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My God, My God Why Hast Thou Forsaken Me. Series
Contributed by Melvin Maughmer, Jr. on Apr 6, 2007 (message contributor)
Summary: Eli, Eli lama sabachthani - Why did Jesus cry these words.
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“Eli, Eli, Lama Sabachthani”
“My God, My God, why hast thou Forsaken me”
By
District Elder M. L. Maughmer, Jr.
Matthew 27:45-46 “Now from the sixth hour there was darkness over all the land unto the ninth hour. 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”?
This verse has been called by many commentators as the most staggering verse of the Bible. It is the 4th saying of the last 7 sayings of Christ that he spoke on Calvary’s cross. It is different from the other sayings that were said. In this saying He wasn’t asking God the Father to forgive the people for they knew not what they were doing. He wasn’t looking at His mother saying behold thy son or to John behold thy mother. He wasn’t making a promise to be with Him in Paradise. He didn’t submit His spirit at this time, but He screamed the most gut-wrenching, heart-crushing, soul-ripping cry of anguish, abandonment, loneliness, rejection, sorrow, hurt, and depression cry ever uttered.
Understand Jesus hung on the cross for 6 long hours. For the first 3 hours man done his worse toward Jesus. They mocked Him, talked about Him. They challenged Him to save Himself; they said call the angels and see if they will come to your rescue now. They cast lots for his garments, they said He was able to help others, but He can not help Himself. For 3 long hours this was noised on the Hill of Golgotha at the foot of the cross, to Jesus the only begotten Son of God.
But in the 6th hour an utter darkness and silence came upon the earth. God had placed a veil over the eyes of humanity so they could not see what was going on and He plugged the ears so they could not hear what was happening.
*LOOK AT SOMEONE AND SAY THIS IS SPIRITUAL*
Isaiah 53:4 says “he was stricken, smitted of God and afflicted.” This was done by God during this period of darkness and silence. 2nd Corinthians 5:21 says “For he hath made him [to be] sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him”. God made Jesus become sin by placing our iniquities upon Him, not only did He place our iniquities upon Him, but He caused Him to bear our grief’s and sorrows. Now Jesus the only begotten son of God, who was sinless, became sin. He became the antithesis of who He was. He became something totally contrary to His nature.
When God the Father looked at Jesus the Son, He didn’t Jesus the Son in whom He was well pleased, but He saw a curse hanging on a tree, He saw the antithesis of His character, He saw everything that was contrary to Him, His will, and His ways, He saw sin and because He is a Holy God He must punish sin.
That’s what it means when it says He was stricken by God. The word stricken means to strike violently, to smite with a plague. Death is a plague; the wages of sin is death. So under the veil of darkness and silence Jesus was stricken of God with the plague of death. Since sin brings forth death and Jesus became sin God, under the veil of darkness placed upon Him a death sentence that there was no way of escape from
He was smitten by God. The word smitten comes from a couple of Hebrew words one is “DAKA” the other “NAGA” they mean to pulverize, to punish with pain and punishment, to pound down upon. Under the veil of darkness and silence, which lasted from noon until 3:00 before another sound was heard; Jesus the son of God was being pulverized by God. He was receiving the full force of the wrath of God upon sin.
He was afflicted – which means He was made abase by God.
Then after all of that God forsook Jesus, which literally means He turned His back upon Him – WHY – because Hell in part is separation from God. When God turned His back upon His Son Jesus this was all He could stand, He didn’t have to go to Hell He was living Hell hung right there between Heaven and Earth.
Jesus Physically was beat-down, Mentally mixed up, Emotionally emasculated, and now Spiritual separated and Relationally ruined. No doubt in Jesus’ mind He was thinking Father you said you would never leave me, you said you would give the angels charge over me to pick me up less I dash my foot against a stone, you said that you were well pleased with me. Before the foundation of the world we had a relationship. I glorified your name and made know your name to mankind. I let them beat me all night long; I never said a mumbling word. I healed them of their diseases; I open up their blinded eyes in your name. You said you would be right there for me your only begotten son in whom at one time your were well pleased. You said that in every temptation you would make a way of escape.