Psalm 22; St Matthew 27:45-54
“Seven last Words of Jesus” (4)
In the Name + of JESUS. Amen.
My eyes are ever toward the Lord, you pray with the Psalmist. Fix your eyes then, beloved, up Jesus, the Author and Finisher of your faith, who for the profound joy set ahead of Him, endured the shame and agony of the Cross, despising its wretchedness, and transforming the deadly wood of the Cross into the true Tree of Life.
My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me? Behold, O man, the torment of your Savior. Hear His wretched wailings. He is tormented because of you. He complains loudly that His Father has forsaken Him because of your sins. Do not think of them but lightly. Nor imagine that are insignificant. For their weight and severity have struck down the almighty Son of God. Peer through the terrible darkness, when the heavenly bodies, put in place by the Word, hide their light while the Word made flesh is utterly abandoned and rejected by His Father.
It is not metaphor or emotionalism, as some falsely suppose. Jesus is not given to dramatic shows of sentimentality. He speaks and acts with purpose. His word is true. He is truly forsaken by His Lord and God, abandoned by His Father, who listened and acted in redemption and deliverance for disobedient Israel, but turned a deaf ear to His own beloved Son, the only Innocent One, crying, groaning to Him in agony and pain.
Was there ever grief like this? Ever such loneliness and isolation? See Him, beloved, portrayed as crucified before your very eyes. Bloody and hanging helpless on the Cross. See His bones distended and out of joint. His heart refusing to pump, His vital powers waning. His parched and feverish tongue sticking to the roof of His mouth. He cries, “I thirst.”
See how He is covered with the dust of death, straining to breathe. See the crowd of dogs, the wicked men surrounding Him, His body pinned to the Cross with huge nails, His bones jutting out under the strain, so distorted that they can be counted.
See how men look at Him with devilish lust, mocking and insulting Him.
See the soldiers dividing His clothing and rolling dice for His outer garment.
They do these terrible things in fulfillment of the Scriptures, just as the Holy Spirit, through the Shepherd King, David, prophesied. Still He prays. Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani. They know that He is not calling Elijah. He prays in Aramaic, which the bystanders speak. They hear and know. And yet, in the hardness of their hearts, they despise and mock Him; they make mouths at Him and wag their heads. He trusts in the Lord; let Him deliver Him; let Him rescue Him, for He delights in Him!
In His misery and shame, Christ Jesus becomes the plaything of demons. They taunt and jeer, even as the crowds had accused Him of being in league with Beelzebul, on Sunday.
Still He prays. Not only the prayer of Psalm twenty-two, but likely the entire psalter. He who spoke through His ancestor, King David, now takes the prayers of the psalter upon His lips as He is utterly cast down and forsaken by His God and Father. He who knew no sin, no deceit was found in His mouth, He did not lie or cheat or treat anyone with contempt, yet He is made to be sin for you. He is a worm and not a man. Lifted up as the serpent on the pole, the very figure and image of all that torment and molests you, all that hounds your conscience and plagues your flesh.
See there beloved, in the Cross of your Lord Jesus Christ, the totality of your sin and death, the whole pile of your hatred and contempt for the Word of God, every last drop of your lust and greed, every word of gossip and slander, every ounce of bitterness and strife, every piece of that torturous, nagging sin that entraps you. See it all laid upon the beautiful flesh of Jesus, pressed into His perfect, innocent humanity as He becomes not only your sin, but also your curse under the full wrath of the Father.
My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me? So that you, beloved in the Lord, would never, never be forsaken. So that you would never be abandoned or rejected or cast off by your dear Father in heaven. So that you would reconciled to God in the flesh and blood of Jesus Christ, your Atoning Sacrifice, your one Mediator, your Light and your Life, your Elder Brother.
See in the death of Jesus, beloved, God’s own answer to His wrath. For there in the Cross you see the incredible extent of God’s wrath, and at the same time, the profound depths of His love and faithfulness. Jesus bore the wrath of the Father in Himself so that God could be both just and the justifier of those who believe in Jesus. He tore down the dividing wall of hostility, removing that which separates you from His God and Father, namely, your sin and disobedience.
Jesus died, so that you would live. Jesus was rejected, so that you would be restored. Jesus was forsaken so that you would be adopted. Do not feel guilty for His death. He went to it willingly for you. He went to it not to take you feel guilty, but to make you forgiven, to declare you righteous, innocent, holy, and pure. Trust this Word, even as Jesus does.
For though He is forsaken by His Father, He trusts in Him who took Him from the womb of the Blessed Virgin Mary and He will deliver Him and help Him. He fought to the good fight. He finished the race. He kept the faith. His God and Father will deliver His soul and save His flesh from corruption.
Then, then, upon His resurrection, in vindication and victory, Christ Jesus, your Elder Brother, will tell of His Father’s Name to His brothers; that is, to you. In the midst of the congregation He will praise the Lord and spread abroad His Word to all nations.
As you mediate on the sorrow and death of Christ Jesus, did you hear the creeping joy and in-breaking hope from St Matthew? And behold, the curtain of the Temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. And the earth shook, and the rocks were split. The tombs also were opened. And many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised, and coming out of the tombs after His resurrection, they went into the holy city and appeared to many.
Already in His death, even before His resurrection, Christ, the Light of the world, is scattering the darkness of death and driving away the doom and dread of sin. So that when death is at your door, Jesus, who shall never leave you or forsake you, will cheer you with this life and hope. He shall remove your anguish because of His own. His death avails for you. His resurrection is yours.
Even now, beloved, behold the Fruit of His life giving Tree. His Body, crucified for your sins, raised for your justification, ascended in glory, given to you here in and under bread, to bestow the merits of His Passion. His Blood, spilt from His sacred veins, not given in the sour wine of suffering, but the sweet wine of His forgiveness and love, the very cup of salvation.
Our eyes are ever toward the Lord, for He will pluck our feet out of the net. He has turned to you and is gracious to you. He has considered all your affliction and trouble. He forgives all your sins. You are not forsaken, beloved. He is with you always, even to the end of the age.
In the Name of the Father + and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
“Seven last Words of Jesus” (4)
In the Name + of JESUS. Amen.
My eyes are ever toward the Lord, you pray with the Psalmist. Fix your eyes then, beloved, up Jesus, the Author and Finisher of your faith, who for the profound joy set ahead of Him, endured the shame and agony of the Cross, despising its wretchedness, and transforming the deadly wood of the Cross into the true Tree of Life.
My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me? Behold, O man, the torment of your Savior. Hear His wretched wailings. He is tormented because of you. He complains loudly that His Father has forsaken Him because of your sins. Do not think of them but lightly. Nor imagine that are insignificant. For their weight and severity have struck down the almighty Son of God. Peer through the terrible darkness, when the heavenly bodies, put in place by the Word, hide their light while the Word made flesh is utterly abandoned and rejected by His Father.
It is not metaphor or emotionalism, as some falsely suppose. Jesus is not given to dramatic shows of sentimentality. He speaks and acts with purpose. His word is true. He is truly forsaken by His Lord and God, abandoned by His Father, who listened and acted in redemption and deliverance for disobedient Israel, but turned a deaf ear to His own beloved Son, the only Innocent One, crying, groaning to Him in agony and pain.
Was there ever grief like this? Ever such loneliness and isolation? See Him, beloved, portrayed as crucified before your very eyes. Bloody and hanging helpless on the Cross. See His bones distended and out of joint. His heart refusing to pump, His vital powers waning. His parched and feverish tongue sticking to the roof of His mouth. He cries, “I thirst.”
See how He is covered with the dust of death, straining to breathe. See the crowd of dogs, the wicked men surrounding Him, His body pinned to the Cross with huge nails, His bones jutting out under the strain, so distorted that they can be counted.
See how men look at Him with devilish lust, mocking and insulting Him.
See the soldiers dividing His clothing and rolling dice for His outer garment.
They do these terrible things in fulfillment of the Scriptures, just as the Holy Spirit, through the Shepherd King, David, prophesied. Still He prays. Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani. They know that He is not calling Elijah. He prays in Aramaic, which the bystanders speak. They hear and know. And yet, in the hardness of their hearts, they despise and mock Him; they make mouths at Him and wag their heads. He trusts in the Lord; let Him deliver Him; let Him rescue Him, for He delights in Him!
In His misery and shame, Christ Jesus becomes the plaything of demons. They taunt and jeer, even as the crowds had accused Him of being in league with Beelzebul, on Sunday.
Still He prays. Not only the prayer of Psalm twenty-two, but likely the entire psalter. He who spoke through His ancestor, King David, now takes the prayers of the psalter upon His lips as He is utterly cast down and forsaken by His God and Father. He who knew no sin, no deceit was found in His mouth, He did not lie or cheat or treat anyone with contempt, yet He is made to be sin for you. He is a worm and not a man. Lifted up as the serpent on the pole, the very figure and image of all that torment and molests you, all that hounds your conscience and plagues your flesh.
See there beloved, in the Cross of your Lord Jesus Christ, the totality of your sin and death, the whole pile of your hatred and contempt for the Word of God, every last drop of your lust and greed, every word of gossip and slander, every ounce of bitterness and strife, every piece of that torturous, nagging sin that entraps you. See it all laid upon the beautiful flesh of Jesus, pressed into His perfect, innocent humanity as He becomes not only your sin, but also your curse under the full wrath of the Father.
My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me? So that you, beloved in the Lord, would never, never be forsaken. So that you would never be abandoned or rejected or cast off by your dear Father in heaven. So that you would reconciled to God in the flesh and blood of Jesus Christ, your Atoning Sacrifice, your one Mediator, your Light and your Life, your Elder Brother.
See in the death of Jesus, beloved, God’s own answer to His wrath. For there in the Cross you see the incredible extent of God’s wrath, and at the same time, the profound depths of His love and faithfulness. Jesus bore the wrath of the Father in Himself so that God could be both just and the justifier of those who believe in Jesus. He tore down the dividing wall of hostility, removing that which separates you from His God and Father, namely, your sin and disobedience.
Jesus died, so that you would live. Jesus was rejected, so that you would be restored. Jesus was forsaken so that you would be adopted. Do not feel guilty for His death. He went to it willingly for you. He went to it not to take you feel guilty, but to make you forgiven, to declare you righteous, innocent, holy, and pure. Trust this Word, even as Jesus does.
For though He is forsaken by His Father, He trusts in Him who took Him from the womb of the Blessed Virgin Mary and He will deliver Him and help Him. He fought to the good fight. He finished the race. He kept the faith. His God and Father will deliver His soul and save His flesh from corruption.
Then, then, upon His resurrection, in vindication and victory, Christ Jesus, your Elder Brother, will tell of His Father’s Name to His brothers; that is, to you. In the midst of the congregation He will praise the Lord and spread abroad His Word to all nations.
As you mediate on the sorrow and death of Christ Jesus, did you hear the creeping joy and in-breaking hope from St Matthew? And behold, the curtain of the Temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. And the earth shook, and the rocks were split. The tombs also were opened. And many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised, and coming out of the tombs after His resurrection, they went into the holy city and appeared to many.
Already in His death, even before His resurrection, Christ, the Light of the world, is scattering the darkness of death and driving away the doom and dread of sin. So that when death is at your door, Jesus, who shall never leave you or forsake you, will cheer you with this life and hope. He shall remove your anguish because of His own. His death avails for you. His resurrection is yours.
Even now, beloved, behold the Fruit of His life giving Tree. His Body, crucified for your sins, raised for your justification, ascended in glory, given to you here in and under bread, to bestow the merits of His Passion. His Blood, spilt from His sacred veins, not given in the sour wine of suffering, but the sweet wine of His forgiveness and love, the very cup of salvation.
Our eyes are ever toward the Lord, for He will pluck our feet out of the net. He has turned to you and is gracious to you. He has considered all your affliction and trouble. He forgives all your sins. You are not forsaken, beloved. He is with you always, even to the end of the age.
In the Name of the Father + and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
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