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).
Forsaken.
I can’t imagine how the Son of God felt. Since the eternity past He had always been one with the Father. And now forsaken. In the Greek it means deserted and abandoned.
But that wasn’t all He suffered. Every sin that was ever done, from Adam and Eve to the last sin committed before His return, every sin in the whole world was stuck to Hm, embraced by Him. It’s no wonder the sun hid with all those sins gathered at one time in one place.
God abandoned Him. Every sin from all time from the whole world was laid upon Him.
He himself is the sacrifice that atones for our sins—and not only our sins but the sins of all the world (1 John 2:2 NLT).
All of us, like sheep, have strayed away. We have left God’s paths to follow our own. Yet the Lord laid on him the sins of us all (Isaiah 53:6 NLT).
And we need to get personal. Every sin you and I have committed or will commit has been paid for by the Son of God. I’ve got to admit, that blows my mind. And He did that “While we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of His Son” (Romans 5:10 ESV).
So how did He get though all that, being abandoned, deserted and forsaken by God, bearing the sins of the whole world? It was for joy.
For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God (Hebrews 12:2 NIV).
What joy was set before him? Three things:
- To be reunited with His Father in Heaven and seated His right hand (op. cit.).
- Being obedient, even unto death on the cross, to his Heavenly Father (Philippians 2:7-8).
- Making a way for us to be with him in Heaven — forever (Ephesians 2:6).
As we wrestle with the pressures and anxieties of this pandemic, let us remember with joy what Christ has done for us.
