Fourth Cry From The Cross

Why Hast Thou forsaken Me

Matthew 27:45 Now from the sixth hour there was darkness over all the land unto the ninth hour. 46 And about the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani? that is to say, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? 47 † Some of them that stood there, when they heard that, said, This man calleth for Elias. 48 And straightway one of them ran, and took a spunge, and filled it with vinegar, and put it on a reed, and gave him to drink. 49 The rest said, Let be, let us see whether Elias will come to save him. [1]

Introduction:  Today is Palm Sunday.  Jesus came into Jerusalem and all that were along the road dropped palm branches as He rode on that untamed donkey which still fulfilled prophecy of Zechariah 9:9, “9 Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion; shout, O daughter of Jerusalem: behold, thy King cometh unto thee: he is just, and having salvation; lowly, and riding upon an ass, and upon a colt the foal of an ass.” [2]

During that same week Jesus would take the last supper in commemoration of the Passover and in preparation for His crucifixion.  They would arrest Jesus on Maundy Thursday and then crucify Him on Friday between two thieves.

In one week from celebration to crucifixion our Lord would take the sins upon His shoulders that were not His.  The king rode into Jerusalem with pomp and circumstance but He would not wear the crown that He deserved.  Instead He wore the crown of thorns but only for a short time.  Now He is wearing that crown that only He deserves.  The crown given by His Father.

Today we will hear Jesus’ fourth cry from the cross.  In His first cry He asked His Father to forgive those who had no knowledge of the sin they were committing.  Then He reassured that one who made a death bed confession that he would truly be with Him that day in paradise.  His third cry was to care for His mother that she would be taken care of and to remind us that we also should take care of each other until He returns for us.

Today we will hear of One who was so in step with His Heavenly Father that He dreaded about how He would get through it when His perception of their relationship changed.  Earlier in the garden of Gethsemane Jesus had prayed that if there was any other way to accomplish His passion, He did not want to miss His Fathers direct attention even for those few hours while our sins were upon His shoulders.  There was no way for Jesus to take our sins as the Son of Man without experiencing what most of us experience so much that we think it natural.  To not have the full attention of our creator is not what God The Father intended for us.  Yet we are so callous carrying our sin upon our shoulders, we don’t know that He can’t look upon sin and turns His back on us when we sin.  Jesus knew!  He was so concerned about this that He sweated droplets of blood.

Scripture: Matthew 27:45-49.  Please stand as we read from God’s written word.

Prayer:  Please be seated

Body:  The Jewish day begins at sunrise or around 6am.  The scripture we read speaks of the sixth hour.  If their day started at six then the sixth hour would be sometime around noon.

The sun should be at its highest at noon in the season of the Passover which is now.  But the scripture said there was darkness over the land from then until three hours later.  It was totally dark from noon until 3pm.

We are studying the Revelation in our evening services and have read some of the signs that will come in these last days.  It was revealed to John that the sun would be blotted out for a time.

For those who are studying with us you have heard this before.  We talked about the total eclipse of the sun so I Googled Total Eclipse of the sun.  This is what I pulled from that search…  “By coincidence, the next total solar eclipse after July 2, 2019 also crosses Chile and Argentina on December 14, 2020. The first total solar eclipse anywhere in the world after the Great American Eclipse of August 21, 2017 comes to Chile and Argentina near sunset on July 2, 2019.”

So what does this say about Total Solar Eclipses and why might we care?  Some people attempt to describe what happened the day of Jesus’ crucifixion as a Total solar Eclipse episode which those who witnessed might have never seen.  This would have been worth reporting even without the crucifixion.

Notice what the Google thing said?  The so-called Great American Eclipse of August 21 2017, didn’t know it had been that long, anyway it occurred during the time that most of us who were in its path were able to get the true effects. 

We were warned not to look directly at the sun that day because the outer corona was all that was visible.  Many people actually lost some or all of their sight that day.  Isn’t it amazing how much we want to see that which we are used to seeing when it has been taken from us.  I was so drawn to see it I went outside with my welding hood.  Total Solar Eclipses usually don’t occur in the middle of the afternoon and many of us wanted to see.

