Sacrifice

As most parents would tell you, they would do anything, even at the cost of their own life, to save the life of their child.  This is played out dramatically in different ways across the globe, as parents risk everything to provide their children with food, medical care or education.  The need to protect and defend our offspring is a powerful force, and the family unit is generally inviolate across all cultural barriers.  It is, in fact, one of things that virtually all people have in common.

It would take something cataclysmic for most parents to abandon their precious child.  Even to be separated from them emotionally is difficult and painful.  And yet, this is exactly what God did.  It is clear the torment Jesus felt as he cried out his next words from the cross.  In Matthew 27:46 we read,

At three in the afternoon Jesus cried out in a loud voice, saying, "Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?" (which means, "My God, My God, why have you forsaken me?")  (NIV)

This is a very difficult statement upon which to reflect, far different from everything else spoken from the cross.  In it, Jesus reveals his humanity in full force.

It is hard to imagine the anguish, indignity, pain and humiliation he must have felt, a righteous man dying like a criminal in the most gruesome possible way.  It almost feels indecent to speculate on the deep wound revealed by his words, given the circumstance in which they were uttered.

And yet, Jesus said very little in those last hours.  I believe every word was spoken intentionally and with meaning, not only for those present, but for us as well.  And so we must investigate this very personal cry for help made by our dying Savior.

In taking the sin of the world upon himself, Jesus separated himself from God.  We don't know how this was done.  As Christians, we believe in a triune God, separate but together, three but one.  How God could be separate from a part of himself is a mystery that I do not understand, but it does give some elucidation on the depth of the pain he experienced in the division.

His prayers indicate a certain reluctance to face this battle, although as always, Jesus asks for God's will to be done.  In the event he complied fully, but there may well have been moments of hesitation as he contemplated this outcome.  This is an act of unimaginable sacrifice and grace, to give up his beloved father, not because he deserved it or had done anything to cause this separation himself, but because his father asked it of him on our behalf.  His example inspires me constantly, as I realize my human reluctance is not a barrier to doing God's will.

This cry from the cross was a desperate plea from Jesus to God, a very personal moment of anguish.  I believe Jesus was nearly broken, not by the pain of the cross, but by the pain of the separation from God.  It was almost unbearable to him to feel the absence of God in that moment, and was undoubtedly a fearful reminder of what was to come as he descended into the depths of hell to fight for our souls.

Why then, did he cry out for all to hear?  What message is there in this personal moment between Jesus and God?

I believe Jesus acted from love once again, to show us that even in our brokenness, God is always present. No matter how desperate the situation, no matter what we are going through, God is only a cry away.  Because of his sacrifice in enduring this separation, we will never have to do the same.

Today I am grateful for the sacrifice Jesus made in allowing himself to be separated from God on my behalf.  I am also grateful that he was willing to share his broken spirit with us from the cross, so when we feel broken, we know we are not alone.  There will come a time when we will all cry out that we feel separated from our God.  The power of Jesus' love will restore our spirit and his redemptive grace will restore us to God.  I am unworthy, but God is gracious.