Why Have You Forsaken Me?
As I was thanking the Lord for going the whole painful distance to the cross for us, I started to wonder if our Savior received any grace from His Father to endure the pain and suffering of all that they did to Him because of who claimed and proved to be. A very good movie that displays our Lord’s persecution and death on the cross is Mel Gibson’s “The Passion of Christ.” I watched it once but I can’t watch it again! It’s too hard to watch what my Jesus went through for us so we could be forgiven of our sins and have the way provided into Heaven through Him alone. It’s just too hard to watch.
This morning I was remembering about the pain and suffering our Lord endured: the beatings with a cat of nine tails whip, multiple strikes to His face, twisting a crown of thorns into his skull, nailing his hands and feet to the cross and piercing His side to see if He was dead yet. So, I wondered if His Father helped Him endure it all. Then the Lord’s words came to me as He hung on the cross. “Father! Father! Why have YOU FORSAKEN ME!?!”
I tried to imagine how Jesus felt at that moment as all the sin of the world was placed on Him. Jesus the perfect man, having never committed any kind of sin or rebellious act towards His Father, took my place of the Father’s wrath on all my sin and rebellion. Not just mine but everyone’s!
I remembered what Jesus said in prayer one early morning before they came to falsely arrest Him: “Father, if it be possible, let this cup (of wrath) pass from Me.” Then He said, “Your will be done Father, not mine.” Jesus knew He had to finish the course for the JOY that was set before Him; that of spending eternity with all those He had forgiven and who love Him, all those who believed in Him to the end of their own life on earth.
Who is Jesus Christ? He is: Creator Son of God, Lamb of God, Bread of Life, Light of the world, Hope of the nations, Prince of Peace, Wonderful Counselor, Rock of all ages, Lion of Judah, King of glory, Redeemer, Mighty God, Everlasting Father.
Jesus was left on His own to physically endure all that pain and suffering, and the worse was being temporarily FORSAKEN by His Father who could not look upon the WORLD’S GREAT sin and rebellion that Jesus temporarily embodied. Just think about that! And then consider: “For God has said, ‘I will never fail you, nor forsake you. I will never abandon you.’ So we can say with confidence, ‘The LORD is my helper, so I will have no fear. What can mere people do to me?’” (Hebrews 13:5-6)
Says the Lord Jesus: “If you love Me, keep My commands. And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Comforter and Advocate to help you and be with you forever—the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept Him, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him. But you know Him, for He lives with you and will be in you. I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you.” John 14:16-18
Father God forsook His own Son on the cross until Jesus gave up His spirit and physically died. Then Jesus was received by His Father and stands at the right hand of the Father for us! No grace was given Jesus. But for us who love Jesus Christ for all He’s done for us – we have God’s grace to endure anything.
1 Corinthians 10:13 “There hath no temptation taken you, but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that you are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that you may be able to bear it.”
2 Peter 2:9 “The Lord knows how to rescue the godly from trials and to hold the wicked for punishment on the day of judgment.”
Our strength to endure all of life’s hardships, loss, and body sufferings, comes from God’s grace because God has poured His Holy Spirit in those who believe, the Spirit of His Grace and Gifts.
“Therefore, let us offer through Jesus a continual sacrifice of praise to God, proclaiming our allegiance to His Name.” Hebrews 13:15