At
noon, darkness fell across the whole land until three o'clock. Then at three
o'clock Jesus called out with a loud voice, ["Eloi, Eloi, lema
sabachthani?"] which means "My God, my God, why have you abandoned
me?" Some of the bystanders misunderstood and thought he was calling for
the prophet Elijah. One of them ran and filled a sponge with sour wine, holding
it up to him on a reed stick so he could drink. "Wait!" he said.
"Let's see whether Elijah comes to take him down!" Then Jesus uttered
another loud cry and breathed his last. And the curtain in the sanctuary of the
Temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. When the Roman officer who stood
facing him saw how he had died, he exclaimed, "This man truly was the Son
of God!" Mark 15:33-39
 |
| Brass Cross from Korea. Other side has the Lord's Prayer in Korean. |
Jesus felt abandoned on the cross. Forsaken by God…by His
Heavenly Father. God turned His back on the sin…the sin of mankind that had
been thrust onto Jesus’ back…not on His Son, Jesus. Jesus words reflect those from Psalm 22.
" My God,
my God, why have you abandoned me? Why are you so far away when I groan for
help? ... But I am a worm and not a man. I am scorned and despised by all!
Everyone who sees me mocks me. They sneer and shake their heads, saying,
"Is this the one who relies on the LORD? Then let the LORD save him! If
the LORD loves him so much, let the LORD rescue him!" Psalm 22:1, 6-8
Have you ever felt abandoned, deserted, rejected, or
unloved and groaned for God’s help? I
have. I was very distressed after my sister and her family were killed in a
domestic violence incident back in 1989. My groaning was too deep for words. I
felt abandoned by God…and my sister. How could God allow my sister to be taken
away…when we were going to grow old together? What kind of a God was He anyway?
He’s supposed to be loving. Mom taught us that “God is Love” so how could a
loving God allow that to happen? After years of struggling with that I came to
accept that God kept His promise to my sister and to me…He will never leave us
or forsake us. We won’t be abandoned. He promised….
No one will be able to stand against you as
long as you live. For I will be with you as I was with Moses. I will not fail
you or abandon you. Joshua 1:5
Jesus said…Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you.
And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age. Matthew
28:20.
No matter what…God loves us. God is love.
We know how much God loves us, and we have
put our trust in His love. God is love, and all who live in love live in God,
and God lives in them. 1 John 4:16.
Jesus obediently took that journey to the
Cross. Yet hanging there Jesus felt abandoned…but God the Father was with Him.
God turned His back on the sin…not on His Son. We just have to trust Him…to
keep His promise.
Prayer
~ Lord God, I understand…I know how much You love us—enough to give Your own
Son for us. I put my trust in Your love. You are love, and all who live in
love, live in You, and You, O my God, live in them. From 1 John 4:16. This is
real love—not that we loved You, God, but that You loved us and sent your Son
as a sacrifice to take away our sins. 1 John 4:10. Thank You for not abandoning
Jesus…or us.
Daily
Bible Reading: Isaiah 13-17
© 2018 Text and
photo by Mickey M. Hunacek. All rights reserved.
All
scripture quoted from the New Living Translation (NLT) unless otherwise noted.
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