WHAT MAKES YOU KNEEL AT THE CROSS (3): The Words That Were Said There
“Now from the sixth hour until the ninth hour there was darkness over all the land. 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?’ Some of those who stood there, when they heard that, said, ‘This man is calling for Elijah!’ Immediately one of them ran and took a sponge, filled it with sour wine and put it on a reed, and offered it to him to drink. The rest said, ‘Leave him alone; let us see if Elijah will come to save him.’ And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice, and yielded up his spirit” (Matt. 27:45-50).
As far as we know, there were seven sayings that Jesus uttered while on the cross. In reference to the very ones who put him there, he prayed, “Father, forgive them for they know not what they do” (Luke 23:34). He told John to take care of his mother (John 19:26). He said “It is finished” (John 19:30). He said “I thirst” (John 19:28). He told the thief “Today you shall be with me in paradise” (Luke 23:43). He prayed “Father, into your hands I commend my spirit” (Luke 23:46)
But by far the most troubling and confounding saying is the one found in Matthew 27:46: “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” For the sinless Son of God to exclaim words such as these to his Father reveals just how terrible the cross really was. Because he took our sins upon himself, Christ had to experience, not only pain, torture, and humiliation, but also the worst consequence of all: separation from God. This was something that Jesus had never been through before. Never had the Son been separated from the Father (John 17:5). What marvelous and majestic love!
First, notice the meaning of the separation. “And from the sixth hour until the ninth hour there was darkness over all the land” (Matt. 27:45). Why was there darkness over all the land? I believe it was because God wanted the whole world to know that this was a moment to be observed. In essence he was saying, “I must turn my back on my beloved Son because of sin, and I want you to know it.”
The sixth hour until the ninth hour was from 12:00 noon until 3:00 p.m. For three hours, God abandoned his Son, because his Son bore the condemnation of sin. “For God made him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in him” (2 Cor. 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 his stripes you are healed” (1 Pet. 2:24). Realizing the separation of the Father and the Son will make you appreciate the cross.
Second, notice the moment of the separation. “And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, ‘Eli, Eli, lama sabacthani?’ that is, ‘My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?’” (Matt. 27:46). This, no doubt the worst aspect of Christ’s suffering, occurred at a time when he needed the Father’s encouragement and fellowship the most. It is one thing to die, but it is another thing to die a slow, torturous death. And it is yet another thing to die a slow, torturous death for crimes you did not commit. And it is another thing still to die a death like that alone, forsaken by a loved one.
Third, notice the misunderstanding of the separation. “Some of those who stood there, when they heard that, said, ‘This man is calling for Elijah!’ Immediately one of them ran and took a sponge, filled it with sour wine and put it on a reed, and offered it to him to drink. The rest said, ‘Leave him alone; let us see if Elijah will come to save him’” (Matt. 27:47-49). If these people had understood what was going on, they themselves would have knelt down and begged his forgiveness. There are a vast number of people today who still misunderstand—some honestly, some perhaps willingly. Understanding the separation means that you admit that your sins caused it to happen (Isa. 53:4-12). It is enough to make us all kneel at the cross.
Dewayne Dunaway
