everyone to understand. It's not a long book but there is so much information packed into it! A definite must have for every Christian household!
June 17, 2014
I wasn't going to read this book. It was given to me by a friend who was clearing out her bookcase and I thought it might be another fluff book on the crucifixion but I was wrong and this book is certainly worth reading.
Lutzer introduces some new insight into the death of Christ. One weakness is that some of his answers raise more questions but as he says, "Partial knowledge is true knowledge; we do not have to understand everything in order to understand something." (p.11)
Lutzer introduces some new insight into the death of Christ. One weakness is that some of his answers raise more questions but as he says, "Partial knowledge is true knowledge; we do not have to understand everything in order to understand something." (p.11)
February 19, 2016
I thought there was nothing more for me to learn about the crucifixion. Was I wrong. This was a moving account of this which is the central event of Christianity. "In the suffering of the cross we not only find forgiveness but also healing for our deepest hurts." ..."Crucifixion is a long slow process of dehydration." "The faith is passed on as the dying affirm their faith to the living." There is so much more in this book.
March 27, 2015
Lutzer's book on the seven sayings of Jesus has its foundation in A.W. Pinks classic work. Perhaps the biggest insights Lutzer offers is the way in which he draws us into the crucifixion scene through Jesus' statements and/or those to whom he said them. I also appreciated Lutzer's ability to nuance the statement "It is finished." All in all, a good popular level book on the topic.
May 11, 2020
O livro é bem explanado sobre todo o processo da crucificação e sua importância nossa salvação. Não tem informações técnicas ou estudos, somente citações bíblicas e relatos particulares para exemplificar o que está escrito, o que torna excelente para evangelização daqueles que estão iniciando na fé.
March 30, 2016
Great book to read during lent
The cross is a symbol that many miss understand. With the insights from the beginning to the end it gave a new perspective of the suffering of Christ.
The cross is a symbol that many miss understand. With the insights from the beginning to the end it gave a new perspective of the suffering of Christ.
December 14, 2008
You can learn a lot about Jesus and His mission by studying his seven statements from the cross. Lutzer does a phenomenal job of doing just that in this excellent book.
January 8, 2013
A very enjoyable book on the seven sayings of Christ from the cross. It helpfully explains and applies each one.
March 14, 2015
This is the second time through. I loved it many years ago and want to read again.
Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews