There had been silence at the cross for three hours amid the darkness. When the darkness lifted, the voice of Jesus was heard again. What he said was his most enigmatic saying from the cross. The stage was set for the final scene. The darkness of the cross reflected the inner struggle of our Lord against the weight of the sin of the world. This is reflected in his anguished cry expressing the forsakenness felt by every child of Adam as a result of sin, because sin separates us from God.
There had been silence at the cross for three hours amid the darkness. When the darkness lifted, the voice of Jesus was heard again. What he said was his most enigmatic saying from the cross. The stage was set for the final scene.
And at three in the afternoon Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?” (which means “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”) – Mark 15:34
The darkness of the cross reflected the inner struggle of our Lord against the weight of the sin of the world. This is reflected in his anguished cry expressing the forsakenness felt by every child of Adam as a result of sin, because sin separates us from God.
It is also significant that Mark emphasises that Jesus “cried out in a loud voice,” even as his death was very near. It was usual for crucified men to die of exhaustion after at least several days on the cross. But that wasn’t the case with Christ. He was strong until the end. His wasn’t a physical battle; it was spiritual. He wasn’t killed by the nails. Instead, he gave his life voluntarily, in his full strength, so that you and I may have his life: life everlasting. His cry of forsakenness indicates the depths to which he descended to fight for your soul. He risked it all, even when in his humanity, he thought there was no hope for him. Let Christ’s seemingly forsaken cry remind us of the depths of darkness of the sins which we often treat so lightly.
I’ve heard it said that the Father abandoned the Son there at Calvary. But that is simply not true. It was the sins of the world that separated Jesus from the Father and gave the feeling of abandonment. He experienced being forsaken because your sins and my sins separated him from the father. He was forsaken o that you and I may never be forsaken. Jesus was forsaken that you and I may have the assurance that God will never leave us or forsake us. Our feelings are never a proper guide to our standing with God (1 John 3:20). What can you do to ensure that your feelings will never defeat you, even in your darkest moments?
