And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, “Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani?” that is, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?”(Matthew 27:46, Mark 15:34)
On the cross, Jesus forgave His murderers, He assured salvation to the repenting criminal who was crucified with Him, and He showed mercy to His grieving mother. Even though the world forsook Him, He did not forsake them! Even though the world did not show Him any mercy, He lavished His mercy on them. He uttered the first three sayings in the first three hours He was on the cross. From the sixth hour(noon) to the ninth hour(3 pm) there was darkness all over the land, and that was when the last four sayings came out of His mouth. It became dark because God was covering the painful sight of the Father forsaking His only son from the eyes of men. The Redeemer was left alone with the sinner’s sin during those three dark hours.
The Bible records three incidents where Jesus cried. The first was at the tomb of Lazarus(John 11:35). He then cried about the coming judgement on Jerusalem(Luke 19:41). He cried out with a loud voice only on the cross. The other two times, he cried out of love for His beloved friend, and love for His city. But this time, it is a cry of distress. Distressed, because His Father has forsaken Him. He did not cry when they mocked Him. He did not cry when they beat Him. He did not cry when they nailed Him to the cross. He did not cry when everyone turned their back against Him. But He cried when the Father hid His face – the most bitter ingredient of the cup of woe and wrath that He was given to drink.
The Bible teaches us that God is holy and He hates sin. God abhors sin and will not look at it. On the cross Jesus not only bore the sins of the whole world, but He became sin. God could not look at Jesus, He turned His face away from Him, He forsook Him because He could not look at the sins Jesus was bearing on the cross!
Apostle Paul and Peter writes about this –
For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.(2 Corinth 5:21)
who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness—by whose stripes you were healed.(1 Peter 2:24)
Again we read in Galatians, Jesus became a curse for us, by hanging on the tree.
Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us (for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree”) (Galatians 3:13)
He became sin and a curse and a substitutionary sacrifice so that we will have life. Dear reader, do not forget that the Father hid His face from our sins. The darling of heaven was left alone to die in that dark hour because God hated our sins that was upon Him.
At the cross, our sins were transferred on to Jesus. There was no way of transferring sin without transferring its penalty. Both the sin and its punishment were transferred to Jesus. He thereby was satisfying the claims of God’s holiness and satisfying the demands of His justice. The wages of sin is death. When Adam and Eve sinned in the garden of Eden, they did not die physically, but rather died spiritually. Spiritual death is being alienated from God. They no longer had the fellowship that they had earlier with God. Here Jesus is taking the wages of our sins – death – spiritual death – which is being alienated from God. He was alienated from the Father because He was suffering the penalty of sin on the cross! At the cross, God’s justice was satisfied and His holiness vindicated.
The bullock that was slain on the annual Day of Atonement was a foreshadow of the death of Jesus. After its blood had been sprinkled upon and before the mercy seat, was removed to a place outside the camp(Leviticus 16:27), and there its entire carcass was burned. Likewise, Jesus was crucified outside the camp(outside Jerusalem). He was left alone to die for you and me.
It is amazing how Jesus conducted Himself on the cross. He didn’t say a word back at His revilers. Even when His Father forsook Him, His cry was that of distress, and not of distrust. God has withdrawn from Him, but His soul still cleaves to God! So He cries – “My God, My God”. Our Saviour continued trusting though there was no deliverance for Him. Jesus has left us a good example – “Trust in God at all times.” Even when there seems to be no deliverance, continue to trust in Him!
Dear reader, Remember that Jesus had taken our place and was suffering, the just for the unjust. He was bearing the chastisement of our peace; and the wages of our sins, the suffering and chastisement that were due us, was “death”. The Father forsook Him because of our sins that were upon Him. What can we give in return for the love that He lavished towards us on the cross? All He desires is that we give ourselves completely, and surrender ourselves completely to His will. Let this song reflect that dedication – “All to Jesus I surrender, all to Him I freely give; I will ever love and trust Him, In His presence daily live”
In HIS Service,
Joji John
Redeemed Ministries
Six Measures Of Barley 