Finally, the hour had come. Jesus Christ the Son of the living God was hanged on the cross. At about the ninth hour, around 3 pm, Jesus cried out in a loud voice. ELI, ELI lama Sabachtani, that is to say, My God, My God, why have you forsaken me! (Matt. 27:46).
THE FOURTH WORDS OF JESUS ON THE CROSS
On that Good Friday, Jesus was suspended on the cross in nakedness, exposed to mockery by the Jews. Everything we can think of, in fact, went against Him on that day.
The disciples had left him, His friends stood a distance away from Him. The masses crowded Him, the high priest reviled Him, the thieves said all sorts of words against Him, and the soldiers gambled for His clothes, the sun was darkened, His Father was silent, and no help and comfort came from anywhere.
The Father had turned His face from Him. Not just that, He denied Him light because the sins of the world was upon Him.
Brothers and sisters, the words, “My God, my God,” was not only Words of despair, but words that indicated that Jesus suffered the greatest pangs of the soul and true agony of hell.
Many of us at one time or the other may have witnessed people die through horrible circumstances beyond description. Also, in many situations of our lives, we sometimes feel rejected, abandoned, isolated, and forsaken by our loved ones.
However, it is always important to understand that, whatever horrible experiences we may have gone through in life can never be compared with what Christ experienced on the cross of Calvary on that Good Friday.
You and I, cannot just simply understand what Christ went through at that critical moment of His life. This was not the kind of situation where we are tempted to tell a suffering person that we understand what he or she is going through. No, there is no way we can understand what Jesus went through.
The suffering of Christ on the cross at that point in time was much deeper than that of the Garden of Gethsemane where He prayed to the Father and said, “Father, if it is possible let this cup pass by me” ( Matt.26:39).
However, in all this, God was still on His side and assisted Him in overcoming death. Here again, Jesus had to fight with hell itself and that meant the withdrawal of the gracious presence of God. Again, Jesus drank the cup of the wrath of God and tasted the second death.
Though God had forsaken Him, he did not forsake God. He still called Him My God in that critical time saying “My God, My God why forsake me”… Though in hell, He trusted God, and thereby worked Himself out of hell and conquered death.
Now, the biggest question still remained unanswered. Why did He go through what He went through? He went through it because it was part of God’s divine master plan for the salvation of mankind. “So that you and I, Will be His own and live under Him in His kingdom and serve Him in everlasting righteousness innocence and blessedness.” (Luther’s Small Cat, 2nd Article,)
Thousands of years even before Christ was born, the Prophet Isaiah spoke of Christ death on the cross. “He was oppressed and afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth; like a lamb that is led to the slaughter, like a sheep that before its shearers is silent, so he opened not his mouth. By oppression and judgment, he was taken away. Yet it was the will of the Lord to crush him” (Isaiah 53: 7-9)
Again, many years before Isaiah’s prophecy, God had revealed the suffering and death of Christ through the Psalm of David. “My God, My God, why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far from saving me from the words of my groaning?” (Psalm 22:1-2). This, brothers and sisters, was a clear indication of the fact that God in His divine wisdom had planned to offer His only begotten Son to suffer and die a shameful death for the sins of the whole world.
By His cry on the cross, My God, My God why forsake me….we are also encouraged to cry out to our heavenly Father in times of troubles and needs, and He will hear us for Christ sake.
And now, may His cry to the Father bring about healing to His children including you and I. May His cry to the Father bring us closer to His Father who is also our Father in heaven.
May His cry to the Father bring forgiveness, Peace and Love to all of us in Jesus name? Amen.
And now, may the Peace of God which surpasses all human understanding, keep your hearts and minds through faith in Jesus Christ our Lord.
AMEN.