Jesus' Sayings on the Cross Curiosity

[Jeremy A]

I've been posting LDS Trivia and Puzzles events, but I came across something that I don't understand. I don't want to write trivia questions with incorrect answers. I play general trivia games over IRC sometimes, and I came across this question:

"How many sayings did Jesus say from the cross?" (Capitalization added, because I hate it when sentences aren't done correctly. Of course, I'm not perfect, but I digress.)

The correct answer is seven, but I don't think that's correct. I'm wondering what you all think about this. When reading what happens in all four gospels, Jesus speaks six times, and they're not all sayings.

One is asking why God has forsaken him. A second one is in response to the two people he was hung in between: "Verily, I say unto thee, 'To day shalt thou be with me in paradise.' (Luke 23:43). That could be a quote. The third one is JUST before he dies: "Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit" (Luke 23:46). The fourth and fifth deal with his mother. He says to his mother, "Woman, behold, thy son!" Then he says to His disciple standing near her, "Behold, thy mother!" (John 19:26-27). Okay, there's seven, but I'm still curious as to what you all might think. The sixth is just simply, "I thirst" (John 19:28). Finally, the seventh one is also before He dies: "It is finished" (John 19:30). What do you all think? The way the question is phrased, I think, makes seven incorrect.

(Reminder: There will be a game session on New Year's Eve at 6 PM Pacific, 9 PM Eastern. What a great way to end the year, and it's a great family activity. Hopefully, you don't have to worry about staying up late. I will post another reminder Saturday evening.)

[Vort]

The fallacy with this question is the same as the common Biblical question, "Who was Adam and Eve's oldest son?" The (wrong) answer is, of course, Cain. But the Bible does not say that Cain was the oldest or the first. It simply doesn't mention any others before him, so people infer that Cain must have been first. But that's silly, and as we in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints know, it is wrong. Similarly, people infer that Jesus must have been unmarried, because the Bible doesn't say he was married. That's weak sauce, plain and simple.

Jesus may have said all sorts of things on the cross. He may have delivered a sermon, for all we know. The Bible is not a comprehensive record of every utterance from the Savior's lips. So the question as phrased is false.

[Just_A_Guy]

1 hour ago, Vort said:

The fallacy with this question is the same as the common Biblical question, "Who was Adam and Eve's oldest son?" The (wrong) answer is, of course, Cain. But the Bible does not say that Cain was the oldest or the first. It simply doesn't mention any others before him, so people infer that Cain must have been first. But that's silly, and as we in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints know, it is wrong. Similarly, people infer that Jesus must have been unmarried, because the Bible doesn't say he was married. That's weak sauce, plain and simple.

Jesus may have said all sorts of things on the cross. He may have delivered a sermon, for all we know. The Bible is not a comprehensive record of every utterance from the Savior's lips. So the question as phrased is false.

Agreed.  For example, I think Christ was deliberately evoking the 22nd Psalm when He spoke its opening lines (“My god, my god, why hast thou forsaken me?”); and whether He recited it through or not, anyone familiar with that psalm (as those gathered at the cross were) would have clearly understood the message at the end:  No matter how this looks at the moment, you’re not done with me; and I’m not done with you.  

[Jeremy A]

Just_A_Guy, it's interesting that you bring up the 22nd Psalm. I just learned that he was quoting it, so I wrote questions about that. It'll be interesting to see what'll happen when these questions are used.

Thank you for the replies. The question is a good one, but as said before, there's no definitive answer, so it requires a rewrite.

Thank you for the question about Adam and Eve's oldest son. It'll be a great trick question to see if people are paying attention.