So let’s give this one to the neigh-sayers who attempt to explain all of what was recorded that day about the crucifixion of our Lord!  Maybe it was a Total Solar Eclipse on that day we call Good Friday, when Jesus was hanging from that cross as He carried our sins.  God certainly does use the nature He created for affect to get our attention.  What is the chance of that happening just for chance?  It didn’t!  God intended it so that everybody would remember.

Picture this if you can…  It is pitch dark in the middle of a springtime afternoon for three hours.  Nearing the end of that eclipse, Jesus cried out, “My God, My God”!

When Jesus addressed God The Father in His first cry from the cross, it was to ask forgiveness for those who did not understand their sins.  Jesus was very familiar with God then.  Jesus addressed Him as Father.

Now here during this dark period, Jesus is not so familiar.  My God, My God.  Why twice?  Once was not enough!  He so wanted to feel that familiar presence.  Do you see that Jesus felt His Father’s presence was different?  God cannot and will not look upon sin.  Jesus’ role in the trinity allows us to have God provide Himself a sacrifice for us as He did Abraham had back then with Isaac.  But God could not look at the One who carried our sin.  As that song lyrics say some of you have heard, “The Father turned His face away”.

You see, without Jesus there was no way for us to get back to a right relationship with God the Father.  Let me say truthfully that there is not now nor has there ever been nor will there ever be any way for us to have a relationship with God without Jesus.

“Why hast thou forsaken me”?  We know that God the Father did not and could not and would not ever abandon His only begotten Son but He could not look.  If your son was to be placed on the gallows, could you look?  As a human parent witnessing their child taking even the penalty they themselves might be guilty for and deserve, do you think any earthly parent could watch?  Jesus was not guilty.  He did not deserve the penalty.  We do!

Why did God The Father turn His face away?  Two reasons!  God the Father cannot look upon sin.  That is outside His nature.  Second, no loving parent could stand witness of their child being put to death for punishment especially if they are not guilty of any crime.

Why hast thou forsaken me?  Is it OK to ask God why?  Jesus knew why but yet He still asked why!  It is OK!  God is big enough to take it.  Ask away but then when God gives you understanding, move on!  Get out of that rut!  It is up to nobody except you.  Why me Lord?  Because nobody else can make your decision to follow Jesus as Lord but you.

Some that were there took pity on Jesus and offered Him a sponge dipped in vinegar.  Next week we will discuss the irony and humanity of his fifth cry from the cross as He said, “I thirst.”

There were others that day who did not understand even what Jesus had said.  They decided that Jesus might be hallucinating, that He was calling for Elijah to come and save Him.  Jesus did not need Elijah!  Jesus had all He ever needed and He is all we need.

Whether you admit it or not, He is all you need too.  Are you ready and willing to admit Him?

Prayer: 

Invitation: From elation to crucifixion in one week’s time!  How can we get it so wrong?  Today is the day we commemorate Palm Sunday.  This week is the last week of Lent.  Thursday is known as Maundy Thursday which is the day that Jesus was arrested and brought to that mock trial.

This Friday I pray that you take some thought for what Jesus did for you on that Friday.  Saturday I pray that you reflect on that Sabbath when Jesus rested in the tomb.

Oh but next Sunday.  I pray that if you can’t be here for sunrise that you will remember that the tomb is empty!  Jesus has risen!  He has risen and is with His Heavenly Father back where He belongs and He is praying for you right there right now on the right hand of His Father.  He is not turning His face away.

Palm Sunday is a special day and we will act as it is special.  We are going to do invitation differently this morning to listen carefully.

Karen is going to play our invitation hymn before we stand and sing this morning as I kneel to intercede for you and pray for myself that I might get ever closer to God.  I invite you to join me here.  When I return to my feet, we will stand to sing hymn#...

Please allow The Holy Spirit to have His way with you this day

† A Greek word occurs that is not directly translated in the King James Version. 
Greek Strongs: 1161

[1] The Holy Bible: King James Version. (1995). (electronic ed. of the 1769 edition of the 1611 Authorized Version., Mt 27:45–49). Bellingham WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc.

[2] The Holy Bible: King James Version. (1995). (electronic ed. of the 1769 edition of the 1611 Authorized Version., Zec 9:9). Bellingham WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc.