Bible Reading: Matthew 27
Matthew 27:46 And about the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani? that is to say, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?
What a terrible moment in time. The most horrible thing in all of eternity was happening and at the same time the most wonderful thing in all of time. The Son of God was making the propitiation for our sins! In order to do that, he became sin for us.
1 John 2:2 And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.
2 Corinthians 5:21 For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.
For the first time in eternity, the Son of God was forsaken by the Father as he took the sin of the world upon himself. This was new territory. Nothing like it had ever happened and nothing like this ever will happen again. Do you and I fully realize the price tag that comes with our sin? It is so easy to take for granted what was done for us. The Father allowed the Son to die in order to pay for sin. The cry of Jesus from the cross helps us to understand what took place in that time. The Father forsook the Son for a time as he took our sin upon him. Can you imagine giving your child to die for someone else? Of course not because you would do whatever you could to protect your child.
The cry of Jesus shows us the love of God for us! The Bible is clear:
Isaiah 53:6 All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.
Isaiah 53:10-11 Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise him; he hath put him to grief: when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the LORD shall prosper in his hand. He shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied: by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many; for he shall bear their iniquities.
Jesus bore the iniquities of the world. This pleased the Father because of what it did. Jesus fully glorified the Father in his death. He fully justifies us at the same time. Salvation is free. Salvation is very expensive. It cost God his Son. It costs us nothing. As you meditate on the cry of Jesus from the cross, remember this paradoxical truth. The most horrible thing that could ever happen is the most wonderful thing that has ever happened. God did this for you!
In Christ,
Rody
