The seven sayings on the cross by Jesus are amazing in their detail. There were many witnesses. The saying that we are focussing on this week alerts us to the utter abandonment Jesus experienced when He took our sin upon Himself.
And when the sixth hour had come, there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour. And at the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, “Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?” which means, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” And some of the bystanders hearing it said, “Behold, he is calling Elijah.” And someone ran and filled a sponge with sour wine, put it on a reed and gave it to him to drink, saying, “Wait, let us see whether Elijah will come to take him down.” And Jesus uttered a loud cry and breathed his last. And the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. And when the centurion, who stood facing him, saw that in this way he breathed his last, he said, “Truly this man was the Son of God!” Mark 15:33-39, ESV.
In the 3 points below John Piper summarises his article about the statement made by Jesus, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” Mark 15:34 (Desiring God).
1 There was a real forsakenness for our sake.
2 He was expressing desolation, not asking for an answer.
3 He was amazingly fulfilling Scripture in the horror of it all and witnessing to the perfection of the plan of salvation.
Easter can simply be a 4 day holiday or it could be a time of being completely thankful to God for the fact that He took the punishment for our sin. He was on the cross in our place. He was the perfect sacrifice for our sin. Jesus is the spotless Lamb. This sacrifice was a once for all time action. There can be no other way for us to move forward than to live in the freedom of this amazing act of love. We need not ever feel abandoned because Jesus has been there for us. He has conquered death.
As we follow Jesus we are in His family forever.